Kitten & Cat - Playing Or Fighting?

[trac88]

After hours and hours of trawling through previous posts and other websites I thought I would join up here and seek some help from some of the senior experts on cats.

I took in a kitten last October who was found abandoned by a river at 5/6 weeks old and suffering very badly from cat flu. I hand reared him and after a second (touch and go) dose of cat flu managed to nurse him to full health. This made the bond between us very close and he would often come up and seek cuddles despite being a ‘big boy’ now. He is a real big sturdy cat and has recently (3 weeks ago) been neutered. He’s also now roaming outside (under the watchful eye of a GPS tracker right to my mobile) and is trying to establish my garden as territory from another determined male. He is called Jax and is around 10 months old now so essentially a teenager in cat terms.

I thought long and hard about introducing another kitten to our home, in the hope that he would enjoy company and also in the long run have a companion to help hold our garden as their territory. Jax is also a pathetic hunter – I have established this from hours of watching him attempt to catch a little fledgling. His nasal passage seems to have been damaged with the cat flu and he does a serious amount of loud sniffing which I imagine is giving his position away! Anyway 10 days ago I adopted a little female kitten who I sourced as compatible with his personality after more countless hours of research. I set her up (Izzie) in our bathroom with all of her own brand new items and isolated her until she was vet checked and given a flea & worm treatment. I started off by trying to rub her with a sock and vice versa to attempt scent neutralisation as a first step.

However this was blown out the window because little Izzie is like something from the Olympics. Myself nor my husband can get into the bathroom to play with/sort out her things without her darting out of the room and running at Jax. If she isn’t running at him she runs into his things and rolls around in his bedding. This seems to have caused him now to not want to be outside at all, as if he wants to defend his entire house from this little flash of lightening. I was told when adopting her that she was older than 8 weeks, but the vet seems to think she may only be 6 weeks. She is a tiny little thing with these really long legs! She is much further advanced than he was at the same age (assumingly because she is fit and healthy) but it’s causing chaos as I cannot implement the slow and gradual process that I wanted through introducing them.

Some of the behaviours that have occurred so far are:

1. If Izzie is in the cat carrier and brought to a room for Jax to sniff around she goes absolutely crazy and tries to claw him through the door to the point where she is distressed and I stop the process.
   
   
2. Jax lies at the bathroom door and makes a strange little cry/meowing noise towards it. The only thing is he displays the same sort of movements which he does at my own bedroom door when he wants me to come out. He pushes against the door and then rolls around outside it.
   
   
3. Jax appears to hate me for 90% of the time. He no longer wants interaction with me presumably because I have turned his whole world upside down. In the morning time only will he jump up on my knee and rest his head on my shoulders as normal – but he will not tolerate me having a sock on my hand while the petting is underway. So I can’t gather his scent onto it.
   
   
   
4. We had one nose bump between the two which I felt was a great sign but it was then followed by a lot of chasing. Izzie is obsessed with tails so will bop his anytime it’s on display. This causes more chasing. She is also trying to make herself seem big and will submit almost immediately anytime he catches her. These submit positions come with paw swiping (I think with claws out) at him – this then is like a flag for him to try biting her. From what I can see his claws and normally in.
   

My problem is I cannot distinguish if they are playing or how they really feel about the other – and it stresses me out! I don’t want either of them to get hurt or to be unhappy. The slow introductions seem impossible as she will manage to get out of the bathroom every single time the door is open. In regards to the chasing it appears to be reversing as it should (with each taking turns as the one doing the chasing) but I am worried with his size that he could hurt her.

Apologises for this extremely long post, I wanted to get as much info down as possible! Any suggestions or opinions on their interactions would be greatly appreciated

 

[susanm9006]

She sounds like little firecracker and Ajax is probably enthralled with his new playmate. If he were hurting her she would be wary of him instead in going after him. It just sounds like they are getting to know one another and having some fun. I would keep an eye on their playtime just too make sure she isn't getting distressed but I doubt that is going to happen.

 

[trac88]

Hi susanm9006, thanks for your reply! She is the most energetic little kitten I have ever came across! Which I am delighted about because she is lots of fun and I think in time will be a brilliant hunter. Sometimes she hisses at him but from lots of reading people don't seem to view this as a problem when introducing cats? They only get supervised meetings at the minute and it hasn't lasted anymore than 10 minutes (mainly because I end up more afraid than either of them!) although she doesn't whine/meow/yelp on one occasion I lifted her and her little heart was about to beat out of her chest, it was after she had ran into a corner and he had towered over her and what looked to me like he was attempting to bite her. I appreciate he is the initial owner of the house and also being male will want to dominate, just as long as this all seems normal I will feel a little better.

 

[di and bob]

Jax is not mad at you, he is just trying to get used to change in his world and is standoffish because he is concentrating on that and has no time for foolishness like petting or something he is familiar with, namely you. Everything sounds pretty normal here, but Jax is essentially still a Tom, because it may take 6 weeks for the hormones to leave his body, so a watchful eye will need to be kept when they are together. A tiny kitten like that is usually accepted, but by instinct Jax will discipline her and try to teach her manners. So a little rough housing is not uncommon at all. She actually needs the discipline since she was separated from mom so early. As long as blood isn't drawn it sounds all right. I wouldn't leave them alone for extended times yet until you see Jax return more to normal and they actually cuddle, groom each other. and Jax relaxes. A firm NO and separating the two might be in order if you think things are getting out of hand. She sounds like a handful, there is nothing more endearing then a naughty kitten!

 

[Columbine]

Hi, and welcome to TCS

Jax sounds like a gorgeous boy, and how lucky that you found him in his hour of greatest need. We love rescue success stories like that here

Izzie sounds like a real handful (though a gorgeous one - I have a little terror-kit myself so I know how you feel!). I think some of the problem as far as her interactions with Jax is that kittens continue learning cat eqttiquete from their mamma and littermates right up to 12 weeks old. At possibly just 6 weeks, she's missed out on some vital learning time, and Jax (who himself missed out on that same learning time himself) just doesn't know how to handle her.

First off, get a baby gate and fit it in the bathroom door, or improvise some other stable barrier of a similar height. Have this in the doorway permanently, as an extra barrier to help you and your husband get in without Izzie getting out. If that isn't workable, a laser pointer or wand toy (my little ones go crazy for feather wands) is your new best friend! As you open the door, use it to redirect Izzie back into 'her' room. Kittens, especially ones with as much energy as she has, can never resist a game

Stop using the carrier for introductions - all it will do is make Izzie feel trapped, and that won't help anyone term. Your plan for gradual introductions is a great one - it just sounds like you need to adjust your approach a little. Start by simply feeding the two of them together, on their respective sides of the door. Alongside this, you can practise site swapping, where you shut Jax away (pick a time when he's napping) and give Izzie access to a little more of the house. This will blend their scents, and let Jax get used to Izzie's scent being around the place. Ideally, the next step is gradual visual introductions, using stacked baby gates or a screen door in the bathroom and continuing the joint feedings. Start with the gates/screen mostly covered (use a towel or blanket) and gradually raise it over a period of days or weeks, until they are happily eating either side of the door in full sight of each other. Then you can move onto face to face introductions without a barrier. I know they've met already, but going back a few stages will help Jax feel more secure and confident again.
How To Successfully Introduce Cats: The Ultimate Guide

The other side of the equation, equally important for both cats but especially benifical for Izzie, is plenty of individual interactive playtime. This will really help Izzie burn off that kittenish hyperactive energy in a positive way, without bugging Jax. For him, the playtime will allow him to work out any stresses in a positive way, and will reassure him that the house is still his place too. Besides, played-out, tired cats are much easier to introduce than hyper ones
Playing With Your Cat: 10 Things You Need To Know

Lastly, a few anti stress measures will help Jax adjust to having a second cat around. Feliway diffusers are a great starting point. There are more ideas here - Six Surefire Strategies To Reduce Stress In Cats

Good luck with them both - they sound adorable! We love pics here, btw

 

[trac88]

Di and Bob thank you for taking the time to post a reply – I think it is more my feelings that a bruised and me who feels unloved when he doesn’t want affection but I can appreciate that I am very boring to him now there’s much more exciting things to explore lol. They are definitely going to remain separated (seems like it will be for a life time at this point!) but I think you are right she could do with a lesson in kitty manners

Columbine many many thanks for your post, it has some brilliant and helpful tips. The cat carrier never made a re-appearance as I knew less than 1 minute in that I had made a huge mistake. He has at times looked pretty baffled by her (I think he has forgotten it wasn’t that long ago he was acting the same way!) so you are right in that he has no idea what to make of her, especially as she is cheeky enough to go right up to him and attempt to play with his very precious tail! I am very familiar with the laser pointer so I’m going to start using that immediately to help encourage her in the right direction.

The feeding idea is one I had read about and considered as well, but for these two I’m not sure it could work. Jax is a gorb! He eats absolutely everything and at any time of the day – food is a real motivator for him (except when she is nearby then he won’t go near it) but Izzie is the fussiest little thing, she eats the bare minimum and seems most comfortable doing it in secret. I’ve tried various foods and the very odd time she will eat some chicken if I throw it to her. This sparked me to attempt to give them both a little piece of chicken (Jax in the kitchen and Izzie in the utility room with the door open so they could see each other) it ended in disaster with her deciding his piece of chicken looked better, bolted towards him and he jumped back. Naturally he was not pleased that she was licking his treat and here started another chase around the entire house and neither of them any longer interested in the chicken!

At the minute he is outside during the day while I am at work, so we give her access to the landing & hallway but making sure his room is always closed. I don’t want her to feel trapped while we are out of the house. If he is still outside I will let her into my living room under my supervision. We play with balls, wands, tunnels and her very own stuffed teddy (sometimes we also play lets attempt to climb to the ceiling using my brand new curtains!!!) but she tires easy and normally just wants up for cuddles – who could resist them! Even my husband is basking in them and he is not a cat lover, but she has chosen him as her primary human and I will do in an emergency!

I’ll sift through my hundreds and hundreds of snaps and get a few posted when I figure out what I’m doing! Thanks so much again to everyone for the help, it has helped me feel a little better about the whole thing!