Cat introduction/interaction going backwards?

[Paris Pluto]

Hi everyone,

I'm seeking some advice about my two cats interaction. Malibu (6month) kitty has been home since September 2019. Resident cat Jiggy (2yo) took awhile to warm up to her but slowly they would take turns chasing each other etc..

Recently, I have noticed that Malibu goes to play with Jiggy and Jiggy is hissing and growling alot more than usual and even slaps the face. Malibu does go back for more sometimes. I'm not sure if Malibu may have been too rough and Jiggy isn't having much of it. Eating wise, they're in the same room eating from their food bowl but Jiggy just takes cover outside the minute she's eaten. They used to play together quite alot but not much anymore.

I've read so many stories where their cats get along pronto or after a few weeks (jeez, that makes me envious!) and I'm not sure how to help the situation. It's only been 4 months so far. I've read i can takes cats 8 months and year to form a friendship if any, but after 4 months I thought things would have settled?

I have one theory that hopefully when Malibu isn't as rambunctious and crazy, the the cats will figure it out on their own and hopefully become civil if not best buds (which would be amazing).

Would love your advice!

P.S. I'm SO sorry for asking for help over little things. I live with my grandparents who don't speak any english and not many friends that are cat lovers/owners.

Here's a picture of them when they first met.

 

[sivyaleah]

Hi, and welcome.

Did Mailibu recently get spayed or if not spayed, is it possible she's going into her first heat? This could explain why Jiggy is acting differently towards her. In fact, I don't see where you mention if Jiggy is male or female and spayed/neutered or not. This seems like something we need to know to help give you some potential suggestions of what might be happening.

 

[Paris Pluto]

Hi sivyaleah , I'm sorry I forgot to specify; they're both desexed females

 

[rubysmama]

The change could simply be that Malibu isn't a little kitten anymore, and therefore Jiggy is putting her "in her place". I've also read that 2 female cats don't necessarily become best friends, but of course, all cats are different, and no one can predict what they'll be like as adults.

Just spend lots of time with both of them. Maybe give them yummy treats when they're together. And keep an eye on Jiggy, to ensure she isn't appearing stressed. But as long as it's just hissing and growling, and no fur flying or blood, things are probably ok.

Here's a couple TCS articles with more info:
Stress in Cats – The Ultimate Guide – Cat Articles
Are My Cats Fighting Or Playing? | TheCatSite

 

[sivyaleah]

The change could simply be that Malibu isn't a little kitten anymore, and therefore Jiggy is putting her "in her place". I've also read that 2 female cats don't necessarily become best friends, but of course, all cats are different, and no one can predict what they'll be like as adults.

Just spend lots of time with both of them. Maybe give them yummy treats when they're together. And keep an eye on Jiggy, to ensure she isn't appearing stressed. But as long as it's just hissing and growling, and no fur flying or blood, things are probably ok.

Here's a couple TCS articles with more info:
Stress in Cats – The Ultimate Guide – Cat Articles
Are My Cats Fighting Or Playing? | TheCatSite

I'd pretty much would have written the same thing.

6 month old kittens are a bit much for an older cat to deal with too. They are at the prime of their energy peak as we recently found out. I'd never had a kitten before and wow, that 5-6 month mark for us and our older cat to handle was certainly a lot! Go go go ALL the time! And we have 2 females also now, so not sure if that's a thing - many people seem to think so - who knows?

Anyway - once Luna (the kitten) hit the 7 month mark or so she started to calm down a bit and developing a bit more of the adult pattern of napping in the daytime sometimes, whereas previously we rarely saw her sleep much at all. I do think this helped Cocoabean (the adult) warm up to her since she wasn't being as energetic and intense around her all the time. Now at 8 months old she's a lot calmer (though still very much a kitten of course!) and there are hours where we do not see her at all in the afternoon as she's off sleeping WITH her sister in the same room as it seems many times. And at night, she will sleep at a good 6-7 hour stretch at a time in our bed. Much more relaxing to live with for sure for everyone.

Hopefully, Malibu will also begin to calm down in a few weeks and this will put Jiggy more at ease. It does take time regardless for most cats to come to terms with a newcomer and it's rare that it happens quickly so like rubysmama said, as long as there's no real fighting going on, let them work it out. Eventually things will smooth out little by little and before you know it they will be at a peaceful co-existence or even better.

 

[She's a witch]

It seems that you expect them to be friends, but it may never happen, and that’s ok. Like with people, cats have all kinds of relationship between each other and they can be completely happy with each other’s presence without being best buds. To me it also seems that the kitten is a bit too much for Jiggy energy wise. I wouldn’t worry about hissing and growling, this is the way Jiggy tells Malibu to back off and it’s ok, I’d be worried if she didn’t respond that way to pestering if she sees Malibu’s effort that way. I’d make sure Jiggy has some safe space to retreat, ideally where Malibu can’t reach, and also, you’d need to step up and play with Malibu more since Jiggy is not playing with her anymore, you don’t want a bored and frustrated cat due to lack of play. Best of luck!

 

[jen]

Basically they go through a period of trying to establish who is dominant. Malibu is getting older and probably being a bit of a challenge to Jiggy who is over it completely and not going to put up with the young ones childish behavior. I wouldn't rule out them ever being best friends but 2 females in the home can get territorial and it may just take awhile of Malibu annoying Jiggy and a bunch of hissing and growling as they work through it all.

 

[Paris Pluto]

Thanks so much everyone for replying! Kinda new to the multiple cat game

 

[rubysmama]

Kinda new to the multiple cat game

Here's a short TCS article that might be helpful.
The Multi-cat Household – Cat Articles