New Cat...desperate for information

[Tracy]

I AM DESPERATE FOR INFORMATION

Hello I am Tracy and I am new here. I am in need of some information and quickly.

I am trying to introduce a small male kitten into my home where we currently have a 3 year old female cat. Captain Cookies (my children named him) is a very lovely kitten not at all disturbed by Sophie (the adult female). He will wander about and not mind Sophie or the hissing and growling that she spits his way.

Sophie on the other hand, is not coping well. She is hissing, biting, attacking, and growling at every household member. Not jsut the other cat. We cannot pet her, we cannot walk by her without her attempting to bite. She has never been what you would call an affectionate cat, but this is a little out of control.

I do not and cannot send that poor kitten back to the horrible shelter where I got him. they did not even give them kitty litter ir was just wood chips and he needed medical care and medication when he moved in with us because he was neglected at the home. I do not want to part with Sophie but my family is more inclined to go and provide the new kitten with plenty of love where Sophie will not let them near.

I want to keep them both, but my fear is that Sophie will harm the kitten or my family. I am at my wits end. I have no idea what to do from here and I need to do something because Sophie cannot hold herself back even 2 seconds with supervision with the cat.

I need some information.

Tracy

These are things that we have attempted with the cats.
1. Both cats are living in segregation. Captain cookies is set up in a spare room with all the things that he needs such as a litter pan, food, water, bed toys etc.
2. Sophie has free reign of the house as she normally would. She is just not allowed in the spare room which is nothing different from before we got the new cat.
3. I have tried to feed them together to see if they could equate their time spent together as something enjoyable.
4. I have switched their blankets so as to introduce their smells to one another. Sophie attacks and claws and bites Captain Cookies blanket whereas Captain Cookies just curls up on Sophies and goes to sleep.
5. We try small spurts of integration. The longest has lasted 10 m inutes before Sophie launched Captain Cookies half way across the hall. Not a good thing.
6. I have tired to put Sophie in Captain Cookies room when Captain cookies has reign of the house.
7. I have tried a partial door opening where neither could gain access to the other just so that they could get used to seeing one another, but to no avial. Sophie just starts spitting and because she cannot reach the cat on the other side, she bit my leg and drew blood.
I am at the end here, I have no idea what to do at this point and I need help.

Please if anyone knows of anythign that would work, please respond...i am desperate because I love them both but have to keep my family safe from my agressive cat.

Tracy