Cats and Kittens

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10 Responses to “I brought a animal shelter cat home and she is aggressive against the other 3 cats. How do I stop this aggress?”

1. K Says:
   December 15th, 2009 at 8:17 pm

   Make sure to always be around to correct problem behavior and keep that cat in a separate room when you’re not home until you know for sure they all get along. I’d get a little spray bottle with water to have around so that when they fight you can give a little squirt to break them up and make them not want to fight anymore. K

2. J C Says:
   December 18th, 2009 at 6:53 pm

   Cats need to be introduced to each other slowly, not dumped into a room together and expected to get along. She’s probably terrified, and is acting out of fear. Confine her to a room by herself with her food and a litter box, and give her some time to settle in. Introduce her to the other cats one at a time, and over a period of several days. Switch rooms - confine your three in “her” room then give her the run of the house for a bit. In about a week or so, things should settle down. Yes, it’s a pain - but it works and everyone will be happier for it. J C

3. misskitty5648 Says:
   December 21st, 2009 at 4:23 pm

   Hi…you have too many females and or cats in your home. The first thing I would do is make sure that all of them are spayed. That may stop the aggressiveness. What they are doing, or rather what your new cat is doing is deciding a pecking order. If having them spayed doesn’t help, consult your vet. You may have to find your new kitty a new home. misskitty5648

4. ~K~ Says:
   December 24th, 2009 at 9:29 am

   If there is no growling it is not aggression, it is playing. You can try to get some more toys for this cat. The toys you already have the other cats may not be sharing so nicely. Just try to show them all equal affection. I hope I helped. ~K~

5. cat lover Says:
   December 24th, 2009 at 11:01 am

   It is typical behavior, especially since the shelter cat has lived by her wits for some time, and is used to be unchallenged.

   The first “mistake” was in how you did the introductions. You usually don’t want to ’spring’ a new cat on your resident cats. Often, you do it slowly, to allow them to get used to each other. But what is done is done, so where does one go from here?

   Part of that will be solved with time. The shelter cat was probably used to fighting for every bit of food, so she would chase rivals for food away. She doesn’t have to do that now, but probably doesn’t know it yet. Your cats were used to a rather calm surrounding, getting food at their leisure without any hassle. That has changed for them, and they don’t know why.

   What is really going on is which cat will be the alpha cat in the home. Right now, your new adoptee wants to be alpha. And the new adoptee has ’street smarts’.

   If you step back, you will probably find that the aggressiveness is mainly bluff and bluster. And, your resident cats are getting some additional exercise. If your resident cats are much older, say perhaps 8-10 years, there is a tremendous energy difference between them and the kitten. At one year of age, she is a kitten.

   You really need only take more direct action if you find your three cats hiding all day to get away from the new kitten. If that happens, you need to assure your cats with love and affection, and perhaps use a squirt gun on the kitten when she gets aggressive towards your cats. You try and assert your primacy.

   But more likely than not, the situation will calm down once the pecking order is established, and they get used to each other, and the kitten realizes she has a safe and forever home with food and shelter always available. cat lover

6. asteri_kalloni Says:
   December 26th, 2009 at 9:11 am

   Cat Lover has said it all. For additional resources, check out the library for books by Pam Johnson-Bennett, she wrote a really good book that I can’t remember the title of that was all about stopping a kitty war in your house. I like her books because she’s very thorough, and is a cat behaviourist! asteri_kalloni

7. Maria Says:
   December 28th, 2009 at 11:06 pm

   How old was the cat when you brought it home?? If the kitten is taken away from her mother within an 8 week period of its birth, the first signs of its impact will be in the form of the cats behaviour. The cat may have abnormal eating habits, abnormal toileting habits, abnormal scratching behaviour. In addition to these, the cat may also form a maternal attachment to the owner, which can lead to many secondary problems. These may include extreme stress and depression when the cat is separated from its owner for any significant period of time. The cat may also develop an aggression towards people who are not its mother, or is perceived to pose a threat to its mother Maria

8. Juicy Lucy Says:
   January 1st, 2010 at 7:02 am

   thats three against one, wouldn’t you be aggressive. Give them time to get used to each other, they will be fine. Juicy Lucy

9. Elaine M Says:
   January 2nd, 2010 at 7:59 am

   It takes time, they’ll reach an understanding. Usually a good 2 weeks are needed. Elaine M

10. Susan M Says:
    January 5th, 2010 at 11:05 am

    Ideally you would have had a separate room set aside for the new cat. Then the cat can adapt to a new spot without the other cats. Also the three cats could become aware of the new cat. They could get a scent of each other under/around the door which is very important to cats. This could take days or weeks to get everyone settled. Then you can put the three in the room and let the one out to check out the house for a bit and further exchange smells. As it stands now, the new cat has decided she is taking charge and she wants those other three gone! You do need to confine this new cat and keep her from menacing your other cats. I would confine the new cat and start all over. I would only let her out of her room when I could supervise. If she began to bully the others, she’d go back to her room. I would just keep at it like that. Susan M

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