Neighborhood outdoor cat (not feral) stressing out my indoor cat

[mithranqueen]

Hi guys, I'm new here. Hoping you all can help me out.

I have a 8-month old calico kitten. We live in a garden apartment complex, and there's an outdoor cat that hangs around. He's friendly, so I'm pretty sure he's someone's pet. Lately he's taken to jumping up on our window ledges to see my calico. He isn't being aggressive (ears forward, kinda head butting the window like he wants to play) but he's driving her bananas. She'll crouch down and growl/hiss till he goes away. We've tried closing the curtains but he just moves to the next window.

Any ideas on how to get her to relax when this cat comes around? Also, right before this started we had been talking on bringing in a second cat, but now we are rethinking that idea - is this indicative of how she'd act toward a kitten?

 

[acats88]

I got my calico cat when she was 6 months old. My neighbor in an apartment complex had an indoor outdoor cat. Twix HATED that cat. She could see us if we even said hi to him and pouted. Luckily we were on the 2nd floor so he couldn't get to outside our window but if she even saw him downstairs she would start hissing and growling. I'm not really sure how to help because I just let her growl at him until he went inside. Eventually she would ignore him. 

I still got a second cat when she was a little over a year (because she had so much energy) and she was fine with the proper transition time. It took a bit, but she was able to recognize that this cat was different from the outdoor cat she hated so I don't think it is an indication for how she would react to another cat!

Good luck! I bet the outside cat eventually starts ignoring her. Hopefully other people can help with that!

 

[lifeinspires]

Hi Mithranqueen,
I agree with acats88. With the proper transition and introductions, she should be fine and even grow to love the new kitten. They would form a bond and recognize their scents to the point where they are comfortable with each other.
There is no comparison between roaming cats outside and two indoor kittens in the same household. Your kitten is still young and now is the best time to get her a sibling/playmate! Older cats seem to have a more difficult time adjusting.
I am going through a similar situation with strays and neighbor's cats that I am feeding (and neutering them all in a couple of weeks). They're always by our back porch and my two kittens are glued to the door and windows. It's not that they don't have much to do in the house...we have provided so many great towers, window perches, a bird feeder, water fountains, tunnels, wall shelves, wall mazes, a lot of interactive play time and we take them to the park for walks on the harness and leash 3 times a week for 1.5 hours at a time. No matter what, watching other cats beats all of that BUT they also get so stressed. They can't stop watching them, but I've noticed that my girl kitten is overgrooming and making herself go bald and bleed on the top of her head. It's been going on for 2 days and I will be calling the vet today because I want to rule out medical concerns. I've also closed the back door because even though I think they're entertained by all the action (they cry and claw at the door until I open it), it's not good for them. I honestly think it's stress!
I tell you all of this because even though my kitten hisses at these outdoor cats (they provoke her), she is the sweetest and most gentle kitten with us and with her little brother and has never hissed or growled at him and she is 10 months old.
Hope this helps! Keep us updated!

 

[calicosrspecial]

mithranqueen,

First off, with the proper introduction I don't think this is any indication of how your kitten would react to another cat you might bring in.

So on to the outside cat. How long has this been going on? Has the outside cat marked or sprayed around or below the window? Can you see or smell anything? Your calico is feeling territorially threatened most likely. If you are there when this happens pull out a toy and play with your kitten. Then after the play give her a treat. You want your kitten to feel secure, that this outside cat will not infringe on her life or hurt her. You can also hold her (if she will not hurt you by scratching or biting) and tell her it is ok, make her feel secure. And give her a little treat. Give her love. It really is all about confidence in my view. The more confident your calico is the more she will tolerate this outside cat.