Resident Cat Stressed From Kittens

[littlesoprano]

Hi all!

This is my first post. I recently (as in Thursday), brought home two kittens from the Humane Society. One is an 8 week old boy, Seti, and the other is a 4 month old female, named Pixie. I have them both in a small spare bedroom together since they clicked instantaneously when Pixie escaped into Seti's room. They are playing together wonderfully, cuddling, and as of this morning, they are out of their shells and coming up for pets and cuddles as well. Even eating out of the same food dish!

Well, my heart cat, Possy (2 year old female), is less than thrilled. She has lived with another cat her whole life, whom we lost a little over a month ago. She will not go in any room they have touched, and if I smell like them, for the most part, she hisses and growls. She is still approaching for cuddles, but I feel terrible that she is so distressed! I am hoping to be able to do a little site swapping later this weekend, but I don't know if putting her in their room is a good idea? She will be sweet and cuddly in rooms they haven't "tainted" (in her eyes...) but otherwise, she gets very upset if she ends having to follow me into a room the kittens have played in.

Any advice on calming her down? I know its only been 24 hours, and she has actually made some progress since yesterday, but I feel awful!

 

[Mamanyt1953]

Take a deep breath. This is SO very normal! We have a couple of articles that will help you. BUT...you do need to know that some of the most successful cat introductions in the world take weeks, occasionally months, before they are really complete. DO NOT LOSE HEART! This is very doable, but you can only go as fast as the most reluctant cat!

Introducing Cats To Cats
How To Successfully Introduce Cats: The Ultimate Guide

These will help, as well:

Do Cats Get Jealous? (and What To Do About It When They Do)
Is Your Cat Stressed Out?
Six Surefire Strategies To Reduce Stress In Cats

This isn't as daunting a list as it looks. The articles are clear, concise, and easy reads!

 

[littlesoprano]

Thats what we are going by! She has, due to someone needing a stay over place while moving, met other strange cats without the proper introduction and done quite well, as in the room they were staying in had the door open the whole time. Our friend's cat never left the room, but she had full contact if needed. The last one was a female whom she hissed and growled at from afar, but by the end of the week, was sniffing her. Possy has a great demeanor in that way, just hope that she moves as fast with the kittens. She's my heart cat, and she seems far more distressed than the last time she met a new kitty!

Would it hurt to put her in their room, and let them explore some of the house for a bit this weekend? Will Possy let me know when that's okay to do? We have been spending far more time with her than the kittens to let her know she's still our special girl, but I still feel god awful!

 

[Furballsmom]

Hi! Welcome!!
I wouldn't put her in their room - she's not ready for that yet. Leave her in some other untainted room while the little ones get out to romp, and put one of their blankets in the room with her - just on the floor by the door, but don't force anything. If she's that unhappy with you when you smell like the kittens, I'm thinking you may need some calming products. Can you also try some low volume classical harp music? Or the app Relax My Cat?

Do Cats Mourn?

Also you could try some chamomile tea, the type from the bags only, a couple cooled teaspoons a couple times a day.
If that's not accomplishing anything, there are these as well;
This is an incomplete list of over the counter calming products. Feliway is certainly not the only item available, and there are also prescription meds that you could talk with your vet about if the otc products don't help.

Some cats such as my Big Guy are completely unaffected by Feliway. There are products with different ingredients such as L-Tryptophan and casein, tryptophan, chamomile etc.

In addition some people are using CBD oil.

There is Zylkene, Calming Care, Calm-o-mile, Sentry, Natures Miracle calming spray, Vetri-Science's Composure is another item to look at, Pet Remedy (it has valerian) is yet another, as is Essential Pet Pet-ease, Only Natural Pet (brand and website) has a calming product, Pet Naturals also has one I believe. Thunderease has a diffuser and so does Sentry.

Lambert Vet Supply is a website to look at, and of course amazon and chewy, also there's Petwishpros, drsfostersmith, 1800PetsMeds, Animaleo. Australia's Petbarn has a product as well.

There are a couple of recent discussions about calming items, here's the link to one thread. Post #6 in this has a link to the second discussion.
Calming Treats?

 

[1 bruce 1]

Hi all!

This is my first post. I recently (as in Thursday), brought home two kittens from the Humane Society. One is an 8 week old boy, Seti, and the other is a 4 month old female, named Pixie. I have them both in a small spare bedroom together since they clicked instantaneously when Pixie escaped into Seti's room. They are playing together wonderfully, cuddling, and as of this morning, they are out of their shells and coming up for pets and cuddles as well. Even eating out of the same food dish!

Well, my heart cat, Possy (2 year old female), is less than thrilled. She has lived with another cat her whole life, whom we lost a little over a month ago. She will not go in any room they have touched, and if I smell like them, for the most part, she hisses and growls. She is still approaching for cuddles, but I feel terrible that she is so distressed! I am hoping to be able to do a little site swapping later this weekend, but I don't know if putting her in their room is a good idea? She will be sweet and cuddly in rooms they haven't "tainted" (in her eyes...) but otherwise, she gets very upset if she ends having to follow me into a room the kittens have played in.

Any advice on calming her down? I know its only been 24 hours, and she has actually made some progress since yesterday, but I feel awful!

If she's made progress in 24 hours, think how much progress she'll make in 48 72, a week, a month...etc. =)
Don't worry if you can help it. It's totally normal for her to be on edge because there are two new little interlopers in the house and she hasn't met them/seen them yet. When she does, she'll probably do a lot of hissing and slapping, also normal, and once the kittens grow a bit and respect her position of Queen Bee, she'll relax.
Neighbor has a kitten and the resident Queen Bee took a week or two to accept him without hissing, then decided one day that playing might be good....but if he stepped out of line, she laid down the law. They're getting to be really good buds now and hang out in the same room.

Does she have a favorite room/spot in the house? I'd keep it "off limits" to the little guys until she's OK with them, so she has her own space to feel safe in until curiosity gets the better of her.

 

[littlesoprano]

If she's made progress in 24 hours, think how much progress she'll make in 48 72, a week, a month...etc. =)
Don't worry if you can help it. It's totally normal for her to be on edge because there are two new little interlopers in the house and she hasn't met them/seen them yet. When she does, she'll probably do a lot of hissing and slapping, also normal, and once the kittens grow a bit and respect her position of Queen Bee, she'll relax.
Neighbor has a kitten and the resident Queen Bee took a week or two to accept him without hissing, then decided one day that playing might be good....but if he stepped out of line, she laid down the law. They're getting to be really good buds now and hang out in the same room.

Does she have a favorite room/spot in the house? I'd keep it "off limits" to the little guys until she's OK with them, so she has her own space to feel safe in until curiosity gets the better of her.

Well unfortunately, the best room to keep the kittens in for the time being, is where she used to be fed. I did feel god awful for that, but its the smallest bedroom in the house with the least amount of things the kittens could get in trouble with (other spare room is a computer room = too many wires to play with). Now granted, she had zero issues going and eating where we used to feed our other cat before she passed. So thats where I've been feeding her the last few meals, and I also have been letting her have some of the kitten's wet food as well (she gets her own, but has always felt the need to investigate what everyone else is eating!), as long as she sits in front of the door to their room. Her other favorite spots, the kittens haven't touched however. They have gone on the bed a few times, but that hasn't phased her enough to keep her from cuddling on the bed or playing on the bed!

I hope she is able to come around soon. The female has got a personality that is so so so similar to our cat we lost, she (hopefully) will be best buds with Possy.

 

[1 bruce 1]

I think you're handling the living arrangements well. Remember, it's temporary!

 

[littlesoprano]

I had meant to post pictures as well, but can't edit! Here are my babies. The tuxedo cats are the kittens (smaller one is Seti, bigger one is Pixie), and than Possy!

 

[1 bruce 1]

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They are adorable, just adorable.

 

[jen]

Also you could try some chamomile tea, the type from the bags only, a couple cooled teaspoons a couple times a day.

Can you elaborate on this a little? Why from a bag only? So no loose leaf? Do you just hope they lick up the teaspoon or syringe it in their mouths? Or put in their water?

 

[Furballsmom]

You can add it to food or their water.

The bagged tea is German and safe for kitties. Mamanyt1953 this is your expertise, am I correct for the OP?

 

[jen]

You can add it to food or their water.

The bagged tea is German and safe for kitties. Mamanyt1953 this is your expertise, am I correct for the OP?

Interesting. I avoid bagged teas because of the chemicals and toxins that make up the bags, whether plastic or paper. Loose tea is just the tea and nothing more as far as I know? I am interested to hear more if Mamanyt1953 can chime in.

Sorry to hijack the thread.

 

[1 bruce 1]

Interesting. I avoid bagged teas because of the chemicals and toxins that make up the bags, whether plastic or paper. Loose tea is just the tea and nothing more as far as I know? I am interested to hear more if Mamanyt1953 can chime in.

Sorry to hijack the thread.

I haven't checked for loose tea but we can find organic tea bags. I assume they're safer than normal maybe?
I like tea. I'm old fashioned to a tee (see what I did there?) but hate brewing tea and avoid it. I like my tea bags, or for me, my Keurig.
(My cats have heard my Keurig going off every morning for like 10 years. I'm the only coffee drinker in the house ATM so I brew a cup at a time, and they STILL startle when it actually starts brewing. Weird cats, LOL).

 

[littlesoprano]

I’ll definitely have to look into tea!

Possy is cracking me up right now. Out of curiousity I put a can of her favorite wet food right in front of the kittens door. And she’s sitting here chowing it, while grumbling and purring.

Oh cats....

And thank you. They think they are cute as well . (More like they know they are!)

 

[littlesoprano]

On a slightly unrelated note, both of the kittens (the shelter let me know) have mild URI. Occasional sneezing is all really. They told me to make sure they both eat - which they do with vorascious appetites!

How long does this typically take to resolve? They are going in to see my vet on Tuesday for their first check ups and to transfer records, but I was curious in the meantime.

 

[Mamanyt1953]

I recommend the commerically prepared teas over home-harvested, actually, because ALL commerically marketed chamomile is German chamomile, which is medicinally sound and safe for cats. A lot of what grows in our gardens is ENGLISH chamomile, which is almost useless medicinally, and toxic to cats. The two look very, very similar, so I suggest commerically prepared tea bags as I can't be sure how familiar any given poster may be with herbs and herbalism, and the tea bags are readily available in the grocery store. I choose to err on the side of caution. HOWEVER, any good internet source of herbal teas is also selling German chamomile, and is certainly an excellent source.

 

[Furballsmom]

Hi, I'm not sure regarding the length of time for recovery, and it can get a little complicated since every cat is different.
I'm keeping my fingers crossed for you that both kitties have a fabulous checkup!!

 

[littlesoprano]

So we had two interesting things happen today!

First, Possy was downstairs, and Seti was begging for some cuddle time. So I grabbed him and snuggled with him on our bed. Possy, heard me get on the bed, and jumped up. Obviously she was shocked to see one of the little ones on the bed! Well, she was soo good. Some hissing and growling, but mostly quiet. He moved, and she just simply jumped down and walked out of the room. Nothing intense at all.

Second, after remembering how much calmer she was being able to SEE the cat we were watching, we decided to stack puppy gates in the door of the kittens' room this morning after she took the kitten being out pretty well. She's definitely curious now! She's been sitting in the kitchen, laying down, watching them. Not obsessively, but definitely curious. She will hiss and growl a little as she walks by the room, but that's all the care she has about it.

Possy was also hissing at us if we smelled like them over the last two days, but now doesn't seem to mind at all.

Small victories, small victories....

 

[littlesoprano]

The cat we lost, Starlina, who lived to the ripe old age of 22, made new additions so easy, its weird having to slowly introduce new cats. She had the most mild demeanor I've ever seen in a cat. Of the two kittens she lived with, both times she tolerated their antics, and never fussed once. She was a saint when it came to changes. Even when we moved, she didn't care one bit.

Really happy to see Possy doing better with the ability to see the strangers. She's also cuddling with me like her usual self today. Maybe Starlina taught her something!

 

[Furballsmom]

This is fabulous news!!!
GO Possy!