New Cat Trouble

[Skunkdog]

my mom brought home a new calico kitten thats 4 months old and our other cat is about 16 in cat years who weve had since he was born and he hates the new cat and feels replaced and doesnt come to me like he normally would and when i went to go pet him and say hi a few minutes ago he clawed at me and wined and now i feel like he hates me
what do i do?

[Traci]

When did you get your new kitten? How were she and the other cat introduced? Did you read the Feline Introductions page? It takes time to properly introduce cats, and it takes time for the cats to learn to accept each other.

Has the kitten been thoroughly examined by your vet? Tested for FELV and vaccinated accordingly, with her first kitten boosters? Was this done BEFORE you brought her into your home with the resident cat? Is your older cat healthy, have a good vaccination history? You have to understand an older cat is more susceptible to stress, which means health conditions can develop if kitty is unable to handle stress, that's your job to ensure he is NOT stressed, and that you take every measure to ensure the introductions are as smooth and stress-free as possible. If he hasn't had a vet exam, AND bloodwork done within the last year, it's probably a good time to do so. Have your mom do that, or have her read the forum here.

[Skunkdog]

the new kitten was brought home today and has had all of her vaccinations and what not done and im pretty sure my other cat hasn't been to the vet in a few years

[Skunkdog]

the new kitten was brought home today and has had all of her vaccinations and what not done and im pretty sure my other cat hasn't been to the vet in a few years

also the way they were introduced is that the new kitten walked up to him and they were sniffing each other and then she kept getting to close to him so he batted her a few times with his paw

[Traci]

Read the feline introductions page. Get a general idea of how introductions are done.

Again, this doesn't happen overnight, you need to expect weeks, sometimes longer, but YOU have to get involved and make things easy for them.

Your mom brought the kitten home, I'm assuming she is assuming partial responsibility?

Get the older kitty to your vet for a thorough exam and bloodwork...ALL cats over the age of 7 should have this done yearly or twice yearly.

[mchelsey]

i got a new kitten about a year ago and it took my older cat about a month until the were really good together. i found that having high scratching posts or places where my other cat could watch him from up high worked well.

[mamabear]

Feline Introductions <-------Read in it's entirety it is very helpful. You and your kitties will be thankful you read it.

Good luck