new cat

Hi: Me and my fiance have a male 3 year old cat,and we recently got a new kitten also male. Well the older one is attacking the baby and trying to drag him off. The older cat used to be wild. He came from my parents farm. I now have to keep the older cat in a separate room to keep him from hurting the baby. Is there anything I can do? I don't want to give up my older cat but I don't want him to kill the baby. Thanks a lot for your help,
Rhonda Talcum

RESPONSE

Rhonda:

PLEASE tell me that the older cat has been neutered! If not, there may be no hope until the kitten grows up. Male cats, especially sexually intact males, have an instinctual need to hurt or kill any offspring that isn't their own.
In feral colonies, mother cats share the duties of kitten rearing and a major portion of that is spent guarding the babies from the males of the colony. If he is not neutered, he will likely continue to try to harm the baby.
If you get him neutered, it will take about 2 months for the hormones to leave his system. At that point, you can again try introducing him to the kitten. Otherwise, keep the little one away from him!

If he has been neutered, then he is upset at this disruption in his little world. Don't leave him and the kitten alone together. Make sure visits are supervised.

With the kitten in the room, lavish attention on the older cat. Play with him, give him treats, a good grooming session, whatever he likes. This will help him to associate good things with the kitten. You can feed them in the same room, several feet apart, but again, make sure they are supervised and keep the kitten away from the older cat's food.

Try using a natural remedy from Spirit Essences. Bully Remedy, Peacemaker, or Safe Space are good choices for helping the older cat cope with the addition of the new kitten. Don't give any to the new little guy - he doesn't need anything!

Spirit Essences Remedies are specially formulated to help cats cope with the stress that often leads to health and behavior problems. Click the link on the left to learn more about them.

While you are working on altering the older cat's behavior, be sure the kitten is getting lots of attention from you. Because he is on his own, he will need plenty of play time, cuddle time, and just general "being with you" time.

Shut the older cat in another room and let the little one out to play and explore and spend time with you. He will need your help and attention in order to build his confidence. If all he experiences is getting beat-up by the other cat, he will grow up fearful and unfriendly. Not a good outcome for either of you!

You also need to make sure the older cat is getting attention. Being locked away is adding to his stress and resentment of the new kitten. It would be better to lock the baby away and let the older cat continue his usual routine.

Spend time in the room with the baby, let the baby out for supervised visits, then put him back in his "safe room" to nap. Lock up the older cat for only an hour or 2 at a time and try to stick to his usual routine as much as possible.

Hopefully these suggestions will help. Please let us know how it goes!

Donna
House Full Cats Mom