My husband was frustrated with my older cat because she runs from him and everyone who comes in the house. I got her from a rescue almost 2 years ago, and she just won't warm up to him, so he wanted his own cat.
My daughter brought him a cute baby of around 13 weeks old. Now, my cat hides in my room and won't come out, not even for me. The kitten is kept in a kennel right now so that my older cat can come see him, but I'm so afraid that she won't accept having another cat in the house. I don't want her to think that we don't love her anymore.
She had been through so much before I got her. The first lady that adopted her had her for almost 2 years, then her boyfriend returned her to the shelter in a cooler with the lid closed. Then, an older woman adopted her and after 8 months, she had to move into a skilled facility, so her son brought her back to the shelter. I saw her a few days later, and had to have her. I was hoping that she would learn that she could trust us and that she would let me love her. After 19 months, I finally got her to come and lay down on my lap, and my husband gets a kitten. She isn't coming to me now.
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Give each cat a blanket with the other's scent. They will become accustomed to each other. Also, get a cat tower for the older cat. It will help her exercise dominance.
This is very hard on the cat because it has been thrown from one home to another and in and out of a shelter. Now that the new cat has arrived you other cat feels like it will be taken back to the shelter again.
Keep telling her that you love her and she's not going anywhere. How does the kitten react to her? I've introduced a kitten to a year-old cat a couple of times, and usually the kitten won't leave the older one alone until it gives up and accepts it.
Give her lots of attention while ignoring the new one. It will take time, but eventually she'll come around.
It sounds like this cat is basically shy. A few trips through the shelter didnt help. Even though she is not coming to you now she still loves and relies on you. A search of this website will give you lots of ideas on how to build your cats confidence and help her get used to the new cat. A cat tree where she can get up high is a great start. Arranging your furniture so the cat can move around the room up high is also good.
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