Hi all, I’m in need of advice for how to help my resident cat (Winnie, age 5, adopted at age 6mo) and my new kitten (Sophie, age 5mo, adopted at age 4mo) adjust.
I found Sophie in a park a little over a month ago. Brought her home and kept her in a separate room from my resident cat. Lived in a one-bedroom apartment, so for the first week that meant kitten was in the bathroom while cat roamed the apartment or kitten roamed the apartment while cat was in the bedroom. They seemed to be adjusting and were not intrigued by each other’s scent during scent swapping. They could see each other under the door and would occasionally paw. Heard a little hissing from the cat, but not much. Got a freestanding pet pen and made an enclosure in the living room. Let the kitten be in there while the cat roamed. Cat was fine with that, but kitten figured out how to climb the pen, so it was no longer a safe plan. I would sit in the pen with the kitten sometimes, or we would keep them in separate rooms. Cat would mostly ignore the kitten, would even lounge near the pen, or would paw at the kitten through the pen but not hiss. For three weeks, my husband and I took turns sleeping on the couch with the kitten while the other slept in the bedroom with the cat. The kitten didn’t want to sleep alone and cried almost the entire night the three nights we tried that.
Our lease ended at that apartment after three weeks with the kitten, and we moved to a nearby two-bedroom apartment at that time. We chose to let the cat and kitten be together in the new apartment instead of having them (and us) sleep in separate rooms. We have also left them alone in the new apartment with all doors open several times. They seemed to be adjusting relatively well for the first week (even sat in the same crate together in the closet with me also present during the first hour in the new place), mostly ignoring each other and even occasionally napping in proximity to each other, although at peak energy hours (mid-morning and late night) there would be some hissing/batting/even occasional tackling and biting. About a week in, it seems like progress is going backwards. Cat seems to be getting more aggressive, even when the kitten ignores her, but the kitten also doesn’t learn to give the cat space after the cat tries to communicate that she needs it. These problems are mostly at the peak energy hours. I try to play with the cat extra to help get her energy out on a toy instead of taking it out on the kitten, but it hasn’t seemed to help much. If they get in a tiff, I usually put a pillow between them gently. Trying to distract with a toy only seems to work for the kitten, not the cat, and the kitten is never the aggressor.
Please advise about how to help their adjustment! I wanted to introduce them well so we wouldn’t have to do a re-introduction, but I’m scared that I failed. If a re-introduction is needed, can anyone advise where to star
As a side detail, the vet determined the kitten needed her back right leg amputated, so kitten had that surgery about a week after we found her. She is recovering very well.
Attached is a photo of both lovely girls during a very rare nap in proximity to each other.
I found Sophie in a park a little over a month ago. Brought her home and kept her in a separate room from my resident cat. Lived in a one-bedroom apartment, so for the first week that meant kitten was in the bathroom while cat roamed the apartment or kitten roamed the apartment while cat was in the bedroom. They seemed to be adjusting and were not intrigued by each other’s scent during scent swapping. They could see each other under the door and would occasionally paw. Heard a little hissing from the cat, but not much. Got a freestanding pet pen and made an enclosure in the living room. Let the kitten be in there while the cat roamed. Cat was fine with that, but kitten figured out how to climb the pen, so it was no longer a safe plan. I would sit in the pen with the kitten sometimes, or we would keep them in separate rooms. Cat would mostly ignore the kitten, would even lounge near the pen, or would paw at the kitten through the pen but not hiss. For three weeks, my husband and I took turns sleeping on the couch with the kitten while the other slept in the bedroom with the cat. The kitten didn’t want to sleep alone and cried almost the entire night the three nights we tried that.
Our lease ended at that apartment after three weeks with the kitten, and we moved to a nearby two-bedroom apartment at that time. We chose to let the cat and kitten be together in the new apartment instead of having them (and us) sleep in separate rooms. We have also left them alone in the new apartment with all doors open several times. They seemed to be adjusting relatively well for the first week (even sat in the same crate together in the closet with me also present during the first hour in the new place), mostly ignoring each other and even occasionally napping in proximity to each other, although at peak energy hours (mid-morning and late night) there would be some hissing/batting/even occasional tackling and biting. About a week in, it seems like progress is going backwards. Cat seems to be getting more aggressive, even when the kitten ignores her, but the kitten also doesn’t learn to give the cat space after the cat tries to communicate that she needs it. These problems are mostly at the peak energy hours. I try to play with the cat extra to help get her energy out on a toy instead of taking it out on the kitten, but it hasn’t seemed to help much. If they get in a tiff, I usually put a pillow between them gently. Trying to distract with a toy only seems to work for the kitten, not the cat, and the kitten is never the aggressor.
Please advise about how to help their adjustment! I wanted to introduce them well so we wouldn’t have to do a re-introduction, but I’m scared that I failed. If a re-introduction is needed, can anyone advise where to star
As a side detail, the vet determined the kitten needed her back right leg amputated, so kitten had that surgery about a week after we found her. She is recovering very well.
Attached is a photo of both lovely girls during a very rare nap in proximity to each other.