Older cat in distress

Question
We have just adopted two lovely black kittens, who are playful and delightful
to have around. They are nearly 4 months old. However one of their favourite
sports is to leap on our old gentleman of a cat, an 18 year old who is a bit
arthritic. He is so traumatised by their presence he has taken to going out
most of the time and hiding by the trash. He hisses at them and tries to beat
them but mostly just looks really sad. We are giving him loads of love and
treats and cuddles but he is so unhappy. Is there anything we can do?

Answer
Debbie,

I tried to answer this yesterday, but ran into computer problems.

One of the things we all do is to attribute human emotions and motivations to cats.  They do not think like we do.  So, what appears to be attacking may simply be rough play.  Cats have very, very tough skin and tend to play very roughly with each other.  Often there is noise, biting, scratching, even loose fur, but no one really gets hurt.

You have not told me how long the kittens have been in your household, but, with an older cat, it often takes weeks or even months for things to really settle down.  So, I would ignore things and give it some more time.  As long as everyone is eating OK and using the litter boxes OK, things usually will work themselves out.

At age 18, your cat is very set in his ways and his world has been turned topsy turvy by the addition of a couple of kittens, so he may just need time to adjust.  Meanwhile, giving him lots of extra treats and attention is a good way to help smooth things over.

Best regards... Norm.