Got A New Kitten, Old Cat Vomitting And Not Eating.

[darboo]

Hi there! I live with my partner, my cat Becky (~ 7, but the vet thought she was 4 at first until she saw her paperwork, so she's in good health!), and as of Sunday evening, a new kitten - name TBD, but for now, lets call her Poppy. Becky has always been a very goofy cat who enjoys the company of humans, but is not huge on physical affection. She has a sweet silly personality and has never had any health issues. I just took her to the vet last night, and the vet said she was in perfect health and looked amazing for her age.
We brought Poppy home Sunday evening, we had her in a cardboard carrying box. Becky couldn't see her, but she was definitely aware of her. She did not come greet us as she normally did. She just sat very still at a distance of about 15 feet and stared until we were able to fully prep Poppy's safe room and put her away in there. They've been separated ever since and have yet to see each other. Since we brought Poppy home, Becky has not left her favorite room, which just so happens to be the furthest spot in the house from Poppy's safe room. I can hardly get her to leave it even for food or her litter. Whenever I hold Poppy, I'll change my shirt and take the one with Poppy's scent onto Becky's favorite sun spot, and give her a treat with it.
I'm just concerned because both mornings I've woken up to Becky having vomitted at some point in the night. She seems to be getting more and more closed off and depressed, no matter how much love or treats I've given her. I finally convinced her to eat a little bit when I microwaved her canned food, and I'm waiting on Feliway to be delivered today.
Does this seem normal, and what can I do to help make Becky more comfortable around me and the new baby?

 

[ArtNJ]

With a kitten and an older cat, the issue isn't normally so much the introduction, it is the fact that kittens don't respect boundaries and jump all over the older cat immediately and often, regardless of how the older cat feels about it. Proper introductions with scent swapping don't necessarily help with that, although starting on the right foot can't hurt anything, so certainly continue the introduction the proper and slow way given that your already having trouble. Try some fellaway spray to calm the older cat.

My advice would be to buy cat toys and tire the heck out of that kitten before the initial meeting (less pouncing!). Make sure you have upped the number of litter boxes, and if you don't have a nice tall cat tree type thing, that can be a good idea -- gives the older cat a defensible hang out. The introduction should go in small managed chunks to be sure, and the older cat should probably have a separate sleeping area ready if there are problems, which might be necessary for a while.

An older cat growling, hissing, swatting and running away from a kitten is unfortunately pretty normal, and to be honest I doubt you will avoid it given how things are going. It will likely improve with time, reaching at least toleration eventually, maybe buddies if you are lucky. While it can take a *lot* of time for improvement, with a little management to reduce the older cats stress you'll get through it. If your cat's stress is so bad they are unable to eat, that is a whole different thing of course, but let's not assume long term problems just because the first day or two starts rough. Heck, maybe things will actually get better once we get in visual range -- no idea if cats can tell the newcomer is a kitten by smell alone or if they need the visual cues.

 

[Columbine]

Hi darboo Welcome to TCS

Sadly, what you're experiencing is pretty typical with some cats, and is very similar to what I went through in the summer with my girl (after having the temerity to bring two kittens into the house ). A ArtNJ made some excellent suggestions, but I do have a few more.

First of all, if Becky wants space right now, then that's just fine. Be sure to spend plenty of time with her, so she doesn't feel pushed out, but don't force attention on her. Giving her daily interactive playtime will really help her decompress and work through some of her stresses, as well as allowing her to reassert ownership of the house in a positive and healthy way. Playtime is really important for Poppy too, but it's just as important for Becky...only for different reasons

The vomiting is a little worrying, and not absolutely typical (though some highly strung cats do vomit when stressed - it's just less common). If it continues, and definitely if it worsens, get Becky checked out by your vet, just to be certain there's nothing physically wrong. In the meantime, Feliway is a great step Becky might benefit from a food based calmer (such as Composure or Zylkene) too. It can really help stressed out kitties, though, as with any supplement, it's always safest to run it past your vet first. This article has some great tips to help get Becky eating again too.

These articles may help too:-
How To Successfully Introduce Cats: The Ultimate Guide
Do Cats Get Jealous? (and What To Do About It When They Do)
You, Your Cat And Stress

 

[darboo]

Thank you so much! You say if Becky want some space, that’s okay, and to just giver her attention and love. But what if she doesn’t even want me to be close? Should I just pet her without her regard until she starts to growl and hiss, just to show I’m friendly and I still love her, or should I wait for her to make the first move?
Yesterday I closed the door to her preferred room, which she seemed to be happy with, but then I opened new kitten’s door to let her explore the neutral area (which also houses Becky’s litter box and food bowl). Since I’ve put the kitten back and opened Becky’s door, she has gone into the neutral space to use the box, but won’t go in for food. I’ve managed to get her to eat in her preferred room this afternoon.

Hi darboo Welcome to TCS

Sadly, what you're experiencing is pretty typical with some cats, and is very similar to what I went through in the summer with my girl (after having the temerity to bring two kittens into the house ). A ArtNJ made some excellent suggestions, but I do have a few more.

First of all, if Becky wants space right now, then that's just fine. Be sure to spend plenty of time with her, so she doesn't feel pushed out, but don't force attention on her. Giving her daily interactive playtime will really help her decompress and work through some of her stresses, as well as allowing her to reassert ownership of the house in a positive and healthy way. Playtime is really important for Poppy too, but it's just as important for Becky...only for different reasons

The vomiting is a little worrying, and not absolutely typical (though some highly strung cats do vomit when stressed - it's just less common). If it continues, and definitely if it worsens, get Becky checked out by your vet, just to be certain there's nothing physically wrong. In the meantime, Feliway is a great step Becky might benefit from a food based calmer (such as Composure or Zylkene) too. It can really help stressed out kitties, though, as with any supplement, it's always safest to run it past your vet first. This article has some great tips to help get Becky eating again too.

These articles may help too:-
How To Successfully Introduce Cats: The Ultimate Guide
Do Cats Get Jealous? (and What To Do About It When They Do)
You, Your Cat And Stress

 

[Columbine]

Absolutely don't force pets/cuddles on Becky - just spend time with her in her room (or anyplace she choses to settle). Talk to her a bit, let her know you're there, but let her decide when she's ready for affection.

It sounds like Becky is just ultra stressed by Poppy's arrival. I think I'd keep Poppy confined to her room until Becky relaxes a little (my guys stayed solely in their room for at least a couple of weeks ). It won't hurt her one bit, but it may give Becky an extra sense of security that it sounds like she really needs.

For now, focus on scent swapping alone. A great trick is to get some cardboard scratchers, and let them both go to town with them (maybe for a couple of weeks). Then swap them over. Once both scratchers have both cats' scents well clawed in, put them in the neutral areas. Becky might find this easier to cope with, as the scratchers will smell equally of her and Poppy.

They are both GORGEOUS, btw

 

[darboo]

Update on the kittens: Junipurr (new kitten, new name!) is absolutely in love with Becky and follows her everywhere, but she loves from a 6 inch distance. Becky tolerates Juni, allows her to be her little shadow, but she gives her a little smack every now and then just to put her in her place.
They are happy to share food, litter boxes, even the best nap spots. The only thing Becky gets protective of is me (which just makes my heart burst)! Their favorite thing to do is nap while I read, Juni is always snuggled up on my right side or by my feet, and Becky is always on my left side or near my head!

Thank you for your help and suggestions!

What I found out was keeping them separate actually caused Becky more stress, thank you for the suggestion A ArtNJ ! Once they were allowed to interact and she saw that the stranger was tiny and not at all a threat, she became more friendly to everyone and way less isolated and anxious. So we started allowing them to hang out in the day, but separated them at night. But I found even that night time separation would mean we’d have to start back at square one every morning. So we stopped separating them all together and it’s been super peaceful ever since!