cat introduction?

[rickbmore]

Thanks for reading. I have two savannahs Im working on getting introduced. I'll give you the rundown and hopefully get some feed back. first cat is a 1.5 year old f6 female who is fairly small and extremely shy. She is a sweet sweet cat but she was not socialized well and we have been working with here extensivley since we got her about 6 months ago. second cat is a amazing 5 month old f2 female. She is super sweet and energetic and not shy at all. we kept them seperated for the past month and have been doing alot of crate sessions so there familiar with each others scents. the older cat seems to swat at the crate and the kitten always hisses and growls when in she is close by. The few times they have been out of there respected rooms or crates wether by mistake or while the kitten was in my arms the older cat has attacked her. Even though the older cat is the attacker the kitten seems to be the agitator. I would love to answer any questions that would help the more experieced people on this board give me suggestions on how to help me to get these guys to live together.
thanks a ton

 

[WitchyWoman]

One issue may be that both are female. For some cats, sharing territory with the same sex isn't tolerated well or at all. Have you tried confining the older cat in the room where the kitten has been and putting the kitten in a room where the older cat usually sleeps/stays? Try that for a week and see if it helps. Try hand feeding them at the same time, one on each side of you and gradually try to get them closer together while getting treats.

Give lots of attention to the older cat to offset jealousy. At some point, they're going to have to work it out themselves but usually (not always), a kitten can charm an older cat.

When you say the older cat attacked the kitten, what was involved -- hitting with claws out or in; hissing; attempting to bite?

The kitten isn't a deliberate agitator -- it's a baby and can't understand why another cat doesn't think she's impossibly cute and totally charming, although the cheekiness of an F2 can be a challenge for a meeker cat.

Continue to supervise their interactions, don't force a relationship between the two of them, experiment with letting the kitten out at the same time as the other cat after they have shared each others' personal space. And as long as you are there to prevent injury, you may have to allow a few wrestling matches until the new pecking order is established.

 

[rickbmore]

hi deborah,
Thank you so much for your input. great suggestion on switching out where the cats stay. I haven't tried it yet but i jotted it down on my note pad. I can give u a bit more info in regards to your post. The older cat seems to strike with intent meaning her claws are out and she has inflicted wounds to the kitten and myself. other than that she is a sweet girl. I know the kitten is not deliberatley agitating but she been at swatted at so is scared. the older cat is not food motivated at all! She eats her dry food and that is IT. the kitten likes a treat. even though I described the f6 as a shy cat she is not meek in front of the kitten. I know this is all very vauge but hopefully you guys have some more suggestions. thanks again.

 

[rickbmore]

sorry i had a bit of a typo. the female kitten is a f3 not f2

 

[WitchyWoman]

Then try feeding older kitty pieces of kibble & feed new kitty whatever she eats. It's important to get F6 kitty comfortable with F3 and for you to be seen as the leader of their pride. The feeding routine establishes you as caregiver for both and you provide neutral territory for them. F6 might take the kibble and run the first couple times but eating together establishes an important relationship between them, even if they end up just tolerating each other rather than being friends. If you decide to try this, it'll require a lot of patience & persistence on your part.

 

[Brigitte Cowell]

Can you describe the "crate sessions"? What size crate did you use? If you used a standard cat carrier I can see that it made the kitten or cat trapped in the small space very defensive and worried... a large dog crate tends to work better in that scenario as the kitten/cat can back away from the other and not feel like they are about to get whacked through the bars etc.

I would think that if the cat is attacking the kitten in your arms, that jealousy is a big part of it. The cat is feeling what you are saying here... you present the kitten as "amazing" and the cat as more difficult. I think maybe if you can make the cat feel more special they might not resent the new addition quite so much.

Play is a great way to not only make your adult cat feel happy but it can also get out a lot of nervous energy and make them calmer then to introduce to the kitten. Additionally, if you are coordinated enough, being able to wave two wand toys and play with each at the same time can really help them get used to being near each other in a positive way (since you have said that your cat doesn't like treats).

As to treats, have you tried all options? I don't mean all commercial processed cat treats...none of mine will eat them either! Have you tried raw meat or even sandwich meats? If you find something your cat likes, you can cut into small chunks and use as treats. Freeze dried chicken is a treat that more cats like than don't...not chicken jerky, but freeze dried chicken which is still white like cooked chicken and has a crumbly not hard texture. Try putting a few in her kibble bowl and see if they disappear...

 

[DocMac]

I have used a specially designed cat toy that is actually a felt rope with a cat toy on each end. One end goes into the crate and the other end hangs outside the crate. Cats will play with their respective ends that are unable to pass thru the wire sides of the crate. Sounds much more complicated than it is. This way, both cats are in close proximity and play together. My Savannahs do it even when the crate is wide open. One pulls, then the other. Back and forth.

 

[Lori Greer]

Using a teaser wand toy is also a great way to get them interacting in the same space while they are also distracted by the toy and not focused on each other.

 

[NikkiA]

Following along here and wishing you good luck! Our F5 boy was NOT happy when our F3 boy arrived, and now they groom each other and snuggle, I am crossing my fingers for you that they will warm up to each other!