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- Dec 8, 2017
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My husband and I got a new kitten three months ago (she's now 5 months old) and is very sweet, playful and high energy. We went through the full introduction process with our older, 7-year-old male cat as recommended and there has been relative harmony for the past couple of months. Overall, our male cat seems to tolerate our kitten and even plays with her when he's in the mood, but puts her in her place when she's feisty with him (pins her down, rabbit kick, bites) and we usually break it up when they start making noises, sometimes even before.
I've been leaving the kitten in her room with all her toys, food, bed, litter box during the day while my husband and I are at work and at night when we go to bed to give our older cat a "break" and because I'm not sure if I can fully trust him yet. He's an active cat and has scratched and bitten my husband and I in the past, but was mostly in reaction to our moves from apartment into a new house and he's usually a really sweet cat -- I just know the damage he can cause if pushed to his limit by a new, feisty kitten. (he gave my husband cat scratch fever after a particularly nasty bite to the shin got infected)
Does anyone have any tips for how I can start to leave her out of her room? Should I wait until she gets a little bigger? She's five pounds right now, compared to my larger cat's 13lbs. so she's still a lot smaller than him. I'm so conflicted bc today when I was leaving for work my older cat was settled into his couch spot and she was in the sunroom on her cat tree just minding her own business and I felt so bad about putting her in the room (she's got her own tree by a window in the room, but I just feel bad still)
Should I just let them out together at night and test it? I'm just so worried she'll start annoying him and he'll react and she'll get hurt.
I've been leaving the kitten in her room with all her toys, food, bed, litter box during the day while my husband and I are at work and at night when we go to bed to give our older cat a "break" and because I'm not sure if I can fully trust him yet. He's an active cat and has scratched and bitten my husband and I in the past, but was mostly in reaction to our moves from apartment into a new house and he's usually a really sweet cat -- I just know the damage he can cause if pushed to his limit by a new, feisty kitten. (he gave my husband cat scratch fever after a particularly nasty bite to the shin got infected)
Does anyone have any tips for how I can start to leave her out of her room? Should I wait until she gets a little bigger? She's five pounds right now, compared to my larger cat's 13lbs. so she's still a lot smaller than him. I'm so conflicted bc today when I was leaving for work my older cat was settled into his couch spot and she was in the sunroom on her cat tree just minding her own business and I felt so bad about putting her in the room (she's got her own tree by a window in the room, but I just feel bad still)
Should I just let them out together at night and test it? I'm just so worried she'll start annoying him and he'll react and she'll get hurt.