Getting my 2yrold cat to like our new kitten?

Question

We have a 2 year old kitty that my gf and I babied to death, she was our one and only.
But yesterday we got a new 8 week old kitten. We had been planning it for awhile because we felt bad with how much time we have to leave our 2 year old kitty home alone because of work. We thought she was lonely so we decided to get her someone else to play with and keep company.

But our cat doesn't seem to like the new kitten, and will follow it around constantly, never letting it out of her sights. And she hits it if the kitten gets too close. Our cat growls and hisses at it also, and I have literally never heard her hiss or growl in the entire two years we've had her.

And starting today, our Cat now won't even let us pet her or hold her. She'll growl at us and attack us. (and man she's got claws!)

What can we do to get our 2 year old cat to accept the kitten, and not hate us?

Answer 1

Cats are territorial, some more than others, and in most cases, do not initially take well to “intruders” in their territory, not even to small kittens. By doing a slow integration procedure, with gradual amounts of exposure over a whole lot of days or even weeks, building up to full-time mingling, things will usually work out fine.



Here are the steps:



1) Isolation: Isolate the new cat completely for a few days.

2) Scent Familiarization: Scent familiarization with items, such as towels rubbed on each cat, then left in the area of the other cat.

3) Room Swapping: Switching the cats' places for a while every day, with no physical contact between them to allow even more scent familiarization.

4) Visual Familiarization: Seeing each other with no physical contact, such as from a slightly cracked opened door or with one of the cats in a carrier or cage for a few minutes only.

5) Developing Positive Associations: Start developing positive associations with no physical contact, such as by feeding the cats on opposite sides of a door when cracked opened and even when it is shut.

6) Short Supervised Visits: Brief, highly supervised visits paired with food or treats.

7) Separation at Signs of Hostilities: Separate the cats at signs of hostilities, or great fear. Learn cat body language to tell when a problem is starting.

8) Longer, Carefully Supervised Visits: Mingling under very careful supervision for up to a few hours, before total separation again. Adjust the length of time depending upon whether there are any signs of hostilities or stress, but no matter how well things seem, do not yet permit 24/7 free mingling.

9) Limited Free Mingling: Free mingling except when the people are not home or asleep, so quick intervention can be done if needed.

10) Free Mingling Full Time: The cats are let together freely all the time when all the above steps have gone well. Backtrack to the limited mingling if the cats weren't quite ready to be together all the time.



Please read the following article for more details and help:

http://wvcats.com/integrating_kittens_with_cats.htm

Answer 2

Time. Your cat is following the kitten around because it is Curious. The hissing and swatting is normal for a cat. Her life has been turned upside down and it will take some time for her.You cat is irritated with you right now that is why she is growling at you. The cats will find their space they always do.Just keep a close eye on the two. If your cat does get really aggressive with the new kitten you can give her a little spray with a water bottle. Just spend a little extra time with your cat make her feel special. Give her some canned food. Make sure they have separate litter boxes for a while. Feed them in separate bowls. They will find their spots.

Answer 3

I believe you probably did the introductions flawed. You cannot simply drop new kittens into an estabilished cat's territory, it simply would possibly not wash with the resident. Would you love to get residence and discover 2 loopy young adults squatting there??? Cause that is what it appears like from Bella's factor of view. I believe you are going to have got to do introductions once more, or your Bella would quite make a decision you do not love her anymore and run away, to threat, as most probably as now not. Bella feels very threatened by way of the 2 strangers who appear to have the run of her territory proper now, that is why she reacts badly and has hissy suits. The kittens are a couple, so they have got every different for help, even as Bella is by myself and . Of direction the puppies are all proper with the brand new kittens, they have got one other percent to handle, as soon as they're all proper with one cat they are OK with they all. If you have been to introduce one other puppy, you then'd see them displaying enamel. For a even as, besides. The hyperlink under has by way of a ways the BEST recommendation, it is a cat charity in Sheffield - it helped me doing matters proper whilst I announced my new kitten to the present cat, after which an older cat. By now they sleep in combination! I advise you comply with it in element. It would simply store your animal household, earlier than a divorce approach will get began!

Answer 4

Sometimes it helps to separate them for a few weeks to first let them get used to each other's smells and then to gradually introduce them. It does take a lot of time.