On Saturday night, I just got two kittens (very cute) and Smeagol (the male cat) spent the first two days hiding in the bedroom. Now, he is making an appearance and he is a third curious, a third scared, and a third hostile.
My question is this... when I go to work, should I keep Smeagol and the kittens separated? Would it be wrong to keep Smeagol in the bedroom (where he has been hiding out)? As silly as it seems, I don't want him to think tht he is being punished. Should I confine the kittens? Or would it be okay just to keep the status quo and let Smeagol come to terms with the kittens.
I don't know if Smeagol would hurt the kittens...whereas the kittens could care less about the Smeagol. He's just the cat that runs back and forth from the kitchen to the bedroom.
Thank you for you help.
Any help you can give me would be appreciated.
Replace the food in his bowl with the kittens.
The 9-year old is NOT going to like the change. That’s just a cat’s nature. They like things to move SLOWLY.
If you can, keep the two kittens in a separate room for a while. Allow the 9-year old to smell them through the bottom of the door. Eventually, he will become used to the scents. You’ll have an idea of this when he stops growling.
After this, slowly introduce the kittens. Be patient! I suspect that the 9-year old won’t exactly LIKE them, but he’ll come to tolerate them.
Speaking from experience...
Your mature cat and the kittens should be fine out together and alone. If the adult gets too rough, the kittens need free run of the house to find a good spot to hide.
Smeagol will act as the dominate cat as it was his house. the kittens will learn to accept that.
I’m no expert, my 5 are all from one big happy family, mama and 4 kittens
But I would not leave everyone alone, unsupervised until I knew the old man accepted the youngins or until the youngins got to be the old man’s size.
I would try to confine the kids and let the old man have the run of the house rather than confine him.
I would suggest you introduce the kittens under your supervision...and pay much attention to your older Tom. Cats do respond to feedback...but their natural urges are powerful.
See if you can nuture your older cat's paternal instincts.
Male cats do have a pateral instinct...but it needs to be encouraged.
Also, cats, if they trust you implicitly, will respond to negative feedback. I use a spray bottle of water and after using it give much reinforcement (saying that I love you though I want a different response).
Good luck...you are attempting to thread a very difficult needle!
Ping ,Cat.
Get a dog to separate them fighting. Series!
Try having some real fun, like I did. Introduce a 10 year old cat, the household’s Senior Fur Person, to an insecure nine week old Great Dane puppy who outweighs her my more than two to one.
Try having some real fun, like I did. Introduce a 10 year old cat, the household’s Senior Fur Person, to an insecure nine week old Great Dane puppy who outweighs her my more than two to one.
A male neutered young is unlikely to hurt kittens, but I'd still take it very slow.
Boil 50 min. Let cool.
My Question for Cat Lovers is why my co-worker’s cat climbed the tree during the day on Friday and still remains there today despite their best efforts to coax it down. These efforts included risking breaking their bones, or worse, atop a 25 foot ladder, etc. No food, no water, high winds, rain and quite cold temperatures didn’t induce the cat to come down. And it’s a grown cat, not a kitten.
This reinforces my observations that cats, while they certainly may be cute, lovable and interesting at times, are dumb as a box of rocks.
If ya like or love cats, fine. I have nothing in particular against them. I have lived with several but I prefer dogs whose affections are demonstrative and unfailing and they are smart enough to come in out of the rain.
If you leave them alone they will be fine. The key point here is not to let the older one feel foresaken for the newbies.
Pay the old man special attention while the newbies and he get acclimated to each other. Cosmic Catnip is the perfect treat for him as the kittens have not developed and affinity for catnip yet.
They will never be perfect pals but things will work out just fine if he doesn’t feel his “position” with you has been compromised by the kittens.
It’s obvious that the 9 year old male tom behaved stupidly. I’d suggest a catnip summit at the Whitehouse.
After my little kitty, Kelsey, died I wanted to give her brother, Bailey, a companion. I brought home Gracie and she kept going up to Bailey, he would hiss, she would retreat, then start all over again. this kept going on all day then that night she was curled up next to him and both were sleeping soundly. Bailey tolerated her for some time but now they are as close as ever. Bailey is 17 and when he dies, I don’t know what I’ll do cuz Gracie is the meanest ketteh I know! Now, introducing my puppies to my kitties was an experience I NEVER want to go through ever again!
Don’t know how to advise. We just got a new baby kitteh, and he’s earned his first nickname. Chupacabra. Our Queen, Little Girl, has been the boss, and she no likee Chupacabra. He’s a tiger cat.
You can expect the old cat to bring up the kittens signup date as proof of the little ones’ inferiority whenever some issue between them arises.
Maybe you buy a dog.