New kitten is extremely aggressive.

[santan]

Neighbor came to say she is moving and cannot take her 3 month old kitten. My first instinct, given my age and two mature cats, was to say no, but... knowing this neighbor, I suspected that the kitten would end up in the pound or worse, so..

Day 1 was mainly about Peach (new baby) hiding under furniture and hissing and growling at anyone coming near her. She finally emerged in early evening to eat (WOW, can she EAT!) and beginning to explore. I pretty much left her alone and just talked to her. Even looking at her caused her to growl, hiss and charge me.

Day 2 shows some progress. After having the quiet nighttime to explore and adjust, she is now romping around the living room. She has dragged out most of the cat toys from the toy box and has been playing with the kitty track ball toy for hours. 

I've been spending a lot of time sitting and talking to her, but she hisses and growls. She has completely intimidated my other two cats. She even hisses and growls as she plays with the toys.

If I hold out my hand, fingers curled inward, she will approach and charge me. Scratched me good twice.  She occasionally follows me around, then challenges me when I try to pass her, when I try to pick up her food bowls for cleaning. She appeared to want to initiate play with my older female cat this morning, but was growling and hissing at the same time. Poor confused Ivy fled out the kitty door. !!!

Cleaning her box,. Peach came right up, stood between my feet, peering into the box to see what's up, then looked up, growled, hissed and attacked my feet.

When I reprimand her, saying, "NO! NO!", sometimes she rolls on her side and exposes her tummy, but touching her is out of the question.

I've contemplated donning a pair of sturdy gloves and grabbing her up to just hold her on my lap until she calms down. My neighbor seemed to be able to handle her without problems.

Should I give it more time?

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

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• santan
• Sep 15, 2015
• 1

This is Peach, lunging at my face! LOL!  *sigh*

 

[shadowsrescue]

Thank you for taking this sweet kitten.  Cat to cat introductions take time and patience.  The end result is usually not favorable if you just place all the cats together and hope for the best.  I will post some articles on cat to cat introductions and a short video.  The key is to take things slowly.  It might take months for your cats to learn to accept this new kitten.  Cats are so territorial and the new kitten has completely upset the apple cart.

If you are able to, look into feliway diffusers.  They might help.

Also as far as litter boxes, the golden rule is one per cat plus one extra.  So if you have 3 cats, you may need 4 litter boxes.  Cats like their own space and you definitely need more than one box.

http://www.thecatsite.com/a/the-ultimate-yet-simplified-guide-to-introducing-cats

http://www.catbehaviorassociates.com/a-simple-little-trick-to-use-during-new-cat-introductions/

http://www.aspca.org/pet-care/virtual-pet-behaviorist/cat-behavior/introducing-your-cat-new-cat

http://jacksongalaxy.com/2010/10/01/cat-to-cat-introductions/

 

[santan]

Thanks for the reply, Shadows.

Sweet, she's not! Haha! Right now she's behaving like a little demon.

I am less concerned about them all getting along at this point. My older cats can take care of themselves pretty well. They've been pretty nice to her so far and avoiding her when they reach their limit.

My primary concern is how do I get her to let me handle her and have her stop attacking me.

She is following me around the house now, but still unapproachable. When I disappear into another room, if she doesn't follow, she sits in the living room and gives these plaintive calls.

I've had many, many cats over the years. This is a first for me...

 

[shadowsrescue]

So it sounds as though she isn't very socialized.  First step needs to be a trip to the vet.  She may have worms that could and will easily spread to your other cats.  You will also want her tested for FIV an Felv.  Next you will want to schedule her spay surgery. 

As for socializing.  Food rewards are your friends.  You can try some Gerber stage 2 chicken or turkey baby food.  It comes in a small jar with a blue label.  The only ingredients are chicken/turkey and water.  No added spices or sugar.  Cats love this.  You can offer a bit on a plate and then offer a bit on a spoon and move to having her lick it off your fingers.  Use this only as a training tool not as a meal replacement. 

When working with her sit on the floor at her level so you are not looming over her.  Get her interested in a toy that moves such as a string or wand toy or even a laser pointer.  Really get her moving.  You can also try petting her with a wand toy.  You can get her interested in the boy and then use the feather to gently touch her.  After a bit you can replace the feather with your hand.

This will all take a bit of work.  It is good that she follows you around and seems to like your company.  Just watch that your other cats do not try to hurt her especially since she has not been to the vet yet.  You don't want your other cats getting sick.

Here is a video of a rescue and socialization of feral kittens.  Even though she isn't feral, some of the tips will still work.  I have used these techniques many times.

http://www.urbancatleague.org/TamingVideo

 

[santan]

Shadow,

Day 3 and Peach is still very much the angry kitten. She makes seeming overtures to me and the other cats, but still with much hissing and growling.

I was boning a chicken carcass for soup yesterday and she ate quite a lot of that from my fingers (nailed me several times in the process) again amid much hissing and growling.

I have been playing with her a lot with wand toys and stuffed animals - again lots of hissing and growling.

I may have made an error today. I donned some thick gloves and tried to pick her up. She freaked! Did not go well!

As for health issues, she appears very healthy and well cared for. Checked her stools for signs of worms and saw none. According to her previous owner, she has had all her shots and was wormed. Or so she says...

The other cats tolerate her. My female, whom I expected to be the least accepting, is very tolerant of her and even somewhat curious. My male's reaction is pretty much "Ewwww!" at this point. His solution is to either go to bed or bolt through the kitty door to the garden. (Typical man! Haha!) They are not at all aggressive with her. She has enough aggression for all of us combined.

This may end up being more than I can handle, as I am handicapped and simple things like getting down on the floor are not an option. The kitten has not been spayed and this is going to be a problem for me as it is not possible for me to catch her, crate her and carry her to a vet.

I am beginning to worry about what I have gotten myself into.

Thanks for your responses.