How to get Cats to get along?

Nasty_Girl

Hello,
My family have two sets of twin cats, one set aged 6 years and the other 4 months.

At present, the kittens are confined to two rooms of the house and not let out, the big cats "own" the rest of the house but spend most of their time outdoors as they did before we got the kittens.

So far the big cats are not very pleased about the kittens. We've been introducing them to each other for small amounts of time every few days.
The big female cat hates them, she hisses and runs away when she sees them, if she sees them through the window she hits the window with her paw.

The big male cat is less violent but not too happy either, he rubbed noses with both kittens and then turned his back to them. I thought this was a good sign but after a few minutes with the kittens he growled quitely at me. It was a subdued growl (if he's really p*ssed he sounds a lot worse)and his tail wasn't flicking but I knew it was time to take the kitties away.

Should we just let them at it and have it out once and for all?

The kittens are quite small compared to the big ones, the two big ones are fixed and don't really fight other cats. The big female can be quite aggressive towards other animals though dogs for example.

The house is out in the country and the kittens will be going to live outside once the weather gets warmer and I know it is ridiculous but I'd love if the big cats would "mind" the little ones when they go out first?

Edit: Oh yeah the little cats are dying to know their "aunt" and "uncle". They're not afraid of anything so far.

Gordon Gekko

I read that it can help if you groom the new cats and then groom the existing ones with the same brush, gets them used to the scent apparently. Also, let them see each other through a barely opened door, but not come into contact.

Maybe swap their toys/blankets etc. around. I've used this site and found it very helpful - have a look at these links about introducing new cats harmoniously. Good luck!

Nasty_Girl

Gordon Gekko wrote:

these links about introducing new cats harmoniously. Good luck!

The first article is quite good, I think we're going along the right track so.
Thanks for that!

FranknFurter

You might also try, when they are big enough,.... bad as it sounds.....just leaving them to it.
Cats, if they are kept in the same general area, need to assert and protect their boundries. Its somthing you will never stop them doing.

They mark "their area" and other cats soon learn who is boss there and find their "own" area. Hard lesson, but sooner or later its gonna happen if you have more than one kitty. Soon as they are big enough to defend themselves.
Most of the current aggression is probably because the older cats are thinking "where does He / She think they are gonna live, NOT on MY patch! *hisssssss, Spitttt* ;0p

;0)

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Arcadian

I think by only introducing them for short periods every few days you are creating a long drawn out process. From what you describe your cats are not being nasty or vicious, hissing is a natural reaction to an interloper. So long as your own cats are not outright trying to kill the kittens you need to step back a bit and let them size each other up. The kittens may get a swipe or two if they're over enthusiastic but they'll soon respect their elders. If it makes you feel better you could have the kittens in a wire dog crate during initial meetings.

Any new cats/kittens that come into my house are shown where the litter trays are and then introduced to the residents a couple at a time. Yes there's a bit of hissing and swiping but i've never had violence during an intro and the cats would all settle down over the course of a few days.

Nasty_Girl

thanks for all the help,
It is probably time to just let the four of them have it out with each other, it's just the kittens are so very small compared to the cats...

Shinners21

Hey Nasty Girl,

I had the same problem introducing my new kitten to my very territorial cat. I posted in here and got some great suggestions....
What worked for us was washing them both..ha I know it sounds funny but it worked. We washed them both and let them down together, (before this the big guy went to tear her head off upon first sight.) Washing them kind of disguises their natural smell so they are more likely to accept each other. Within minutes of putting them down they were lying in the sun on the kitchen floor cleaning each other...when they were dry they were the best of friends curled up on the sofa..:p
I hope this helps, worth a try anyway

Blub2k4

You could also try masking their scent with vanilla extract, that is done a lot in Rat intros. Another tip is to introduce them in an area of the house where none of them normally reside, this way there is no preprogrammed territoriality and they are all in the same boat.