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Post by chelsea90 on Oct 14, 2015 22:00:34 GMT
Hi all ,
i need some advice , I have a 13 week old female kitten , on Sunday I decided to get her a play mate I thought I was buying a 8 week old male who was crying out all the time & would only settle when I lay him on my lap but after a trip to the vets it turns out he's only 5 weeks old .The first 2 days the female kitten just hissed & growled she wouldn't let him play with any toys use the litter tray even though I'd brought him his own the poor little thing would freeze in the middle of the floor & cry out shaking so I started to tell her off with a loud clap or a smack on the bum I even tired a spray bottle but nothing worked s,I thought she's just marking what's her & making sure he knows she's the alpha . However today the hissing had pretty much stopped & he seems a lot more confidant but now she keeps jumping on his back & biting scratching him & hissing right in his ear he is now trying to stand up to her his the odd his or swat back & I though it was time I left them to just make friends so to speak. He is so small she's 3x the size of him so when she jumps on his back he's stuck on the ground she bites his ears legs & tail while he is screaming out making a howling noise sometimes he will just get back him & follow after her so I assume his okay but other times she continues to jump on his back & the howling gets louder she won't stop until I clap or pick him up its gotten to the point were my 6 yr old daughter has been in floods of tears cause of the noises hes making , It's not a non stop thing she will now let him eat & doesn't try to steal his food or stop him using the litter tray she even lets him sleep sometimes on her lap as you can see in my picture . I'm just wondering if anybody else has had this before & is she trying to hurt him or just simply playing & his a little to small to match her ? They are only together when supervised please help me i don't know wether it was a good idea to bring in a second cat ?
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Post by chelsea90 on Oct 14, 2015 22:04:02 GMT
He is was to young to be away from his mother despite the vet telling me his 5 weeks old the lady I brought him from assures me he is 8 weeks old but his mother rejected him & only him at 4 weeks old & his siblings bullied him they refused play & wouldn't let him eat but she wouldn't take him back either way so his with me now . Its as if she thinks he's a toy she bites his neck ears & back legs mainly but 9/10 regardless of the howling he does during this sessions be always goes back for me when I pick him up he wants down again so it can't be hurting me that much I think the size difference just worries me as she will over power him everytime as she is very boystrush They are separated when there's nobody around as I wouldn't risk leaving them alone just incase. I do check them both & either seem to have any obvious injures there's never any blood , he is very vocal he will cry when he can't get the right position using the litter tray or if I pick him his food bowl while his eating I get growled at so maybe he just likes to me Heard I don't know but I'd hate to think I'm just sitting back & watching them go at it if she is really is hurting him although from were I was Sunday to were I am now there is a massive difference she had calmed right down 4 days ago she couldn't even look at him without the hissing , growling & hunching her back now there is non of that at all . Fingers crossed as he gets a little bigger is won't look as bad .
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Post by scallywag on Oct 15, 2015 6:55:29 GMT
Morning chelsea90 welcome to the forum, sorry no advice from me as I am from the other side but Im sure a cat person will come along soon with advice tonib @gillykat lotsofcats t name a few , whom I have also tagged to bring this thread to their attention. P.S no photo ?
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Post by lotsofcats on Oct 15, 2015 11:17:13 GMT
Welcome to the forum. You need to keep the new kitten in a cat/dog crate where the 13 week old kitten can see him but not get at him - he needs to have a place where he feels safe. The older one is just showing him who is the boss but as the new one is so small and is way too young to have been socialised he cannot stick up for himself. Things will get better as they get used to each other. If you can get a crate for the new kitten and get him out and try feeding the 2 in the same room and petting them together to get them used to each other. If the older one continues to attack the younger one just tell her 'no' and remove the youngest one. Do this several times a day and it will improve. Don't just leave the 2 together unattended. Try petting them both together as the older one is probably jealous too. I'm sure in a few weeks you will be on here saying how lovely they both are. Let us know how they get on.
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Post by cazypops on Oct 15, 2015 19:38:29 GMT
Hi welcome to the forum. I was going to say the same as lotsofcats. I sure things will improve, and they will become the best of friends soon.
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Post by chelsea90 on Oct 15, 2015 20:21:14 GMT
Thanks everyone for being so welcoming , they are getting better & better as the days go by hardly any of them noises today just 2 kittens playing together in fact they have both just fell asleep curled up together. I do pet & feed them at the same time if one has a cuddle I always make sure the other gets one too so that either of them feel left out. As for feeding time they eat together no problem they never try steal food from each other & always let the other finish in peace . The older ones body language has changed dramatically she will let him potter around without chasing him if anything he chases her. I always make sure he has a safe place he can go so that when his had enough she has no choice but to leave him so goes for the big one when she's had enough she will just jump up high so that he can no longer get to him . All in all I think this is the start of a beautiful friendship
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Post by ebony on Oct 15, 2015 20:46:52 GMT
It does sound like she was jealous at first (territorial)but it;s good they're getting on a lot better now Welcome to the forum
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Post by tonib on Oct 16, 2015 2:36:32 GMT
Welcome to the forum chelsea90, hope you enjoy it here I'm sorry I can't really add anything more than has already been said as I have had no experience of kittens as all of my cats (currently 4 aged between 6 & 16) were all rescue adult cats. From your later post it does sound as though things are settling down a bit now
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Post by Deleted on Oct 17, 2015 16:11:08 GMT
I was going to suggest everything that lotsofcats already has But from the sounds of things they seem to be getting along much better now and your wee boy will soon catch up with his Big Sister once he starts tucking into his food I recently had two littermate foster kittens, Suzi & Nigel, and you would have thought Nigel was being murdered by his sister from the noise he made Only one thing to be aware of is to make sure you get them both neutered BEFORE they are 5 or 6 months old (ask your vet for advice) because the last thing you want is your wee girl having babies when she is still a baby herself It's a very simple operation and MUCH safer than letting her have babies....quite apart from the fact there are thousands of unwanted cats needing homes anyway. Definitely need pics of your two babies though They sound ADORABLE and you'll certainly never have a dull moment with two kittens in the house
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Post by chelsea90 on Oct 17, 2015 20:18:35 GMT
Hey all , In the space of a week they have gone from enemy's to best friends I can't believe my eyes . They do everything together if ones using the litter tray the other needs to go to if one wakes up the other one will wake up its like they are in sync with each other I'm so so pleased. Although his still making them noises durning play but he makes them when I pick him up even the vet said today his very vocal , she only checking his ears over you would have thought he was trap in a car door the noise of him & he always continues play when she lets go after his made the noises so I'm confidant he's not in any pain at lease nothing to worry about . I'm keeping close eye on them still as anything could happen & his still very small so separation is a must when there's nobody home. I so so pleased I don't have to get rid of one that was my biggest fear. Just me panicing but it's better to be safe than sorry they are my baby's after all
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Post by scallywag on Oct 17, 2015 20:35:23 GMT
Pleased to hear alls working out chelsea90 please keep us updated x
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Post by cazypops on Oct 17, 2015 22:26:36 GMT
Thanks for the update, it lovely to know that they are now getting on well.
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Post by chelsea90 on Oct 18, 2015 11:15:13 GMT
What age do you all recommend they can go outside , I have a cat flap that was already here when I got the house & they both keep sitting by it & the window.?i shall be waiting till they are both neuted & when they do go out it will be together so they can protect one another. I am already starting to teach them a recal & them seem to be responding to it I know it's a long time before they can go off but I want to have a clear set mind as to what to do when I finally open that cat flap & set my baby's free lol
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Post by cazypops on Oct 18, 2015 13:45:01 GMT
I agree, I would definitely wait until they have both been neutered. Then once that has been done if you have a garden that is kitten safe I'd let them out, but I think @gillykat might be the best person to advise as she went through all this with Lilly and Chilli.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 18, 2015 20:01:22 GMT
Yes, definitely wait until they have both been neutered and get the all-clear from your vet - two weeks after op in Lily's case. Have they been vaccinated too? Best to have that done as well so no worries about them catching any nasty diseases and the resulting vet bill expense or heartbreak of losing them to something preventable like Feline Leukaemia Virus Insurance may be an idea too (Petplan is the only one I trust) - I have my two covered for £13 per month each and that covers them for £7000 in vet bills each year. They may never need it BUT, as Ringo's parents have discovered, accidents can happen indoors as well as out....and who, in most cases, has a couple of grand lying around? Chilli was found as a young kitten living rough with her two brothers in a car park by my friend Kirsten so I wasn't 'too' worried about letting her go outside as she was probably very street-wise after spending her first few months on a rough Tyneside estate (certainly a LOT rougher than where she lives now with us!!!) but Lily had been cosseted as an indoor cat since the day she was born She was quite wary at first but followed Chilli and within a week they were both happily popping in and out the cat flap whenever they wanted. At first they both kept 'checking in' with us every 30 minutes but once they got more confident and sussed out their territory (lots of neglected overgrown gardens around us) they started to stay out longer...especially on warm days. Perhaps the first time you let your two out make sure they are hungry (perhaps 'miss out' a meal ) and as soon as they come back inside (probably in just a few minutes as outdoors will be quite overwhelming at first I imagine) give them some food so they see coming home as a reward GREAT to hear that they're best mates now Kittens are usually pretty good at accepting other cats...it's older ones (like a certain Miss Chilli!) who are so set in their ways and get all stressed out about others in their home
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