[QUOTE]How did you introduce them? It won't always work if you just sort of throw them in together... it can sometimes but not always. If you swap scents first (rubbing them with towels then switching towels and putting them under food bowls so they smell the new cat(s) while they eat), it tends to work better. Maybe try seperating them for a week or so and work on gradually introducing them again. Here's the response from a website Q&A from a woman in almost the same situation as you:
[QUOTE]A: Your first mistake was keeping the cats together from the beginning. Introducing a new cat to an existing one should be a very slow process, by keeping them separated at first but able to sniff each other through the crack of a door, until they are accustomed to the new scent. Then perhaps putting one of them (the newcomer) in a cage where the existing cat can come around and sniff some more and see that he is not a threat. It's also suggested to rub a towel on each cat and put it in the other cat's bed so he/she will become accustomed to the smell. Cats have a well-honed sense of smell and they use it to identify friends from strangers. Once they get used to each other's scent, you can try re-introducing them, maybe by playing with them using a wand-type toy. Slow and easy is the key, and give each of them special attention without the other around. Although your older kitty may never be "best friends" with this little interloper, at the least, they will be able to tolerate each other. The good news is that may very well take a maternal interest in the kitten, once she realizes it is not a threat. I've seen this happen many times. ]I'm not sure if any of this would work at this point, given the length of time they've already been together, but it's worth a try. I think it's important to give Purdy her own "safe room" where she can relax away from the little interloper. She should have her own food and water dishes, her own litter box and bed there, and you need to continue giving her plenty of love and affection.
Here is a pic of when Muffin met Cookie.thanks for the help, I didn't know about the rubbing towels, that's a good idea, but I did introduce them to each other gradually. i brought them home in the carrier, put them in the bathroom with toys, litterbox, food and beds. I stayed in there with them a while, then shut the door. They stayed in there only for about 4 or 5 days, then I would keep the door open during the day, and close it at night. the last few days they have just been loose in the house, they meowed at night, so I knew it was time for them to come out. Muffin just seemed curious at first, and has just gotten an attitude toward them lately. I guess I let them out too soon? but they were ready to come out...I am going out tomorrow to buy a gate door, I have decided to separate them from Muffin, like in that answer to that question says. The new kitties will have a room and bathroom and hallway to themselves, and Muffin will have the rest of the house to herself, so she will still have all her old places back to herself.
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