Angry or Scared?

orchidsrpretty

hi all,
I have recently got 2 new female kittens. they are about 8 weeks old. I also have a neutered female who is about 1 year old. The 1 year old hates the kittens and will not go anywhere near them, nor does she really want to be in the house. Her new postion is sitting on the stairs with her head poking through the banisters just looking through the door at the kittens and growling whenever she spots one.
Its breaking my heart as she is usually such a cuddly cat and follows you everywhere, generally you don't get a minute without her. Today for example, one of the kittens wandered out into the hall when I was in the sitting room, the 1 year old spotted her and growled so I went out, she didn't see me coming and nearly hit the roof when I put my hand on her:(

Anyway, Im looking for some tips on how to get them all to be friends and make this less stressful as possible for my existing cats, and also if someone can tell me if this behaviours is sign of her being frightened? I would of thought the kittens would be scared of her but they pay her absolutly no notice

Thanks

Call me Socket

It's completely normal. If the kittens are 8 weeks then I'm guessing you've only had them for a couple of days....give it time- after a few weeks or a couple of months she'll either become befriend them, or tolerate them. Cats do tend to be a lot slower than dogs to adapt to change.

In the meantime- let them sort it out. If the kittens get too close she'll give them a slap on the head and they'll learn to keep a distance til she chills a bit. Don't let her have access to them unsupervised for a couple of weeks anyway. Give plenty of affection to her but otherwise carry on as normal. And don't approach her quietly from behind:D

PinkTulips

Give her time... you'll be amazed at how they all settle down over the next few weeks. Honestly she'll get used to them and while they might never be the best of friends they'll exist in peace once the new arrivals have settled in.

Just cuddle her lots, make a fuss of her and let her know she's not been replaced.

ghost_ie

The older cat needs time to get used to the new arrivals but she'll accept them in time. She's the alpha cat in the house and the kittens need to learn their place in the pack. Once this happens they'll all get along happily.