Purrs In Our Hearts - Cat Forum UK
Cat Health & Behaviour => Health & Behaviour General => Topic started by: keithm_007 on November 22, 2007, 21:47:13 PM
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Just got our new 12 week old male kitten today and I had planned to keep him in one room for a few days. We have a dog and a six year old female cat. However, I went to work and My Girlfriend allowed the two cats to meet face to face and the old cat started hissing violently at the kitten. I wanted to see for myself and it happened again. I'm very worried the old cat might injure the kitten.
Any ideas of how I can solve this problem?
Thanks
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:welcome: to Purrs ;D
yes your first instinct was right and you should keep the two apart to start with.
Your current cat sees the newbie as an intruder on her patch and introductions are often best done slowly with the scent of the two cats being swapped around the house.
This link may help:
http://wizz-catz.co.uk/
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hissing is a cat's way of saying 'i am uneasy and willing to be violent'. However most cats will hiss when confronted with an animated new family member. The less fuss you make about it the better. I work on the principle that as long as their behaviour toward each other is not going to cause injury, they are best left to sort it out amongst themselves. Has worked well for me with generations of cats over many (30) years, but there is always the exception to the rule and you need to ensure you are with them when they are together so you can intervene if it becomes too nasty.
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Hi & :welcome: to Purrs
Gill has linked to the Wizz cats site but the section she is thinking of is tucked away so here's the direct link...
http://www.wizz-catz.co.uk/introducing.html
http://wizz-catz.co.uk/multicat.html
Good luck and keep us posted on how they are getting on ;D
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I agree that introductions have been too fast and that you need to separate them and do it more gradually, but a bit of hissing is inevitable. Your existing cat needs to let the newcomer know who's in charge. I'm with blackcat in that once you have exchanged scents etc and actually introduced them, sometimes you need to just let them sort it out among themselves so long as no-one is getting hurt. With a small kitten, you will need to watch them carefully as your adult cat could hurt a kitten unintentionally. Of course, that depends on the kitten! When I introduced Mosi to my adult cat, there was no chance of Mosi getting hurt - he can definitely stand up for himself ;D
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:morning: Keith and :welcome: to Purrs
I find that introductions tend to go ok if it is done slowly. Do you have a glass door where the cats and see each other but not touch?
Please keep us posted.
:luck:
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I had the same thing when I introduced Hobbes as a kitten to my then 7 year old Dylan. Like others have said keep them separate for a little while and do some exchanging of scents. The way I did intros (following Wizz's advice) was to bring Hobbes downstairs in his carrier (it's a wire one so they could see each other) and just leave him there for a little while to let them sniff each other and get used to each other but it meant Hobbes was in no danger of getting hurt. I didn't have any other way of them seeing each other but this worked fine. Dylan then got used to him being there and then I got them playing with a feather toy while still separated (one on each end :rofl:). Did this for a few days, bringing Hobbes down for longer periods then just let them get on with it and they soon found their way with each other. Now they are best of friends and sleep together and wash each other as well as having daft half hours :rofl: Wizz's advice is brill and I can recommend it. Good luck and I'm sure they will be fine.
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I have to say that when Smidgen arrived he ran behind the furniture and as he passed from one piece to the next hurled abuse a the dog. Next day they were sharing a bed. Day after, Esther arrived, jumped out of her box, head-butted the dog and went over to Smidgen, hissed back at him (he was the one hissing) and a couple of days later I had to stop her suckling him. Still there are cats and cats.
Claudius, who came into a household of three adult cats, had them all lined up in the hall looking non-plussed while he stretched out in the sun on the spare bed ... :rofl: :rofl:
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No offence but Tom says thread titled a little misleading.
He'd love to be six again. Six! Old! Err don't think so.
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Welcome to Purrs..
as the others have said... slow and steady is the way to go ;)
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Whoops sorry, didn't pick up you are new to Purrs and a BIG WELCOME to you. :welcome:
All the same our Thomas is almost 18 :Luv: and thinks a 6 year old is just a wee un ;)
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All the same our Thomas is almost 18 :Luv: and thinks a 6 year old is just a wee un ;)
Awww, I really miss my Misty, she died last year at 18.
Anyway, I am going through the same process as you are, I am also new here so I don't know how much right I have to say welcome but I'm going to anyway - welcome! :welcome: I also have a kitten (two actually) and a 5 year old who turns tail and runs at the smell of them!
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anyone can say Welcome, Inky. Once you are one of the gang, you are one of the gang!! ;D
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anyone can say Welcome, Inky. Once you are one of the gang, you are one of the gang!! ;D
Woohoo! And wahey, I just turned adult cat ;)
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there ya go - you're a grownup now :wow: