Crap! Resident cat hissing and growling at foster kittens!

[Habibi]

This is my supposedly "laid-back, don't nuthin' bother me" cat, too. When he came into our home, he made friends with our aged Golden Retreiver, who usually doesn't get along with other animals. He got along great with the other cats he met at the shelter I adopted him from (according to them). So damn. I have the kittens in my office, door closed, so Ramzi can't do them any harm, but I really thought he take to them.

Any advice for introducing them all in a calm way? The kittens will be here for a good 6-8 weeks; I hate the thought of my cat freaking out all that time.

Help!

[Habibi]

1. kick for the kitties

C'mon, cat-lovers! I need some advice!

[ZombieNixon]

2. Give the kittens maybe a week alone in a separate room.

Let them roam around anywhere in that room. That way Ramzi and the little ones will get to know each other under the door. Then, introduce the kittens to Ramzi one by one by putting one in a carrier (where the two of them are separated by bars that neither can get through). Make sure you watch them at all times during this exchange. Give them maybe an hour.

This approach worked well when introducing our adopted cat to the one we've had for 14 years, who, though we love her, is, in all honesty, a total bitch.

[Habibi]

4. Heh

Yeah, Ramzi is outside the door now, hissing and growling as I type this. I like your suggestion of one at a time, in a crate. Thanks!

[ZombieNixon]

7. Once they get used to the smell of each other, things should go

relatively smoothly. There'll be a lot of hissing and growling, count on it. We've had our two for four and a half years, yet they still fight at mealtimes. Hopefully Ramzi isn't as evil as Peppercorn.


The look says it all.

[Habibi]

8. Good point about the smell of each other

I'll take it slow and hope for the best.

[Pharlo]

3. Give them a couple of weeks -

they'll either take to each other or learn to ignore each other.

Generally what happens is they start playing together and become good friends about a week before the separation, then the resident cat mopes around for about two weeks after his companions leave.

Sorry I'm not more help, but these are cats. They'll adjust when they're ready - not much you can do about it. At least, not in my experience.

[Habibi]

5. No, that is helpful, thanks for replying.

You're right--they're cats! What was I thinking? I guess I just expected Ramzi to welcome them with open paws--we've been thinking that he needs a "kitty buddy" and having kittens around would make him happy. Hopefully he'll get used to the idea, and pick one out for himself that we'll adopt.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

6. Here's a trick that can work pretty well--

Put some vanilla extract on a paper towel and rub both the incumbent cat and the kittens with it. Then they will all smell the same, with the result that the resident cat will be less inclined to freak out. I tried this last time I got a new kitten and it seemed to help. The new cat and the old one were buddies in less than 2 days.