Log in

View Full Version : How do I get my old cat to accept our new cat?


sakura3557
Sep 25, 2012, 09:18 AM
My old cat is a little over 2 years old. I have had her since she was a little baby. Her mom was eaten by a mountain lion so I helped bottle feed her ad then soon adopted her. She is super spoiled and it is hard for my boyfriend and I to have guests over because she doesn't like anyone but us. She starts growling and sometimes hissing at our guests. We rescued a cat recently that is not quite a year old. She was abused and abandoned by someone. She is super sweet but can hardly meow and her nails are so worn down and not sharp at all. She is still under weight and has no way to defend herself. I I have tried everything and still cannot get my old cat to accept the new cat. We have them in separate rooms and do the room switch and have a cloth by their food bowls with the other cats sent on them and etc. We are afraid that our cat will never accept our new cat. Please help!

Wondergirl
Sep 25, 2012, 09:22 AM
Is the old cat neutered?

Are they both males, females?

sakura3557
Sep 25, 2012, 09:41 AM
They are both females. The old cat is fixed and I don't know if the new cat is fixed yet.

tickle
Sep 26, 2012, 09:05 AM
If your old cat is as possessive as you say, I would chance the little one being seriously hurt. I have never in my life seen anything so vicious as a cat fight.

sakura3557
Sep 26, 2012, 09:45 AM
If your old cat is as possessive as you say, I would chance the little one being seriously hurt. I have never in my life seen anything so vicious as a cat fight.

True. She is an indoor cat so she has never been in a full on cat fight but I do not want to chance it with the little kitty. When we let her see the kitty through the door crack she mostly just growls and hisses with no attempt to strike and backs off all pouty and growling so I honestly don't know what will happen if there wasn't me and me boyfriend by both cats.

tickle
Sep 26, 2012, 12:47 PM
True. She is an indoor cat so she has never been in a full on cat fight but I do not want to chance it with the little kitty. When we let her see the kitty through the door crack she mostly just growls and hisses with no attempt to strike and backs off all pouty and growling so I honestly don't know what will happen if there wasn't me and me boyfriend by both cats.

Karate lessons for the little one?.

Although you haven't noticed it, pecking order is probably already established. Even young cats 'get it'. So what I am saying is the kitty knows whose house it is. I think that seeing as they already know each other, take the initiative, while you are both there and see what happens. It has to be done if you want to promote harmony and anyway, the little one will grow really fast if you buy some steroids (just kidding).

Wondergirl
Sep 26, 2012, 01:20 PM
About two years ago, we rescued two black cats from our back yard. We'd been feeding them for months and noticed they did not get along at all. We knew they aren't related (One was already spayed and front-declawed so was someone's lost or abandoned pet, and the other one was born to a feral that we were feeding) Now that they are living the life of Riley in our house, they still don't get along and knock themselves out to annoy each other at least twice a day (like two little kids who drew an invisible line across the back seat of the car and one or the other periodically sticks his leg over the line.).

Your two kitties may never be best friends, so you, like we, have to keep your guard up when they are near each other.