Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I started out with one cat (Remi). When Remi was about one year old, I adopted two new cats, Oscar and Belle, who are brother and sister. Remi and Oscar get along GREAT; they play together lay together and wash eachother. They are are attached at the hip-I was really lucky. Remi and Belle hissed at eachother a lot at the beginning, but other than that, they all got along pretty well. I found out that Belle was expecting and she recently gave birth to four kittens. About a month before the kittens were due (I didn't know when she got pregnant) I separated the boys from Belle into another room.

Since the kittens have been born, I let the boys in the room with the kittens and Belle when I'm at home. Remi and Belle now seem indifferent to eachother-Belle never hisses at him and Remi couldn't care less. But Oscar (her brother) wacks her and hisses pretty visciously if she gets too close. This makes me so sad. Is this normal? Belle seems so confused...Is it because of the kitten smell or because he's been in the other room? Will he get over it? When I first got him, he was so mellow and now he seems pretty uptight and angry. Any help would do. THANKS!!

Brie

It could indeed be Belle's kitten smell that is upsetting Oscar. Some cats just respond more to scents than others. He probably can't understand why his companion doesn't smell at all familiar and the confustion is making him aggressive.

It may go away in time, or you may have to follow all the steps you'd need to take when you introduce a new cat - isolation and very slow indroductions. Meanwhile try the towel trick - rub Belle with a towel then rub Oscar with it, and vice versa to exchange scents a bit better.

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Smile, it will make them wonder what you are up to!