New kitten & older cats problem
Discussion
Sorry, long post, but I'm desperate for ideas. First of all, the stars of the story:
Zelda, 12 year old male
Geldof, 12 year old female, and Zelda's sister
Lexi, 14 week old female
The trouble I'm having is integrating them. Zelda is very affectionate, very placid, very soft. He's basically still a kitten inside. Geldof is the dominant one, and loves attention but only on her terms. She will whack Zelda if he gets a bit too close, but they do still cuddle together and generally get on really well. Both are very nervous cats to any one else other than me, though. Both have been house cats since I got them at 16 weeks old, both happy with that.
Lexi on her own is a loveable little bundle. Gives lots of love, plays nicely although needs to realise her teeth and claws are getting sharper! No problems with her at all. She's been segregated from the other two in her own room, although we did make a point of holding her so Z&G could see her when we brought her home. After a week or so we let her out around the house, strictly supervised, to see how they all got on.
At first it was fine. Geldof hissed and walked away in disgust (not unexpected, better than I'd hoped for!), Zelda had a sniff and when Lexi bent down to play, he joined in. They had a little gentle play fight which was brilliant, and then they went their separate ways. This has now caused a massive issue, as every time Lexi sees the other two she wants to play and chase them.
Zelda is terrified of her now, and as soon as he sees her he runs away, which Lexi sees as an invitation to chase him. That's a never ending cycle. Now when Lexi sees Geldof, she thinks that she can play with her as well. This leads to Lexi stalking Geldof, invariably round the food bowl and litter tray, and then when she pounces Geldof snaps. Geldof hisses, spits, raises a paw to strike, and then when Lexi doesn't get the hint, she'll give her a couple of whacks. That wouldn't be a problem in itself if Lexi then took the hint, but she doesn't. She backs off, then starts again. Geldof gets more and more aggravated by this, and will actively start to chase Lexi with the intention of whacking her first. Geldof has never hurt Lexi, but obviously I don't leave them doing this for long enough to see if/when any damage is done.
The other night I tried an experiment of leaving all three out over night to see if they'd settle. Lexi wouldn't, and kept chasing the other two so much it was causing them obvious distress, so I put Lexi back in her room where she spends the night and most of the day when I'm at work. Now bearing in mind we've had her 6 weeks ish now, and I've been letting Lexi out every evening to try and get used to the other two, I'm struggling to know where to go next. If Zelda and Geldof are upstairs in the bedroom sleeping (as they usually are) and Lexi is downstairs then that's fine, as Lexi just plays with us. However she'll then bolt upstairs and go mental with the other two.
I've tried the distraction thing, which only works briefly and then chasing the older cats is more fun apparently. I've tried a water pistol, which does spook her but it also spooks the other cats when the kitten runs. If I can keep Lexi's attention when the other cats are in the room then they're perfectly happy to let her wander around, even walk right past them. It's just when Lexi decides it's playtime, then she'll chase and harass them constantly and will not stop. Poor Zelda has taken to hiding on windowsills and bookcases where Lexi can't reach yet, but it won't be long.
Last night I left Lexi shut away for the whole evening, and the other two came down and were very affectionate all evening, so they're not bothered by her when she's not out. Where do I go from here? Am I doing things right? Is it just a case of letting them get on with it? I reckon is Zelda just whacked back once then Lexi might back off, or if Geldof *really* gave her a thump then she might think twice, but all I see at the moment is two stressed older cats and one hyperactive kitten who desperately wants some feline attention
Zelda, 12 year old male
Geldof, 12 year old female, and Zelda's sister
Lexi, 14 week old female
The trouble I'm having is integrating them. Zelda is very affectionate, very placid, very soft. He's basically still a kitten inside. Geldof is the dominant one, and loves attention but only on her terms. She will whack Zelda if he gets a bit too close, but they do still cuddle together and generally get on really well. Both are very nervous cats to any one else other than me, though. Both have been house cats since I got them at 16 weeks old, both happy with that.
Lexi on her own is a loveable little bundle. Gives lots of love, plays nicely although needs to realise her teeth and claws are getting sharper! No problems with her at all. She's been segregated from the other two in her own room, although we did make a point of holding her so Z&G could see her when we brought her home. After a week or so we let her out around the house, strictly supervised, to see how they all got on.
At first it was fine. Geldof hissed and walked away in disgust (not unexpected, better than I'd hoped for!), Zelda had a sniff and when Lexi bent down to play, he joined in. They had a little gentle play fight which was brilliant, and then they went their separate ways. This has now caused a massive issue, as every time Lexi sees the other two she wants to play and chase them.
Zelda is terrified of her now, and as soon as he sees her he runs away, which Lexi sees as an invitation to chase him. That's a never ending cycle. Now when Lexi sees Geldof, she thinks that she can play with her as well. This leads to Lexi stalking Geldof, invariably round the food bowl and litter tray, and then when she pounces Geldof snaps. Geldof hisses, spits, raises a paw to strike, and then when Lexi doesn't get the hint, she'll give her a couple of whacks. That wouldn't be a problem in itself if Lexi then took the hint, but she doesn't. She backs off, then starts again. Geldof gets more and more aggravated by this, and will actively start to chase Lexi with the intention of whacking her first. Geldof has never hurt Lexi, but obviously I don't leave them doing this for long enough to see if/when any damage is done.
The other night I tried an experiment of leaving all three out over night to see if they'd settle. Lexi wouldn't, and kept chasing the other two so much it was causing them obvious distress, so I put Lexi back in her room where she spends the night and most of the day when I'm at work. Now bearing in mind we've had her 6 weeks ish now, and I've been letting Lexi out every evening to try and get used to the other two, I'm struggling to know where to go next. If Zelda and Geldof are upstairs in the bedroom sleeping (as they usually are) and Lexi is downstairs then that's fine, as Lexi just plays with us. However she'll then bolt upstairs and go mental with the other two.
I've tried the distraction thing, which only works briefly and then chasing the older cats is more fun apparently. I've tried a water pistol, which does spook her but it also spooks the other cats when the kitten runs. If I can keep Lexi's attention when the other cats are in the room then they're perfectly happy to let her wander around, even walk right past them. It's just when Lexi decides it's playtime, then she'll chase and harass them constantly and will not stop. Poor Zelda has taken to hiding on windowsills and bookcases where Lexi can't reach yet, but it won't be long.
Last night I left Lexi shut away for the whole evening, and the other two came down and were very affectionate all evening, so they're not bothered by her when she's not out. Where do I go from here? Am I doing things right? Is it just a case of letting them get on with it? I reckon is Zelda just whacked back once then Lexi might back off, or if Geldof *really* gave her a thump then she might think twice, but all I see at the moment is two stressed older cats and one hyperactive kitten who desperately wants some feline attention
Get Lexi another kitten to play with ? 
Plug in Feliway/Pet remedy diffusers in the main areas they spend time together in
More separation time, get a travel baby gate (they have mesh rather than bars) and put on the door to Lexi's room so they can all sniff each other through it. They'll start to play through it & you can try letting her out again.
Good luck
Plug in Feliway/Pet remedy diffusers in the main areas they spend time together in
More separation time, get a travel baby gate (they have mesh rather than bars) and put on the door to Lexi's room so they can all sniff each other through it. They'll start to play through it & you can try letting her out again.
Good luck
Edited by ali_kat on Wednesday 24th June 13:34
Funny, I was actually starting to think that I should've got two kittens instead of the one. We did have pick of the litter, could actually have had two as well. Oh well!
Travel baby gate is a good idea, I'll give that a go. Her room is at the end of the house which the cats don't go to very often, but maybe they will if they can see her? Worth a punt at least.
Thanks Ali
Travel baby gate is a good idea, I'll give that a go. Her room is at the end of the house which the cats don't go to very often, but maybe they will if they can see her? Worth a punt at least.
Thanks Ali
I had the same problem as I have a year old cat, she's not very affectionate. When we got our 8 week kitten two weekends ago she started to hiss and swipe at her. I was really nervous and put the kitten in our room for two days with food, water, and her litter tray. Then after day two I just let them get on with it and my cat Spooky loves her now which is surprising! They still fight but no hissing, and the fight is only play fighting so it's nothing to worry about. From my experience let them get on with it 
Edited by Storrsy24 on Wednesday 24th June 17:31
bexVN said:
Just out of interest what made you get a kitten?
Good question. Both my wife and I love cats, but our previous house was only big enough for the two we had. We moved house to a much larger place in Jan, and we said once we'd made sure the two existing cats were okay with the move and not having any issues, we'd love to get another one. We weren't particularly planning it for now, but one of Jo's work colleagues ended up with a litter of four that needed homing so we were offered one of those.Tbh, I'd happily be Crazy Cat Man given half a chance!
Storrsy, that's the cutest pic I've seen for ages, I'd love it for our ones to get that close
Not quite as simple as putting them all in the same room sadly, Geldof hates being picked up and I don't think that she'd enjoyed being herded into a room
Very odd though last night, we had family round and there was one point that both Lexi and Geldof were in the same room. Lexi sauntered over, I expected fireworks, but there was a bit of sniffing + a half leap back from Lexi, then she wandered off and let Geldof be. No hissing, no chasing, no whacking. Zelda came down too but he scarpered when he realised there were strangers in the room.So frustrating, one minute they're being mental and one minute they're fine. I guess that's part of the attraction though, the unpredictability of cats.
Baby gates - ok for dogs but next to useless for cats!
It probably took around 4 weeks until I felt confident of leaving a newly introduced kitten with another. I'm back to just the first two now and they still tear a strip off each other every couple of days but they just about know where each other's boundary is. I would still try getting them all in a large enough room together with yourself. Try some distraction tactics with toys and food to keep them all occupied. It's also worth trying to feed them all together in the same room. Feed them late in an evening so they are hungry and just want to eat. The other thing I tried was for to put the more excitable kitten in a large carrier and get the other cats in the room and let them just mooch around.
It probably took around 4 weeks until I felt confident of leaving a newly introduced kitten with another. I'm back to just the first two now and they still tear a strip off each other every couple of days but they just about know where each other's boundary is. I would still try getting them all in a large enough room together with yourself. Try some distraction tactics with toys and food to keep them all occupied. It's also worth trying to feed them all together in the same room. Feed them late in an evening so they are hungry and just want to eat. The other thing I tried was for to put the more excitable kitten in a large carrier and get the other cats in the room and let them just mooch around.
http://www.icatcare.org/advice/how-introduce-kitte...
It may well be worth having a read of the above.
I had four cats at one time, won't again, can be very stressful to cats to be in multi cat households. I'm sure given time they will find their balance between themselves but sometimes cats are just not meant to be with other cats or may just cope with one other. Still early days you need 6 months and correct introductions to know for sure.
It may well be worth having a read of the above.
I had four cats at one time, won't again, can be very stressful to cats to be in multi cat households. I'm sure given time they will find their balance between themselves but sometimes cats are just not meant to be with other cats or may just cope with one other. Still early days you need 6 months and correct introductions to know for sure.
Thanks Bex, good link
I tried the scent trick using a sock, rubbed on them and then placed near the food bowls which initially seemed to be helping, but I think they're now past the smell thing sadly. If I could just make the kitten less of an irritating knobhead, I'm sure things will be fine! Less stalking would be a start, if nothing else.
Making them all eat at the same time is a good idea, I might have to give that one a go. Sadly I missed the delivery of the baby gates today, hopefully they'll try again tomorrow as I'm keen to see if that makes a difference.
I tried the scent trick using a sock, rubbed on them and then placed near the food bowls which initially seemed to be helping, but I think they're now past the smell thing sadly. If I could just make the kitten less of an irritating knobhead, I'm sure things will be fine! Less stalking would be a start, if nothing else.
Making them all eat at the same time is a good idea, I might have to give that one a go. Sadly I missed the delivery of the baby gates today, hopefully they'll try again tomorrow as I'm keen to see if that makes a difference.
Yes, she's supposed to be the other side of those! Clever little sod
I need to put something up to stop her climbing over, maybe just some cardboard taped to the doorframe would do it I think. However, in the past few days we've had a bit of a breakthrough in that Lexi and Geldof seem to be vaguely tolerating each other now. Lexi still wants to play, but gets it now when Geldof keeps hitting her that she should probably leave the bigger cat alone. They've been eating near each other and sitting closer, which is a huge improvement.
Sadly Zelda has a real complex now, and it's getting worse. Lexi has learnt how to jump up to his safe window spot, so he has nowhere to hide now and he's getting very stressed. I just don't know how to make Lexi stop chasing him every single time, nothing works: Toy throwing, treats, claps, water pistol, nothing. All they do is scare Zelda, so he runs off causing her to chase him. So frustrating!
Wow! I only needed one, even though she is blind, she climbed everything & everywhere else, but that once she was put in her room she stayed there.
I'm still thinking 2nd kitten locked in the room with her, so she play with them not Z&G.
She's bored & wants a playmate; and Z&G are too old to be that for her
It has the added advantage that in a few years time she'll not be left alone...
I'm still thinking 2nd kitten locked in the room with her, so she play with them not Z&G.
She's bored & wants a playmate; and Z&G are too old to be that for her
It has the added advantage that in a few years time she'll not be left alone...
I do agree it's a boredom thing Ali, and looking back two kittens would've been best but I don't really want to introduce another one now for fear of resetting any progress we have made. If we really can't succeed, I'd rather not have to re home two kittens
Lexi was out all day yesterday and she did settle in the afternoon, still very interested when Z&G came down but only looking at from a distance. If I could just get through one night with her out, so she knows she's not going to be shut away again, im sure things would be okay.
I'll try the Feliway etc stuff next, thanks Bex. I may try shutting Zelda away downstairs overnight, and see if he's okay with that for a couple of nights (it's where he sleeps anyway). I just want to be careful that I don't end up punishing him for her faults. If only I hadn't had his balls cut off all those years ago, he might not be such a wimp
Lexi was out all day yesterday and she did settle in the afternoon, still very interested when Z&G came down but only looking at from a distance. If I could just get through one night with her out, so she knows she's not going to be shut away again, im sure things would be okay.
I'll try the Feliway etc stuff next, thanks Bex. I may try shutting Zelda away downstairs overnight, and see if he's okay with that for a couple of nights (it's where he sleeps anyway). I just want to be careful that I don't end up punishing him for her faults. If only I hadn't had his balls cut off all those years ago, he might not be such a wimp
I agree with Bex & thought you'd started the Diffusers already, for speed I'd be using both Feliway & Rescue Remedy as they both have different effects on different cats.
He needs places to get to that are HIS safe spots that she can't follow him to, by using height or a microchip cat door and he needs Zyklene or Kalmaid on his food, both after a week of no improvement.
She needs to be taught that she is not to disturb him there
I don't think another kitten will harm Z&Gs progress. Quite the opposite as it will distract her from them
He needs places to get to that are HIS safe spots that she can't follow him to, by using height or a microchip cat door and he needs Zyklene or Kalmaid on his food, both after a week of no improvement.
She needs to be taught that she is not to disturb him there
I don't think another kitten will harm Z&Gs progress. Quite the opposite as it will distract her from them
I'll try all of those, I had no idea you could combine them, thanks! Luckily there's a vets on the way home, so I'll stop in there tonight.
I guess the trouble with house cats is that they can't just go out for some safety, never been an issue before.
Thank you so much for your help so far, all five of us here really appreciate it
I guess the trouble with house cats is that they can't just go out for some safety, never been an issue before.
Thank you so much for your help so far, all five of us here really appreciate it
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