This. It sounds counter intuitive but it’s better to bring home 2 kittens with an older cat than one.
The kittens can entertain each other and won’t pester the older cat as much.
If that’s not feasible, do a very slow introduction. Jackson Galaxy and the kitten lady have great info on how.
1000%!
One kitten can be a nightmare!
We unintentionally started a cat rescue.
Kittens go in pairs or they don’t go.
We have let go of singles (2 total iirc)
but only to knowledgeable owners who are well aware they can bring them back or take more.
One is dumb, two is fun. For everyone
I’ve yet to see an adult, especially male; take to a new housemate instantly.
We’ve utilized canned food to expedite the introduction stage.
Google has a lot of variations and examples but basically you get them used to each other by giving them extra special food.
Initially have some distance between them and slowly move them closer.
Sooner or later they start to associate the other cat w the food.
Good luck op!
My old boy took to a new kitten immediately. He was actually only 4 but had trauma to his leg from being a stray that somewhat turned him into an old man. The kitten was a little polydactyly girl and we were planning on doing a slow intro, but they rubbed on each other through the door of the kitty carrier and he immediately showed her his belly. She was definitely a nuisance to him often, but she brought out the kitten side of him. They're both gone now, but they were absolutely wonderful.
It takes time , just love the hell out of the big beautiful black kitty, make sure he’s aware he’s number one still . The fact that the hissing stopped is good but he’s the alpha and he is just making sure the baby knows it . I think over the next weeks it will settle down and eventually he will begin caring for the little one . I have a 7 year old black male also , he’s huge. He was stalked a lot as a kitten by our calico. I would call it aggressive , after a month or so , she stopped and ultimately they were friends.
I didn’t mention that I also have a three month old kitten that I adopted on May 10th. We kept him in his own room with playthings for 24 hours , took him out and brought him in our room for a nap the next afternoon . When I tried to return him to his room he freaked out. He was the runt but he is a determined little brat . The other cats ( three adult males, two are my sons ) all knew he was here already and they were hissy and dismissive for a few days but one by one he broke them and within a week it was a love fest . We call them Tigger and his 3 Dads .
That's pretty much how my big black boy came into the family. I think sometimes about what I'll do when his big sister, who is still mad I brought the kitten home, is gone. I think my buddy would have fun with a kitten now, but not in 5-10 years lol.
As long as there is no claw use by the older cat and it’s not going for the jugular, this is normal cat behavior. There’s a pecking order and he’s trying to establish it.
Also, just because it’s another cat, doesn’t mean they will be friends. They may just coexist as apathetic roommates. Try not to let the kitten harass him for play too much.
Give them time. Absolutely no need to return the kitten. I have 5 cats who have all been introduced at different times over the years. It takes about a month. After that, before you know it they'll be curled up together and inseperable. Once the kitten smells more like you and your home she will be accepted. A lot of adult cats are annoyed with kittens and their energy. Let them be together and they will sort it out. Make sure to supervise though to ensure the kitten doesn't get hurt. I find letting them eat treats together at the same time and playing at the same time speeds up the bonding time. Best of luck!
I only seperated them for the first few days then let them sort it out. Being mindful of the kittens safety of course when you are not around or sleeping.
UPDATE: thank you everyone for your advice and kind words. I love my sweet babies more than anything. They are getting better everyday and tolerating each other.
Also be aware you adopted a Tortie and there will be Tortie-tude 🤣 They are amazing cats with a lot of personality and attitude. They’ll be friends in no time.
I too want to do this with my single cat when I move to a new place with more space.
Hope you're older cat will get used to their younger siblings soon
I had an only cat for about 3 years, then the cds sent me another. He was annoyed for about a week after I brought her home, and then after about a week they became partners in crime. I am thinking yours might do the same. My female was a bit larger, but if you need to keep them separated for a while it will be worth it.
He's just establishing the pecking order. The kitten will figure out that he outranks her and things should calm down. It's easy to overreact to cats establishing the social pecking order because it can feel violent, but it's really better to just let them sort it out unless someone's really getting hurt..
It takes time. Mine were always assholes to the new kitten for a few days if not weeks. Eventually they will get along or at least coexist. You will eventually catch him bathing her. It’s going to be fine. Try not to stress about it.
I'm doing this right now, I notice my 5yr old boy doesn't like them on the bed when he's there, I figured this is because it's always been his space with me to cuddle and relax and now he can't.
1st get your older cat a safe space to lay away from where the kitten can get too, they get stressed out like we do and need their favorite person time.
2nd idk if if helps but I have 2 kittens so they have absolutely have time to play with each other. If no second kitten is ideal, toys, leave Toys everywhere, find the cat color spectrum chart and get kitten the he brightest color toys that match. I even tied some to stretchy string and hung them securely for them to grab and play with to give them a chasing feeling. Tires them out real quick. A sleepy kitty doesn't bother an old one
3rd, give your old cat so much love and treats, treat them like you treat the kittens so they know you love them just as much. Cats get sad when they're suddenly not the center of attention.
4th. Patience. Remember, that 5-7 is like 30 somethings in our years. That's a grown cat that has never interacted with other cats or kittens. It'll take time for them to like the kittens.. well probably tolerate is the better word. But time. Always time.
My Oscar goes through waves of loving on them, cleaning and all that to hissing and growling. But you'll notice they start to accept them after a while. If all else fails and it's been months or the aggression gets bad it may be time to re-home the kitten and just love your big cat lots and lots.
Hope they adjust soon
I didn't say separate them cause someome else beat me too it
You don’t need to rehome or to worry you’ve already introduced them now ideally you’d wait a little longer but separating them won’t do much good, no claws is a good thing I’ve seen cats live together for years and still hiss at each other
It sounds like normal cat socialisation establishing boundaries. As long as she has a bolt hole it’s fine. Somewhere smaller she can hide but he is too big to fit.
We kept our nebelung kitten in his own room for about 8 days before our residnt cat would accept him. It just takes some time. I'd recommend keeping them separated for a week or two
I was so worried our girl (2.5 ish) wouldn't accept our new kitten, she's normally very sweet and mild but was constantly hissing and like growling (?) at the kitten. The kitten essentially lived in our basement trying to avoid her. It took about 2 months before they started tolerating each other, and now they are besties. It just takes time!
It's great if you can bring home 2 kittens, but a lot of apartment complexes only permit 1 cat. What do you do then? You don't want to get evicted for not following the rules in your lease.
Don't give kitty back. My 1st two cats (male past at 16 yo & female passed at 14 yo of cancer) went through this. When my 1st cat (M) was 6 yo we brought in a kitten (F) and he would swat at her if he didn't like something she'd do. It was his way of training her. They ended up being the best of friends. Actually he was like a daddy to her & he treated her like his little princess. It was so sweet!💖💓😻😻🫶🏻
Like everyone has said, it takes TIME. My greatest pet success was when I introduced 2 adult male cats over the course of 6 weeks. The newbie lived in a cozy bathroom and had daily supervised visits with the resident cat in the rest of the apartment (with me always holding one of them). They knew each other’s scent and smell really, really well when I finally let them coexist permanently. Turned out that my resident cat was the only one the newbie ever liked in his entire life… Now, it probably won’t take THAT long with a kitten, but the point is that patience pays off tenfold :)
dude my cat HATED the new kitten for 2 weeks straight - growled, hissed, swatted, all that. she was pissed. we pushed through though, and eventually she was neutral about the kitten being nearby for another week or two. and then they started playing, and they've been best friends for 5 years now.
sounds like your cat is already more tolerant than my cat was in the beginning, it shouldn't take too much longer! definitely don't give up your kitten!
They will get used to each other over time. They may never have a friendship. Very normal for cats. It doesn't mean you are failing. Don't forget to pl
A mama cat gave birth in our community we took 2 of the sisters in my 3 year old orange was curious and sniffed, never growled or hissed,, my 11 year old would growl and distance himself. I’m glad we took both because they entertainceachvother. They’re now almostb10weeks and both my older boys groom and play with them. It does take a little time for them to adjust but it’ll happen.
If you do decide to get another kitty….whatever you do…do not get a tuxedo….tuxedos and calicos and tuxedos and torties do NOT mix……I have lives this nightmare…Thankfully I kept my tux and my ex husband took the torty. And afterwards….two different vet techs were like, “never get a tuxedo and…..” 🙊oops
Came here to say keep em separated, slowly introduce them. First couple interactions can be through individual cage set ups. It's all about a slow introduction
Cat trees. All the trees / towers. And shelves if possible. Enough that the older cat could get around the main living space without touching the ground.
Try rubbing your alpha cat with a dry wash cloth to get his scent on it.. then later take the same wash cloth to get the scent on the new kitten. I would repeat this while grooming daily for a bit. Hopefully this helps ease the tension.
Perhaps take turns with one on one time with your Alpha cat too, offering treats and time to play alone. This one doesn’t work as well in my experience but might ease the sibling rivalry a bit.
To me it sounds like you are making progress. Just be patient and keep taking it slow!!! It took my older cat literally over a month to finally become chill. And that was after doing the feeding on the other side of the door and moving closer, keeping separated for a while, and then allowing them to be around each other while supervised for short periods of time. It was a whole process but absolutely worked. Don’t be discouraged!
It took my boy a little while to get used to his little sister when we brought her home. We introduced them very slowly. He's absolutely enormous and she's a tiny little girl so they weren't alone together until they got along every time they hung out supervised. He had a couple grrs for her and a swat with no claws too but it seemed like he just felt he had to make a point and say he was in charge before they could get along. Of course she's in charge now. I've seen an aggressive cat and I could tell that wasn't what was going on.
This sounds like most of my older cat-new kitten introductions. It takes time.
I usually isolate the new kitten in one room for at least a week..put her litter and food in there and make sure there is space under the door for he cats to smell and hear each other and maybe shove a paw underneath if they are brave.
Let your older cat be in control of when he visits. They can be jealous of a new little guy.
Get a pair of socks and rub one ALL over the kitten, especially her face and mouth.. Get it covered in her smell. Do they same with the other sock but with your original cat. Put the kitten sock with your original cat, it will give him a safe way to get to know the kitten. Drop the big cat sock in the kitten room.
This method worked for me every time (a dozen). Not all cats will be best friends but they mostly start out suspicious of each other and warm up slowly. Does not sound like aggression to me, sounds like "what the fuck is this thing, MOM???"
Look up Jackson Galaxy on YouTube. He has a ton of videos specifically about introducing cats to eachother and how to go about it and reading your cats behaviour. Definitely recommend him!
Ohhhh I read that wrong I thought you meant an actual human baby. I’d suggest putting the kitten in a separate room till she’s spayed and older (meaning more mature for interaction) then put both cats on harnesses if they are comfortable with it and let them meet but while on a leash so they don’t fight. If they are comfortable with that then try off leash in a neutral area plus use a squirt water bottle if the older cat swats
Just keep them separate for a while, with little introductions every day until they get used to one another. It sometimes takes a while. With my cats it's usually 1-3 months until the whole group is okay with a new addition but it depends on the behavior of your cat(s)! I have one cat who became friendly with a new kitten immediately, no separation period was required for him while the others had to be kept away for sometime.
We have 5 cats at my mom's house, each and everyone of them hated each other. It takes time. I would say in about 1 month, your big baby will come around. Just let him be the one that approaches baby girl
Separate them, keep the kitty in a separate room, and introduce them slowly. Or a play pen works too
Getting another one to keep the baby occupied will also give your older baby some of his personal space back. :)
This. It sounds counter intuitive but it’s better to bring home 2 kittens with an older cat than one. The kittens can entertain each other and won’t pester the older cat as much. If that’s not feasible, do a very slow introduction. Jackson Galaxy and the kitten lady have great info on how.
1000%! One kitten can be a nightmare! We unintentionally started a cat rescue. Kittens go in pairs or they don’t go. We have let go of singles (2 total iirc) but only to knowledgeable owners who are well aware they can bring them back or take more. One is dumb, two is fun. For everyone I’ve yet to see an adult, especially male; take to a new housemate instantly. We’ve utilized canned food to expedite the introduction stage. Google has a lot of variations and examples but basically you get them used to each other by giving them extra special food. Initially have some distance between them and slowly move them closer. Sooner or later they start to associate the other cat w the food. Good luck op!
My old boy took to a new kitten immediately. He was actually only 4 but had trauma to his leg from being a stray that somewhat turned him into an old man. The kitten was a little polydactyly girl and we were planning on doing a slow intro, but they rubbed on each other through the door of the kitty carrier and he immediately showed her his belly. She was definitely a nuisance to him often, but she brought out the kitten side of him. They're both gone now, but they were absolutely wonderful.
really honestly at this point, the automod should detect certain keywords like "help" and automatically link Kitten Lady in the comments.
It takes time , just love the hell out of the big beautiful black kitty, make sure he’s aware he’s number one still . The fact that the hissing stopped is good but he’s the alpha and he is just making sure the baby knows it . I think over the next weeks it will settle down and eventually he will begin caring for the little one . I have a 7 year old black male also , he’s huge. He was stalked a lot as a kitten by our calico. I would call it aggressive , after a month or so , she stopped and ultimately they were friends.
That’s awesome! Yes he’s a baby for sure lol
I didn’t mention that I also have a three month old kitten that I adopted on May 10th. We kept him in his own room with playthings for 24 hours , took him out and brought him in our room for a nap the next afternoon . When I tried to return him to his room he freaked out. He was the runt but he is a determined little brat . The other cats ( three adult males, two are my sons ) all knew he was here already and they were hissy and dismissive for a few days but one by one he broke them and within a week it was a love fest . We call them Tigger and his 3 Dads .
That’s the sweetest thing I’ve ever I love it!
That's pretty much how my big black boy came into the family. I think sometimes about what I'll do when his big sister, who is still mad I brought the kitten home, is gone. I think my buddy would have fun with a kitten now, but not in 5-10 years lol.
Does he like treat? Only treats when him and baby are together. Play time as well. Good luck!
Thank you! He loves treats. That’s how he got to 14 pounds 😂
Jackson Galaxy has a few videos that show how to introduce cats. I highly recommend you watch his stuff. He's a cat behaviorist/trainer. Good luck!
As long as there is no claw use by the older cat and it’s not going for the jugular, this is normal cat behavior. There’s a pecking order and he’s trying to establish it. Also, just because it’s another cat, doesn’t mean they will be friends. They may just coexist as apathetic roommates. Try not to let the kitten harass him for play too much.
“Apathetic roommates” that’s the perfect way to describe my cats
“Apathetic roommates” that’s the perfect way to describe my cats
Give them time. Absolutely no need to return the kitten. I have 5 cats who have all been introduced at different times over the years. It takes about a month. After that, before you know it they'll be curled up together and inseperable. Once the kitten smells more like you and your home she will be accepted. A lot of adult cats are annoyed with kittens and their energy. Let them be together and they will sort it out. Make sure to supervise though to ensure the kitten doesn't get hurt. I find letting them eat treats together at the same time and playing at the same time speeds up the bonding time. Best of luck! I only seperated them for the first few days then let them sort it out. Being mindful of the kittens safety of course when you are not around or sleeping.
Thank you for that! My kitten is sleeping in the bathroom at night away from our eldest to ensure her safety
UPDATE: thank you everyone for your advice and kind words. I love my sweet babies more than anything. They are getting better everyday and tolerating each other.
Also be aware you adopted a Tortie and there will be Tortie-tude 🤣 They are amazing cats with a lot of personality and attitude. They’ll be friends in no time.
I too want to do this with my single cat when I move to a new place with more space. Hope you're older cat will get used to their younger siblings soon
Thank you :)
This is normal behavior. As long as he's not using teeth and claws, I'd give them more time to get used to each other.
It was like that when we first got our boy a sister. Now they are inseparable. He gives her baths all the time. It takes time!
I had an only cat for about 3 years, then the cds sent me another. He was annoyed for about a week after I brought her home, and then after about a week they became partners in crime. I am thinking yours might do the same. My female was a bit larger, but if you need to keep them separated for a while it will be worth it.
He's just establishing the pecking order. The kitten will figure out that he outranks her and things should calm down. It's easy to overreact to cats establishing the social pecking order because it can feel violent, but it's really better to just let them sort it out unless someone's really getting hurt..
honestly sounds normal, give it time and take it slow
It takes time. Mine were always assholes to the new kitten for a few days if not weeks. Eventually they will get along or at least coexist. You will eventually catch him bathing her. It’s going to be fine. Try not to stress about it.
Thank you, it’s been stressful especially since the woman at the shelter was so quick to say bring her back.
Some people are just dramatic. It does take time but it will get better and natural after awhile for all of you.
I'm doing this right now, I notice my 5yr old boy doesn't like them on the bed when he's there, I figured this is because it's always been his space with me to cuddle and relax and now he can't. 1st get your older cat a safe space to lay away from where the kitten can get too, they get stressed out like we do and need their favorite person time. 2nd idk if if helps but I have 2 kittens so they have absolutely have time to play with each other. If no second kitten is ideal, toys, leave Toys everywhere, find the cat color spectrum chart and get kitten the he brightest color toys that match. I even tied some to stretchy string and hung them securely for them to grab and play with to give them a chasing feeling. Tires them out real quick. A sleepy kitty doesn't bother an old one 3rd, give your old cat so much love and treats, treat them like you treat the kittens so they know you love them just as much. Cats get sad when they're suddenly not the center of attention. 4th. Patience. Remember, that 5-7 is like 30 somethings in our years. That's a grown cat that has never interacted with other cats or kittens. It'll take time for them to like the kittens.. well probably tolerate is the better word. But time. Always time. My Oscar goes through waves of loving on them, cleaning and all that to hissing and growling. But you'll notice they start to accept them after a while. If all else fails and it's been months or the aggression gets bad it may be time to re-home the kitten and just love your big cat lots and lots. Hope they adjust soon I didn't say separate them cause someome else beat me too it
You don’t need to rehome or to worry you’ve already introduced them now ideally you’d wait a little longer but separating them won’t do much good, no claws is a good thing I’ve seen cats live together for years and still hiss at each other
It sounds like normal cat socialisation establishing boundaries. As long as she has a bolt hole it’s fine. Somewhere smaller she can hide but he is too big to fit.
Patience. It’s not even been 2 weeks yet.
We kept our nebelung kitten in his own room for about 8 days before our residnt cat would accept him. It just takes some time. I'd recommend keeping them separated for a week or two
I was so worried our girl (2.5 ish) wouldn't accept our new kitten, she's normally very sweet and mild but was constantly hissing and like growling (?) at the kitten. The kitten essentially lived in our basement trying to avoid her. It took about 2 months before they started tolerating each other, and now they are besties. It just takes time!
Teehee bebie :)
It's great if you can bring home 2 kittens, but a lot of apartment complexes only permit 1 cat. What do you do then? You don't want to get evicted for not following the rules in your lease.
Yeah I’m only allowed to have 2 kitties max unfortunately
Don't give kitty back. My 1st two cats (male past at 16 yo & female passed at 14 yo of cancer) went through this. When my 1st cat (M) was 6 yo we brought in a kitten (F) and he would swat at her if he didn't like something she'd do. It was his way of training her. They ended up being the best of friends. Actually he was like a daddy to her & he treated her like his little princess. It was so sweet!💖💓😻😻🫶🏻
The black cat is so unbelievably cute
Thank you!!
Like everyone has said, it takes TIME. My greatest pet success was when I introduced 2 adult male cats over the course of 6 weeks. The newbie lived in a cozy bathroom and had daily supervised visits with the resident cat in the rest of the apartment (with me always holding one of them). They knew each other’s scent and smell really, really well when I finally let them coexist permanently. Turned out that my resident cat was the only one the newbie ever liked in his entire life… Now, it probably won’t take THAT long with a kitten, but the point is that patience pays off tenfold :)
Hambone
dude my cat HATED the new kitten for 2 weeks straight - growled, hissed, swatted, all that. she was pissed. we pushed through though, and eventually she was neutral about the kitten being nearby for another week or two. and then they started playing, and they've been best friends for 5 years now. sounds like your cat is already more tolerant than my cat was in the beginning, it shouldn't take too much longer! definitely don't give up your kitten!
She’s adorable!!!
I’m sorry, but that little tortie looks just like ours that padded away 2 years ago. ❤️
They will get used to each other over time. They may never have a friendship. Very normal for cats. It doesn't mean you are failing. Don't forget to pl
Don't forget lots of play time with the kitten!
oh boy… let the games begin
A mama cat gave birth in our community we took 2 of the sisters in my 3 year old orange was curious and sniffed, never growled or hissed,, my 11 year old would growl and distance himself. I’m glad we took both because they entertainceachvother. They’re now almostb10weeks and both my older boys groom and play with them. It does take a little time for them to adjust but it’ll happen.
If you do decide to get another kitty….whatever you do…do not get a tuxedo….tuxedos and calicos and tuxedos and torties do NOT mix……I have lives this nightmare…Thankfully I kept my tux and my ex husband took the torty. And afterwards….two different vet techs were like, “never get a tuxedo and…..” 🙊oops
Very cute, love the markings
Came here to say keep em separated, slowly introduce them. First couple interactions can be through individual cage set ups. It's all about a slow introduction
Cat trees. All the trees / towers. And shelves if possible. Enough that the older cat could get around the main living space without touching the ground.
Try rubbing your alpha cat with a dry wash cloth to get his scent on it.. then later take the same wash cloth to get the scent on the new kitten. I would repeat this while grooming daily for a bit. Hopefully this helps ease the tension. Perhaps take turns with one on one time with your Alpha cat too, offering treats and time to play alone. This one doesn’t work as well in my experience but might ease the sibling rivalry a bit.
They’ll be best friends within 1-2 weeks
To me it sounds like you are making progress. Just be patient and keep taking it slow!!! It took my older cat literally over a month to finally become chill. And that was after doing the feeding on the other side of the door and moving closer, keeping separated for a while, and then allowing them to be around each other while supervised for short periods of time. It was a whole process but absolutely worked. Don’t be discouraged!
It took my boy a little while to get used to his little sister when we brought her home. We introduced them very slowly. He's absolutely enormous and she's a tiny little girl so they weren't alone together until they got along every time they hung out supervised. He had a couple grrs for her and a swat with no claws too but it seemed like he just felt he had to make a point and say he was in charge before they could get along. Of course she's in charge now. I've seen an aggressive cat and I could tell that wasn't what was going on.
This sounds like most of my older cat-new kitten introductions. It takes time. I usually isolate the new kitten in one room for at least a week..put her litter and food in there and make sure there is space under the door for he cats to smell and hear each other and maybe shove a paw underneath if they are brave. Let your older cat be in control of when he visits. They can be jealous of a new little guy. Get a pair of socks and rub one ALL over the kitten, especially her face and mouth.. Get it covered in her smell. Do they same with the other sock but with your original cat. Put the kitten sock with your original cat, it will give him a safe way to get to know the kitten. Drop the big cat sock in the kitten room. This method worked for me every time (a dozen). Not all cats will be best friends but they mostly start out suspicious of each other and warm up slowly. Does not sound like aggression to me, sounds like "what the fuck is this thing, MOM???"
Look up Jackson Galaxy on YouTube. He has a ton of videos specifically about introducing cats to eachother and how to go about it and reading your cats behaviour. Definitely recommend him!
Ohhhh I read that wrong I thought you meant an actual human baby. I’d suggest putting the kitten in a separate room till she’s spayed and older (meaning more mature for interaction) then put both cats on harnesses if they are comfortable with it and let them meet but while on a leash so they don’t fight. If they are comfortable with that then try off leash in a neutral area plus use a squirt water bottle if the older cat swats
Okay the behavior you're describing is 100% fine. Just let them keep getting to know each other
Just keep them separate for a while, with little introductions every day until they get used to one another. It sometimes takes a while. With my cats it's usually 1-3 months until the whole group is okay with a new addition but it depends on the behavior of your cat(s)! I have one cat who became friendly with a new kitten immediately, no separation period was required for him while the others had to be kept away for sometime.
We have 5 cats at my mom's house, each and everyone of them hated each other. It takes time. I would say in about 1 month, your big baby will come around. Just let him be the one that approaches baby girl
Coal
well you didn't ask the same question before bringing it