Older Cat Hates Me :( :(

[Jen1607]

So we have a new kitten named Eevee. And a 7 year old male cat named Colby.
We have had Eevee for over a month now. She is about 10 weeks old. They play together, can eat from the same dish, and for the most part get along.

He does hiss and growl at her if she bugs him. And she usually backs off.

But now....a lot of the time....it seems like Colby hates me. Like bi-polar even. They were happy to see me, and I fed them. Then he started growling when he was done. Then growled in the litter box. Then up on the counter I tried to pet him and he growled and nipped at me.

He goes through these stages..alot of the time when she is around. And if he is sitting with me on the couch, and she comes near. He will growl and hiss and move away. If she is not around I can pet him usually without problem

He was mommys boy and now....it takes effort to get any love from him

What have I done wrong? How can i fix our relationship?

 

[danteshuman]

My first thought was arthritis since you said older cat. It might be worth checking off the list by a vet? My second thought was maybe you smell like kitten but if they are getting along that doesn't make sense. I might try a calming collar and giving him one on one time with the kitten locked out of the room. Lastly my peach guy growls really loud whenever he doesn't want my grey guy around and he wants me to intervene. He cries wolf a lot. There is a slim chance he is growling for attention .... but my first thought is he is growling out of pain. Cats hide their pain
Dealing With Your Cat's Arthritis: Does Your Older Cat Seem Stiff? <- signs of arthritis just in case you need it

 

[tobilei]

Sometimes they do get their noses out of joint when you get a new baby. Make sure when the new kitty is around you pay attention to him not so much her and give him plenty of play time with you, treats etc. It can take time but hopefully if he was a Mummy's boy before he will come around.

 

[danteshuman]

Alright on this one I asked my mom the cat whisper queen about it. She said it was because you smell like the invader/kitten. Basically cats have a colony smell. Though your cat is not going to kill the kitten .... he doesn't consider the cat family/colony. Worse you smell is off. This will pass ... and maybe a calming collar to smooth the way?

 

[Jen1607]

Alright on this one I asked my mom the cat whisper queen about it. She said it was because you smell like the invader/kitten. Basically cats have a colony smell. Though your cat is not going to kill the kitten .... he doesn't consider the cat family/colony. Worse you smell is off. This will pass ... and maybe a calming collar to smooth the way?

This does makes sense. As sometimes after I have a shower he is absolutely fine. And he hardly ever growls at my husband and him and the cat aren't as close as I am with the cat.
I am going to try and play with him more. Give him his space when hes cranky. And not ignore him. It's hard sometimes since the new kitten has taken quite a liking to me and always wants to sleep on my chest.

 

[Hazelnutlove]

I can sympathize with your situation. I've recently brought in a kitten. My 8yo female got used to him pretty quick. But I noticed if I was holding or petting the kitten she would look at me and walk away, like her feelings were hurt. And it's hard because the kitten is constantly trying to lay and sit on me.

After just a short while though she got used to sharing me. I just make sure me and her get "alone" time together daily and make her feel special.

Hope this makes sense and helps