New kitten introduction

[Binxnpiper]

Hi. So I have a 3yr old altered male that I have had with me since he was wee tiny. I felt like he has recently been showing signs of only kitty syndrome. Wanting my attention 24/7 and when I don’t give it he nips, jumps at me and half the time uses claws. So last week I went to a rescue and brought home a 4month old baby girl (altered). She was isolated for several days. I switched blankets and toys etc through those days to introduce their scents. My guy only hissed and growled one time when I brought her in and put her in the bathroom. He did not see her but of course knew she was there. I think once he heard her tiny meows he might have noticed she wasn’t a threat or a bigger cat. I’ve done very slow showings of each other with a barrier in between.as well as exploring each others space without seeing one another. the past couple of days I have done introductions with me holding her while he comes up and sniffs, she never appears to be scared because she is cuddled up in my arms. Today I have let them have sporadic mingling time with each other. No barriers but I made sure to play with the wand for the first little bit so he knew he wasn’t in danger or she wasn’t scared.
they did great honestly for the first time. I let her out again and it seems like he is watching and viewing her almost like he does his toys. Watches from a corner or cover and has pounced a few times. He is swatting but from what I can tell no claws and it’s really not that hard of a swat. She is very submissive and has plopped down and shown her belly several times. However there was a chase where she went under the coffee table and there was also him pinning her down and then both meowing loud. No hissing or growling during that time, I did clap my hands and say hey and they stopped. But it seemed like every time she ran he chased and even did his arched jumping towards (hopefully you can picture what I mean by that).
They are in their separate rooms now and have seemed to settle but she just keeps crying at the door (normal I suppose).
Anyways, is the chasing, pinning on her belly and the jumping towards her normal behavior from an established cat??
Also, today he was able to get to her food in the bathroom I didn’t realize she didn’t finish it and went I walked up to him (trying to sniff/eat it) he hissed at me. Do/will cats resource guard??
Thanks in advance

 

[JavierG]

I can’t actually tell you yet about whether the behavior is normal or not as frankly I am on the same journey as you are, only maybe further along. About 6 weeks ago I brought home a kitten, and thought to introduced her to the much older resident cat. After about two weeks I thought things progressed well, until they didn’t. Resident cat just chased the kitten until cornered or hiding. So I had to start over from literally the beginning. And have been going MUCH slower. I am still in the process, there is progress but not yet fully introduced. So I am not yet a success story so will not give advice. But I can say I learned much by asking questions here, and watching some Jackson Galaxy videos on YouTube. Through those I realized what I did wrong. The most important thing I learned is that I didn’t know much about Cats haha

Also I thought an introduction was maybe a few days, but likely will take weeks or even months (depending on the cats involved) in my case will be months it seems.

my view is it seems you are doing the right things but maybe too fast? That’s the mistake I made I believe.

 

[FeebysOwner]

Not all cats react the same to a new addition, but what you have described could be nothing more than rough play and curiosity - except for his hissing at you when you found him eating her food. However, that could simply be because he knows that is her food and that he really isn't supposed to be eating it. Cats can and do resource guard and can also display signs of 'jealousy' too.

The big key here is to see if she starts to act afraid of him - that is when backing off the introductions a bit might be appropriate, so that it doesn't grow into a full-blown fear. It also might be less impactful when she gets a bit bigger as well.

These TCS articles (se links below) might help to give you some tips about introductions and cat behavior in general. You are welcome to take a video of their interactions and share them if you are interested in what others think about them.
How to upload a video | TheCatSite

How To Successfully Introduce Cats: The Ultimate Guide - TheCatSite
How To Introduce A Kitten To An Older Cat [A Guide] - TheCatSite
Do Cats Get Jealous? (And What To Do About It When They Do) - TheCatSite

Maybe these articles will help J JavierG too.

 

[Binxnpiper]

I would upload a video but I honestly can’t figure it out! Thanks for the links

 

[FeebysOwner]

Could it be that you didn't turn off any restrictions in Google? I did that once and had to go back and turn them off so the video was viewable to anyone that could see the link. Just a thought.

 

[JavierG]

I would upload a video but I honestly can’t figure it out! Thanks for the links

I also had this issue. I solved it by first uploading to a folder I created under media ( menu option on this site). I uploaded my video there, then it allows you to add a link to it.

I had emailed an admin who sent me instructions.

 

[JavierG]

The instructions a site admin sent me on how to upload video

 

[Binxnpiper]

IMG_8948.mov

• Binxnpiper
• Oct 7, 2023
• 1

 

[Binxnpiper]

IMG_8945.mov

• Binxnpiper
• Oct 7, 2023
• 1

 

[Binxnpiper]

IMG_8944.mov

• Binxnpiper
• Oct 7, 2023
• 1

 

[Norachan]

Hi Binxnpiper

I've edited your posts so they contain the videos

When you want to upload a video from your media page to a thread you need to copy the link under Copy GALLERY BB code

 

[FeebysOwner]

I took a look at the videos, and I can't see too much 'trouble' in them. It does appear that your resident cat might be a bit jealous that he has to share your attention. But it doesn't seem like the resident cat is doing anything other than being curious about his new roomie!

As I said before, the key is to make sure the kitten doesn't appear to be afraid of your resident cat - which from those videos, she does not. As long as that doesn't happen, the two of them will adapt to each other.

It doesn't seem bad with just a week into their introductions, so just monitor them and take a step back if any actual aggression occurs.

 

[Binxnpiper]

I took a look at the videos, and I can't see too much 'trouble' in them. It does appear that your resident cat might be a bit jealous that he has to share your attention. But it doesn't seem like the resident cat is doing anything other than being curious about his new roomie!

As I said before, the key is to make sure the kitten doesn't appear to be afraid of your resident cat - which from those videos, she does not. As long as that doesn't happen, the two of them will adapt to each other.

It doesn't seem bad with just a week into their introductions, so just monitor them and take a step back if any actual aggression occurs.

Thank you I appreciate the feedback