New kitten being a bully...

[ilovemykitties]

So I just rescued a kitty (Shadow) a few days ago and she's been bullying my two older cats. She's the only one in the house with claws (for now) and every time the older cats come near her, they have a hissing and shouting match and I have no clue what to do. Dusty likes to try to get close to her and sniff her but yesterday she ran him out of the room because he got a little too close for comfort. Bella, the other cat, just steers clear of them both and hides.

What concerns me is that because Shadow is dominating both of them and they're doing more hiding than exploring, is that they can't do simple things like use the litter box and eat! I don't even get a chance to play with them anymore because Shadow won't let them near. Any suggestions on how to get them to get along better so that they can all coexist together??

[Karen]

Spray bottle time! Get a little spray bottle, and fill it with water. Then when you approach the older cats for some petting, when she tries to muscle in, spritz her. It won't hurt her, but it will startle her, and be an unpleasant experience. It is too bad the older cats are declawed, poor babies, otherwise one swipe of the paw might be enough deterent for her to learn. They are are still adjusting to the new situation, so you may need to be proactive with that squirt bottle for a couple weeks at least, until things settle down.

Shadow is a kitten - testing the limits is part of growing up, you just need a clear indicator of where the "limits" are.

And welcome to Pet Talk!

[Moesha]

In addition to the spray bottle, could you perhaps confine the kitten to a certain area of periods of time so that the others would be able to have some time away from the new one? It is an adjustment period. When I brought a new kitten into my home, Aroara, she refused to leave my older cat's, Morgan, tail alone. He learned to deal with her and she grew out of that also. But we also gave him time alone by putting Aroara in the bathroom. Three years later, she still thinks of the bathroom as her room. She has a bed in there and that's where she is fed. She'll go in there and sleep without having to be shut in there. Also make sure the kitten has toys to play with to occupy her time and expend some energy.

[lvpets2002]

:love: Aweee the new kitten just has alot of energy.. The hissing will go away after a while.. Just give it time for them to smell & hiss at each other & they will all settle & get along great.. They have to get to know each other & so there fore there will be alot of butt sniffing..

:) Also Welcome to Pet Talk & enjoy all the talks & pics..

[Medusa]

When I brought my Puddy home at age 6 weeks, she was a tough gal. She had a bad leg so she walked like John Wayne and my husband called her Jane Wayne because of her swagger. She thought she'd bully my big girl Pidgelet but Pidge put one paw on her head and held it to the floor until Puddy calmed down. Puddy needed to be put in her place and so does your kitten. They're all going through an adjustment period, so take Karen's advice and get out that squirt bottle and don't be afraid to use it. And if I may be so bold (even though you didn't ask for my advice on this subject), please reconsider not declawing. It can cause your kitten so much pain now and later as an adult cat and that in turn can cause even worse behavior problems.