Previously friendly cats now hissing at eachother after introducing new kitten?

[scarlettleia]

Hi all!

Just after a bit of advice and reassurance.
We have this week introduced a new kitten to our family.
Elizabeth was always going to be a bit of a process with the introduction, as the big boss cat, we already know she needs a few days to state her position in the herd.
Percival was introduced 3 years ago and it took around 5 days for them to be friends, and since then they've been pretty much inseparable, with her taking a very motherly role towards him.

Since we introduced kitten (14 weeks old), she has not only been growling and hissing at her (expected) but also at Percival, who seems quite confused as he's doing nothing different, and only wants to sleep next to her as he usually does.
He's unbothered by the new kitten, which again, was expected, he is a fundamentally kind and simple being who is happy as long as he has food, but we're a little concerned that he's now being bullied by Elizabeth.

Is there anything we can do to try and reassure her that Percival is still friend, not foe, and to ensure that he doesn't feel displaced by her behaviour?

I imagine once she accepts kitten, it'll all settle down(?), but he doesn't deserve this in the meantime.

Behaviour wise neither Elizabeth, Percy nor kitten have shown any real concerning aggression beyond hissing and growling. There's been a few bats on the head without claws when kitten has got too bold, but no puffing up, no flattened ears and no approaching aggression, both big cats seem more keen for kitten to keep a distance for now, and actively remove themselves when she gets too close, which is absolutely fine. As soon as they're out of eachothers eyesights, it's tails up and purring again.

Additionally kitten is still currently in a separated room, with just supervised introduction time between them all, otherwise Percy and Elizabeth have free reign aside from a few hours for kitten to explore the living room every now and again, while big cats explore her room and scent.
She's mostly being aggressive to him at night, when we're (trying) to sleep.

 

[FeebysOwner]

Hi there! It sounds like re-directed aggression - each of your resident cats have been disrupted by the new one, and Elizabeth is more or less taking it out Percy. She is the 'boss', as you said, and so 'someone' is going to pay the price for her current state of irritation! It wlll eventually, settle down, just take it as slow as Elizabeth needs.

Can you benefit from any tips in these TCS articles?
Re-Directed Aggression In Cats: Insight And Solutions - TheCatSite
How To Introduce A Kitten To An Older Cat [A Guide] - TheCatSite
How To Successfully Introduce Cats: The Ultimate Guide - TheCatSite

 

[Mamanyt1953]

I couId not have stated it better than FeebysOwner did. And I wiII add that Percy wiII quickIy forget aII the snarky comments from EIizabeth, once things settIe down again.

 

[ArtNJ]

If its just a little hissing, probably nothing in a bit of time. Be aware that humans can get scratched when a cat is stressed. In the terms explained above, humans can be targets of redirected attention too. The thing to do is to give a stressed cat space.

Be aware that while adults never attack kittens with intent to injure, it is possible that things could escalate to a real fight between your adults. If that happens, you'll need to immediately separate them for a period of time for a reset. Use a towel so you dont get scratched. Things can get complicated and sometimes protracted if the adults fight, so if it looks like it might be going that way, you might want to separate them. But a little hissing and even some swats is nothing so its a bit of a fine line.

Just FYI, three years is a longgg time to a cat, and reactions to a newcomer generally get worse as a cat ages.

 

[scarlettleia]

Thank you for the responses!
It's comforting to know this should eventually pass. I think our major hurdle is that Percy is a few fries short of a happy meal (bless his heart, we adore him) and doesn't seem to realise she's angry most of the time, instead taking it as 'Oh! Fun! Play time!'. This of course causes Elizabeth to react even more, and while we don't think she'd really hurt him, or us, it's definitely not helping to de escalate her emotions.
I guess my major concern is that it permenantly damages her feelings towards him, or in the long run, makes him feel pushed out

 

[ArtNJ]

I think our major hurdle is that Percy is a few fries short of a happy meal (bless his heart, we adore him) and doesn't seem to realise she's angry most of the time, instead taking it as 'Oh! Fun! Play time!'. . . .
I guess my major concern is that it permenantly damages her feelings towards him, or in the long run, makes him feel pushed out

This is so normal! Cats, especially younger ones, are almost always like this. They cant tell the other cat doesnt want to play, or they just dont care.

You wont have permanent damage unless they fight for real. Well, almost certainly not. Maybe once in a blue moon we see a post here where this sort of thing lingers without a fight, but generally, if they were once friends, or tolerated each other, they can get back to that once the stressor is dealt with.

 

[scarlettleia]

Excellent! Thank you
I suppose in the meantime we just keep on showing them both as much human love ans attention as they want (it's a lot still, thankfully) and don't make a big deal about it.

 

[Mamanyt1953]

And don't forget...they do not have to be "bestest buds" to get the psychological benefits of living with other cats. Simple "peaceful co-existence will do that.

 

[scarlettleia]

Todays progress:
Elizabeth comfortable enough to rest on my husbands lap while kitten sits beside them.
She only hissed when kitten moved too much, but as long as she was resting, Elizabeth remained relaxed.

 

[Mamanyt1953]

AWWWWWW! Getting there. Slowly but surely!