I have a cat. I want a kitten. Will the cat hurt the kitten? Advice? (kittens, male)

[Eeeee22895]

I am a sucker for black female shorthairs. I just am. A seven-week-old is becoming available. I already have a four-year-old female. In the past, she has not been welcoming to other kittens in the house. She has hissed at them, but I've never let them be alone together for long.

I want to know. Have any of you heard of an adult cat killing or hurting a kitten not her own? Is this likely or even possible? Or will the adult "get over it"? And if she does, will she get back to normal or will she be on edge.

I rescued a kitten once before. Kept it out in the garage for three weeks before I gave it away. I swear, it seemed like my cat was mad at me over that. She was sullen and stand-offish for a few weeks after, before she seemed to get back to normal. Was I imagining, or do they really hold grudges?

[chilaili]

My older cat (DC) was well into his Two's when I got my kitten who was four months old at the time. I kept them separated for about a month by keeping her in the spare bathroom, mostly because she had a terrible URI from the Shelter, and DC would go up to the door and sniff around the edges and she would stick her little paw thro the gap to try and investigate what was out there. When I started letting her out I would hold onto her while DC had a good sniff around to see what on earth this new creature was. I let the kitten into each room on her own to explore and then let DC into the same room (SUPERVISED) and they gradually got to know each other. They aren't exactly best friends but they wrestle and chase each other around and even sometimes sleep on the same bed. DC occasionally causes her to squawk in protest when sits on her head or uses a particuarly strong headlock, but he has never actually hurt her or drawn blood.

I think it very much depends on the cats themselves and how you handle introducing them to each other. DC did some hissing at first when he spotted her in the bathroom, but it never amounted to much. I personally believe it's easier if the cats are opposite sexes but that's not always true.

[akcher]

I am in the same situation. I have one cat and I would love to get another. Her foster dad said she is does not like other cats. It really showed when my next door kitty was in our front yard. She would have a hissing fit. I would love to have another but I'm afraid for the well being of my cat. I just don't know how she will react and how long it will take for her to adjust. I don't want to separate the two while I'm not at home.

[Connecticut Pam]

I have always had two cats. We use to have a big male cat I called "Mr. Butts"...he was a black and white tuxedo and had a huge personality. I rescued a kitten..little orange tabby half siamese who I still own today. Mr. Butts use to hold her down and give her a bath like a Mommy kitty would. She would torment him kitty fashion, but he did love her.

After Mr. Butts died at age 17, we adopted a Russian Blue kitten someone tossed out of a car. Cruel, huh? my Orange tabby was probably 12 at the time and I was concerned how she would react. I kept the Russian Blue who we named "Doris" in a room by herself for probably a month. She had her own litter box and I would spend hours with her every day. Finally I put the two of them together and there was some hissing...still is from time to time but they do love each other now and sleep together all the time. Now, my orange tabby will be 18 in August and we are talking about again adopting another kitty. I don't think by "Doris" is going to be able to be alone after having spent 6 years already with "Buffy" my orange tabby.

Yes, get another kitty. The hissing doesn't last long and they do understand you when you say NO to them or STOP...cats are a lot smarter than people give them credit for. Good luck and have fun with your new baby,.

[Eeeee22895]

I'm so glad to hear it's worked out for you guys. This is a female-female situation, though. The other thing I worry about is our adult cat is probably the smallest adult I've seen. I'm sort of afraid the kitten will overtake her in size and be rough on her. I almost feel like I'm being disloyal to my baby.

But it's heartening to hear that perhaps they could eventually become friends.

[FiveHorses]

Originally Posted by Eeeee22895

I want to know. Have any of you heard of an adult cat killing or hurting a kitten not her own? Is this likely or even possible? Or will the adult "get over it"? And if she does, will she get back to normal or will she be on edge.

She was sullen and stand-offish for a few weeks after, before she seemed to get back to normal. Was I imagining, or do they really hold grudges?

A) An adult cat is perfectly capable of hurting a kitten, causing serious harm. How much or how little is going to be entirely dependent on the individual personality of the cat involved.

B) No, they don't always get over it and - as I have experienced - will continue to ensure the newcomer (even over a year later) is under no illusions that is is welcome. It requires a lot of management (human).

C) Female-female or male-female or male-male relationships in cats is not the same as it is in dogs, for example. It depends on the individual personalities of the cats rather then their gender.

D) Yes, they do hold "grudges". No, it isn't really a grudge, it's stress as a stressed out cat will be slower to recover than, for example, a stressed out dog. There are a myriad of different behavioural issues that can arise as well.

Crucial to the success or failure with this type of situation will be the introduction. Done correctly and with active management from the owner, it is perfectly possible to get the cats to co-exist without fighting and/or raised stress levels.

[nightbird47]

In my household I am alpha. Everyone acknowleges that.

The 14 year old dog is beta. She is a beagle and for her age in very good health. When I found the cat at 4 weeks, she became "mom". They love each other and play and the only problem is the dog is food agressive to a point. But has and would never hurt the cat.

The cat is three and small and since she was spayed very much calmer. She fully understand she is number 3 (thought she never lets me out of her sight and I'm required to pet her at least once and hour).

I want another dog and another cat. I want a sheltie by choice. Dogs will be indoor with outdoor time, cats all indoor. I figure on a kitten though an older cat (same ageish) would be good too.

The dog is fine with cats. She was raised with them and is more okay with them than dogs showing any agression.

So if I get a cat and dog should they both enter at the same time (dog must be okay with cats and cat either okay with cats or a kitten). Or should one at a time enter. The family is well adjusted now. But my dog is old and wouldn't have a single pet. And if I had someone to feed them and they were safe together I would not have to have the cat boarded when I'm away. And she really needs to have a cat friend that will play like a cat.

Any advise? Dog is a very mellow old Beagle. She's unlikely to be put out too much with any sufficently mellow dog or cat. Cat is black with medium length hair, lots and lots of undercoat and her head and fur (which is extramely soft) lends me to think she's got pursian in her. Even fixed she has "attitude" and is velcroed to mom.

I could get the cat while I waited for the fence to materialize. Would that help?

[Cateyez3838]

Originally Posted by Eeeee22895

I am a sucker for black female shorthairs. I just am. A seven-week-old is becoming available. I already have a four-year-old female. In the past, she has not been welcoming to other kittens in the house. She has hissed at them, but I've never let them be alone together for long.

I want to know. Have any of you heard of an adult cat killing or hurting a kitten not her own? Is this likely or even possible? Or will the adult "get over it"? And if she does, will she get back to normal or will she be on edge.

I rescued a kitten once before. Kept it out in the garage for three weeks before I gave it away. I swear, it seemed like my cat was mad at me over that. She was sullen and stand-offish for a few weeks after, before she seemed to get back to normal. Was I imagining, or do they really hold grudges?

I have had a lot of cats and yes they do hold grudges.lol
But no your older cat will not kill the kitten. It will hiss at the baby and will teach it that he/she is older and therefore the boss. After awile the older cat will get will get used to the kitten and they will become friends.

[ShelbyGirl1]

Only time will tell if they will ever get along. There is no clear cut answer.
I have never known a cat not to do some sort of hissing when a new kitten arrives. You must take the introductions slow...first set up a "safe room" for the kitten ie bedroom, laundry room, bathroom...someplace where the kitten can be safe while you or a family member is not around to supervise the kitten and older cat together. They can first meet thru the door...getting to know one another is all about scent. I always rub each animal down with a towel and then switch towels...let each smell the others towel. Next you can put one or the other (preferably the kitten) in a kennel...and let the older cat smell around. There will be hissing and most likely some howling. Some cats have been known to attack, but it has never happened to me. Most show their unhappiness by the hissing and yowls. When your comfortable with the situation let the kitten out, but under supervision...never let them alone together until your 100% certain the older cat is fine with the younger. This could take weeks to months, depending on your cat. You could always lightly powder each cat...and I repeat lightly, with baby powder...this way each cat smells the same. It may help introductions to go smoothier. I have 5 cats at the moment...they all get along...and can honestly say I have never had a "cat fight". There is occasional hiss', they chase and roll one another...and 10 seconds later..cleaning and purring. Also...you can get some interactive toy..wand or feather and play with them both...this helps them bond as well.
Key is to take the intro slowly and never ever punish the older cat for hissing...it is doing what comes naturally.

[Eeeee22895]

All good advice and stories coming from the board. Thank you.

My cat has since been spayed, but early on, she'd had kittens. We gave away all but one of the boys, which we kept for a year. She and her son had a typical relationship like human adolescent boys have with their moms. He'd go over and bother her until she'd had enough, then they would wrestle and chase. It was funny. He was twice as big as her, but he was the wimp in any tussle with her. She is small and wiry, he was big fat and lazy. She was stressed with him around . And like any stressed mom, she would just go somewhere to get away for awhile. She became distant. We ended up being lucky enough to find a family in our church who wanted an adult can, so we gave him away. She has become much more affable since then. So...I could be answering my own question. She might be easily stressed if I got a new cat, given she was that way with her own flesh and blood son. I don't know. She's happy now, and I don't want to upset her. I always get the feeling from her like: "Eeeee, I like being the only show in town. Why the hell do you keep bringing in these other cats?" Haven't I made my opinon clear? " (She doesn't really call me 'Eeeee')

So now I'm back on the fence.