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- Jan 5, 2023
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I'm introducing a new kitten to my house were there is already a resident cat.
For the last three weeks, the kitten has been in a room seperated from the cat. They've seen each other through a mesh baby gate. There has been no issues from my older cat during this time. He's gone and sniffed a couple times and sat a watched. We have also fed them from opposite sides of the mesh. We brought the kitten down stairs in a carrier and the older cat just wondered around occasionally looking in. There has been a couple instances of the residents cat poking the kitten (no claws).
Today we let the kitten walk out of the room with the resident cat in the area. The resident cat was free to run off if he wanted. The kitten being the playful thing he is, immediately ran for the resident cat. My older cat just ignored the kitten for a few minutes and just wondered around. The kitten got very playful and my resident cat went to bite him on the neck.
We seperated them for a few minutes and then let the kitten wander again. The kitten went to the resident cat and the resident cat swatted the kitten. We seperated them again.
Is this normal? As in, is this the resident cat just showing dominance, or is it aggression? I did notice when the resident cat swatted the kitten, his pupils were dilated.
The whole process is making me so nervous! I don't want the kitten to get injured and I don't want my resident cat to be distressed. Any advice would be awesome.
For the last three weeks, the kitten has been in a room seperated from the cat. They've seen each other through a mesh baby gate. There has been no issues from my older cat during this time. He's gone and sniffed a couple times and sat a watched. We have also fed them from opposite sides of the mesh. We brought the kitten down stairs in a carrier and the older cat just wondered around occasionally looking in. There has been a couple instances of the residents cat poking the kitten (no claws).
Today we let the kitten walk out of the room with the resident cat in the area. The resident cat was free to run off if he wanted. The kitten being the playful thing he is, immediately ran for the resident cat. My older cat just ignored the kitten for a few minutes and just wondered around. The kitten got very playful and my resident cat went to bite him on the neck.
We seperated them for a few minutes and then let the kitten wander again. The kitten went to the resident cat and the resident cat swatted the kitten. We seperated them again.
Is this normal? As in, is this the resident cat just showing dominance, or is it aggression? I did notice when the resident cat swatted the kitten, his pupils were dilated.
The whole process is making me so nervous! I don't want the kitten to get injured and I don't want my resident cat to be distressed. Any advice would be awesome.