Is peace possible

Question
I have a senior female cat who is 15 years old.  She was once the youngest of five cats in my household, but she is the last one remaining from that group.  A couple days ago I offered to adopt an orphaned mother cat with 3 kittens who were about 3 weeks old.  My senior cat is very small, under 6 pounds, and is starting to look pretty frail.  My hope is to keep the mother cat and one of her kittens and the other two kittens are already spoken for.  Is there any chance that the mother cat and the old timer will be able to get along once the mama is finished nursing, or will I have to keep them apart forever?  So far the mother cat has been very aggresive to my senior cat and - which is understandable - but I don't want my old friend to be a prisoner in her own home.  I moved the mama and babies to the basement where they're comfortable enough for now - but I don't want to keep them down there after the kittens are weaned.  Please advise - I need help!

Answer
Hi Helen,

This is something that will take time to settle out. Because the cat you took in has kittens she will be over protective. I would suggest that at times you move the mom cat to a different area and let your senior came and visit the kits. She may smell them and hiss at first but that's because they are new and strange. This visiting will help two ways. First the kittens will get used to her and her to them. Second, the mom cat will smell her odor near the kits and will get used to smell. You need to keep an eye on the old girl when she is near the kits. Make sure she doesn't try to strike them. She may at first but will settle down.

After about a week or two of this I would try to introduce the mom and your old girl. You might want to also get a product called Feliway Comfort Zone. This mimics happy cat pheromones. It will help calm them down. Things should be okay in about 3 weeks or so. If it doesn't seem to be going good write back and I will help you further. Good luck.

Ciao, Karen