Will they EVER get along?

[suzbaby]

It's been 3 weeks since we took in the abandoned kitten. Our 10 year old cat still despises him. The kitten tries to play with him and the result is a lot of hissing, yowling, and general unpleasantness. I'm starting to think that if they were ever going to make peace, they would have done so by now.

It makes for a very tense household.

Any words of encouragement? Tell me they'll grow out of this!!!

[Flaxbee]

1. yes, they will. If my evil Clarisse can mellow and get along with

not one, but six other interlopers, your 10 year old will mellow out, too. Not to guarantee that they'll be the best of friends, but there will be a truce.

Just make sure they both continue to feel loved by the person of primary importance in their lives (you), and it'll be fine. After a while.

[suzbaby]

2. How long did it take Clarisse to mellow out? (nt)

[Flaxbee]

6. uh...

:hide:

A while. A year or so. But part of her problem is that she can't see in one eye, and really was very skittish and afraid of shapes she couldn't identify (such as, new cats). Still is, but she has learned how to identify 'cat shape' as opposed to 'monster shape'.

Plus, one day while we were away LindaKitty kicked her ass (problem was, Clarisse would stalk new cats and attack -- LindaKitty fought back). Then everything was cool. (Kicked ass = lots of aClarisse's white fur on the floor, none of LindaKitty's fur on the floor).

[suzbaby]

8. A YEAR!?!

:banghead:

[hippywife]

3. We had the same problem last summer.

12 year old cat and a new kitten. She hated the new baby, so we got the new kitty a new kitten of her own. LOL They became very close from the outset. Now the older cat tolerates the youngest somewhat but still doesn't care for the first one. They just keep their distance from each other and there are fewer instances of hissing and batting at each other.

It will get better. :hi:

[ThatsMyBarack]

4. Glad to hear the kitten is okay!

:hi:

[Madrone]

5. I sure HOPE so!

I'm in the same position as you - except I have one old lady, and two young boys. I got the boys in May. It's been a nightmare. The old lady cat picked a spot behind the chair and wouldn't come out. She stopped going to the litter box because she might have to come across one of the boys, so she started going behind the tv. All the boys have to do is look at her and she's growling and screaming - which makes them even MORE interested in getting a rise out of her. After many nights of waking up to screaming cats I finally started taking the old lady to bed w/ me. Then she peed on my bed on night because she wouldn't get off to go the the litterbox. That was the last straw, and I separated her out into another room.

The separation made my life easier in some ways, but here I've got an old lady momma's girl w/ CRF that's been banished to another room, all by herself. That wasn't working. I got another litter box and put it in my bedroom, and every other night shut her in the room with me and the dogs, so she'd at least get to sleep with me before being locked in the other room again. That was better, but still wasn't working. The old lady may be hysterical and bringing this all upon herself, but she's old, she has CRF, and she lost her two brothers and gained two interlopers. It's not like I can reason with her, so I have to work with what I've got. I asked the vet for some anti-anxiety meds, and she sleeps with me almost every night now. It can take up to a month for the meds to reach their full effect, but so far she seems.... better, and it's been a few weeks. Still not great, but they can at least now (at times) walk into the room without her pitching a major fit. In FACT - one of the boys was able to jump up on the bed and lay down next to her today and she didn't make a peep. She DID give him the stink eye, but still.... Although he is the one she seems least concerned with.

She's with me mainly at night in bed, and separated off into the other room when I'm not around to "supervise". I'm hoping to try expanding her area to the rest of the house in mid December, and see how it goes. It's really horrible. I can't give the new ones away, and I obviously can't get rid of her either. I just wish she didn't have to make it so incredibly difficult.


Here's the photographic evidence of her quiet stink eye today - she's the black one:

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7. Have a catnip party

It sometimes takes a long time but I bet eventually they'll be friends.