Daily Kitten Chat Forum » Cats & Kittens

1. 

   This forum is going to get tired of me real fast haha :)

   But another question about my new kitten Sam. Over his shot sickness and over his virus, he is now trying to battle something else, meeting the elder cat, Cletus. For over a week now, Cletus has been coming in, Sam in the crate and now in my arms, and I have let Cletus do his investigation around the room. Gradually I been trying to keep them seeing each other, but all Cletus wants to do is hiss and growl. Mostly, Sam has just remained calm and watched him, not trying to get near him. Today however, was different.

   Sam decided he was ready to meet the cat, he had enough. I put him on my leg and he was ready to jump off, but I held him because before Sam, Cletus would come in here every so often and sleep with me, it was rare, but it happened. So because of that reason, I worry that Cletus may get feisty because this is his room in his mind. Well finally, Cletus turned around and started growling and hissing and I said, you know what? Enough. Cletus exited the room so I put Sam down, Sam chased him at the top of the stairs and Cletus ran, while Sam tried to catch up. I grabbed Sam because I don't want him out alone.

   Is there something I am doing wrong to get Cletus to accept this cat? My former elder cat, all it took was a bite on the neck, some licking, and they were friends for life. This new kitten? Cletus just is refusing to budge! Any help on this situation would be greatly appreciated!

   Posted 1 year ago by SySteve #

2. 

   It usually takes a little while for cats to acclimate to each other. Sometimes you are lucky and they get along right away but more often you have to take it in steps.

   One thing that helps is getting them use to each others scent before you try to put them together. You can use a shirt you've worn but not washed yet, rub one cat with it, then rub down the other cat. The scents get all mixed up.

   Chick on the pink tag in the upper right hand corner - that will take you to past threads where this subject has been discussed in the past. Some of the threads have links to good internet sites on the subject, too.

   Posted 1 year ago by CheetahBoysmommy #

3. 

   Thank you for the speedy reply :) I have been looking online, but so far no tips have helped. I thought maybe someone else had a similar experience and could have some advice. I am checking that out though, thank you!

   Posted 1 year ago by SySteve #

4. 

   The hissing and growling is very normal. Give Cletus a chance to get used to Sam's scent. What we did was switch their beds and blankets. We also would put the existing cat in the kittens room and let the kitten wander around the rest of the house. Cletus will eventually get used to his scent and by letting Sam wander the house he will become more familiar with his new home and hiding places. We knew it was time for introductions when our kitten wanted OUT of the room and the existing cat wanted IN. For each of our new kittens it took a period of about 9-10 days to get along. There was still some hissing and growling, but after another few days to a week they were playing and sleeping together. I'm not sure how old Cletus is, but our existing cats are still kittens themselves. I know that with older cats it can take longer. Be patient and good luck! :)

   Posted 1 year ago by KerrBear #

5. 

   Cletus is just letting Sam know who is the top cat. They develop a pecking order and will be friends as soon as Sam accepts his place, which is last!

   Posted 1 year ago by Sheba's Mom in Raleigh, NC #

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