New kitten

[jessicalou]

We got a new kitten a little grey and white female she has settled in well (eating , drinking e.t.c) , the only issue is my 4 year old female cat seems to have taken an instant dislike to her spitting at her fluffing up and refusing to come anywhere near her , she has also stopped eating . I know its early days and things will settle down , but I would like any advice on how to make this easier for my older cat , shall I just let them meet on their own terms or force an introduction
thanks

[SarahT1 [PLLE]]

Hi Jessicalou

It sounds as if you may have rushed the introductions? If you have just gone straight in with the little one and confronted madam with the new arrival this is a reasonable and likely response! I have a queen bee who still has words with her adopted siblings and makes sure they know their place in the hierarchy.

http://www.catchat.org/bonding.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

http://www.catchat.org/hierarchies.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

These are useful links to information on the main Cat Chat site which will give you an idea of how to proceed. Go a few steps back and start as if the little one had just arrived. It will take a time, so don't panic or they will get the vibes from you. Sometimes it works a dream - our younger girl and boy were fine with each other within 24 hours and we cut out many of these steps - but in general girl on girl intros tend to be feistier!

Good luck and let us know what transpires.

[jessicalou]

I don't think i introduced them to quickly, i left it a few days and kept them in different rooms e.t.c did the scent swapping thing and when my older cat started getting curious (sniffing at the door ) i let them see each other ,and since then she has hissed and growled and just been extremely jumpy , if me and my partner smell like the kitten she'll growl and go to hit us .
she's never gone to attack the kitten she'll just give her dagger eyes and hiss e.t.c then run away , do you think its possible that she will ever except her?
my older boy didn't even flinch when he saw the kitten he just wanted his food as usual and after he had eaten , he said hello and now they are fine together .

I'd hate to have to rehome the little one , but if they don't get on i see no other option ,im obviously going to give it some more time though

[SarahT1 [PLLE]]

Hi Jessicalou

Okay, I see. That's great your boy has accepted the little one easily. Your girl needs more time and it's possible they won't be pals but many folk on here who have a multi cat household have work with a mix of dynamics. If there is no direct attacking then it all sounds pretty normal for many intros. There's lots of good advice on this site and others for building up intro time with playing, feeding, time sharing etc. just be prepared to take your time and accept a less than ideal relationship. If your big has accepted her then she has a pal and make sure your older girl gets plenty of quality time with you. I hope some other folk get back to you on this too.

[Crewella]

I have six cats here, and some of them are great pals, and some of them just tolerate each other. Just as you can't expect all kids to get on just because they're kids, you can't expect all cats to get along famously either. I think not actually fighting is something to work on, and with any luck if they don't get friendly, then with time at least they'll learn to give each other space.

[jessicalou]

had pepper over 2 weeks now, the situation between her and my female cat hasn't got any better but its not got any worse either so I think that's a good thing. Maisie (my older female) will happily eat treats etc in the same room as pepper but as soon as there all gone she starts spitting and growling again and runs back to the safety of the bedroom .
Im hoping as pepper gets bigger maisie will be more excepting and not so scared.

[lilynmitz]

Two weeks is still very early days, so just take it slowly, and don't expect too much of them.

[oggers86]

Make sure you give your older cat space away from the kitten. If she will take them, feed a load of treats at your cat whilst feeding the kitten at the same time. I have found it has helped them to be better with each other when there are no treats although they are all better when treats are available!

We are almost 3 months into our kitten to cat introduction and things are progressing slowly. Elsworth and Elsa have reached an understanding, he keeps his distance, she wont hit him. He does sometimes forget and try and play with her but a quick growl and a slap and he gets the message.

Elise hasn't quite reached that understanding, there is something about her that makes him chase her despite her growling at him. She happily shares her cat tree with him, they each have a hammock and they will both go to sleep.

All three are quite happy to be around each other if they are all respectful of each others space. I can feed them next to each other, get them to eat treats next to each other with no problems.

I didn't have a very long introduction period but my cats were fine with the scent and sight of him, they just did not like being pestered.

Maybe have them all mingling for short periods of time, do not let the kitten chase her but allow her to set the pace. If she is just hissing, growling or slapping then closely supervise but he needs to realise that he can not approach her. If you are worried about his safety then do not allow him to approach, set up a dog crate and put him in it so that she can see him but not touch him to harm him.