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So a thing about cats I wish more people understood: if you are introducing a kitten to an older cat it's pretty much ok if the older cat is kind of a jerk to the kitten! In fact, it's natural and important
Now don't get me wrong. If an adult cat is TERRORIZING a kitten that is NOT ok. If an adult cat is seriously stressing out a kitten, or attempting to seriously hurt a kitten then that is not a natural situation, that's a dangerous situation & needs to be remedied
But if an older cat is like, hissing at a kitten, or smacking a kitten (claws sheathed, a quick and usually not very hard smack) then that's totally ok and natural because see, kittens need to learn how to be cats
And part of learning how to be a cat is learning how to interact with other cats. Because cats ARE ACTUALLY SOCIAL ANIMALS (I scream into the void for the billionth time) they require instruction on how to maintain polite cat society
and a huuuge part of that is setting boundaries.
Adult cats have their own spaces in your home. They have set routines, things they consider "theirs," places they need to access to feel secure. Kittens, being kittens, have no idea how to respect that sense of ownership
Adult cats have their own spaces in your home. They have set routines, things they consider "theirs," places they need to access to feel secure. Kittens, being kittens, have no idea how to respect that sense of ownership
So the older cat TEACHES them. And they teach them by making it very clear that the kitten is currently in a place that is Not For Kitten. A hiss, a smack, a growl--these are boundary-setting behaviors. They're part of cat communication
If you watch a colony of feral cats there will be little spats every so often but very rarely will there be actual fights because the cats have learned as kittens what it means to respect boundaries and thus fights aren't needed.
Cats are territorial animals but not in the way lots of people think. Cats don't require large territories--they'll adjust to what's available. A window ledge, a shelf, the top of the sofa--these are all perfectly adequate territories to a domestic cat
Especially since cats view vertical space the same way they view like, horizontal space. Different levels of a cat tower can be different territories.
See what determines how feral cat colonies work is adequate resources. If there are adequate resources, colonies can be quite large and, at least among females, quite friendly as well. Mother cats will even nurse other mother cats' kittens.
But if resources are inadequate, that colony structure fails & cats become more defensive. Obviously
Cats inside your home respond to resources too. If you introduce a new kitten it's incredibly important to assure your current cat/cats that there are more than enough resources
Cats inside your home respond to resources too. If you introduce a new kitten it's incredibly important to assure your current cat/cats that there are more than enough resources
This means adding more litterboxes, more water/food bowls, more toys, more spaces & making sure the adult cat gets more attention from you. If the adult cat sees the addition of a kitten doesn't threaten their resources they will feel secure, and thus be less likely to lash out
Cats don't actually have to like each other to peacefully coexist. Your older cat may never like the kitten but that's ok because the kitten will learn boundaries from the older cat if you let the older cat teach those boundaries
So if you see your older cat swat at your kitten don't intervene! Don't go and comfort the kitten or like, yell at the older cat for being mean because all you're doing is encouraging the kitten to be a jerk and making the older cat feel insecure & more likely to be rougher
You should really be doing the opposite: comfort the older cat and remove the kitten from the contested space (don't punish it obviously but just calmly remove it). Older cat feels secure, kitten learns boundaries, everyone wins
If the kitten is being a jerk to the older cat and the older cat response in kind, your job is to remove the kitten. Help teach the kitten boundaries. Support the older cat. Don't freak out when cats are doing normal cat social things
Anyway if you can please help me help cats I have a lot of cats who need help https://twitter.com/ellle_em/status/1309999500992405504?s=20
