Cat didn't like new kitten

[lightnesspixie]

Hi
So we have a 18 month old year female neutered cat who was the only cat from 8 weeks till she was 11 months old. We got another boy kitten with a sweet and gentle nature whom she did not like at all. Hissing growling and eventually practically moving out! This kitten has since sadly passed away suddenly and unexpectedly and our cat has now returned to the slightly stand offish but relaxed cat she was before. Question: were we to ever get another kitten is it a given she would hate that too and if so we would likely not get another. However, is there a possibility it may have just been that kitten for whatever reason she did not like and she will not necessarily react in the same way with another?

I think it’s likely your cat doesn’t like sharing with any cat and honestly, having tried it once and having had her move out I wouldn’t try again knowing it was very likely going to upset her

Cats are generally solitary and territorial. They don’t want the ‘company’ of another cat, they want their territory to themselves. A pair of cats raised together (litter mates) can work. Of course, lots of pywill come along and say ‘my cats love each other’, but in general they are happier alone.

I agree I think your girl needs to be solo sadly. I have a 10 year old and 3 year old the old one hates the young one, she hisses and growls and we have to constantly act as a go between so they don't fight.

With hindsight, I would not have got the young one, I really didn't think it would be this bad.

My experience is that adult female cats generally do not like other cats being introduced to the household.

I might also add for interest that she plays with the cat at the neighbours house happily and they are firm friends.

Sorry for your loss

To be honest it’s very unlikely she would take to any kitten. Cats are generally solitary creatures who don’t need friends. Unless they’re bonded from infancy (so siblings or a queen / kitten pair) they often won’t ever get on.

There are exceptions to this and some cats tolerate company better than others, but it’s not very common. I would personally not take the risk with your girl and another kitten, as she has shown she is unlikely to tolerate it well.

God, I remember this! My lovely, warm, sweetheart of a cat (male) growled at another rescue we foolishly offered to have. I didn't even realise cats could growl! Both cats same age - it was never going to work. We rehomed the new rescue as it wasn't fair to either - both needed their own space.

I wouldn’t risk it again to be honest. She is your prime concern and her happiness/ peace of mind is clearly served best if she’s an only.

My oldest cat was paired with a companion kitten, so not pair bonded but both were babies. They didn't immediately hit it off (she hissed) but they did become pals. Sadly he died a couple of years ago and we wanted another kitten. We got 2.
It look a long time for them all to learn how to tolerate each other! They still aren't friends but live calmly alongside each other.
Some cats, especially female, like their own space. In your situation you might be able to introduce a kitten, but it might take a while and a shed load of Feliway.
Mine have effectively divided up the house and have defined areas that they either share or have exclusive use of!

We had a male/female sibling pair when aged 5 the male got run over. The female seemed lonely so after a couple of months we got a male kitten. He was gorgeous but they never got on. We were very careful with introductions and eventually they tolerated each other but weren’t chums. The kitten then got run over aged one.

Again after a month or so we got a small female kitten. After an initial wariness the two of them now get on pretty well. They have moments of lying and grooming each other and it’s all a lot more chilled than it was with the male kitten. Kitten is now 1.5yo and they get on well.

I think it’s pot luck really, which probably doesn’t help you!

How did you introduce them and how long did you take? I've introduced adult cats to new kittens, other tame adults and feral adults with very few issues but some of them took months to get on with each other. Out of all of them, I really only ever had one who barely tolerated the others but he had many other problems and we learnt to cope with him around other cats.

True, some cats just don't like other cats in their home but if you've ever worked with a feral colony you'd see cats aren't all solitary animals.

cats don't like each other in general

It wouldn't put me off getting new kitten

I read on line it takes 8 -12 months for them to learn to tolerate each other.
We are 2 months in and have gone from 1st month big cat hissing and running off when he sees kitten, 2nd month kitten follows big cat around house, occasionally chases big cat, big cat occasionally hisses, sometimes if they haven’t seen each other for a while they meet by touching noses.

Reading with interest!

We have three unrelated cats and we've never had a single fight - the odd hiss and swipe but that's it. They're all different ages and didn't come to us as bonded pairs or anything.

We didn't do any slow introductions and basically let them get on with it from day one (under supervision from us). They share litter trays, food, water and beds with zero problems (now aged 6, 5 and 1).

They sleep together, wash each other, play together and it's lovely to see. I wouldn't let this incident put you off. Cats do like companionship and company and I don't believe they're as solitary as some people say they are.

Thank you everyone for your replies. After much reflection we have decided to keep our girl as an only cat. Would not want to invest in another kitten and fall in love with it to then have to face a rehome if things weren't working.