# New kitten hissing at cat



## Emma Gear (Aug 30, 2015)

Yesterday we took in a little ball of fluff called Cake who we presume is about 10 weeks old. She was abandoned and we've thought about bringing in a companion for our house cat for months and with Doom's gentle nature we figured he could be a good lead for her. Doom who is around 15 months old, has already been spayed and is very affectionate and is a house cat.
We kept cake in the carrier for a couple of hours (in the carrier we put in a Doom-scented blanket so she had his scent and gave Doom her blanket) all was fine, he was playful and meeping at her and they were pawing (no claws) on either side of the carrier. Doom was calm and she was so after a few hours, let them meet. All he wanted to do was play with the kitten, but she will tolerate him but if he gets too close, she will hiss at him.
This morning they will sit near each other and play with the same toy and not fight over it. But Doom keeps batting her, he isn't hissing - the kitten is the one doing the hissing. But she is submitting and lying on her back whilst hissing. 
Should I keep them more separate? Or just let them sort it out between them? I was expecting Doom to be the one hissing at her, but he isn't. This morning he's trying to pin her down when she submits and trying to lick her face, which makes her hiss. It's thrown me off kilter a bit, as I wasn't expecting it to be this way round. To be fair to him, he's persistent and is trying to make friends, but she's not having much of it, other than sitting about 3 foot away from each other. If he gets close, she goes a bit mad. 
If anyone has any thoughts I'd appreciate it, all the advice I can find is the cat hissing at the kitten, not the other way around!


----------



## moggie14 (Sep 11, 2013)

Your cats sound so cute - would love to see a photo 
Don't worry about Cake hissing - she sounds like a feisty little kitten and is just giving Doom a warning - not that he is listening though!
Just make sure their play is friendly - if he is pinning her down roughly and she complains then step in and separate them for a bit. Do not let Doom chase her.
Use toys to play with them together such as string toys. Flying Frenzy is a bit of hit here on the forum.
Keep them separate when you are out until you are confident they are fine together. However at all other times I wouldn't separate them as it will be a step back given they are doing OK in my opinion.
I'd like to make a guess that if you can tire them both out with some rigorous playtime then you will find them snuggled up together real soon - please let us know how it goes xx


----------



## Emma Gear (Aug 30, 2015)

Thank You - that makes me feel much better 
Currently Cake is asleep next to me on the sofa and Doom is asleep on the floor about a foot away from her.
Things seem to be calming down a bit since this morning. She's let him clean her fur and she's kissed him on the nose - but doesn't want to play, if he tries she still hisses if he gets too close but instead he's backing off then tries to kiss her. He's took to following her too.
I bought them new feeding bowls as she kept going for his and I kept moving her back to hers so I've started them both afresh because they're on different food and that seems to be helping. She's had a funny tummy so I've bought her a kitten food which is supposed to be good for digestion. I've also given him a treat (a small cat biscuit) if he does something kind and backs off her instead of being a pest! He didn't want to know me this morning but he's being affectionate again (I think the treats have helped that!)
I've done what you've said and split them up (I was worried about his over-enthusiasm accidentally hurting her) and he seems to be getting the message to be a bit gentler. Just have to see what happens when he wakes up. I've put some Calming spot on on her about an hour ago because I read this can help calm her nerves since she seems a little nervous with all the change just to help her we figured it couldn't hurt to try giving her a little helping hand. She's such a lovely affectionate cat and has started purring now and wanting to stay by me just trying to give my tom extra attention so he doesn't feel left out. 
Doom is my profile picture and I'll post a picture of cake on here later


----------



## moggie14 (Sep 11, 2013)

They sound fine, it's still early days and progress is being made so that's fab xx


----------

