Adult cat getting overwhelmed by kittens

[pmv]

So about two months ago I got two kittens, and due to having a couple of parasite problems, they've been in "kitty quarantine" - the guest bedroom - since. Well, fast forward to now, and the parasite problems have been dealt with, so the kittens (male & female, now a little over four months old) are being let out to explore and are interacting more with the established cat, Reggie (7 year male).

Overall, things have gone largely positively through the various stages of introductions and site swapping, and Reggie responds mostly with curiosity towards the new arrivals; there has been some minor hissing from time to time but never any real signs of aggression. Except, however, that the new arrivals often get SUPER EXCITED to see another cat and just want to cuddle and sniff him to death. Reggie tends to get spooked, especially if they corner him or come at him from both sides. Of course, if he starts to run away, they think it's fun to chase after him. They also don't seem to listen to his social cues - he'll hiss in their faces if they are being too clingy, and they'll just pretend it never happened and keep right on sniffing him or pressing up against him.

One thing that's been helpful so far has been letting the kittens explore the rest of the house while on leashes. They tolerate but aren't fully used to harnesses, which tends to lower their energy level a bit (they tend to switch between exploring everything to rolling around to see if they can get the harness off). And if needed, the leash gives a way to make sure they can't pursue Reggie too far if he just needs some space. Using leashes, or alternately just holding a kitten on my lap, they've had a number of positive interactions (mutual sniffing and touching noses, or Reggie just calmly sitting in a cat tree and watching them below). I've tried where I can to give Reggie escape routes - in particular the kittens can't jump nearly as high - but with two kittens and a large house, there's still any number of places that Reggie can end up cornered, particularly when they come at him from both sides.

I've also been trying to time their explorations with times they are naturally lower energy (although as kittens, "lower" is relative...) and burn off excess energy with playtime (although as perpetual motion machines, burning off kitten energy is again relative).

Any other thoughts or tips on how to continue their introductions in a positive way? I think if Reggie tolerated their extreme love for a few minutes they'd get it out of their systems and move on to something else, but Reggie just doesn't tolerate it for long.

 

[ArtNJ]

It sounds like its going quite well in the scheme of these things. Not every difficulty is fixable by the humans; after a proper introduction process, the remainder of these issues ultimately need to be worked out by the cats. You are 100% correct about kitten excitement making things worse. I often tell people that separation is a double edged sword because if separation is lengthy, you get a "christmas morning effect" and the adult only sees hyper kittens, not chill kittens. I actually think you are ready for lengthy (hours) supervised visitation, and assuming that goes well, unlimited interaction when you are around as the next step, which I would predict would quickly go to unlimited generally. Time together is what will really drive improvement from here. Since its going generally pretty well, there is still real hope for friendship, but it could be you are headed for a period of mild distaste advancing towards toleration. Could go either way. Its natural to want to be the difference maker, but I have found that ultimately they need to go the final mile themselves.

 

[rubysmama]

It does sound like things are going quite well with the introductions. Hissing is to be expected, and is Reggie's way of telling them to "back off". As long as there's no blood or fur flying, the kittens don't seem scared, and that Reggie is still eating and using the litter box normally, and does not seemed stressed, things are probably fine.

TCS has this article on How To Introduce A Kitten To An Older Cat – TheCatSite Articles which might be helpful, though it does sound like you've got things under control.

So any pics of these 2 cutie pies and their older brother you can share?
How To Add A Picture To Your Forum Post | TheCatSite

 

[pmv]

So I did want to say thanks and give an update. The two kittens, Archie (Archimedes) and Copper (Copernicus), ended up needing a little more "kitty quarantine" because it turns out the lice they had weren't completely killed off. However, after waiting a couple days for the next dose of Frontline to kill adult lice, I've recently been giving them a little time each day (30-60 minutes in one or two sessions) in the master bedroom (one of Reggie's "spots") and things have been going great.

The kittens no longer see Reggie as "Christmas morning", so while they'll still go up and say hi, they don't spook Reggie as much as they used to. Reggie doesn't really feel the need to hiss anymore, although sometimes he'll give them a loud meow or a bonk on the head if they're being too clingy. Reggie will often just watch them from a cat tree - he's quite comfortable when they're on a different level from him, and today (at the end of a 30-some minute session) he actually decided to come down to floor level and take his own turn playing with the interactive toy that Archie, Copper, and I were playing with. I let him play for a couple of minutes then ended the session since I wanted to end on a high note.

He's still not completely comfortable around them; his eyes dilate a bit as he watches them (though not the full dilation you see when a cat is truly fixated on prey), and he's not quite comfortable being on the same level as them for a long period, but with the kittens being less clingy, he's mostly just sniffing them a bit if they get close, and otherwise watching them from afar.

I did find it somewhat ironic that Reggie got mad when Archie tried to play with his tail. Last year, I took care of a friend's much older cat for several months and Reggie in that case was the younger one trying to incite play by attacking the other cat's tail - seems like he doesn't like it when the situation is reversed!

Anyhow, adding some kitten pictures. Archie is a female and the tuxedo cat. Copper is a male and the orange one. Reggie's my adult black cat

 

[rubysmama]

Thanks for the update, and pics. They're all cutie pies. Sounds like things are going well too. Soon you'll have one big happy furry feline family.

Oh, just want to mention, ensure you get the kittens neutered sooner than later, so you don't have an unplanned increase in your feline family's numbers. When To Spay Or Neuter A Cat? | TheCatSite

 

[danteshuman]

I would do limited time with the kittens BUT I would also play with them during their time with the resident cat. If you can, get two people to play with the kittens/distract them from your resident cat.

Eventually he is going to get fed up and scruff them or more likely bop them on their heads (minus the claws.) That is normal & at this age it is very normal.

3 kittens that were month fostered at my mom’s house. 3 senior resident cats. 1 put up with them and was their uncle by the time they were 2 months old.(sadly their uncle passed) 1 tolerated them )since they were 6 months old) and hunts with them in the backyard sometimes, since they were around 1 year old. The last old man gets pushed aside by the kittens, so he gets fed wet food in a separate room. He tolerates the kittens but tends to avoid them ..... especially the hyper clingy punk kitten I adopted. (They had a few Rubinstein fighting over my lap.)

If you had an extra screen door it would be perfect to prop up/ temporarily secure to the guest bedroom entrance. That way they can sniff and see without climbing all over your adult boy. A baby gate would work but you would need to be present as both kittens try to escape (or do escape.) Perhaps try only letting one kitten out at a time & giving your older cat a break in their room while they run around all nuts for an hour or two?

 

[pmv]

Thanks for the update, and pics. They're all cutie pies. Sounds like things are going well too. Soon you'll have one big happy furry feline family.

Oh, just want to mention, ensure you get the kittens neutered sooner than later, so you don't have an unplanned increase in your feline family's numbers. When To Spay Or Neuter A Cat? | TheCatSite

Yep, they'll be fixed in 2 weeks. I was a bit disappointed that their normal vet didn't have any openings for 9 weeks, but there's another well-respected veterinary hospital about 30 minutes away and they could get me in 2 weeks from now. Figured that was better than rolling the dice on the kitty biological clocks.

 

[danteshuman]

I’m happy to hear they are all getting along / he is tolerating the little trouble makers. Take tons of videos & pictures; they grow up so fast!!!

Sorry about my post, after the problem is solved! I didn’t read past the first 3 or 4 posts.

 

[rubysmama]

Yep, they'll be fixed in 2 weeks. I was a bit disappointed that their normal vet didn't have any openings for 9 weeks, but there's another well-respected veterinary hospital about 30 minutes away and they could get me in 2 weeks from now. Figured that was better than rolling the dice on the kitty biological clocks.

That's good you got appointments for them, because you might have kittens that mature early. Plus having a male and female in the home, and the fact that it can take a few weeks for the hormones to get out of the male's system, meaning they could successfully mate for a bit after being neutered, sooner is definitely better than later.

 

[pmv]

So just to give an update here - both the kittens were fixed as planned, and now that they've had a chance to fully heal I've been having them out during the entire day, and putting them in their room at night. They are still a bit too high-energy for Reggie sometimes and there's still occasional hissing or head-bopping at various points during the day when one of the kittens gets too clingy, but Reggie is tolerating them a lot more and doesn't get as skittish, and they have a number of positive interactions, too, including eating dinners together without incident. There have never been any real fights, just occasional bopping (often when they both want the same place to perch, in spite of having many options that don't involve slapping each other).

I'll probably keep putting the kittens in a room for the night for a little while, and give Reggie a bit of alone time that he needs, but it seems overall to be going well.

 

[rubysmama]

Sounds like things are going well. Thanks for the update.

 

[di and bob]

Yes, thanks so much for the update! thank goodness you got two kittens so they could have each other to tussle with. One would have bugged poor Reggie much, much more. He will come around and even join in the play after they settle down a little from their kitten energy. It sounds like they are becoming a family unit, and hopefully, Reggie can teach them limits and manners like adults do. don't be surprised if he pins them to the ground by their neck, it is what parents do to unruly kittens.....

 

[pmv]

Yes, thanks so much for the update! thank goodness you got two kittens so they could have each other to tussle with. One would have bugged poor Reggie much, much more. He will come around and even join in the play after they settle down a little from their kitten energy. It sounds like they are becoming a family unit, and hopefully, Reggie can teach them limits and manners like adults do. don't be surprised if he pins them to the ground by their neck, it is what parents do to unruly kittens.....

Yeah, getting two kittens was indeed a godsend - they can spend a lot of the day with each other (they are practically inseparable) and not bother Reggie as much. They've spent the past five days together and every day is noticeably better than the day before, so it seems like the cat family has successfully expanded.

 

[di and bob]

I wish you all well!

 

[danteshuman]

Sounds like they are bonding just fine..... Reggie just has to lay down the law occasionally!