Male kitten (7 months) attacking female kitten (3 months)

Question

I'm having problems with my cats fighting. One is a 7 month old male, and the other is a 3 month old female.

We got Pablo a month ago. His personality is what made us get him. Honestly I couldn't have asked for a better companion than him, he's so sweet. Until we got Elsa, 3 days ago. I got another cat to keep Pablo company and just because I wanted more than 1. Both cats are unfixed at the moment.

Elsa has been separated from Pablo since we got her. I've introduced them only for a few minutes a day, under my full supervision. At first, they'll sniff. Then Pablo will try grabbing her neck. I though he was trying to mate until today, when he started attacking her face. I break them up immediately with water spray. Elsa fights back and hisses and growls at him.

Also, Pablo has been behaving very strangely since we got her. He's been spraying the whole house, deliberately drinking and eating from Elsa's bowls during the few minutes they have together, and he has been meowing very loudly.

I was hoping they'd be best friends. What am I supposed to do? Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

Answer 1

Cats are very territorial creatures, and while they can (and do) form social bonds with other cats, they don't naturally live in social groups in the same way that dogs do in packs. When Pablo sprays or eats from Elsa's bowls he is trying to assert his "ownership" over the territory of the house and its resources. The fighting is just a more direct example of the same thing.

The good news is what you are describing is not uncommon when introducing two cats to each other and it's unlikely to set the tone for the rest of their relationship - my two did very similar when they first met and these days they are often to be found snuggled up together on my bed! I've actually got pictures somewhere of the point where peace broke out as it was unbelievably sweet to watch (I'm a softie).

The chances are pretty good that with only minimal, sensible guidance from you they will work out their differences between themselves.

As for what to do:

1. Getting them both fixed will likely help (although you will likely have to wait a while before Elsa can be done, Pablo is almost certainly old enough) as not only will this help reduce aggression, but unless you have a burning desire for a litter of kittens, the first time Elsa hits a heat cycle could be a nightmare for you!

2. While you are keeping them separated, you can get a couple of objects each scented from one of the cats (a blanket or something that they have slept on should do the job) and rub it around the room of the other cat to introduce the smell. This helps them get used to the scent of the other cat without it being in the room and needing direct attention. You can also do this using yourself - give one cat at good fuss/cuddle (if you can rub their cheeks with your hands all the better as this will get their pheromones directly on your hands) and then go straight to the other cat and do the same before swapping back.

3. If you can rig up a separation in a room where the cats can see/smell each other but not actually get to each other this would be great as it will let them study each other a bit without the worry of things turning physical.

4. Keep an eye on the fighting but don't be too hasty to break it up - cats (especially kittens and young cats) fight and chase each other quite a lot naturally as a sort of cross between playing and learning and to a human eye it can actually look quite vicious even where it isn't. So it's not always a bad sign. Only intervene if one of the cats seems to be in actual distress, avoid the water spray if you can as you don't want to get them upset at You!

5. Make sure both always have a "safe" place they can retreat to.

6. Try bringing them into the same room for a bit of group play (fishing rod type toys are best) and see if you can get both of them interested in the toy, they will most likely "take turns" at attacking the toy so make sure you keep an eye out for any signs that one cat is monopolizing it and if so wave it over by the other one to encourage them to take their "turn"

7. Reward any positive time spent together lavishly (at first anyway), with treats, favorite foods, fuss - whatever floats their boat really.

8. Make sure each has their own litter tray (rule of thumb is generally "number of cats + 1" but this isn't always necessary)

9. Make sure you give Pablo plenty of fuss and attention separately from Elsa - it's very easy to get caught up in the cuteness of the new kitten and you want to avoid Pablo feeling insecure that Elsa is "stealing" you away from him.