Kitteh advice

[Deleted]

We picked up a new rescue kitteh yesterday, a gorgeous black & white 6 month old girl. She's lovely and very affectionate, ie she came and sat right on my lap as soon as I came home and met her for the first time. Frankie's not happy though, and they don't see eye to eye. At first Frankie stood upto her but then as luck would have it, he had to go to the vets for his jabs and since then he's not made a single move on her. I'm a bit worried that he might think that standing upto the new smaller girly kitteh = more vet time He really doesn't like Lyn at the moment and even punched her in the face twice when she picked him up. He seems almost normal with me but a little off. But then I didn't take him to the vets.

Anyways, she's terrorising Frankie atm, he's realised he's bigger so isn't so fussed about attacking her but she's using guerilla tactics, every time he sits down to snooze, she sneeks up and whacks him on the face, does the whole hissy thing and then runs off and hides underneath the sofa. Other than that she stops him in his path by coming out and growling/hissing and they just stare at each hour for minutes/hours. Frankie has that sad look of bemusement on his face saying why have you ruined a perfect thing?

Is this normal? In past I've introduced baby kittens to grown up cats and it's never been such an issue but I guess with only about 6 months separating them it might be expected. I dunno, thoughts?

[womble]

It sounds normal to me, the kitten will continue to terrorise the bigger cat till he turns round and really whacks her a couple of times.
Then she might lay off, but I wouldn't bet on it Kittens have remarkably short memories.

As long as there aren't massive fur flying fights, you should be fine.


Cute kitten btw, we've just gone on a kitten rescue waiting list, so should be getting a new one ourselves soon, the kids can't wait.

[Deleted]

Do they need their own food and litter trays?

[womble]

Food yes, can't remember about litter trays.

Didn't the home visit from the rescue place go through this?

[Deleted]

We didn't get her from the rescue center but from someone who got her from them and then had to move into a flat.

[tizerbelle]

Sam, they will settle down eventually so as long as there are no major scraps (blood, broken skin etc) let them get on with it. Big cat has beaten 7 bells out of little cat a couple of times to which she runs off looking a bit scared and then immediately gets distracted by something else - bit of fluff on the floor, rain drops on the window, etc, completely forgets the beating and then thinks I'll rugby tackle big cat again!

You should get her her own food (although if its like this house I'm forever removing her from big cats food and redirecting her to little cats food!) a seperate litter tray would be useful if you are concerned that Frankie is defending the existing one and not letting her use it, once they settle down they may be perfectly happy to share a tray (mine are now).

As a guide this is how big cat reacted to introduction of little cat over the space of about a week:

WTF is that? It is not staying in my house. Its not! Its not!.....
Its not coming upstairs. Its not! Its not!....
Its not using my litter tray. Its not! Its not!....
Its not going in the bedroom. Its not! Its not!....
Its not sleeping on the bed. Its not! Its not!....
Oh FFS! I give up!

[Deleted]

Well little cat or Lumen as we're now calling her, is now confident enough to sleep on the sofa instead of underneath it. Frankie has his own reading chair he's claimed.

Weirdest thing happened though, I let Frankie out earlier, his arch nemesis is Chip, the local half red half grey squirrel, they torment eachother. They were sat on the grass about a foot away from eachother looking through the glass door at Lumen who was hissing and growling at them.

[Perpetua]

What a poppet Sam!

I've never had kitties so I don't really know how it works . . . but with doggies, it's important to make the existing doggie not feel left out in anyway . . . but to make just as much fuss of it, as the newcomer.

Whether the same applies to kitties, I don't know.

[hissie]

I rekon they'll probably get used to one another. However, own food & litter tray maybe the way forward, at least till the kitten settles in.

She looks very sweet tho'

[Jemima]

I'd say if theres no fur flying or trips to the vets required your doing pritty good and its going very well so far

Def seperate food bowls, a little apart for now and moved slowly closer over the next few days. Same litter tray can be a good idea, cos its about territory smells as well, so if they mix together then they know Another smell tip is stroking the face of one (around the whiskers area is where the scent glands are) then rubbing your hand across the others fur and vice versa to get their smells mixed in together.

[Chrissie]

Oh she is gorgeous

I've never really had a problem introducing new kits to the family - no matter how old they are. As the others have said, don't worry about any hissing or the odd whack, so long as there isn't too much fur flying & blood drawn. Also agree about separate bowls. But above all be alpha cat yourself & act as if it's the norm to have a new addition & nothing has changed about how you are with Frankie.

[PeeKay]

I won't repeat the good advice offered by the others here, but will add to it - the pecking order needs to be defined, and they will duke it out until that has been settled. I don't think it should take too long...

Our two (who are sisters from the same litter) go at it hammer and tong sometimes, but one day it's Gizmo being the boss, the next it can be Scooter. They'll figure it out for themselves, just don't make too much of a fuss with one or other of them, and do what Jem said about the scent.

[Lilac]

Nothing to add i'm afraid Sam, as i don't know cats....but oh my....how sad i felt when i read your description of how Frankie looked at you

but the pecking order will sort itself out before too long advice sounded right and i do hope Frankie will soon forget that little miss puss was ever not a part of the family

[Jemima]

Oh and in a day or three (usually takes about 3 days with mine) be careful where you put drinks and other easily knockable over items .... the race track will be being defined

Mad 30 mins with Frankie ? more like mad 4 hours with 2 of em lol

[Jemima]

How's she settling in now Sam ?