new kitten in the house, other cats are not doing well

[runmikeyrun]

I have two indoor cats that are 8 years old, a brother and a sister. I recently acquired a kitten that is 2 months old (very small) because a friend took in a stray that had kittens 3 days later. The male is very dominant, but is starting to come around- I even caught him playing with the kitten a few times. The female however is very skittish, a typical scaredy cat. She is not just hissing at the kitten, but going out of her way to attack it. Tonight the kitten was sleeping and the female came and smacked her in the face 3 times rapid fire, hissed, then ran away. She frequently will chase and attack the kitten, whereas the male doesn't.

I'm not sure how to handle it. I've tried yelling and smacking the female when she's doing it, but it doesn't seem to work. Neither of the cats respond to squirt bottles. I don't know if it's one of those things I just need to let them work out or what.

The kitten isn't spayed but also isn't old enough to go in heat or be spayed. I'm wondering if this is a female to female thing and when she gets spayed if it will help.

Unfortunately, separating the cats is not an option.

Any advice is appreciated.

[T-Bird]

Hi.

Are any of the cats fixed?

IMLE, that makes a world of difference.

Back in the day when we took our now 8 year old kitten, neither of the older cats reacted in any other way than ignoring her. We had one adult female and quite often an older female cat "visiting". Both were fixed.

EDIT:The visitor was mostly an indoor cat, but ours was free to wander around the countryside as she pleased, as is our curret one, so that makes a world of diference territorywise.

Regards
Sam

[FrankenIbanez70]

I always had the opposite problem, our cat (female) was 7 when we got a kitten, and the kitten, (also female) used our older cat as a personal punching bag. Its been 2 years now and our younger cat still occasionally attacks our older cat. Both are spayed. All I can say is over time they get along a lot better, they can actually be in the same room without fighting.

[jonathan_matos5]

it the one thread you would expect that there be kitten pictures.

[runmikeyrun]

Yeah both older cats are fixed. the kitten isn't old enough to be spayed yet, but she will be soon. I think the cats are just so used to being here by themselves that this is really a big change for them. The kitten is ok with it because there were 3 other adult cats at the house she came from. I'm afraid of what goes on when I'm not here to break it up

Sorry, no kitten pics lol.

[Strohsx]

Working out dominance, just keep an eye on them, they'll come around.
Our older cat had issues with our new kitten a few years ago, after the little one got big enough to to defend itself it worked out.

[JMarkD]

Originally Posted by Strohsx

Working out dominance, just keep an eye on them, they'll come around.
Our older cat had issues with our new kitten a few years ago, after the little one got big enough to to defend itself it worked out.

+1 They need time to adjust. Females can be difficult. They may never "like" each other, but once the territories are established they will be okay. With cats it just takes time.

Please don't hit your older cat! It will only make her more afraid, and she will be afraid of you! Not good. Part of her reaction is because she is jealous of having to share your attention with the kitten. By punishing her you are making her fears worse. You need to give your older cats plenty of attention and reassurance. And when she shows tolerance towards the kitten be sure to reward her with a treat etc.

[MatticusMania]

You didnt take time to properly introduce the cats to each other. When bringing a new cat into a home that already has cats its a good idea to leave the new cat in a room, such as a bedroom, with a closed door. This allows the cats that already live there to get used to the new cats scent before seeing each other.

And this:

Originally Posted by JMarkD

+1 They need time to adjust. Females can be difficult. They may never "like" each other, but once the territories are established they will be okay. With cats it just takes time.

Please don't hit your older cat! It will only make her more afraid, and she will be afraid of you! Not good. Part of her reaction is because she is jealous of having to share your attention with the kitten. By punishing her you are making her fears worse. You need to give your older cats plenty of attention and reassurance. And when she shows tolerance towards the kitten be sure to reward her with a treat etc.

[runmikeyrun]

Gotcha, thanks for the suggestions everyone! I will see how this plays out...

[Solarmist]

You brought a noobie youngster into your other cat's turf; there lies the problem. Keep the food/water bowls separate, and love-up the older two in front of the new kitten, but not as much the other way around. They will probably learn to accept her as time passes.

[VitalSigns]

...

[HEIST]

Originally Posted by jonathan_matos5

it the one thread you would expect that there be kitten pictures.

I clicked for kitten pictures, too.

[chuck norriss]

Serious answer: Next time they fight immediately dunk them in a bucket of water. They'll stop.

[Jay2U]

We used to have three cats, when I still lived with my parents. They had their own characters. Each had a private place. One used a chair, another used a carton box and number three preferred a place upstairs. If it was time for their meal, they all came to the kitchen, begging for food. As soon as they were eating, they defended their food, which is a natural behaviour. Sometimes hissing and growling could be heared. No problem, they settled the problem theirselves. Shouting and yelling at them doesn't work. Be patient, everytime they fight, take them apart in a gentle way. Our cats 'knew' they weren't allowed on the beds. We achieved this by always picking them up from the bed and placing them on the floor. In the end they obey, not by reason, but because they don't like to be disturbed all the time.

[rr5025]

Originally Posted by HEIST

I clicked for kitten pictures, too.

+1