Cat is having trouble adjusting to kitten

[adammo]

Hi all,

We just bought a kitten today and were quite excited. Our older cat of 3 years has done worse than expected. At first it was normal hissing and I introduced them slowely. The last little while she's been hiding under the bed and behind the bathtub. I coaxed her out and she ate a bit but not much. Will she eventually get better? We didn't think it would be this bad as she's lived with another cat before. Any ideas/suggestions/reassurances would be great.

I want to let nature run it's course, but am a bit worried that I made a mistake.

Thank you!

Adam

[14+kitties]

Welcome to the forum. When you get the kits playing together or even before...... we like pics.

A slow introduction means a week or more to introduce cats properly. You need to do the whole separation, smell, exchanging sleeping beds, etc..
The best advice I can give you is to start over and separate the cats. This is a great site to read for information. The woman has a housefull of kitties and has learned over the years how to do it right.

http://www.squidoo.com/multi-cat-management

Good luck and again, welcome!

[adammo]

Thanks for the link. It looks like I should have taken the process slot slower. We've seperated them for now but I hope this doesn't last long. It's hard to see my cat so mad and hiss at us. It breaks our hearts. I just fund it weird that she was completly normal (played games, ran for new food) with a different cat, but feels sad with this new kitten. On the bright side she came out of hiding and did cuddle with us for a bit last night.

[sugarcatmom]

Originally Posted by adammo

It's hard to see my cat so mad and hiss at us. It breaks our hearts.

Make sure to spend extra time with your resident cat, giving her treats, encouraging her to play with toys (wand or fishing pole toys are great for this), brushing her if she likes it. Ignore the kitten and only give attention to her when they are in the same room together (although it's a good idea to separate them for a while and re-do the introduction). She isn't really mad AT you, she's re-directing the stress she feels about the kitten.

Originally Posted by adammo

I just fund it weird that she was completly normal (played games, ran for new food) with a different cat, but feels sad with this new kitten.

It's isn't weird at all. Most adult cats that haven't been around kittens are "offended" by their existence. Kittens are strange, hyper and ill-mannered little beings, and if this was out "in the wild", their very protective mother might be nearby and quite hostile to the other cat's presence. It will likely take some time for your older cat to feel completely comfortable, so have lots of patience and give her lots of lovin. Does she have any vertical space she can hang out in where the kitten can't go, like a cat condo or up on a bookshelf? You can really expand her comfort zone by giving her some vertical territory to claim as her own, where she can watch the "peons" down below.

Some more info for you: http://www.wvcats.com/integrating_kittens_with_cats.htm

Good luck! Let us know how they get along.

[adammo]

Thanks, that helps as well!

I know that she is stressed and I feel bad for her. I just wish I could explain that things will be ok. I have been paying lots of attention to her and have been trying to play with her. She seems to be content just looking outside on top of the couch. I've tried throwing her balls around and playing the string games that she likes, but she seems to have no interest. Will her interest in these games come back?

The other problem is that she is quite irritated. Sometimes when I pet her and pay lots of attention she growls alot and tries to bite. I'm assuming it's becuase I smell like the new addition, but it's hard to pay lots of attention when she just growls at me .

[adammo]

I'm a little bit disappointed that the article states that it is unlikely that the cat will ever be too fond of the kitten as they are different ages (cat is 3). How unlikely is it? When I lived in my previous residence my cat got along with the other cat in the house after a while. I'm hoping for the same thing but am getting worried. It's only been a day so my fingers are crossed that my cat will at least return to its playful self.