The New Cat I Recently Rescued Won't Leave My Resident Cat Alone. Please Help.

[PrudenceCashmere]

Let me start by saying that I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE cats and that my current situation is severely stressing me out and breaking my heart.

My girlfriend and I have two cats, Clemson and Prudence. We adopted Clem about three years ago and Prudence two years ago, both when they were 8 weeks old. Though it did take Clem about a week to get used to Pru, they eventually bonded very closely and, to this day, are the best of friends.

About a month ago, a kitten showed up in our backyard. He wasn't a tiny kitten but definitely not completely grown; I'd guess that now he's probably about 6 months old or so. He was well socialized so my girlfriend and I assumed that maybe he was lost. However, after searching for a possible owner to no avail, my girlfriend and I decided to just keep him. We gave him three flea baths and took him to the vet the following week where he got his shots and was neutered.

Obviously, my girlfriend and I knew how introducing cats could go. We assumed it would probably take Clem about a week or two to get used to him. We weren't worried about Prudence because where Clem can be moody, anti-social and borderline mean sometimes, Prudence is a very kind, shy, gentle cat who wouldn't hurt a fly (literally...she won't even kill bugs). We've had friends bring over their cats or new kittens several times and she's never even hissed at them. She's ridiculously docile, especially for a cat and she has a lot of patience. That's one of the reasons why we have a problem...

The new cat (who we named Jack Dawson) will NOT leave Prudence alone. He constantly stalks her and attacks her. Prudence is so non-aggressive that she won't even really fight back at all, she'll just cry and hiss. And I'm telling ya'll, this cat plays ROUGH. Way rougher than Clem ever played with her. And he is relentless. She can't eat, nap, use the restroom, or drink water without him attacking her. She has figured out how to climb up on the fridge (which she used to be terrified to do) just to get away from him. We have to feed her on top of the fridge or in our bedroom so she can eat in peace. Did I mention he has figured out how to open every door unless it's locked from the inside? Yeah, it's been a nightmare. She knows when my girlfriend and I are going to bed and when that time comes, she runs and jumps in our bed to sleep with us because we can lock the door from the inside and she is able to sleep in peace (although for a good hour Jack Dawson claws desperately underneath the door, jarring it back and forth trying to get in). Most of the time, she refuses to leave our bedroom after we get up in the morning. My girlfriend and I are just at a loss of what to do, but it's breaking my heart to see Pru so uncomfortable in her own home. She's my baby and would never hurt anything or anyone. I know Jack Dawson isn't trying to be mean but he just refuses to leave her alone and sometimes he bites her so hard she gets sores. I would NEVER take Jack Dawson to the pound or anything, and he definitely has his moments when he's sweet to my girlfriend and I, but something has to change soon.

Any advice is appreciated. Thank you.

 

[maggiedemi]

Can you give him some kind of time out when he attacks her? Or clap your hands and tell him No? My cats learn really quickly when I don't want them to do something, so I feel like he can be taught that he's not supposed to attack his sister, if you give him the same reprimand every time. Sometimes I use a little horn, I don't honk it right in their ear or anything like that, but they hate that horn and they learn really quick not to do things. If all else fails, you could try re-introducing them behind a gate.

 

[PrudenceCashmere]

Thank you for replying! We have tried putting him in time out, but now he's figured out how to open any door unless it's locked from the inside. We've tried clapping any time he attacks her but it almost seems to fuel his fire, as crazy as that sounds. We haven't tried a gate. I'm definitely willing to. Hopefully he won't figure out a way to get past it. He's very innovative...and very fast...

 

[kissthisangel]

Hello! Well done you for taking in the kitten and making sure that you followed all the channels before keeping him. Relentless stalking can cause stress in your older cat. I'd start by seperating him off again and then using play to tire him out before you re-introduce them.

Let your resident have a small high perch that he can't get at her on. Play with her too, try to build her confidence. Follow the chase catch kill eat technique. I know you've been through the introduction before and had a great success, so trust your instincts along the steps of the intro and slow it down if any of your cats are not grasping it, or look to be stressed ( Signs include - increased vocalisation, resting for more hours of the day, soiling outside of the box, loss of appetite or not drinking much).

It sounds like your older cat needs to make sure she is teaching this young whipper snapper a few boundaries but perhaps doesn't know how. Feeding the new arrival seperately and offering seperate toileting areas should help to make all of them feel more secure, whilst your two residents are bonded and know how to share with eachother, they may not appreciate competition from a third animal.


Keep us updated!

 

[TnK]

I totally know how it feels because I had similar situation but not as worse. The new kitten has endless energy and likes to stalk and follow my 6-year-old female resident cat. He will also jump on her back and nib his back. Now I think he follows her because he's curious and wanted to play with her.

You said constantly stalk and attack her, do they have peaceful moment during the day? Will you play with the kitten to drain his energy? Separated playing sessions are helpful for both the kitten and Pru. I saw the difference after playing more and regularly with my timid resident cat. One day she was following a fly (she won't kill bugs too but she's interested and follow) so she jumps on a scratching post to watch the fly because it was in the ceiling. Since she was in the hunting mood, when the kitten follows her and scratch/play with her from the floor, my resident cat hisses him and fight back.

Does Pru like to stay high? Do you have cat trees for Pru to stay up? I use treats to attract my resident cat to climb up so at least she's been up there and when Jack chases her, she may run and jump up there. I also stack up some boxes for my cat to jump up to the top of my closet. Although Jack can follow her, at least you try and see how they interact and whether it helps Pru. Spending time with Pru alone also important to give her more love.

For your doors lock, can you change them to the round ones so Jack cannot open it by jumping on the door? My another 6-year-old male cat who passed away (cancer relapsed ) in May can also open the doors with handle when i lock him in a room when he was only few months old.

I hope this helps but it takes time to work on both cats when they have different personalities and energy level and to see improvement or even until jack grows older.