My cat won't accept my new kitten!

Hi everyone, I have three male cats. My daughter is moving house and can’t take her one-year-old female cat to her new flat, so she’s given her to me. Since she arrived, the new cat has been very defensive with the two older males, though they couldn’t care less about her. However, with the third, younger one, she’s constantly looking for a scrap. She’s always the one to attack before retreating upstairs. We made sure to take our time with the introductions between her and the three boys. How can I stop her from being so skittish and aggressive when my other three aren't doing anything to her? Thanks in advance for your advice!

mayje, that is absolutely brilliant! 😁 Replying so casually 2 years after your last post. Anyway, I love it! So, I’m just going to take the liberty of pointing out a little mistake in your original thread... You say: "Olympe, I promise you, she’s the cuddliest cat the world has ever seen..." I think everyone here will agree that the cuddliest cat in the world is actually mine... 😁

Evening, things are looking up. Nyla is hardly hissing at Olympe anymore... she’s getting closer and sniffing her (though there’s still the odd swipe every now and then), but it’s getting better! Hi there! I know this thread is a bit old now, but I’ve just adopted a kitten yesterday (he’s about two months old and was a stray), and I have an older 3-year-old cat. I get the feeling my older cat is scared of the little one – whenever the kitten gets close, the big one (Nino) starts making noises, even though the kitten doesn't seem to be paying him much attention. I’m guessing things worked out for you in the end, so maybe you could give me some advice? Best wishes! Hiya! Oh yes, everything is great between the two of them now. I’ve even adopted a third cat since then (the little terror of the family, but that’s probably because he’s a boy 🙄). Don't worry, they’ll learn to like each other. Cats are very territorial, and a new arrival really throws them off. It just takes a bit of time. I tried using some Feliway Friends, but to be honest, I’m not sure if it actually helped because I’d already noticed things getting better before I started using it. Try giving them both treats at the same time so they’re as close as possible for a few moments; little by little, they’ll start to tolerate each other. They need to have positive experiences together. From what I remember, it took about 3 weeks for Olympe to be fully accepted by the older one, but it was a while ago now haha. It’s also really important not to sideline Nino; he needs to understand that the kitten isn't a threat and isn't going to take his place :)

Evening, things are looking up! Nyla hardly hisses at Olympe anymore... she’s getting closer and sniffing her (though there are still the occasional swipes), but it’s definitely improving! Hi there, I know this thread is a bit old now, but here goes: I adopted a kitten yesterday (about two months old, he was a stray) and I already have an older 3-year-old cat. I’ve got a feeling my cat is scared of the little one; when the kitten gets close, the big one (Nino) starts making noises, even though the kitten doesn't seem to be paying him much mind. I imagine things have probably worked out for you by now, so I was wondering if you might be able to help? Best wishes!

Hi everyone, There’s definitely some progress; Nyla is hardly hissing at Olympe anymore... she’s getting closer and sniffing her (there’s still the odd swipe at times) but things are looking up!

Hi there, There’s no magic solution for getting a cat to accept another feline in the house, and even less so for making them actually like the newcomer. All you can do is make sure that each cat has plenty of places to hide and be left in peace, and that there are enough litter trays, water bowls and food bowls (in your case, 3 litter trays, 2 bowls for dry food and 2 for water). After that, it’s just a case of being patient and letting the cats get used to each other. Nyla should eventually tolerate the new arrival, and she might even end up liking her, but there’s no way to know for sure. However, if you notice Nyla showing signs of stress (like having accidents outside the litter tray or compulsive over-grooming), it could be a sign that she’s really struggling with living with another cat, and in that case, the cohabitation might be more difficult. Kind regards, Marine Hi, I’ve currently got 2 litter trays and 2 bowls for water and food, so I’ll definitely look into getting another tray! Nyla doesn't hesitate to help herself to Olympe's food and water, even though it’s not the same dry food (the grass is always greener on the other side, even for cats! 🤣). Nyla’s behaviour has changed slightly; she’s less cuddly and doesn’t purr like she used to, and she’s also spending a lot more time outdoors. I’ve got a feeling she’s sulking because I’ve brought home a 'rival', haha. Hopefully, time will do its thing! Thanks a lot! :)

Hi there, In theory, when you bring a new cat home, you should plan the introduction after a quarantine period for the new arrival (this is to prevent the spread of any potential illnesses to your first cat). Keep the kitten in a small room with everything they need... Then, when the time is right, swap the cats' rooms, which will gently get them used to each other's scents! You can also swap scents using their toys, beds, cat trees... You could also use a baby gate to separate the two rooms... then eventually leave the doors open... Try using Felifriend rather than Feliway, as Felifriend is specifically for cat-to-cat and cat-to-human contact. Hang in there, you'll get there! Keep us updated, thanks! Hello, That’s exactly what I was planning to do, but when I mentioned it to the foster family and the rescue, they told me it would be fine and that I didn’t need to do all that. They said Nyla would just growl and hiss but that it would sort itself out. So I went along with that, and it probably wasn’t the best way to do things :/ I’m going to order some Felifriend; I didn't realise there was a difference between the two, so thank you! To be honest, I don't feel like Nyla wants to hurt her; she just moves away as soon as the other one gets close and she’s never actually swiped at her or anything... but it’s true that her behaviour has changed. She doesn’t purr anymore when I give her a cuddle and she spends much more time roaming around outside than she used to. Fingers crossed they’ll be best friends one day (maybe)! Thanks again.

Hiya! No, not at all – she’s a local girl, born and bred ;) (that’s why she’s so cute, hehe!)