savannah cat and older cat

[James Singleton]

I have a 3 year old domestic short hair and now I have a savannah kitten. What is the best process of getting the two cats to like each other? Right now, the older cat hides in a corner underneath some furniture all day and seems depressed as well as angry at me personally. Also, he growls at the savannah kitten when she gets close to him. The 3 year old is male and the savannah is a F6 female.

 

[WitchyWoman]

James,
How did you do the introduction? Did you quarantine the kitten for 2 wks before allowing the cats to meet face to face?

It's a natural reaction for the older cat to resent the new one. That's why the manner in which they're introduced is important. Your older cat will need a lot of attention and reassurance from you that s/he is still loved. And it's important that you maintain whatever playtime and lovetime schedule you had with the older cat before the new one arrived.

If you did not quarantine the kitten for 2 wks prior to introduction and do the swapping of beds and toys to get them used to each others' scent, you should do that now.

 

[James Singleton]

James,
How did you do the introduction? Did you quarantine the kitten for 2 wks before allowing the cats to meet face to face?

It's a natural reaction for the older cat to resent the new one. That's why the manner in which they're introduced is important. Your older cat will need a lot of attention and reassurance from you that s/he is still loved. And it's important that you maintain whatever playtime and lovetime schedule you had with the older cat before the new one arrived.

If you did not quarantine the kitten for 2 wks prior to introduction and do the swapping of beds and toys to get them used to each others' scent, you should do that now.

I wanted to do something like that, but the kitten wants to be with me all the time and gets upset if I leave her alone even for a minute. And her meowing can be heard throughout the house. I'll try it though.

 

[admin]

I wanted to do something like that, but the kitten wants to be with me all the time and gets upset if I leave her alone even for a minute. And her meowing can be heard throughout the house. I'll try it though.

James, they will get and you need to balance the time you spend with each...if you are spending so much time with the new kitten, it is not fair to the older...Deborah is correct...

 

[Pam Flachs]

Deborah is absolutely correct. Spend time reassuring and playing with your older kitty. His nose is out of joint; not unlike human kids when a new baby arrives, cats can show jealousy....and do separate them for a few weeks or more. This will give the kitten time to bond to you, and your other cat will learn to accept she is here to stay and make the intro period go much more smoothly.

I'm sure a quarantine period is mentioned in the contract you received with your SV kitten, otherwise failing to do so usually voids health guarantees...

There are a lot of helpful posts dealing with quarantine and introductions on the forum...just do a search and I am sure you can find them!