Resident cat and kitty question!

[Mzhpqd]

Hi everyone,

I've read sooo many forums on this but still worrying about my babies so any advice would be appreciated.

Situation: we have a 3 year old resident ragdoll male called Rolo who is neutered. 2 months ago we bought home a ragdoll girl called Coco who is now 5 months old. I did a gradual introduction following the advice of others, separate rooms, separate food bowls, eating at the same time, lots of treats, lots of love and reassurance to both of them.

Coco loves Rolo and always wants to play with him and be near him. I try to distract her by playing to give Rolo peace. Sometimes Rolo is ok around her and doesn't seem bothered but then Coco will jump next to or go too close to Rolo and he'll hiss, growl and swat. He doesn't play with toys so that doesn't work as he prefers to hunt for real!

I'm just struggling to understand how he's feeling as one minute he seems fine and then the next he's getting angry at Coco by growling, hissing and swatting?! He's not an overly affectionate cat unfortunately and very independent.

I started to separate the cats again and this seemed to help for a bit. However now Rolo now barely even sleeps at home now, he mainly just comes in to eat and goes out again. Sometimes when he comes home he's just constantly growling at her and in a really bad mood. Other times he doesn't seem that bothered by Coco and will even play with her for a few minutes.

I have got 2 feliway diffusers now, give them lots of treats, lots of love, and they only have supervised access.

Not sure what is going on with Rolo.. I don't want him to feel like he's being pushed out

Thanks so much in advance everyone x

 

[susanm9006]

Growling, hissing and swatting is Rolo’s way of telling Coco to back off and respect his space. She will eventually figure out that it is best not to annoy him but I do think he needs some home time without having to deal with her. When he comes back in the house I would shut her in a separate room for at least part of the time so that he can relax. This may help him spend more time in the house rather than outdoors. Or if possible have a feeding or treat time with both of them so that they both see something positive about being together.

 

[Mzhpqd]

Hi Susan,

Thanks for your quick reply.

That's all very reassuring as I'm actually trying to do everything you suggested. At least I know I'm doing the right thing

Thanks again, Emma x

 

[GustifursMom]

As your kitten grows into an adult, her relationship with your adult cat will change. It's similar to raising kids. When they're little and all over the place, you have to do a lot of discipline. As they get older you have mentor. And when they're adults you can be friends. I think cats are very similar. So, maybe their relationship will change into something more as your kitten ages.