Introductions: New kitty to my cat?

Question

I have a three-year-old cat and I just adopted a new kitty who is about 4 months. My 3 yr old, Lola, is not too thrilled about it. I have read all about slow introductions, setting up a base room for the newcomer, etc. What I am wondering about is Lola's behavior.

When I open the door a crack for the new guy, Otto, to take a peak, Lola sits there hissing at him and even growling sometimes. She doesn't move toward him like she might attack- her "bark" is worse than her bite. Do I let her hiss while she's adjusting, or do I discipline her? (I usually discipline with a scold or a squirt from the water bottle) If I let her hiss, I feel like I'm telling her it's OK to be mean to Otto. But, if I discipline her, I feel like I'm giving her a negative association with the new cat.

She has been known to get along with our neighbors cats in the past so I think she'll overcome this, but I need to know the best way to respond to her behavior. Please help!

Answer 1

New kitten equals time and patience.  Almost always the cats work things out in their own time.

Here's an article you might find helpful:

http://www.absolutelycats.com/22Bringing...

Good Luck and thank you for adopting!

Answer 2

Good job introducing them! I'm glad you decided to do it gradually.

Let Lola hiss. She is upset and confused so she feels the need to defend her territory. This behavior is to be expected, not repremanded. Punishment does not help to change a cat's behavior in any situation; it only makes them resent you.

Let them interact for a few minutes, and if Otto runs and hides in his room, then close the door and let them calm down. Each day let them spend a few more minutes together. They will eventually adjust; it may take a couple weeks or even a couple months but just be patient. If there's no fighting, then they're doing just fine.

As far as the squirt bottle goes, it hardly ever works for any "bad behavior." Most cats, (especially kittens) just think that you're playing with them when you squirt them.

For the time that they spend apart, let them get used to each other in a less stressful way. Rub both cats down with towel. Leave the towels that smell like Lola in Otto's room and leave the one's that smell like Otto around the house for Lola to get aquainted with. The more they get used to each other's scent, the easier the transition should be.

I hope this helps.

Good luck to you and your kittys!

Answer 3

She just needs some time to adjust. try to keep them seperated for awhile, but feed them in the same room at the same time.

Lola isn't being mean, she is just not happy with having an interloper! After a few days of separation keep the door open to the room you're keeping him in and allow them to find eachother. If all she does is hiss then let her, if she tries to bite then I would calmly pick one of them up and remove it to another room, not yelling or using the water bottle as this will make her more agitated. let her calm down and try again in a few hours. It took about 2-3 weeks for my cats to adjust to eachother and now they play and sleep by eachother.