Odd Behavior Towards New Kitten

tlmcgaa

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I have been rescuing cats and kittens since 2002, sometimes dogs and puppies as well. For the last several years I have fostered mostly kittens but some adult cats as well. I don' foster very often anymore, though, since I tend to fail at it, and if I somehow manage not to get attached, mom or dad does which results in the same thing...failure.
Anyways, before Romeo came along, we had 7 cats and kittens sharing moms large bedroom. It sounds like a lot but they all get along perfectly with each other. First was Mousie, a special needs kitty, then Lissa and Luka, also special needs kitties. Then Micki, a rambunctious little kitten when she came to us (found at a local dump at roughly 2 to 3 weeks of age) but since her spay surgery, a very miserable and in pain kitty who I might lose soon...then came KC.....then Ebony. KC was one of 10 kittens I was fostering since they were about 5 days old and Ebony I had fostered since she was only a day old.
Lissa and Luka are just a couple of months older than Micki, and they pretty much grew up as sisters. Once KCs siblings were moved on to a rescue, she was old enough to have the freedom of the room and not be stuck in a crate. Micki and KC loved to play together and often with Lissa and Luka. KC fell in love with Ebony from the beginning and it was her dream come true when Ebony was finally old enough to play with. Those two romp and chase and pounce constantly..again with Lissa And Luka joining in quite often.
Enter Romeo. Ebony has yet to meet a cat or kitten who wouldn' benefit from a playful wrestling match, in her opinion. That is how she won over grumpy Mousie. She has been working on Romeo since the day after he came. KC has at least quit issing at him. The really odd behaviour comes from Lissa and Luka. They act as if they don't recognize him as a feline but aren't sure what he might be...friend or foe. I have just read an article about nonrecognition aggression...and it is similar to what I am seeing, except Romeo has never lived here before. He is only about 4 to 5 months old. They seem to be drawn to him like magnets, especially when he wants to use the litter box, and will sometimes slowly reach out and touch him and even bite him, all very slowly. I don' know if his fear is making them react aggressively...maybe they smell/sense his fear but not knowing where the threat is, not realizing they are the source of the fear, maybe they direct their aggession at him in confusion.
Maybe I didn' allow for enough introduction time. But I am also wondering if this aggression towards him might be due to them smelling/sensing some kind of illness in him that he has yet to show? If anyone has experienced something like this, I would love to hear how you dealt with it.
I' sorry for the length of he post. Never could make a long story short.
 

Mamanyt1953

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It could be any of the above, or it might be that you have reached the limit of Lissa's and Luka's tolerance for additional cats. That can happen, as well. Let's assume it is a non-recognition thing (or at least, a modified version of it due to an odd smell). Where did Romeo come from? Has he been vetted yet? First, I'd start a formal introduction sequence, and take it slow. Don't rush. Do some scent swapping. Several members over the past couple of years have mentioned dousing their hands with vanilla extract, then rubbing their cats down with it, with good results. Keep me posted, we will work on this!
 
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