 Purred: Mon Aug 8, '05 1:06pm PST |
 | |  | | I went through this when I brought Cleo into our home. Reading your kitties' diaries raised a question in my mind. Is your grown-up kitty getting enough one-on-one time with you? If not, she may be feeling jealous and taking that out on Oliver. If you are spending a lot of time cuddling, grooming, and playing with the new baby, Bagheera may feel neglected, even if she's never acted like she wanted to do any of those things with you. When I first got Cleo, I used to shut her in the bathroom, so Alex and I could have some quality time together.
Also, cats recognise one another by smell. If you're a cat and you encounter another cat who smells like you, you are more likely to accept him/her as part of the pack. It might help to try to make the kitten smell like your other cat. You could rub a handtowel over your big kitty (especially on the sides of the face and chin, where her scent glands are). Then rub the same towel on the kitten to transfer Bagheera's scent to him. Another trick I've heard of is to put a drop of vanilla extract on top of each kitty's head to make everyone smell the same.
In establishing their pecking order, there will be what may look like fighting. It will likely involve the cats wrestling around on the floor, Bagheera pinning Oliver, Oliver crying out, and Bagheera letting him go. (I'm guessing that may be the initial pecking order, but it may change when Oliver grows up.) That kind of interaction is completely normal, even though it may look cruel to human eyes. I just mention this because I don't know if you've ever lived in a multi-cat household before.
One last thing... don't yell at Bagheera for attacking the kitten. She isn't doing it out of a desire to be naughty. It's instinctive for her to protect her home against an invader and punishing her for that won't work. The trick is to convince her that Oliver is part of your "pack". |  |  | |  |
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It is from the petfinder group. Good luck and let us know how it goes!
