- Joined
- Dec 14, 2017
- Messages
- 12
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- 43
Hi,
Last year I adopted a stray - an ex housecat who had been abandoned by her old family. It's one of the best things I've ever done as I absolutely adore her.
Last week, I ended up adopting a kitten who needed a home asap. Her owner unfortunately passed away and her family desperately needed someone to take her in. So, I ended up with a kitten with no time to prepare.
I'm now trying to get both cats to accept each other. While it would be lovely if they became best buddies, I'd be overjoyed if they could just tolerate each other.
The new kitten (Lilo) has had her own room since we collected her and Belle (my existing cat) wasn't allowed in for the first few days. They've seen and sniffed each other, but if they get a little too close, they growl and hiss. This seems to be because they are scared and not aggressive.
We've managed to get them to eat at opposite ends of the same room without then bothering each other and we're slowly moving their bowls closer together. Belle has always been very food orientated so she will ignore Lilo for her tea.
Lilo, however doesn't seem to care at all if she is around Belle or her blankets or toys, but Belle gets upset if she smells Lilo. They haven't tried to fight or anything, and we don't let them see each other unsupervised.
I know this process can take a long time but I don't really know what the next "step" is. The cats can get fairly close now without hissing, but Lilo always seems to go that little bit too far and gets *too* close and scares off Belle, who then runs away. They can be in the same room and ignore each other, but Belle will start to hiss if Lilo pushes her luck and tries to say hi. Yesterday, Lilo was pestering Belle so much that Belle swiped at her so I feel like we've taken a huge step backwards.
I feel awful having to leave Lilo locked in a room overnight/while we're out but I don't want to leave them alone together until I'm 100% sure they're okay and won't fight. The problem is, Lilo is a little whirlwind and seems to want to make friends with Belle and to explore her new home, but Belle isn't too thrilled about that. I feel cruel keeping her in, but at the same time, I don't want to shut Belle in because I don't want to interrupt her routine or make her feel jealous.
Does anyone have any tips on how I can make them feel safe around each other or is it just a case of waiting now? Lilo seems happy with Belle and wants to follow her around, but poor Belle isn't keen.
(For info both cats are female, Belle is approx 3 years old and the Lilo is approx 6/7 months old. They are both house cats. As far as we know, Belle is spayed and Lilo has been booked in for her op next week)
Thank you!
Laura x
Last year I adopted a stray - an ex housecat who had been abandoned by her old family. It's one of the best things I've ever done as I absolutely adore her.
Last week, I ended up adopting a kitten who needed a home asap. Her owner unfortunately passed away and her family desperately needed someone to take her in. So, I ended up with a kitten with no time to prepare.
I'm now trying to get both cats to accept each other. While it would be lovely if they became best buddies, I'd be overjoyed if they could just tolerate each other.
The new kitten (Lilo) has had her own room since we collected her and Belle (my existing cat) wasn't allowed in for the first few days. They've seen and sniffed each other, but if they get a little too close, they growl and hiss. This seems to be because they are scared and not aggressive.
We've managed to get them to eat at opposite ends of the same room without then bothering each other and we're slowly moving their bowls closer together. Belle has always been very food orientated so she will ignore Lilo for her tea.
Lilo, however doesn't seem to care at all if she is around Belle or her blankets or toys, but Belle gets upset if she smells Lilo. They haven't tried to fight or anything, and we don't let them see each other unsupervised.
I know this process can take a long time but I don't really know what the next "step" is. The cats can get fairly close now without hissing, but Lilo always seems to go that little bit too far and gets *too* close and scares off Belle, who then runs away. They can be in the same room and ignore each other, but Belle will start to hiss if Lilo pushes her luck and tries to say hi. Yesterday, Lilo was pestering Belle so much that Belle swiped at her so I feel like we've taken a huge step backwards.
I feel awful having to leave Lilo locked in a room overnight/while we're out but I don't want to leave them alone together until I'm 100% sure they're okay and won't fight. The problem is, Lilo is a little whirlwind and seems to want to make friends with Belle and to explore her new home, but Belle isn't too thrilled about that. I feel cruel keeping her in, but at the same time, I don't want to shut Belle in because I don't want to interrupt her routine or make her feel jealous.
Does anyone have any tips on how I can make them feel safe around each other or is it just a case of waiting now? Lilo seems happy with Belle and wants to follow her around, but poor Belle isn't keen.
(For info both cats are female, Belle is approx 3 years old and the Lilo is approx 6/7 months old. They are both house cats. As far as we know, Belle is spayed and Lilo has been booked in for her op next week)
Thank you!
Laura x