I'm going to preface my situation, and it's a bit of a long story, so please bare with me.
My boyfriend and I recently adopted a 7wk old female kitten, and we've named her Penny. She only has 3 legs, but she's a sweet little ball of energy, and nothing stops her from getting around. However, we are currently staying with my Boyfriend's parents, as we're saving up for a house. At our house, we've got 3 cats. One of them is mine, his name is Ty, he's a neutered 5yr old male. Our bedroom serves as Ty's main space. The other cats have not been a problem, as they haven't come in contact with her.
The issue we're currently having is with socialization. The mom refused to allow me to use the only spare bedroom to keep Penny in for her first week of being home. She only allowed us the weekend to keep her in there. While I was out of the house, the mom allowed Ty into the room to see her while she slept. Apparently, things went well until she woke up, and Ty began hissing and growling at Penny. We've since kept the two separated over the weekend, but they haven't had the opportunity to properly socialize with positive association. The mom has demanded that we move Penny into our room, and we've had no other choice but to do so. Ty has since allowed Penny to be in the bedroom without hissing at her, but will do so if she comes within two feet of him. Penny, on the other hand, wants to rush up to him at every opportunity, but it turns into a hissing and growling mess. The mom says that if we can't force the cats to get along that we will have to get rid of Penny, and I'm not willing to do that.
I'm seriously at a loss here. I don't want Ty to feel like he can't be comfortable in his own space, but I'm also not happy that Penny can't even move freely around the room without upsetting him. Right now, I'm between a rock and a hard place. I have to keep her in our room, but I don't want to kick Ty out. Can anyone please offer some constructive advice? This situation is becoming more and more sensitive every day that this continues. We've only had Penny for 5 days, and I have no opportunities to socialize them properly. Any tips on socializing within the room?
My boyfriend and I recently adopted a 7wk old female kitten, and we've named her Penny. She only has 3 legs, but she's a sweet little ball of energy, and nothing stops her from getting around. However, we are currently staying with my Boyfriend's parents, as we're saving up for a house. At our house, we've got 3 cats. One of them is mine, his name is Ty, he's a neutered 5yr old male. Our bedroom serves as Ty's main space. The other cats have not been a problem, as they haven't come in contact with her.
The issue we're currently having is with socialization. The mom refused to allow me to use the only spare bedroom to keep Penny in for her first week of being home. She only allowed us the weekend to keep her in there. While I was out of the house, the mom allowed Ty into the room to see her while she slept. Apparently, things went well until she woke up, and Ty began hissing and growling at Penny. We've since kept the two separated over the weekend, but they haven't had the opportunity to properly socialize with positive association. The mom has demanded that we move Penny into our room, and we've had no other choice but to do so. Ty has since allowed Penny to be in the bedroom without hissing at her, but will do so if she comes within two feet of him. Penny, on the other hand, wants to rush up to him at every opportunity, but it turns into a hissing and growling mess. The mom says that if we can't force the cats to get along that we will have to get rid of Penny, and I'm not willing to do that.
I'm seriously at a loss here. I don't want Ty to feel like he can't be comfortable in his own space, but I'm also not happy that Penny can't even move freely around the room without upsetting him. Right now, I'm between a rock and a hard place. I have to keep her in our room, but I don't want to kick Ty out. Can anyone please offer some constructive advice? This situation is becoming more and more sensitive every day that this continues. We've only had Penny for 5 days, and I have no opportunities to socialize them properly. Any tips on socializing within the room?
