Assimilation of cat and kitten

I have recently raised a male orphaned kitten which I would like to keep. My older female cat, Matilda (also orphaned and raised by hand 2 years ago) is determined to bully, threaten and fight him even if I am in the room. Matilda also displays this behaviour to visiting people which is very embarrassing!

Catherine - Northern Territory

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Hi Catherine,

Inter-cat aggression is a very common problem.

Because Matilda was hand-raised, she may have missed learning some vital cues about how to interact with other cats. Cats learn the 'manners of interaction' through their play-based behaviours that they practise with their litter mates. Refer to this article for more information on how to raise a perfect pet.

It all comes down to socialisation.

Your young kitten is probably a ball of rambunctious energy and Matilda probably doesn't know how to deal with that.

Firstly, you need to keep the cats separate until progress is made otherwise Matilda  reinforcing her fear and anxiety that the kitten is causing.

(More information on reinforcement of behaviour in this members file here)

Then you need to gradually introduce the cats together and this member's file (Bosum Buddies) is all about that.

As you do this keep a close eye on their progress and stop all interactions if aggression occurs. There is a lot more detail on intercat aggression in this file (Fiesty Felines - members only)

Be sure you are minimising punishment in this process. (Manic Moggie Manipulators will help with that - member's file) because punishment is likely to further unsettle Matilda.

You may also need to induce a sense of calmness in the cats and the Feliway Pheromone is the ideal way to do that.

Some cat owners find that homeopathic preparations are useful to create a calm introduction of a kitten to an anxious adult cat. But if the Matilda continues with her Moggie Mauling ways, then sometimes medications are needed (that's a members file too)

With regard to the aggression to humans, look at the file called Jekyll and Hyde aggression - it's a member's file but very detailed.

For a good overview of the process look at the following as well

• Cat Assimilation Pet Pick
• Aggressive Cat Pet Pick (Include two hours of detailed Podcasts)

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