Cat problems - need advice plz!

uk_angeldust
uk_angeldust Posts: 234 Member
in Chit-Chat
Sorry guys this is not fitness related but I need some advice plz. We got a 5 month old kitten Lexi (female) in our house as of today and she keeps fighting with our 1 and a half yr old cat Emmie (female). (Long story cut short they are a mother and daughter - previously owners could not keep Lexi so they 'returned' her to us). They are not physical (yet) as I try to keep them apart but they hiss and growl at each other. Will this get any better! plz help! What can I do to make it better?
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Replies

  • Windy_
    Windy_ Posts: 1,012 Member
    It's been 1 day? :huh:
  • cmcollins001
    cmcollins001 Posts: 3,472 Member
    Advice = give it time.
  • RobynC79
    RobynC79 Posts: 331 Member
    Confine your new cat to one room, and let the existing cat feel secure that she owns the rest of the house. I would give that at least a day or so. Then let the new one out and let them sort it out. If they fight, it's likely to be fairly brief if the new cat backs down right away. You can help establish the correct relationship by feeding your older cat first, for example. Give them separate little trays, too.

    Be patient, animals have their ways of sorting out who is boss, and usually things settle down quite quickly once this is established. Consistently breaking things up will probably prolong the period of sorting out dominance. If you find that after a week or so they are still fighting or one is beginning to persistently bully the other, you might need some more serious behavioural management. But let them have at it for a while first.
  • IsabellaC45
    IsabellaC45 Posts: 137 Member
    I think maybe Lexi is feeling a bit intimidated by your other older cat, who has been with the family for longer. And possibly stressed from the move away from her family.
    Just show her lots of love, and give it a bit of time. I'm sure she will settle. :)
  • Erica0718
    Erica0718 Posts: 469 Member
    Advice = give it time.

    *winner*
  • _DaniD_
    _DaniD_ Posts: 2,186 Member
    They will always hate each other. One will probably decide to move out.
  • tageekly
    tageekly Posts: 3,755 Member
    Advice = give it time.

    *winner*

    Agree. It took about 3 weeks for my cats to warm up to each other. And then they still fought occasionally.
  • itsuki
    itsuki Posts: 520 Member
    I know this is only anecdotal evidence, so take it with a grain of salt.

    When my sister got her second cat she had the same problem. She got one of these things you plug into an outlet (like a room freshener, lol!) that has cat pheromones or something, and she claims it worked great.
  • horseplaypen
    horseplaypen Posts: 442 Member
    This is a great article about how to introduce new cats to each other - or even how to re-introduce cats that were just thrown together and don't get along. Good luck!

    http://www.littlebigcat.com/behavior/cat-to-cat-introductions/
  • Crankstr
    Crankstr Posts: 3,958 Member
    I would separate them as well, and put their food on either side of the door so they associate happy eating with each other.

    when you bring the other one out, play with both of them with a string or cat toy, again happy and fun.

    Ive fostered many many cats.
  • Pixi_Rex
    Pixi_Rex Posts: 1,676 Member
    Sorry hit enter and it posted for me. re-introduce them slowly - keep them seperated and slowly get them back together... the older female WILL put the younger one in her place... it will take more than one day tho.

    My moms cats did this when the newest one was introduced, the older female still hates the youngest male but they live with eachother and dont fight all the time.
  • Crochetluvr
    Crochetluvr Posts: 3,225 Member
    When I introduced a new kitty to a resident, I used a baby gate to separate them.....they could see each other but couldn't get at each other. In the beginning there was hissing and spitting. But, eventually, it stopped after several days and then I took away the gate. Things were fine after that.
  • yoginimary
    yoginimary Posts: 6,788 Member
    Did Lexi just come back?

    If so: separate them and you'll have to reintroduce them slowly. I mean slowly. Check out this article:
    http://www.fourpaws.org/pages/adopting_pages/introducing_cats.html

    If not - If the cats were getting along for the past couple of weeks and now they are fighting, you have an entirely different problem. First off, get them both checked out by the vet. Sometimes cats will become aggressive when they are sick or injured. After that there are other things you can do. We can message about it.
  • LuckyLeprechaun
    LuckyLeprechaun Posts: 6,296 Member
    It might solve itself, it might not. I have a kitteh who only lives in my bedroom because he never got over it.

    Good luck!
  • Boobookittyfq
    Boobookittyfq Posts: 454 Member
    i had a 1 yr old kitten meet a 4 month old male all she did was hiss and fight for about 3 days after a while she warmed up to him .. Just give them a week usually because their not used to the other kitten's scent ... brushing both kittens with the same brush will help and try giving them treats together try to interact with each other ... but patience always works goodluck :)
  • thecanface
    thecanface Posts: 1,180 Member
    get a dog.
  • whitneyps7
    whitneyps7 Posts: 409 Member
    yes it will get better cats are very territorial so of course they will both be pissed. just keep them seperated for 2 days or so then let them slowly come around eachother, let them smell eachother and they might hiss and growl but just leave them unless they start fighting....if you attempt to break them up be wearing a jacket and have a towel to grab one.!!!!! with time they will be fine though. ive had alot of cats and watch alot of documentarys on cats and their behavior and its awesome how they work. just my 2 cents :) good luck
  • felice03
    felice03 Posts: 2,644 Member
    May I suggest something along these lines....

    264093965620226334_k48GB055_c.jpg
  • EmilyOfTheSun
    EmilyOfTheSun Posts: 1,548 Member
    Let them duke it out.
  • janalayn
    janalayn Posts: 510 Member
    I have two siamese cats, brother and sister, who are 3 years old. They were brought home together, get along most of the time but sometimes they fight like maniacs. Just give it some time. They need to establish their boudaries.
  • christine5791
    christine5791 Posts: 46 Member
    They will always hate each other. One will probably decide to move out.

    lol :)
  • Maidofmer
    Maidofmer Posts: 908 Member
    cats don't like other cats. I've had 7 at once. a mother son combo and seeing each other, they'd puff up and hiss. the rest attack each other one day then cuddle the next. cats are cats. you need to give it more than 24 hours
  • KittenTikka
    KittenTikka Posts: 93
    Give it time. 1 day is nothing regarding the time cats can take to settle into a new home (it can take MONTHS for cats to "feel at home" in a new place). Your new cat will be feeling insecure as she doesn't know where to run to/hide in her "new" abode. Confine your new cat to one room (so she can get to know the room well - it helps if there's things to hide under or climb up as that helps cats feel a little more secure), whilst allowing your other cat access everywhere else she would normally go. Gradually re-introduce them; i.e. short supervised periods sharing the same area. Don't expect miracles overnight, you may have to string out supervised introductions over weeks rather than days! Female cats can be harder to get to socialise with each other compared to male cats IME, but they can reach a truce given lots of time and space. If you live in a very small house/flat, be aware that they may not settle if they really hate each other....

    This is how we introduced our female kitten to our existing older cat. Existing cat was somewhat miffed to start with, and they still have the occasional non-serious spat (usually instigated by NoLongerKitten) but they have co-existed in our house for over 3yrs now and neither has offered to move out (we have a cat-flap so they can come and go as they please - the option to leave is there if either wants out)!
  • christine5791
    christine5791 Posts: 46 Member
    Yeah, it's really early... I have heard a 'slow' introduction works well when they seem to be not getting along... they probably just need time but keep an eye on it/them till you know if they are cool with each other :)
  • KittenTikka
    KittenTikka Posts: 93
    I know this is only anecdotal evidence, so take it with a grain of salt.

    When my sister got her second cat she had the same problem. She got one of these things you plug into an outlet (like a room freshener, lol!) that has cat pheromones or something, and she claims it worked great.

    Feliway or DAP diffusers - another good idea to help your cats settle down together
  • whitneyps7
    whitneyps7 Posts: 409 Member
    "if your having cat problems i feel bad for you son i got 99 problems but a cat aint one!"
  • chubby_checkers
    chubby_checkers Posts: 2,354 Member
    May I suggest something along these lines....

    264093965620226334_k48GB055_c.jpg

    I'm saving this in case I ever accidently have kids.
  • lizzybethclaire
    lizzybethclaire Posts: 849 Member
    You should never just plop two cats in a room together. The introduction is going to take time. First, have a room only for the kitten and make sure the kitten has its own litter box, food bowl, water bowl, and some toys. Make sure to spend time with the kitten and your full grown cat. Next, get a sock, and rub it on your kittens fur. Pet the kitten with it, make the kitten play with it, etc... Do the same thing with a different sock on your full grown cat. Then switch the socks. let the kitten play with the other cat's sock and vice versa. They need to get used to each other's scents. Let a day go by. Next day, lock the kitten in its travel cage and let the cat explore "her" room. shut the door to the main cats room and let the kitten explore that room. make sure they DON'T use each other's litter box. switch the toys between the rooms. Let them explore for about 20 mins before brining teh kitten back to her room and shutting the door and making sure the other cat is out. Next day, sit outside the room with the kitten and play with toys that can go under the door. Let both cats play. The kitten is safe in the other room while the older cat can't get in. Next, go in the room with the kitten and stick that same toy under the door for the big cat to play with. Do this repeatedly. Next day. While holding the kitten in her room, let them see each other. They may hiss. have treats and toss to both cats. Do this for two days. Then let her out of the room, but watch them carefully. let her still sleep in her room with the door shut. Do this for another week and let the kitten out more and more to interact with your big cat. In two weeks, you will have two cats who will learn to tolerate each other. It takes patience, but it is worth it.
  • ValerieMartini2Olives
    ValerieMartini2Olives Posts: 3,024 Member
    I have a 2 year old boy cat and I brought home an adult female (age unknown) from the animal shelter. As soon as I got her out of the carrier and the boy saw her, he immediately growled, hissed, and swatted at her. This went on for a few days. It was the boy that was always the aggressor, not the girl. The girl is very laid back and chill. I have now had the girl cat for about 10 months and they do not hiss or growl at each other. However, the boy is very playful and frisky and he likes to "attack" the girl when she is just laying around. I don't believe he's doing it to be vicious, I think he just wants to play with her and she doesn't like to play like that. She will hiss and swat at him in that scenario. They are not friends, but they live together. They have no problems being on the couch or the bed together. Sometimes I catch them snuggling and every once in a great while, I will see the girl grooming the boy. It just takes time. And remember, your first cat was there first so your new cat is the foreign enemy right now.
  • jojo52610
    jojo52610 Posts: 692 Member
    I have 3 - my first Cat Bella still hisses and growls and the first male has been here 2 years. We just recently brought a kitten in to the house she hissed and growled at him for at least the first 7 to 8 days at him too and still does it once it while when he pisses her off or bugs her..

    They will get used to each other- in the beginning we fed the new guys in a different part of the house - and when the kittens went to sleep in her "favorite" spot - we re-directed them somewhere else to sleep.

    they will get used to each other
    sometimes she'll play with the little guy

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