We found a stray cat (or kitten, since the vet thinks she's only about 6 months old) about a month ago. Since it kept coming back, and the weather was getting chillier, I set her up on the enclosed front porch. As time went by, we decided to keep her and I took her to the vet, got her vaccinated and made an appointment to get her spayed. I searched online for ways of introducing another cat to the household and followed the advice. We kept our cat and the kitten separated, petted one then let the other smell our hands, introduced them through a barrier, etc. When it came time to let her explore more of the house, she went looking for our cat and attacked her. Fast forward a couple of weeks and it's only gotten worse. The kitten attacks the cat whenever she can get close enough. Our cat has put the kitten in its place time and again, but she still attacks. The kitten is also going after the dog and only backs down when our dog growls and bares her teeth. My DH and I were talking and he wants to find the kitten a new home. He doesn't think it's going to get any better and he'd rather the kitten was in a house without any other animals. I said that it might get better after she is spayed, but DH is doubtful and doesn't want to spend the money on a cat we aren't sure if we are going to keep. He'd rather get a very young kitten believeing that we would have a better chance of all our pets getting along. We have to decide by next week.

By Boxzgrl on Thursday, October 21, 2004 - 12:18 pm:

Is she attacking or trying to play? My parents have a kitten now that attacks (playful) anything that goes by... cats, dogs, feet, DD (LOL!), anything! Shes young just and playful. Maybe getting a few toys to play with. If it agression, I really have no advice.

By Tink on Thursday, October 21, 2004 - 12:19 pm:

We have had many cats and introduced them at different ages. Most cats seem to go through a very aggressive stage around 6-8 months. More than likely, she will settle down but it may take several months. I know that neutering males helps with many issues but I haven't noticed much of a change in aggression pre and post spaying. I'd try to give each of the cars plenty of attention seperately so that there isn't jealousy mixed in with any other dominance issues. Is your original cat male or female? We have a fairly new litter of kittens and our other cat (not the mama) and the kittens (about 4 months) do not get along. It is as much the kittens as the adult. I don't think a very young kitten is more likely to get along with your adult at 6 months than this one is.

By Mommyathome on Thursday, October 21, 2004 - 12:20 pm:

I probably *would* be easier to start with a brand new, 6 week old, kitten.
Will you be able to find a home for the kitten you have now? I feel so bad for homeless kitties. I keep them all if I could

By Sunny on Thursday, October 21, 2004 - 12:37 pm:

At first I thought she was just being playful, but she's using her claws and a few times it has sounded like an all out cat fight! With the dog she arches her back and puffs up her tail. I think she may have had a scuffle with a dog when she was outside. Our dog leaves her alone for the most part, but the cat immediately gets defensive if she gets too close.

Tink - our original cat is also female and I think that has something to do with it. I don't know, though, if we can wait a few months to see if the kitten calms down.

By Yjja123 on Thursday, October 21, 2004 - 12:53 pm:

There certainly is an adjustment period. If the cat lived on its own for a while it would have had to defend itself from other cats and dogs. It will take a while for her to understand the cat and dog are friends. We have 4 cats. It took each cat several months to settle in. The worst was strangely the first cat. He tried to beat up our chow (who happens to love cats) and even wasn't overly friendly with us. A year later and that cat became so loving you wouldn't guess he was the same cat we got. I think animals can be like foster children--testing you to see if you are really going to keep and care for them.
Good luck!

By Kellyj on Thursday, October 21, 2004 - 01:12 pm:

I just recently introduced a kitten into our house where our aggressive 2 year old cat lived. We did the same introduction precautions that you did. When the play it sounds awful...growling, hissing, puffy tails, rolling around on the floor chewing on each other. But neither cat comes out with a scratch on her. Both are females. When we aren't looking, they will snuggle up and groom each other for about 30 seconds and then the kitten will annoy the big cat. Maybe you could post-pone the spay for a month or two to see if things mellow out? Just beware she may go into heat.

By Sunny on Monday, October 25, 2004 - 06:37 pm:

A little update:

After giving it more thought, I've decided to keep the kitten. I was talking to my SIL about it and she was telling me about her experiences introducing another cat into the house. She said it took her cats months to learn to get along and encouraged me to keep at it. So...I kept the appointment for the spaying and told DH (and that's a story in itself). And, if you can believe it, I actually found both cats sitting in the window together, watching the birds! I think there's hope. LOL

By Boxzgrl on Monday, October 25, 2004 - 06:47 pm:

Great news!!!!

By Colette on Monday, October 25, 2004 - 06:51 pm:

It took 6 months before my older cat would let my younger cat enter a room she was in. I just did not believe everyone telling me that they would become friends eventually but now they are best buddies and even groom each other.

By Janet on Tuesday, October 26, 2004 - 09:39 am:

They have something in common! "Hey, you like birds? So do I!" I hope it works out for you.