Introduced kitten to resident cat yesterday.....it’s going poorly

[rubysmama]

That's great that they're getting along so well.

Sarabi gets jealous and voices her displeasure by peeing on the floor by the front door (yes she has had all the proper tests run and she is perfectly healthy. This is a behavioral thing she has done since before she even came to us) So that’s something we are still working on.

Maybe something in this TCS article will be helpful: Do Cats Get Jealous? (and What To Do About It When They Do)

 

[Joan M]

Everything is turning out great! Congratulations!!

 

[pearl99]

That is so cute of them on the cat tower (my first thought was just wait till he gets Sarabi's tail...haha).
They are doing great. Lots of laughs for you I bet!

 

[michele spontak]

So my SO and I brought home a kitten yesterday (Augustus) and my 4 year old female Bengal/savannah mix didn’t take it well.

sorry for this long post I’m just really nervous...

We had been gone for 3 days visiting family and Sarabi always is SO happy to see us. She is very affectionate towards us and loves attention. We came home yesterday and while my friend held the kitten in a carrier, we loved on Sarabi and let her smell Augustus on us. my friend set down the carrier so Sarabi could see him and she freaked out: hissed, growled like a wild animal and then skunk around until she could escape to the bedroom.

She refuses to come out from under the bed now. She hasn’t had water since we came home and won’t eat. She did sleep in bed with us last night but she hisses at the smell of the kitten — who sleeps by himself shut in the kitten proof bathroom. I don’t know if she left the bedroom last night, we left the door open so she could go out into the living room and get used to his scent without confrontation

Today we got up and loved on her even though she was hissing, she really wanted to be pet. The kitten heard us get up and started meowing frantically in the bathroom so we got up to go let him out. He was hand raised so he really thrives on human attention and affection and I feel awful leaving him in the bathroom all night.

As soon as Sarabi heard the bathroom open and the kitten whining, she growled and went back under the bed. She has a litter box in the bedroom that’s been in there for 2 weeks in preparation for the kittens arrival. I also added hot water to her dry food and some wet food cause I’m worried about her water intake and I’m hoping the smell will tempt her. I also put her fountain in there to hopefully encourage her to drink more. I shut the bedroom door and I go in every so often to see her and try to coax her out but she isn’t having it.

Later today I’m going to Petco to get a couple feliway diffusers in hopes that will help. I feel like her coming out and sleeping with us was a good sign, even though she hissed and growled when we pet her, she also headbutts into our hand and has her tail up.

She is in the bedroom now. I closed the door and haven’t let the kitten in there at all. I decided to make that her safe space to encourage her to come out.

Am I doing things right? Did I make a mistake by getting a kitten? She grew up with 2 cats and a dog before we got her, but has been an only cat for 3 years. I thought she would like having a playmate as she’s pretty active....

At first, is the roughest. I had something like this happen before. Hissing, growling, tension, kitten chasing older cat etc. Once everyone was used to the smell and new home, they just did not hang around. That was as bad as it got.

 

[Sarabismom]

Tonight’s study session brought to you by my furry monsters.

 

[Sarabismom]

That is so cute of them on the cat tower (my first thought was just wait till he gets Sarabi's tail...haha).
They are doing great. Lots of laughs for you I bet!

He LOVES grabbing her tail. She is not a fan and bops him when he does it.
sometimes I have to remember he was orphaned very young and didn’t learn manners from his momma.
Lots of laughs, lots of yelling “Knock it off you two!” But every day I see more progress.

 

[flybear]

I am glad they are doing well ... I would keep those multi cat pheromone diffusors up through kittens rough and tumble phase ... I have three adults and one kitten who is starting to ... jump on everyone all the time at the moment ... I noticed when the diffusor ran out - I hope it will all mellow out eventually. I always pet my older kitties first as well ... they are jealous and I honestly believe that they are keeping count who gets pet how many times ... hahaha ... can you imagine .. we run around making sure 4 cats get the exact amount of love, head bumps, brushing each- it is a full time job lol ...

 

[Sarabismom]

I am glad they are doing well ... I would keep those multi cat pheromone diffusors up through kittens rough and tumble phase ... I have three adults and one kitten who is starting to ... jump on everyone all the time at the moment ... I noticed when the diffusor ran out - I hope it will all mellow out eventually. I always pet my older kitties first as well ... they are jealous and I honestly believe that they are keeping count who gets pet how many times ... hahaha ... can you imagine .. we run around making sure 4 cats get the exact amount of love, head bumps, brushing each- it is a full time job lol ...

I definitely notice a difference when the diffuser is plugged in versus when it’s not! And yes it’s ready had to play with a high energy Bengal and a high energy kitten at the same time

 

[Sarabismom]

2 months later and we made it!

thanks for everyone whohelped and gave me advice on introducing these two. They still fight sometimes but for the most part they play nice together.
I am so happy!
Bonus photo of Gus snuggling with me, as is his routine every morning.

 

[Furballsmom]

You, and they, are AWESOME!!

 

[rubysmama]

Awww.... so precious.

 

[Sarabismom]

You, and they, are AWESOME!!

Thank you so much for all of your help!!!!

 

[Furballsmom]

You are so very welcome

 

[Joan M]

Yay!! So glad they settled in and are happy. You, and they, made it!!

 

[Sarabismom]

Hi everybody,

We have a recent negative development.

After a sleepless Friday night trip to the emergency vet, Sarabi has been diagnosed with stress-induced cystitis. We think it’s caused by Gus always jumping on her and bullying her. He won’t leave her alone sometimes. I’m at my wits end. We have begun separating them when we aren’t home but then he just wants to play and literally spider monkey jumps on her back. He then runs away before we can discipline him.

Yelling at Gus scares Sarabi and she runs and hides. We have been trying to train him with a finger snap for “no” instead of actually saying it so it doesn’t stress out Sarabi.
Im trying to play with him more but we both work physically demanding jobs so it’s hard to find the energy.

Gus is really good at night time when we go to bed, he almost always comes to bed with us and is quiet all night and leaves her alone while they both sleep on the bed.

I’ve plugged the Feliaway diffusers back in, in hopes it helps and been giving them both calming treats (Sarabi isn’t a huge fan).

We talked about giving Gus away but I just love him so much I can’t bring myself to do it. He really isn’t a bad cat, he just is so outgoing and playful and high energy. And he doesn’t understand why Sarabi doesn’t want to rough wrestle with him all the time. I think because he was hand raised he didn’t learn manners as a baby and Sarabi doesn’t kick his butt bad enough for him to get the picture. She just runs and he chased and jumps on her back, etc.

Any advice? I don’t want my girl to be so worked up. But I have really fallen in love with Gus and I can’t imagine rehoming him. I’m calling the normal vet tomorrow to schedule an appointment for Sarabi for this week, and I’ll ask him about urinary and stress relief supplements for her. She’s always been an anxious cat and I want to do whatever I can to improve her quality of life.

 

[ArtNJ]

So sorry to hear this!

How does she act with him, both when he is jumping on her and otherwise?

 

[Sarabismom]

So sorry to hear this!

How does she act with him, both when he is jumping on her and otherwise?

When he jumps on her she hisses and growls. But when he’s calm, she doesn’t mind him. They smell each other and sometimes when she’s feeling playful they will chase each other around. It will abruptly end if he decides to jump on her back.

 

[flybear]

I am sorry you are dealing with illness now - I know all to well how it feels as a cat mom ... when there is either illness or stress with the feline " kids" ! It actually looks like your cats get along and that your older cat actually likes the baby - they would not be sleeping in close proximity otherwise ... But clearly he is currently a rowdy teenager and just a bit too much for her. She is trying to avoid conflict but ... nobody likes to be jumped on ... Is the little guy neutered yet? If not that would be number one on my list. And I would also create separate spaces for them so both can relax . Cystitis can mean that she is not getting the time and peace to go to the bathroom and drink enough ... add lots of litterboxes ( in protected spaces ... and different rooms maybe) and water dishes around the house. My cats enjoy having water away from their food dish ... if you are concerned about staining ... we put the water dish in a low plastic container. I would also separate the two cats sometimes to give each other a break. If you can't designate a room to one or the other ... there are indoor catio options for when you cannot watch the kitties ( for example build out of wire cube shelving around a cat tree and litter box ) . Gus needs tons of playtime to tucker him out .. Dabird is great for hard and fast play ... Bottle babies can be a pain you are right ... without cat moms ... they often have issues with social boundaries . However ... most cats get calmer when they get older. Your older kitty is being way too nice with the little stinker ;-) ... Kitten teens are little punks and bottle babies are a notch up - but they usually get calmer ...

 

[Sarabismom]

I am sorry you are dealing with illness now - I know all to well how it feels as a cat mom ... when there is either illness or stress with the feline " kids" ! It actually looks like your cats get along and that your older cat actually likes the baby - they would not be sleeping in close proximity otherwise ... But clearly he is currently a rowdy teenager and just a bit too much for her. She is trying to avoid conflict but ... nobody likes to be jumped on ... Is the little guy neutered yet? If not that would be number one on my list. And I would also create separate spaces for them so both can relax . Cystitis can mean that she is not getting the time and peace to go to the bathroom and drink enough ... add lots of litterboxes ( in protected spaces ... and different rooms maybe) and water dishes around the house. My cats enjoy having water away from their food dish ... if you are concerned about staining ... we put the water dish in a low plastic container. I would also separate the two cats sometimes to give each other a break. If you can't designate a room to one or the other ... there are indoor catio options for when you cannot watch the kitties ( for example build out of wire cube shelving around a cat tree and litter box ) . Gus needs tons of playtime to tucker him out .. Dabird is great for hard and fast play ... Bottle babies can be a pain you are right ... without cat moms ... they often have issues with social boundaries . However ... most cats get calmer when they get older. Your older kitty is being way too nice with the little stinker ;-) ... Kitten teens are little punks and bottle babies are a notch up - but they usually get calmer ...

My SO and I fight about Gus a lot. He had never had a kitten before as we got Sarabi when she was a year old already. He doesn’t understand that most of the time kittens aren’t just little jerks for the first year and the they will settle a bit. My cats in the past were all very confident and would put a rambunctious kitten in its place quickly so this is new territory for me as well. Sarabi is much more nervous and she just runs which encourages him to be a jerk to her!

I know she doesn’t hate him. They both sleep in bed with us and she wants to be friends with him but he’s just so rowdy. I’ve been giving calming treats to Gus to keep his crazies from getting out of hand and they work moderately well. Sarabi won’t eat the calming treats unless it’s mixed in with her food (such a diva

I had someone suggest a cat wheel and I’m seriously considering it.

We do have two litter boxes in separate rooms and one fountain, which is in the bedroom with Sarabi to encourage drinking. Gus is drinking from a bowl of water until the new fountain comes. mom debating on a third litter box with pellet or crystal litter.

keeping them separated from time to time seems to be the best option at this point. Neither of them really like it but it’s all I can do for now. I feel awful that Sarabi is even sick, like it’s my fault for even getting a kitten.

 

[flybear]

I had to smile about the calming treats ... I raised two siamese girls that were and still are high energy cats ... and seriously ... the only thing tat worked was ... play time - most cats do not like the cat wheel but most like to play with things like Dabird ... I get them panting lol. Make the throw line on Dabird longer of you have the space ... and throw this thing around the room, onto the cat tree , under the couch , high jumps ... for maximum run time. Not getting exercise makes my girls pesky ... it really helps ...and I feel guilty about every additional foster we kept ... it will get easier ... a safe space is a blessing for those calmer, more anxious cats ( and with them too ... play helps ) ... there is something about the endorphins after a good hunt.... they cats that bird ... and ... you can feel them relax hahaha