Sorry that is has taken me a while to report back. My motherboard on my computer burned up (literally) and I never bookmarked the site. Plus we just got another cat two weeks ago. This is long….my apologies.

However, now I am regretting getting another cat. We ended up getting a kitten thinking that it would be easier for our 9 year old cat that we adopted 3 months ago from a cattery (her name is Pocket and is a purebred snowshoe). We thought that because she was a mother for 8 years, she would take to a kitten easier. Plus because of their smaller size, most kittens tend to be submissive etc.

Well, we were wrong. We started with the slow introductions, keeping the cats separate etc. We have the little one (also a female Siamese mix and named Paws) spend most of her time downstairs, and the older one upstairs which is her favorite territory and is usually were we used to spend most of our time. Right now, my husband interacts with Paws downstairs, and I with Pocket upstairs (Pocket is very attached to me). But the little kitten is not only very vocal (loud) (she really dislikes being alone, which is understandable), but she has also turned out to be the reincarnation of Houdini. She managed to jump and/or climb over some very high barriers and sneak upstairs were the Pocket is; so Pocket saw her before we could do any small introductions. Needless to say, the Pocket was not happy. Pocket hissed at her and also swiped at her when she pushed her luck and tried to get to close (both are female). Then she hid, but kept her eyes on the little one, hissing from time to time. Afterwards, when I tried to pet her and console her (Pocket), she would growl and make some other noises I have never heard before indicating that she was very displease and unhappy. I have a felling she was growling at me for letting the other one in “her” house. She didn’t purr for a week afterwards and she has started to distance herself a little bit more again by hiding more.

It took me two months to get her to be comfortable around us and not hide as much after we got her. She also seems to gets either depressed or growls when she hears the little one (it impossible not to hear her at times). I will pet her and she will turn her head away from me, kind of like sulking. Or she will look really sad. One time she even sighed like a human would do. So I feel really bad like I have done a bad mistake by adopting the kitten, and I am contemplating giving her back to the owner who is a volunteer for the cats in need organization. The kitten came from her personal home. I also feel bad for the kitten because she is alone at night downstairs, while the older one sleeps with me upstairs. She meows like crazy when we close her in her room for the night. So I feel terrible because of that as well. So all of this boils down to a few questions.
1. Should we keep trying? And if so, how long does it take before cats get along (if at all).
2. Should we give the kitten back and let her find another home for her. My husband will be crushed because she does have a wonderful personality (Not because she is a kitten and cute, but she is very friendly and cuddly).

Sincerely,
Sylvia




Pocket

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