New Kitten

[49]

My son took in a stray cat 3 months ago. She was about 6 months old. We took her to get spayed, wormed, shots, etc. As we both work and are gone a lot, she shreds toilet paper, sponges, anything she can. Figuring it was boredom and her needing some company, we went this morning and adopted a 2 month old male kitten for her. She doesn't like him. Growls, hisses and spits at him, so we got a child / pet safety gate and am keeping him in another room for now. Someone please tell me this will pass and hopefully not a mistake on my part. Thanks.

 

[Depleted]

My son took in a stray cat 3 months ago. She was about 6 months old. We took her to get spayed, wormed, shots, etc. As we both work and are gone a lot, she shreds toilet paper, sponges, anything she can. Figuring it was boredom and her needing some company, we went this morning and adopted a 2 month old male kitten for her. She doesn't like him. Growls, hisses and spits at him, so we got a child / pet safety gate and am keeping him in another room for now. Someone please tell me this will pass and hopefully not a mistake on my part. Thanks.

Once the cats agree on who is in charge, things ought to settle down. Sadly the two month old could bleed in the process. But, if you keep separating them, they never get to figure out who is the boss. (I so hope the younger cat was weaned a couple of weeks before being adopted. My old cat really didn't take to kittens thinking HE was momma. lol) My dominant cat only caused one small cut, but make sure they only interact -- at first -- when you're around, just in case. And of course there is growling, hissing, and spitting. It doesn't take long before they figure out who is who, but the display is that -- to display who is the boss. The cats only take about a day or two to test who is the boss, and maybe a few lessons in the following week, if the less dominant crosses a line.

On the positive side, the older cat has already taught you who was in charge. Not you. lol

(A scratching post might save your TP and younger cat.)

I don't think my two main cats ever really liked each other, but they tolerated fine. And, eventually even slept together, because cats like warmth and, despite the protests, I wasn't their 24/7 to keep them warm. (My dominant cat even tolerated the other one trying to make lovey-dovey to him. Both were male, so that wasn't going to get too far.)

Personally, I wouldn't have sprung for the gate. This doesn't last that long and they're cats, so what's a gate going to do other than show you how they can get over it? (My less dominant cat took to sleeping above my upper cabinets in the kitchen. The ceiling was 10 feet high, and the cabinets only gave him two feet of free space. He'd hop-hop-hop, until he got on top of the frig, and jumped over from there. Eight feet high with no problems. What's' 2-3 feet high to a cat?

 

[49]

Thanks for the advice. First time cat owner as of a few months ago, and just figured since the older cat was not even a year old yet that she would enjoy a playmate. Was not my intention to make the new kitten a chew toy though.

As for the scratching post, she has 2 of them. Guess toilet paper and other stuff is for trying out the claws after using them. And yes, the older cat has no problem with the gate (as the saying goes, hindsight is 20/20). Should be an interesting week.

Thanks again, do appreciate.

 

[Mitspa]

get rid of it

 

[blue_ladybug]

get rid of it

Buzz off, troll.. evil cat hater.. lol

 

[sassylady]

Depending on your space and budget, cats feel safer if then can get up above the floor. There are shelves made for cats that you can mount on the wall, or make walkways up near the ceiling that go around a room, etc. You can look up that type of thing on the net. I'm thinking the stray cat had safe places to go when she was outside and now she doesn't. It's safe to you but not in her mind.

Cats are very territorial, so having two that did not come into your home at the same time can be difficult. We have two cats, one is the son of the female, and he dominates the living room and she gets the kitchen when they are downstairs. Upstairs they each have their favorite bedroom. They have worked that out fortunately, but when the female wants to get to the kitchen she has to pass through the living room. They don't battle, she just gets chased, but she also instigates alot of it herself.

Look up Jackson Galaxy on the net. He is a cat behaviorist and has a show on Animal Planet. He goes into people's homes that have cats that seem totally impossible and helps them to make their home a place where the cat feels secure, and then the behavior changes.

Really cats may be domestic, but they are little wild animals that live with us and let us stay because we feed them.

 

[blue_ladybug]

Depending on your space and budget, cats feel safer if then can get up above the floor. There are shelves made for cats that you can mount on the wall, or make walkways up near the ceiling that go around a room, etc. You can look up that type of thing on the net. I'm thinking the stray cat had safe places to go when she was outside and now she doesn't. It's safe to you but not in her mind.

Cats are very territorial, so having two that did not come into your home at the same time can be difficult. We have two cats, one is the son of the female, and he dominates the living room and she gets the kitchen when they are downstairs. Upstairs they each have their favorite bedroom. They have worked that out fortunately, but when the female wants to get to the kitchen she has to pass through the living room. They don't battle, she just gets chased, but she also instigates alot of it herself.

Look up Jackson Galaxy on the net. He is a cat behaviorist and has a show on Animal Planet. He goes into people's homes that have cats that seem totally impossible and helps them to make their home a place where the cat feels secure, and then the behavior changes.

Really cats may be domestic, but they are little wild animals that live with us and let us stay because we feed them.

I've seen his show. Jackson Galaxy is awesome, truly the original cat whisperer.

 

[Depleted]

Sooo, 49? Two days later. Who's the boss? I'm thinking your cats already decided. (And you're still not It. lol)

 

[49]

Depending on your space and budget, cats feel safer if then can get up above the floor. There are shelves made for cats that you can mount on the wall, or make walkways up near the ceiling that go around a room, etc. You can look up that type of thing on the net. I'm thinking the stray cat had safe places to go when she was outside and now she doesn't. It's safe to you but not in her mind.

Cats are very territorial, so having two that did not come into your home at the same time can be difficult. We have two cats, one is the son of the female, and he dominates the living room and she gets the kitchen when they are downstairs. Upstairs they each have their favorite bedroom. They have worked that out fortunately, but when the female wants to get to the kitchen she has to pass through the living room. They don't battle, she just gets chased, but she also instigates alot of it herself.

Look up Jackson Galaxy on the net. He is a cat behaviorist and has a show on Animal Planet. He goes into people's homes that have cats that seem totally impossible and helps them to make their home a place where the cat feels secure, and then the behavior changes.

Really cats may be domestic, but they are little wild animals that live with us and let us stay because we feed them.

Beginning to figure that out for sure. Thanks for the advice.

 

[49]

Sooo, 49? Two days later. Who's the boss? I'm thinking your cats already decided. (And you're still not It. lol)

Older cat rules the roost. She is getting more tolerant of him, but they have a ways to go yet. He's still all in one piece .

On another note, is there a way to calm cats down?

 

[ArtsieSteph]

Yeah that's actually normal for them to at first start out swiping or hissing at eachother. They have to figure out who is the dominant one, and once they get that settled they will be fine. As long as there is no intense biting, which I imagine even kittens can do and rip out fur, they should be ok.

It was a good idea to get different genders and get them both fixed, because at times ones that are the same gender can get really snippy at eachother.

I would highly suggest having them in a safe room with not a lot of crawl space, that way they don't just hide or get stuck, but still be there the whole time so they feel there's a safe space when trying to deal with the situation.

 

[Depleted]

Older cat rules the roost. She is getting more tolerant of him, but they have a ways to go yet. He's still all in one piece .

On another note, is there a way to calm cats down?

The only ways I know to calm cats down are:
1. Wait until they're old, so they have less feisty in them. (I think my cat was about 8? Maybe 10? Might have been 12, before he calmed down.
2. Give into their every whim. (Food, a warm lap, and about 45 minutes of scratching, petting, or patting. My cats every whim.)
3. Cats are supposed to be calm?

(I did think the older one was going to be the boss, simply by default -- older, so more skilled at getting his way already.)

 

[ArtsieSteph]

Older cat rules the roost. She is getting more tolerant of him, but they have a ways to go yet. He's still all in one piece .

On another note, is there a way to calm cats down?

Some cats are crazy, I will not lie. I know some cats calm down if you can manage to chase them around and pet them. If it's fiesty, belly scratches may be calming but could result in getting clawed. If they're anything like dogs I have met, play them til they get tired. Seriously. Throw stuff, play with toys, whatever. Gauge if they are the kind of cat if they get more hyped when they play or play and then pass out.

 

[49]

Thank you both for the advice.

8, 10 or 12 years Lynn? Making me old already lol.

They do love to play Artsie. Will wait and see.

 

[posthuman]

Older cat rules the roost. She is getting more tolerant of him, but they have a ways to go yet. He's still all in one piece .

On another note, is there a way to calm cats down?

once cats are spayed/neutered they generally calm down too -- though not always. i have one really high-strung tomcat who neutering had like zero effect on. most i've had mellow out though.

our younger ones like to play with ribbons -- one, rhoxi, will go for 30 minutes full tilt when she's really wound up before she gets tired and passes out for a couple hours. so, lots of playtime, like a kid, will work to calm them down and tire them out, and gives them a way to focus all that kitten energy that's less destructive!

catnip works on some cats to knock them out, and other cats it drives nuts, and other cats don't seem to be into it at all. we grow it ((outside, so the plant doesn't get destroyed)) and feed them some once in a while. you'll just have to try that to see how each one responds. one of ours eats it and konks out, another rolls around on it and gets all zippy for an hour. they're all different little characters!

these two are quite young, so it's really very likely that they will learn to get along. jut be patient and like Lynn said try to be around when they are together until they seem to tolerate each other. sounds like that's going along OK now!
also, make sure not to give one too much more attention than the other - don't want to give them a reason to develop jealousy. let them see you petting the other too, so they know you love them both and that they are all family. cats are smart - smarter than dogs in a lot of ways - and social, and they pick up on a lot of things like this. talk to them about it like they understand what you're saying
you'll be surprised how much they grow up actually understanding, if you just always treat them as if they do, and listen to them when they meow too, like they are really trying to communicate - because after all, they really are!

a broom is probably what you want to use to separate them if they start spatting, by the way. your foot or arm might get pretty tore up if you get in the middle of them. don't be too worried; it's a natural pecking-order thing they've got to figure out. patience and equally-distributed love!

 

[posthuman]

Look up Jackson Galaxy on the net. He is a cat behaviorist and has a show on Animal Planet. He goes into people's homes that have cats that seem totally impossible and helps them to make their home a place where the cat feels secure, and then the behavior changes.

yes! this guy is brilliant

 

[posthuman]

Someone please tell me this will pass and hopefully not a mistake on my part. Thanks.

not a mistake at all! what you did was an excellent decision IMHO -- i've had cats all my life, no less than 3, and as many as 9 all at one time if you include ferals that we took care of. i've seen some really heart-touching fuzzy little friendships develop over the years.

growing up with a buddy is great for the cats, and it's much easier to introduce them while they are young like this than when they get older and more used to be a "lone cat"
i am sure that as time goes by they will wind up being inseparable, and now when their human slaves are not at home they won't be so lonely.

 

[49]

once cats are spayed/neutered they generally calm down too -- though not always. i have one really high-strung tomcat who neutering had like zero effect on. most i've had mellow out though.

our younger ones like to play with ribbons -- one, rhoxi, will go for 30 minutes full tilt when she's really wound up before she gets tired and passes out for a couple hours. so, lots of playtime, like a kid, will work to calm them down and tire them out, and gives them a way to focus all that kitten energy that's less destructive!

catnip works on some cats to knock them out, and other cats it drives nuts, and other cats don't seem to be into it at all. we grow it ((outside, so the plant doesn't get destroyed)) and feed them some once in a while. you'll just have to try that to see how each one responds. one of ours eats it and konks out, another rolls around on it and gets all zippy for an hour. they're all different little characters!

these two are quite young, so it's really very likely that they will learn to get along. jut be patient and like Lynn said try to be around when they are together until they seem to tolerate each other. sounds like that's going along OK now!
also, make sure not to give one too much more attention than the other - don't want to give them a reason to develop jealousy. let them see you petting the other too, so they know you love them both and that they are all family. cats are smart - smarter than dogs in a lot of ways - and social, and they pick up on a lot of things like this. talk to them about it like they understand what you're saying
you'll be surprised how much they grow up actually understanding, if you just always treat them as if they do, and listen to them when they meow too, like they are really trying to communicate - because after all, they really are!

a broom is probably what you want to use to separate them if they start spatting, by the way. your foot or arm might get pretty tore up if you get in the middle of them. don't be too worried; it's a natural pecking-order thing they've got to figure out. patience and equally-distributed love!

Thanks, all good advice here. And yes, have already seen the jealousy thing displayed by the older one. Last night was the first time since bringing the younger one in Saturday that she let me pet on her and play with her. Reckon once she realized she was getting as much as if not more attention than the new kitten, she came around. Definitely smart!

 

[49]

They like each other.

 

[49]

View attachment 147979

They like each other.

My first time uploading a picture. Maybe will learn how to rotate it next time.