New Kitten Help Desperately Needed!!

[sap483]

Ok, so for those of you that remember my story, I have a cat named Theo that is almost a year old. Normally he is a happy little kitty that loves to play. He''s not super affectionate, but a friendly cat nonetheless. So he seemed very lonely and more than one person that we know suggested we get him a friend. So yesterday we got him a 4 month old little brother (named Squeaky). Well, the friendly kitty turned into the devil the minute he met his new little brother. Hissing, growling, scratching, biting at the new kitten and us. So we kept them separated last night hoping that today would be better. Nope. So, how do I help them become friends? I''ll post pictures of the new guy in just a little bit.

 

[AmberGretchen]

This is totally normal cat behavior. Cats almost never get along right away, and its not realistic to expect them to.

Your instinct to keep them separated is excellent. All the cat behaviorists at the shelter where I volunteer strongly suggest this at first. The gradual introduction process is crucial to them eventually getting along.

There have been several threads about this in the past where people gave great, detailed advice, I will see if I can find those for you. In the meantime, keeping them separated and spending plenty of time with each one is the perfect thing to be doing.

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 8/17/2008 11:25:30 AM
Author:sap483
Ok, so for those of you that remember my story, I have a cat named Theo that is almost a year old. Normally he is a happy little kitty that loves to play. He's not super affectionate, but a friendly cat nonetheless. So he seemed very lonely and more than one person that we know suggested we get him a friend. So yesterday we got him a 4 month old little brother (named Squeaky). Well, the friendly kitty turned into the devil the minute he met his new little brother. Hissing, growling, scratching, biting at the new kitten and us. So we kept them separated last night hoping that today would be better. Nope. So, how do I help them become friends? I'll post pictures of the new guy in just a little bit.

Give it time, some hissing, yowling and hitting is normal and to be expected. Keep them separate for now for a few days, and bring in some items which smell of the other cats scent so they can get used to it. Take it very gradually and supervise each interaction carefully, you should find that things calm down eventually. Be patient and take it slowly and carefully and remember that this is normal behaviour, but things do get better. I have introduced many many cats over the years, it has always been a bit traumatic for us and all cats involved, but time and patience are your friends and they will work in out once everyone knows their place!

 

[AmberGretchen]

OK, I found some of the threads. This first one has a link to a great article from FireGoddess that I think really covers all the basics you would need to know to make this introduction successful:

Useful thread 1

Here''s another thread on the same topic, where I wrote out detailed instructions for introducing kitties to each other:

Useful thread 2


I think those two threads are a really good starting point, and I know there are many cat lovers here (including myself) who would be happy to offer further advice as necessary.

 

[princesss]

I just talked to my vet about this yesterday. She said definitely keep them separated, but she suggested getting those plug in cat-calmer-downer things. Yeah, I''m pretty sure that''s the technical name.

She said that they can help calm the cats down so that there is less of a risk of territorial marking.

 

[niccia]

Definitely give it some time. They will get used to each other eventually and before you know it they will probably be the best of friends. Don''t make too much of a fuss when they are getting to know each other. I always found that the more I interfered with my pets getting to know new pets or pet-guests, the more they would act up and be aggressive with one another. When I left them to sort it out on their own (of course I would quietly watch them from a distance) they were much better. When we first introduced our very friendly old male cat to our new female manx kitten, she hissed and spit and clawed at him and he quickly decided he didn''t like her much either and left her alone. Two days later she had a change of heart and followed him around the house all day but he wanted nothing to do with her. Pretty soon, however, they were inseperable. He always seemed to be mystified by her lack of tail lol.

 

[Pandora II]

We applied peanut butter very liberally to a new kitten knowing that the other cat would just about bite your hand off for the stuff.

He couldn''t resist and by the time the new cat was clean they were great friends.

They were both siamese who tend to behave slightly more like dogs than cats though.

 

[MonkeyPie]

Date: 8/17/2008 1:35:36 PM
Author: Pandora II
We applied peanut butter very liberally to a new kitten knowing that the other cat would just about bite your hand off for the stuff.

He couldn''t resist and by the time the new cat was clean they were great friends.

They were both siamese who tend to behave slightly more like dogs than cats though.

Ahahahaha! Well that''s just smart!

When we introduced our newest stray kitten into our house, the other two cats bopped her on the head and hissed for about two days. We never tried to keep them apart though, and now they all cuddle together and are perfectly happy. The new baby did stay in our room the first day, but we left the door open so the other cats could come inspect her. She''s a little blind so she was uncertain, but they are great now.

 

[brazen_irish_hussy]

Try Feliway. Everyone who uses it swears by it. Basically, it is the pheremone cats use to mark stuff and it calms them down to smell it around and reduces territorial behavior.
It will get better, I promise

 

[princesss]

Date: 8/17/2008 3:55:18 PM
Author: brazen_irish_hussy
Try Feliway. Everyone who uses it swears by it. Basically, it is the pheremone cats use to mark stuff and it calms them down to smell it around and reduces territorial behavior.

It will get better, I promise

THAT''S the stuff I was talking about. I''m glad somebody on here knew the name of it.

 

[moremoremore]

There is actually a rather long, involved introduction process that you can google...that is really the " right " way to do it.... but I haven''t always followed it...

As long as they aren''t breaking skin, it''s normal...even a little broken skin is probably normal...but following the standard intro rules could probably help....it''s up to you if you want to put in the effort..

 

[sap483]

Thanks for the links ambergretchen! They were very helpful. I found similar information online as well, so it seems like the consensus is to slowly introduce them. I'm glad to hear from all of you that it's normal for them to behave like this. I was really worried!

I'm going to look into the pheremones! I'm not sure about the peanut butter Pandora, the new kitty is a Himalyan and I can't imagine how long it would take to get it clean of peanut butter! That's a really great idea though!

We kept them separated all day yesterday except for a few 30 minute intervals where we let them play supervised. They've gotten better with each other- Theo isn't really hissing anymore, but they're still not friends. I think one of the issues we are having is that Theo is very athletic- he can run, jump, do flips etc and he loves to play rough. Even with us, he plays extremely rough, batting at us, trying to bite us, etc. The new kitty is his polar opposite. He's a calm himalyan that's not athletic at all (he can barely run) that doesn't appreciate being batted at. So now he's getting mad and hissing at Theo. Do you think they will ever overcome this difference in personality?

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 8/18/2008 10:52:36 AM
Author: sap483
Thanks for the links ambergretchen! They were very helpful. I found similar information online as well, so it seems like the consensus is to slowly introduce them. I'm glad to hear from all of you that it's normal for them to behave like this. I was really worried!

I'm going to look into the pheremones! I'm not sure about the peanut butter Pandora, the new kitty is a Himalyan and I can't imagine how long it would take to get it clean of peanut butter! That's a really great idea though!

We kept them separated all day yesterday except for a few 30 minute intervals where we let them play supervised. They've gotten better with each other- Theo isn't really hissing anymore, but they're still not friends. I think one of the issues we are having is that Theo is very athletic- he can run, jump, do flips etc and he loves to play rough. Even with us, he plays extremely rough, batting at us, trying to bite us, etc. The new kitty is his polar opposite. He's a calm himalyan that's not athletic at all (he can barely run) that doesn't appreciate being batted at. So now he's getting mad and hissing at Theo. Do you think they will ever overcome this difference in personality?

Don't expect too much too soon, that you already have an improvement is great progress. It takes time, maybe in a few weeks they will be real buddies, but in cat hierachy there is much for these two to sort out which is the natural order of things. If they are just tolerating each other for now, then that is better than is usually expected! I am sure in time they will be living amicably together, I have 5 indoor cats which are very different to each other and introduced at different times living relatively harmoniously.

 

[oshinbreez]

I just went through this situation. After my cat Comet died in January, I was devistated. In March, I was ready to look at kitty''s. We went to the shelter and found Fluffy. After a few weeks, I wanted Fluffy to have a playmate and found Charlie on Craigslist in Arpil..

The first week was awful. Charlie was kept in a bathroom while Fluffy was free. Every time she''d go near the bathroom door, she''d hiss, Charlie would hiss. I didn''t know if they''d ever get used to each other. Several times a day, I would go in and have bonding time with Charlie.. Both cats would smell the other on me when I loved on them. After 3 or 4 days, I let them meet. I had each in a carrier and put them facing each other There was still a lot of hissing. Charlie stayed in the bathroom for another day, then I cracked open the door and watched. Still more hissing and hiding, but no biting. Each would hide and when they''d see each other they''d hiss, but nothing more. Now, 4 months later, they''ll head butt and eat next to each other.

Like everyone else has said, it takes time. Good luck.

 

[sap483]

I will definintely be patient with them! Well this week, DH will be patient as I''m in Chicago for work hehe. I just hope they start getting along by the first weekend in October. We have to go out of town for a wedding! So anyway, here''s a pic of the new guy (and his "real" brother. It''s one that the person I got him from took. I took some others but I haven''t uploaded them yet.

 

[CJ2008]

Sap, how is your dad?

I tried to catch you in another thread a while back but then I couldn''t remember which thread to check back ahah

I hope he''s doing well.

The kitty is ADORABLE.

 

[sap483]

I have an update on the kitty situation. It''s been about a week now and the two kittys are friends! Last night they actually slept cuddled up next to each other, it was so cute! DH and I followed the advice I got on here and kept them separated the majority of the time for the first few days and gradually introduced them to one another. By the end of last week they were ok with spending most of their time together. Now, they act as they''ve always been the best of friends! Thank you so much for all of your help!

Claudinam- thank you so much for thinking about my dad! He is doing as well as can be all things considered. I''ve been waiting for you to post wedding pics, have I missed them?

 

[AmberGretchen]

Awww...So glad to hear the happy kitty update - thanks for coming back and letting us know how it turned out

 

[CJ2008]

Sap - I am so glad your dad is doing well.

You haven''t missed my pictures...I haven''t posted them...I''ll pick some to post soon.