Feel So Bad for My New Young Cat

[Wheekie]

I hope I'm just jumping the gun here.
I've had two girl cats (both spayed) for about 6 years...they're both 7 years old. They aren't real lovey dovey with each other, but they get along fine. One seems to try...but the other one is one of those aloof cats...even I can only pick her up when SHE wants me to!
Now I've taken in a little stray (a boy)...almost 2 years old. He stayed in a crate for a week in my house...until I could get him neutered and vet checked. The first night, the girls hissed at the intruder...but eventually they seemed to accept his presence.
He's gotten a clean bill of health now, been fixed, so now he is out and about with his new sisfurs.
They don't hiss at him, but they don't really bother with him either. And he tries so hard! Whenever either of them are around, he just lays down on his back...exposes his belly and just looks at them...like he's saying "play with me! I OK!". But they ignore him.
When he was crated, he meowed at them every time they walked past his crate, was so playful...seemed anxious to come out and play. Now that he's out and being ignored, he just seems so sad. He perks up whenever they walk by...seems hopeful; but then they reject him again and he just lays down, looking so sad.
It's breaking my heart.

 

[DreamerRose]

That really is sad. About the only thing to do is play with him yourself. One of the wand toys are always enjoyed by kittens. You might find that helpful. Or a squeaky mouse to trail in front of him.

 

[fionasmom]

It is very kind of you to have helped and adopted this little boy. There will probably be a lot of opinions here, but I have definitely owned cats who were not interested in other cats in the house, no matter what. My boy Jamie was in this situation when I rescued him as a tiny kitten and brought him into a house of old lady cats. My solution was to play with him myself until, about 2 years later, I found a friendly feral we adopted who does play with him. Your boy is happy to have a good home, believe me, and will be happy to play with you. He might even like some mechanical toys.

 

[susanm9006]

It doesn’t sound like it has been that long so maybe they are still adjusting to him. They may never play with him but there is still hope they will let him sleep with them and groom each other. Indifference is much better at this point than hissing or slapping so just give it some.

 

[ArtNJ]

Its not what we hope for, but a lack of tension and hostility isn't a bad result in the scheme of things.

Unfortunately, unless the cats in the house are very young, its always a dice roll and friendship cant be counted on. The only truly safe way to insure that a cat has a friend is to adopt two very young cats together. Two kittens, for example, essentially always become friends, and two one year olds are close to that as well. The chances of problems and mere tolerance vs friendship gradually go up from there. If one were a betting person, it wouldn't be smart to put money on seven year olds becoming friends with an almost two year old. It definitely can happen, but its less than 50% I feel. Still, as was pointed out, it can take time so there is still hope you'll get there! Good luck!

 

[Jcatbird]

Don’t give up. It’s still ver soon for the others to decide about him. Give them all time. I have brought in many kitties and most do adapt to each other at some level. Many become very bonded. Every cat is different and they adjust at their own pace. Turning over to show the girls his tummy can be a very positive show on his part. I think that playing with him yourself is great. It gives him some fun and can get the more social of your girls interested in play too. If they play with you together, they may feel more comfortable with each other. Sometimes I find that a younger cat that is having fun playing will inspire playfulness in my older cats. Please do keep us updated!

 

[Krienze]

Oh! I went through that with Jasper! I know exactly what you mean! That sad little face. You can just see the depression when they get rejected. Jasper used to try SO hard with Mia, but she'd hiss/ignore him. Sammy did too for awhile. Now they all eat out of the same bowl, sometimes lay together, sometimes play together. We still have moments where Mia will get fed up with how high energy Jasper is (even though they are the same age, I have a theory that Mia is an old soul) and get furious with him but time and patience, and just working with them in general, have really helped with my kitties.

I know it's so heart breaking though to see! I agree, you should def play with him and do it where they can see! If they see him playing they will begin to learn who he is!