Resident cat keeps viciously attacking new kitten

[She's a witch]

well, I wouldn't rule out hormones that easily, although I'm confused how old the kitten is - from the first post I understood the cats first met at around 5 mo (brought home at 4mo, 3-4 weeks isolated)? And it's been almost 2 months since M was brought home? If I understand this timeline correctly, it's totally possible that older female could detect hormonal changes in 5mo. My own kitten’s urine started smelling funny to me when he was 6mo, and these changes are gradual, so I can imagine that cat's nose would detect any change earlier. I've seen mothers rejecting their sons at 4mo - males, but not females. I've seen 6mo female that got pregnant with her litter brother.
It's a different story if hormones alone enough would cause such a violent reaction. Probably not, but I wouldn't rule this out, as it seems she first sniffed M then attacked, and since T- I'm assuming - for the last 10 years hasn't smelled a male unneutered cat at all, I can imagine she felt threatened.
Personally, I'd never introduce intact 5-6mo male to another cat. Even if it's not direct cause of the attack, it will certainly not make things easier, and with time it will be worse and worse.

 

[ArtNJ]

Personally, I'd never introduce intact 5-6mo male to another cat. Even if it's not direct cause of the attack, it will certainly not make things easier, and with time it will be worse and worse.

I agree with you, in that when he does the isolation period post-surgery he might lose all progress if it is done mid-adjustment. So he may as well get it done now while there is essentially no progress to lose, in addition to whatever other benefits the lack of scent from hormones will bring. As I read the OP, he started at 4 months, but there were problems pretty quickly and he has been trying to get the older cat to tolerate the kitten for 2 months. I do agree that by 6 months, hormones could impact how the older cat is treating the kitten. As well as just size and no longer being perceived as a kitten (to the extent that ever mattered to this cat, which it doesn't seem to have.)

 

[Jandersony]

Hi all,

New to the forum here. A little background:

My wife and I had two cats, a 10 year old (T) and a 15 year old (P). Unfortunately, P passed away a few months ago. P was sweet and gentle, and T sometimes picked on her (but was likely just T trying to play). Nothing I would call out of line.

Last month, we decided to take in another cat (well, a kitten), M. M was 4 months old when we got him. He is cute, cuddly, and fun. He likes running around and being crazy, like you would expect from a kitten. We gave him his own room for 3-4 weeks. After that, we tried introducing T to him, by leaving him in his carrier while she sniffed around. T immediately started viciously attacking M (including hissing she had never done before, and just jumping on him and attacking him. Definitely not "play"). We separated them and tried doing dinner dates with a door in between, we've tried holding onto M while T sniffs or looks on, but nothing has helped. It's been almost 2 months now and it's seemingly impossible to let T have access to M. We are looking for a suitable pet gate, and we have tried the Feliway Friends diffuser as well.

We are completely at a loss. M has quickly become part of the family, and he loves and trusts us. It would be incredibly difficult to give him up, and we are viewing this as a "nuclear" option.

I would love some advice from you guys, as I'm sure someone has experience with this. Please advise, thanks.

Hi, I've just joined because I was searching for an answer to our problem and happened upon this thread.
We are having almost exactly the same issues as the OP!

We have a 7yo female who used to have a companion cat who died last year. We got a new 13 week old male kitten a month ago. We've followed all the advice - separation, scent swapping, slow introduction, plug in pheromones etc.

Our original cat viciously attacks the kitten without warning every time she gets the chance. The most recent incident, caused by my daughter accidentally opening a door she didn't realise the older cat was behind, led to a visit to the vet for poor little kitten because she bit his hind paw and caused a wound that turned into an abscess.

I feel like she stalks him as if he's prey. If she knows he's in any room she camps outside waiting for her opportunity to attack, just like when we had a mouse living in our kitchen and she sat for hours next to the gap in the skirting board. If we slip up and she gets her chance, there's no warning, no hissing or growling or posturing, just rushes at him and attacks.

Sooooooo....it sound very like the situation the OP found themselves in. I've found the thread very helpful so far, and just really hoped there might be an update? Did your cats ever managed to live together?

With hopeful thanks!
Jx

 

[rubysmama]

Hi J Jandersony . Welcome to TCS. As you noted, this is an older thread and the original poster hasn't been onsite in over 2 years. So it's likely they won't see your post or reply. Therefore, creating your own thread, where you can get replies specific to your situation might be something to consider. That said, a month isn't a long time in a cat's mind, so completely separating your kitten and cat, and then re-starting the introductions might be the best way to proceed.

Here's some TCS articles that might be helpful:
How To Fix An Unsuccessful Cat Introduction – TheCatSite Articles
How To Successfully Introduce Cats: The Ultimate Guide – TheCatSite Articles
How To Introduce A Kitten To An Older Cat – TheCatSite Articles

Why Do Cats Attack? – TheCatSite Articles

 

[Jandersony]

Hi J Jandersony . Welcome to TCS. As you noted, this is an older thread and the original poster hasn't been onsite in over 2 years. So it's likely they won't see your post or reply. Therefore, creating your own thread, where you can get replies specific to your situation might be something to consider. That said, a month isn't a long time in a cat's mind, so completely separating your kitten and cat, and then re-starting the introductions might be the best way to proceed.

Here's some TCS articles that might be helpful:
How To Fix An Unsuccessful Cat Introduction – TheCatSite Articles
How To Successfully Introduce Cats: The Ultimate Guide – TheCatSite Articles
How To Introduce A Kitten To An Older Cat – TheCatSite Articles

Why Do Cats Attack? – TheCatSite Articles

Thank you for the reply, much appreciated!

 

[ocellot]

Hi all,

New to the forum here. A little background:

My wife and I had two cats, a 10 year old (T) and a 15 year old (P). Unfortunately, P passed away a few months ago. P was sweet and gentle, and T sometimes picked on her (but was likely just T trying to play). Nothing I would call out of line.

Last month, we decided to take in another cat (well, a kitten), M. M was 4 months old when we got him. He is cute, cuddly, and fun. He likes running around and being crazy, like you would expect from a kitten. We gave him his own room for 3-4 weeks. After that, we tried introducing T to him, by leaving him in his carrier while she sniffed around. T immediately started viciously attacking M (including hissing she had never done before, and just jumping on him and attacking him. Definitely not "play"). We separated them and tried doing dinner dates with a door in between, we've tried holding onto M while T sniffs or looks on, but nothing has helped. It's been almost 2 months now and it's seemingly impossible to let T have access to M. We are looking for a suitable pet gate, and we have tried the Feliway Friends diffuser as well.

We are completely at a loss. M has quickly become part of the family, and he loves and trusts us. It would be incredibly difficult to give him up, and we are viewing this as a "nuclear" option.

I would love some advice from you guys, as I'm sure someone has experience with this. Please advise, thanks.

Hey - I'm curious how this ended up for you? We are in the same situation! 10 yr old female cat (otherwise very sweet) who used to live with another older cat who died last year. We got a 4 mo old male kitten and she was immediately very aggressive. She attacked him and he was slightly injured once before we could separate them. He's just scared and never aggressive. We've had him now for 6 months and they are still separated all the time for his safety. I do think she was more aggressive/upset by his scent before he was neutered last month. I have now harness trained her so they can be in the same room for a while without her lunging at him. This seems to he helping de-sensitize her (she is less upset by his presence) but we're still a long way from free roaming cats. Use Feliway spray, treats, playtime with both cats. It's been so stressful for us as well. I spoke to a cat behaviorist who said this DOES happen and can take a long time to get better. I hope your situation is better - would love to hear!

 

[trixielim]

Hi all,

New to the forum here. A little background:

My wife and I had two cats, a 10 year old (T) and a 15 year old (P). Unfortunately, P passed away a few months ago. P was sweet and gentle, and T sometimes picked on her (but was likely just T trying to play). Nothing I would call out of line.

Last month, we decided to take in another cat (well, a kitten), M. M was 4 months old when we got him. He is cute, cuddly, and fun. He likes running around and being crazy, like you would expect from a kitten. We gave him his own room for 3-4 weeks. After that, we tried introducing T to him, by leaving him in his carrier while she sniffed around. T immediately started viciously attacking M (including hissing she had never done before, and just jumping on him and attacking him. Definitely not "play"). We separated them and tried doing dinner dates with a door in between, we've tried holding onto M while T sniffs or looks on, but nothing has helped. It's been almost 2 months now and it's seemingly impossible to let T have access to M. We are looking for a suitable pet gate, and we have tried the Feliway Friends diffuser as well.

We are completely at a loss. M has quickly become part of the family, and he loves and trusts us. It would be incredibly difficult to give him up, and we are viewing this as a "nuclear" option.

I would love some advice from you guys, as I'm sure someone has experience with this. Please advise, thanks.

hello! we are experiencing almost the exact same problem. i would love to hear some updates regarding T and M, since we’re staring to lose hope introducing our 2 cats. thank you!

 

[trixielim]

Hey - I'm curious how this ended up for you? We are in the same situation! 10 yr old female cat (otherwise very sweet) who used to live with another older cat who died last year. We got a 4 mo old male kitten and she was immediately very aggressive. She attacked him and he was slightly injured once before we could separate them. He's just scared and never aggressive. We've had him now for 6 months and they are still separated all the time for his safety. I do think she was more aggressive/upset by his scent before he was neutered last month. I have now harness trained her so they can be in the same room for a while without her lunging at him. This seems to he helping de-sensitize her (she is less upset by his presence) but we're still a long way from free roaming cats. Use Feliway spray, treats, playtime with both cats. It's been so stressful for us as well. I spoke to a cat behaviorist who said this DOES happen and can take a long time to get better. I hope your situation is better - would love to hear!

hello! i just wanted to ask, but i’m facing almost the exact same situation! how did this end up for you?

 

[trixielim]

Hi, I've just joined because I was searching for an answer to our problem and happened upon this thread.
We are having almost exactly the same issues as the OP!

We have a 7yo female who used to have a companion cat who died last year. We got a new 13 week old male kitten a month ago. We've followed all the advice - separation, scent swapping, slow introduction, plug in pheromones etc.

Our original cat viciously attacks the kitten without warning every time she gets the chance. The most recent incident, caused by my daughter accidentally opening a door she didn't realise the older cat was behind, led to a visit to the vet for poor little kitten because she bit his hind paw and caused a wound that turned into an abscess.

I feel like she stalks him as if he's prey. If she knows he's in any room she camps outside waiting for her opportunity to attack, just like when we had a mouse living in our kitchen and she sat for hours next to the gap in the skirting board. If we slip up and she gets her chance, there's no warning, no hissing or growling or posturing, just rushes at him and attacks.

Sooooooo....it sound very like the situation the OP found themselves in. I've found the thread very helpful so far, and just really hoped there might be an update? Did your cats ever managed to live together?

With hopeful thanks!
Jx

hiiii! we’re facing the exact same problem ( do you have any updates on how this went? are they able to live together?