someone, please help me!
i live in a studio apartment, so there is only one room. the bathroom has a beaded doorway (not my choice), so i can't even close the door in there. now, here's the problem:
i am a pre-med student in college. because of the nature of my studies, i am at school A LOT, and i have a five month old kitten. she is my favorite thing, my baby, and she and i have been together since she was two months old, just the two of us. recently, i decided to get another kitten, a little boy-- because that's what all the articles say works best with a female. he is only two months old, so she is twice his size, maybe bigger. he isn't violent at all, when i brought him home and first introduced them, he tried to curl right up with her, and all she could do is hiss and puff her hair out. it is now three and a half days later, and if anything, she has gotten more cruel to him. she will stalk him around the room- every move he makes, she follows him, and then as soon as he's focused on something else, she attacks him and makes him yelp in pain, until i get involved and shoo her off of him. i know in a few months he'll be able to hold his own, and he'll eventually be bigger than her, but i can't help wanting to strangle my precious little girl for being such a BITCH.
i have tried everything to keep him safe and make her comfortable. because i don't have a second room, i couldn't do what everyone suggests- put him in a room, let her get comfortable with him through his scent in that room, etc, i had to just let him out in my apartment and have them meet that way. his only safe place, besides in my arms, is a dog crate, which is obviously very large, that i put him in at night. he sleeps in there so she can't hurt him. he has food and water in there, but no litter box, and being a good little boy, he waits until i take him out of the box in the morning to use the litter box.
she has even become violent towards me, as if i have betrayed her. she no longer purrs when i touch her, wiggles out of my arms as quickly as possible, and i feel like we lost one of our special bonds- she used to sleep on me every single night, right up on my neck, and stay there all night, and wake me up by purring loudly. about twenty minutes ago, she and i were playing, and then the little boy pranced into view and she immediately turned nasty- i held her close to me, trying to give her love and attention, and she was growling and hissing at ME, not at him. she tried several times to sink her claws into me, and finally bit me.
she has never acted like this before, and i know it's uncomfortable for her to have a new baby in the house, but i've done everything i can think of. he has his own space to sleep at night so she can just prowl the apartment by herself, i bought him his own toys and food dish, so he's not taking over all of her things, and i try my best to give her attention when i'm not at school- she's just not willing to even be close to me anymore.
i really want to keep the new little boy, i have grown attached to him in the last few days, and i have nowhere to give him- plus, i don't think i should reward her behavior by removing the innocent kitten. but getting rid of my little girl is not an option, she has been my baby for the past three months and i love her more than any other pet i've ever had, she's like my child. it hurts me so much that she's been acting like this, especially being cold to me. i don't know what to do.
i have tried yelling when they fight, seperating them, putting him in his box, spraying them with a water bottle. i feel like if i let her just bully him like this, since he is only eight weeks old, she will end up killing him, or hurting him so much that he is emotionally ruined as a pet. i need advice, and i need a solution that involves me keeping both of the kittens.
i live in a studio apartment, so there is only one room. the bathroom has a beaded doorway (not my choice), so i can't even close the door in there. now, here's the problem:
i am a pre-med student in college. because of the nature of my studies, i am at school A LOT, and i have a five month old kitten. she is my favorite thing, my baby, and she and i have been together since she was two months old, just the two of us. recently, i decided to get another kitten, a little boy-- because that's what all the articles say works best with a female. he is only two months old, so she is twice his size, maybe bigger. he isn't violent at all, when i brought him home and first introduced them, he tried to curl right up with her, and all she could do is hiss and puff her hair out. it is now three and a half days later, and if anything, she has gotten more cruel to him. she will stalk him around the room- every move he makes, she follows him, and then as soon as he's focused on something else, she attacks him and makes him yelp in pain, until i get involved and shoo her off of him. i know in a few months he'll be able to hold his own, and he'll eventually be bigger than her, but i can't help wanting to strangle my precious little girl for being such a BITCH.
i have tried everything to keep him safe and make her comfortable. because i don't have a second room, i couldn't do what everyone suggests- put him in a room, let her get comfortable with him through his scent in that room, etc, i had to just let him out in my apartment and have them meet that way. his only safe place, besides in my arms, is a dog crate, which is obviously very large, that i put him in at night. he sleeps in there so she can't hurt him. he has food and water in there, but no litter box, and being a good little boy, he waits until i take him out of the box in the morning to use the litter box.
she has even become violent towards me, as if i have betrayed her. she no longer purrs when i touch her, wiggles out of my arms as quickly as possible, and i feel like we lost one of our special bonds- she used to sleep on me every single night, right up on my neck, and stay there all night, and wake me up by purring loudly. about twenty minutes ago, she and i were playing, and then the little boy pranced into view and she immediately turned nasty- i held her close to me, trying to give her love and attention, and she was growling and hissing at ME, not at him. she tried several times to sink her claws into me, and finally bit me.
she has never acted like this before, and i know it's uncomfortable for her to have a new baby in the house, but i've done everything i can think of. he has his own space to sleep at night so she can just prowl the apartment by herself, i bought him his own toys and food dish, so he's not taking over all of her things, and i try my best to give her attention when i'm not at school- she's just not willing to even be close to me anymore.
i really want to keep the new little boy, i have grown attached to him in the last few days, and i have nowhere to give him- plus, i don't think i should reward her behavior by removing the innocent kitten. but getting rid of my little girl is not an option, she has been my baby for the past three months and i love her more than any other pet i've ever had, she's like my child. it hurts me so much that she's been acting like this, especially being cold to me. i don't know what to do.
i have tried yelling when they fight, seperating them, putting him in his box, spraying them with a water bottle. i feel like if i let her just bully him like this, since he is only eight weeks old, she will end up killing him, or hurting him so much that he is emotionally ruined as a pet. i need advice, and i need a solution that involves me keeping both of the kittens.