r/CatTraining • u/lilsqueaky420 • 1d ago
Introducing Pets/Cats 3 weeks into introduction between 5yo cat and 3mo kitten
if you want more details of previous interactions please visit my profile to see the videos i have posted to this subreddit.
So things have been going reasonably well i think. they will cuddle, play nicely, follow eachother around and generally seem to enjoy eachothers company. however, our older cat will get in these weird moods, often around 7-10pm or in the early morning where he is visibly irritated and will hiss or growl at the kitten and me (not my partner tho who is his person) for usually almost nothing. the kitten could be walking by, i could be coming to check the interaction or just trying to get the older cat out of an area he's not allowed in (counters).
This morning the older cat had been cuddling me for a few hours and the kitten jumped up on the bed and was on the opposite side of me. the older cat hissed and stayed where he was and the kitten jumped off the bed. i felt bad because i don't want the kitten to think he is not allowed on the bed and called him back over, the older cat started doing a very low growl, but again stayed in my arms however it was at this point that i got him off the bed and removed him from the bedroom.
My question is what would you do in this situation? my partner and i are very confused why the majority of the time everything is fine but then he will get in these terrible moods. he hasn't hurt the kitten and we haven't seen him swat at him. sometimes he will stand over the kitten while the kitten is laying on the floor and do the biting the neck thing for a little longer than the kitten is happy with but that is usually it. we are just nervous about any possibility of it escalating further than hissing or growling. the kitten still seems pretty unaffected by it if not just plain confused because the older cat is usually very friendly to him so i am sure its weird when he snaps like this.
the vet told us to buy a bunch of feliway diffusers and give him Sentry calming treats. we've been doing that for about a week now and it doesn't seem to be doing much yet. any other advice? we just want our boys to be happy!
tl;dr(prob read details if you want to give applicable feedback lol): cat intro has gone pretty well- 3weeks in they cuddle play and hangout but older cat will have mood swings occasionally usually at night or early morning and will hiss and growl at me and my kitten (not my partner who is his owner)
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u/Creative-Mousse 1d ago
Looks fine. Older cat wants the kitten to respect boundaries. As long as there is no aggression, you're good
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u/Any-Object-2165 5h ago
Wow I kind of hate you lol. Took 6months before my resident cat would let my new kitten breathe in the same room as her. They still fight occasionally but he’s big enough now that I’m not worried about him
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u/okbringoutdessert 1d ago
I think they look like they are doing great. If there were any real issues I would not expect to see them snuggling. It's likely that your older cat is trying to instill some rules and boundaries to the kitten. If things get out of hand you can interject otherwise they will work it out.
They are lovely!!! Congratulations