I have a 3 mth old kitten and we got a 2 mth old one last night. They don't get along.?

Question

The older kitten is hissing and trying to smack the younger one with her paws. The younger one has tried several times to come up and introduce himself but she won't have it. Now he's fallen into a defensive mode. I've had cats all my life and have never seen such a dramatic response. What can we do?

Answer 1

The older one is trying to make it her own territory. Try buying a spray for the kitten that's trying to jump the other one, so it learns to not pounce.

Answer 2

They will tend to do that for a couple days. They are just protecting their territory. Soon they will be snuggled up together catnapping in the sun. Try holding the new kitten and calling the other one over. Let the older kitten sniff and explore the new one.  

Answer 3

When you first introduce a new kitten to the home of an old one, you MUST keep them separated for at least 10 days.  This is to allow the first cat to get used to the smell, and it is also good because the 2nd cat might have a sickness that he/she could give to the oldest.  This is also good because it allows the oldest one to get curious and play under the door with the new one.  I had to do the same thing, and it seemed like FOREVER!!!  But now, they clean each other and sleep next to each other.  I know it's tough, but it will just take time and patience.

Answer 4

I wouldn't worry about it. They are both REALLY young cats so they will get used to one another pretty quickly. I have 2 cats and my older one was 3 years old when I got a new kitten. She did not like the new cat one bit.  She would constantly hiss and swat at her if the other cat came in the same room as her. It took about 3 weeks for the older cat not to hiss at the younger cat. It took about 6 months until they actually started playing with each other. Since your cats are so young it probably won't take so long. If they are both young it will probably just take the older cat about a week (maybe 2) to get along with the younger one. The older one is just showing dominance over her domain (she is just telling the younger cat "THIS IS MY HOUSE!!!!")

Answer 5

Cats have a pecking order, unless the older cat is drawing blood - let them work it out by themselves.  One must be the alpha animal, and it's how they do it (hissing, swatting, pouncing and wrestling).  Just make sure as they are bouncing around fighting, if they hit a table - nothing will fall on them.

If they don't stop in a few days, you may have incompatible cats.  Like humans, we don't like everyone we meet and wouldn't want to live with them.  Let them work on it themselves, you monitor to make sure no bloodshed happens - otherwise, resist to urge to get involved.

Make sure you have two litterboxes - you are supposed to have one box per cat.

Answer 6

just let them fight it out to a certain extent. the younger one will no who is boss and the older one will be satisfied that he has taught the younger one who is boss!

Answer 7

Be patient.  The older kitty is used to being the one who gets all the attention and being "king of the roost."  Over time they'll start to get along.  For now though, make sure that the kittys have their own food and water dish and own litter box to avoid any serious confrontation.  

Answer 8

I don't won't to go against other's opinion but I urge you to read this before stopping them. The worst thing to do right now is for you to get involved. DO NOT STOP THEM. LET THEM BE. Don'T stand there, don't look...just let them be

I know it's hard but they need to establish who's the boss. The sooner it will be establish, the better they will be. If you seperate them, things will only get worst. The stronger one knows he can dominate the other one but by seperating them you prevent him from passing his message so the next time, he will raise the bar of violence to be sure the message gets through. IF again you seperate them, he will raise the bar again. That's why you see the fights getting worst and worst. Let them be. I know cat fights are impressive but they are rarely harmfull.

AT the beginning, have them in seperate rooms during the night so that they can rest without the fear of being attacked.

IMPORTANT - Be sure to have at least 2 litters at the beginning. Be sure to put them in a room where, from inside it, they can see the entrace of the room and where they can flee if necessary. Later one you could remove one litter when things calm down but always keep two litters.

Play with them a lot with a toy they both affectionate. Learning to have fun togheter is the key. If they both play with the toy in turn (cats normally wait in turn to play with the same toy) then give them Treats. You need to associate good things with being togheter. Feed them at the same time and the same place.

That should take care of your problem. Be patient. It will take about 5 days for the fights to get better and a full 14 days for things to really calm down. You will have to endure a fight here and there for probably 3 to 5 months. Be patient and they will come around eventually. But remember. LET THEM BE!

Answer 9

The older one thinks he is intruding in her territory.  My cats used to do this all the time.  What i did was stand right there, (you have to be brave enough to stop a fight) and sit there petting the older one, letting him know it is not something you are worried about.  just keep doing this until she gets used to the newcomer, they may never actually like each other, but at least they won't fight.

Answer 10

Honestly, just leave them to it.  I recently got myself a kitten and introduced her to my 1 year old cat.  There was a lot of hissing, lots of smacks and lots of rolling about.  Now, they're best friends.

The older cat is just showing the newby who's boss.  They'll be fine in a few days.