Female cat suddenly fearful of male kitten

[LanaDavidson]

Hi there, newbie here! This may be quite a lengthy post but I’m hoping someone has some advice! So we rescued a feral kitten who was approx 6 weeks old, he didn’t stop hissing and spitting the first night, but by the next morning he was completely fine and even sat on our knees and has been the same ever since. We have 2 other cats (1 male 1 female) so we were very careful when we slowly started introducing them (they’ve always had separate sleeping areas, litter trays and bowls etc). Gradually we started introducing them, the female seemed to accept him quite quickly so within about a week they were playing together. The male wasn’t so quick to accept but we kind of expected that as he’s pretty grumpy most of the time anyway. So they got or really well for almost 2 months, then suddenly about 2 weeks ago our female completely changed. She will not go anywhere near him, not even in the same part of the house it’s like she’s completely terrified of him. The male is more friendly towards him than he was at the start, but he’s not a playful cat anyway so we just feel so bad that now he’s got no one to play with! Our only theory is that either he was so small when we got him and she didn’t even realise that it was another cat she was playing with or that it’s something to do with his scent changing, but she gets on fine with the other male so we just don’t know. Any advice or suggestions welcome, we just have no idea what to do! Thanks, Lana

 

[ArtNJ]

Thats a bit of a weird one, you may not be able to figure this out beyond speculation. Given the estimated age, presumably a huge difference in activity level from when the kitten arrived as the kitten got more comfortable and bigger. Maybe he accidentally hurt her via a nail to a delicate spot, or maybe the increased activity level is stressing her out.

I'd look into getting the kittens spayed/neutered as early as your local vet will do. Just in case that has something to do with it.

 

[LanaDavidson]

Thats a bit of a weird one, you may not be able to figure this out beyond speculation. Given the estimated age, presumably a huge difference in activity level from when the kitten arrived as the kitten got more comfortable and bigger. Maybe he accidentally hurt her via a nail to a delicate spot, or maybe the increased activity level is stressing her out.

I'd look into getting the kittens spayed/neutered as early as your local vet will do. Just in case that has something to do with it.

Yeah I guess that is possible, they obviously weren’t left together unattended so we certainly didn’t see anything obvious and she’s completely fine when he’s not around so who knows. Yeah we are definitely going to get him neutered, we are just making sure he is big enough seeing as he was a feral.

 

[sunny578]

This could change once he's neutered. Perhaps as his hormones change, she's picking up on some new scent that is making her uncomfortable. Hopefully he gets his playmate back!

 

[GustifursMom]

This could change once he's neutered. Perhaps as his hormones change, she's picking up on some new scent that is making her uncomfortable. Hopefully he gets his playmate back!

Agree with sunny578.

 

[Greenmyrtle]

Expanding on the neuter theme; scent is super important as well as micro-communications we can’t see. If he’s starting to smell or act like a Tom in any subtle way only she can see, that could cause dramatic reaction.

Get him spayed AS SOON as possible. I know it’s a balance esp for males but for household harmony and averting behavior issues don’t hold out.

Not to compare cats and deer, BUT we have a resident herd and so I watch what happens as male fawns grow. We can’t tell males from females until the females start to actively chase male yearlings away. They can tell when those hormones are kicking in before anything shows.

 

[maggie101]

How old are the other cats? When my cats got older my cat peaches no longer wanted to play with Maggie. Now I play with Maggie with a wand toy

 

[LanaDavidson]

Thanks for the replies. By our estimate he’s just turning 3 months old, give or take and from what I have read the advice is approx 4 months for neutering? It’s been a few years so I can’t remember what age our other cats were but we will certainly phone the vets this week anyway and see what they say but it will definitely need to be within the next month.

 

[ArtNJ]

Thanks for the replies. By our estimate he’s just turning 3 months old, give or take and from what I have read the advice is approx 4 months for neutering? It’s been a few years so I can’t remember what age our other cats were but we will certainly phone the vets this week anyway and see what they say but it will definitely need to be within the next month.

Many vets now do 3 months or younger. In general, its trended younger and younger because of the health and behavioral benefits. That said, some still want 5 or 6 months, (and once in a while we still here of outliers that want more like 9 months in certain countries) so you'll just have to see. Depending on where you live, you may or may not have trouble finding someone to do it much before six months. I agree with getting it done asap but still think its more likely that the kitten getting bigger and more active caused the change.

 

[Greenmyrtle]

Some vets may time it based on weight rather than age. (Age as a proxy for size I guess)

 

[Meowmee]

It could be the hormonal aspect as others said, so neuter when 5 pounds I think is what Quinn’s breeder said but my dvms say 6 months. But many do it earlier now. It could also be him getting more energetic etc. and aggressive in play. Or maybe your girl is not well, take her to dvm for a look see.Cats are all individuals and react so differently and their relationships can change over time.