Did I make a mistake bringing in new kitten?

[Fernduque15]

Apologies for the long post. Hopefully someone can give me some insight.

My 10 year old cat had been an only cat since he was 4 months old but he’s always been very sweet and never aggressive. We recently got the opportunity to adopt a Sphynx kitten (3 months old) and we slowly introduced them to each other. The first week there was a lot of hissing and growling from the older cat. A week later now he just runs away every time the kitten gets near him. But...he’s changed. He always seems to be on edge when he comes out of his room (he sleeps in the laundry room) and whenever we call out his name, he just looks at us but doesn’t meow. When we pet him he’s really tense. Now my biggest concern is that he’s very lethargic, low energy and hasn’t eaten at all. I took him to the vet and they gave him a shot to calm his stomach but he only ate a little bit.

I just didn’t know what to do. They did some blood work and his results should come in tomorrow but I’m so stressed out. I love this new kitten but I love my older cat even more. Did I make a mistake bringing the new kitten to our home? Has anyone ever had this happen before?

 

[35 year catdad]

I think in time they will be romping and playing together. I used Natures Miracle calming spray for cats when I moved 3 from a 17 yr cat haven home . It worked pretty good and I found it on sale at Chewys for I think around $3 a bottle.8oz spray bottle-doenst last a long time so get a few maybe. Try to get them to play together and then they will realize just maybe...they can play with each other!
I rescued a half dead kitten trapped under a house once and I think she gave my 15 yr old Fe leukemia. My older cat lived to be 18
and tested negative years before. I took the Tortie kitten in to vet and I assume she was negative then but its been 27 years.
Try a laser chaser light to get them in the play mode together and maybe it will become a trend. Play together is more fun than being a solo cat. If you are gone a lot there is nothing better for cats than buddies as they are social creatures like us.
Hope that helps and good luck to you and the cats. I bet all the tests are normal BTW bienvenedious! spelling?

 

[Jcatbird]

Yes. It happens a lot. You may need to back track a bit to give your older boy a little more time to accept the kitty. Introductions can only be done at the pace of the slower cat. I do think that calming products are very helpful. Giving your older boy special attention with the kitten put in another room for awhile may reinforce his confidence. Hand feeding homspecial treats may encourage eating. Gerber 2nd foods all meat baby food can be tempting to lick off your finger which does two things. One is feeding something special to bond and the other is the actio of licking which is comforting in cat language. Did you do scent swapping? That can help. Interactive play can too. If the older cat will chase a wand toy, he may hetso I’m olved in play, he forgets the kitten for a moment. Just hand in there and keep working with them. Kittens are usually accepted although the older cat may be upset at having another in his territory. Giving older boy some time when he is the only one out with you may be a comfort until he is better integrated with kitten. He hasn’t attacked so that’s good. A Feliway diffuser could help. Even catnip might work. It can act as a calming product or a stimulant. Perhaps it would help his appetite or relax him. Don’t despair, just keep trying other methods to help him adapt. You do have lots of extra litter boxes around? Also could help. Give older kitty as much of his own territory as you can. A shelf in the room with you can put him above the kitten and that could also be a plus.

 

[Mamanyt1953]

Well, I'm sure in your eyes that you slowly introduced them, but remember...many, if not most introductions take several weeks to completely accomplish, and sometimes months. We've seen them take a year, but be quite successful in the end. In human terms, your older cat is in his mid-50's, and not used to interacting with other cats. Whereas your kitten is more like a 4.5 year old child! I imagine the old boy is just more than a little overwhelmed!

Be sure that you wear your little scamp out SEVERAL times a day! And do give your resident cat plenty of places to escape to. If you have a wand toy, play with the older cat with that, as well as the kitten, but separately! This gives the older cat additional confidence, and drains off energy in the kitten.

In another 12-14 months, New Boy will have settled down considerably (although they are not FULLY matured until 2 years old), and things will change yet again.