New Kitten introduced to 18mth old Male Big Kid cat Help

[Fire Fox]

  As far as I understand it, vocalisations (hissing/ growling) is are just one aspect of the incredibly complex communication that goes on between two cats when one intrudes on another's territory. It doesn't automatically follow that there will be fisticuffs, many times one will back down and the pecking order is established or there may be one scuffle before a truce is called. Maybe research feline body language so that you know whether Nipper is scared or aggressive, whether the infidel is acting submissive and whether there are any changes?
http://neofeline.blogspot.com/2008/02/your-cat-body-language.html

[Steff - Petsearch Bedford HQ]

Hi Annalou

When I introduced Marble to Bourneville it was quite horrible and worrying for me. It took around a month of keeping them separate and doing introductions before they started to tolerate each other and even when they got better they would still fight and I was worried Marble would get hurt cos she was only a little kitten. How about swapping over who is in the safe room, I did that. So for an hour have kitten around the rest of the house and nipper in the safe room on his own so he can do whatever he needs to do to make himself feel better about the newbie. Do that for about a week and that should help mix their smells thoroughly.

Have you got any feliway, zylkene or rescue remedy yet? These things do work and will help to calm the situation. I strongly recommend that you get one or more of these products.

After room swapping I would say just let them out together for short periods. Its not always pretty but you have to do it so they sort out their pecking order. There will be growls, hisses, spits and swipes but they have to go through it. It worried the life out of me with Bourneville and Marble but they were find and eventually Marble became leader of the pack.

When I got Soap earlier this year I only keep her separate for a few days and then let them sort it out between themselves which they did. Soap was an extremely confident kitten and more than capable of holding her own.

Soap is still trying to battle Marble for the "crown" so they will never be best friends and still have a daily spat but they tolerate each other. Unfortunately not all cats will be best friends but they will find their own spaces and will live alongside each other.

I hope that helps, just try not worry. They will get rough just keep an eye to make sure they are not murdering each other and they'll be fine

[AnnaLou]

Tried another introduction today, again it has not gone well.  Got older cat nipper into the safe room he had a good smell around the room while little one was in another room.  Brought little one into the room in cat carrier placed it on floor.  Nipper just sat under the sofa bed growling. He did after a while come out to smell the carrier and he growled and hissed at the little one in the carrier.

It's really hard, I don't know how long this is going to go on for, or if it will get better.  Nipper is just scary when he growls at you when you try to stroke him you don't know what he is going to do.  I don't want to have to take little one back to cats protection but at the moment after a week it's not getting any better.  I need some help to tell me what I can do I just don't know how to keep doing this.

[Fire Fox]

Just wanted to say You have come to the right place as there is a wealth of experience on Purrs, and we are always gentle on newcomers! 

[Michelle (furbabystar)]

Ooo thats 2 very sexy boys you here there ..... 

This is just my opinion and the way I have always introduced a new cat ( have 11 at the moment)
I don't go for the "keeping them apart" routine, I have found it can make thing worse and take alot longer, so basically I let them get on with it !
Yes there will be hissing, growling and probably a few slaps but its always worked for Me!

Good luck x

[Susanne (urbantigers)]

When I got Mosi, I just put him and Jaffa together pretty much straight away.  I'm not particularly recommending that course of action as it's generally best to do introductions gradually, but that's what I did as I have little space in my flat to keep them separate and I think Jaffa would have found it stressful to not have free access to the whole flat for more than a few hours (I did keep them in separate rooms for a few hours).  It took Jaffa 2 - 3 days to stop hissing when Mosi went near him, although he would still hiss if Mosi went too far.  I just left them to it as Mosi has never been the sort of cat to allow a hissy rebuff to upset him and they soon settled down.  Not sure what to recommend in your situation as you don't want Nipper to decide he doesn't want to come home (my cats are indoor cats so Jaffa couldn't nip out of the cat flap and not come home), but he may be more stressed about being able to smell and hear another cat than he would be if he actually met the kitten.  Have you tried to introduce them (other than Nipper going into the room and seeing the kitten in his carrier)?  It might be worth putting them in the same room together - maybe feeding them at the same time?  The day after I bought Mosi home (when Jaffa was still disgruntled) I had beans on toast for lunch and then put the plate on the floor for them to lick.  The desire for tomato sauce overcome everythign else and the pair of them licked the same plate happily! 

It will take a while for Nipper to come around and it's natural for him to hiss and growl - he's just telling the kitten to  off!  Perhaps you could try letting them both be free in the same room together for a while and see what happens - Nipper will probably hiss and growl but I wouldn't worry too much about that unless the kitten seems scared.  Adult cats aren't usually threatened by kittens - it's just the whole imposter in my house kind of thing to begin with.  I would try controlled introductions and be prepared for a bit of hissing on both sides but unless either is getting hurt or showing signs of being very stressed, I would leave them to sort things out.

[Kay and Penny]

perhaps he will be happier when he has discovered the scent is coming from something a lot smaller than he is

he might be afraid some great hulking tom has muscled in on his territory

I brought Tiffany as a tiny kitten into Trigger's space, and he hissed and growled a bit at her, but she took no notice of him - much too busy playing - and he soon stopped

but he is a very non-aggressive cat, so probably not a good example

[AnnaLou]

I'm currently using the Feliway plug in downstairs for Nipper.  I'm going along the lines of once he stops reacting badly to the scent it is time to have another face to face meeting.  Has anyone had experience of introducing a second cat and how long did it take for them to stop growling and hissing everytime to you gave them the other ones sent?

[Liz]

I would get a feliway plug in and also perhaps some Zylkene for the big feller just to take the edge he is feeling off and perhaps 5 drops of rescue remedy in his water bowl and of course lots of extra treats so he feels like he is still your number one

[AnnaLou]

Introduced the scent from little gizmo on a cloth and tried to rub nipper with it and we had the growling and hissing at us again. Nipper actually grabbed the cloth and tried to bite.  I'm glad to know it's not just me that gets that reaction my other half did it and got the same and he is usually top of the pack in this house.

How long are we going to get this for? Will he just get used to the smell and stop growling, if he reacts like that to smell what about the actual kitten? Anyone else had this same problem?

[AnnaLou]

I didn't know whether we had experienced a bit of a setback allowing Nipper to enter the room where the little one is kept within first 2 days.  It was his choice to investigate so there was no forcing the 2 together, he charged in there after me because smell the other one.  Not sure if meeting each other early on is good or bad, it certainly made Nipper know for sure that someone is there.  Not sure why Nipper doesn't want to go up the stairs, is he afraid of kitten?

[snarf]

  Were always gentle! 

id have a look at this
http://www.purrsinourhearts.co.uk/index.php/topic,4789.0.html

its a quick guide to introducing cats. sounds like youre doing all the right things keeping them seperate. they key i think is to do every thing slowly one sense at a time (sound, smell, sight) at try to make any interaction pleasant- with food or treats or play

Thngs will get better  its very early days yet and nipper isnt used to sharing anything

[Dawn F]

it will get better but it really does take time!

[AnnaLou]

Hi I'm a newbie here, so please be gentle...   After a lot of researching and talking to advisors at Cats Protection League, I decided to get another cat to live with my big boy Nipper who is an 18mth old neutered male.  He is a big kid at heart who still loves to play and chase things.  I thought it would be nice company for him and they would play together.

CP advised we should get a young male kitten that is quite boisterous as a match to Nipper.  So on Sunday I came back home with a 10 week old tabby male kitten. I set up in his own safe room and he is quite happy.  Nipper on the other hand...  Well he could smell something different.  On day 2 he follows me upstairs, I put kitty in his carrier, Nipper comes into the room goes right up to carrier hissing and growling then he runs off.  Since then he will not go upstairs to be anywhere near the room, when I bring bedding with little one's scents on he sniffs then hisses and growls and want to go out.  He has been a bit off with me and sometimes growls at me.  He wants to be out most of the time now, I keep giving him treats and food when he does come in and try to play until he gets hacked off again. 

I've been told to keep little one upstairs while Nipper is outside in case he sees him and doesn't want to come back in the house.  It's so hard and upsetting to see Nipper like this and I feels sorry for little kitty upstairs in the room on his own.  Please tell me things will get better eventually!