Bonding

Question
Hi I have had my cat milly for just over two years and sadly her partner in crime tigsy got knocked over by a car, for weeks she roamed round winein and we gave her all the love and attention we could but it still felt she was lonely. So weeks later we have got 2 kittens, 1 male, 1 female as we thought it would be company for her.Well the lady asked if they could be kept together and we didnt see the harm in them both coming.I didnt want milly to feel intimidated by 2 of them but as she is such a loving cat i thought she would have hours of fun with 2 kittens hanging off her ears! Unfortunatly its been 5 days now and she has no interest in them, she wont go near them and we are having to put her feeding bowls outside as she refuses to come near them without hissing.I dont want her to feel awkward as its her home and i know she will have hours of fun with them. Have you any ideas on how to bring them together and for her to accept them as friends not enemies? x x x  

Answer
Toria,

What you are witenssing is normal cat behavior when cats are introduced this way.  We prefer a slower method of introduction, but you cannot undo that now.  So, what to do.

Usually, after some time (and 5 days is not very much time at all), adult cats will be fairly tolerant of kittens.

Having separate food dishes and, maybe, even separate litter pans in different parts of the house would also be helpful.

Also, lavishing extra treats and affection on Milly will be helpful as cats can and do get jealous.

I have two rules about cat inter-relationships.  (1)  No human interference (let them work it out) and (2) Humans tend not to understand the way cats inter-relate to each other.

So, I would not separate them and, I would ignore any of the hissing or spitting.  If they begin to engage in games of chase (even if it ends up in a "mock" cat fight), this is a good thing.

Cats can hiss and spit and even loosen up some fur.   Rarely will cats hurt each other.

So I would give them plenty of time to adjust to each other (a few weeks, at least), and see how things develop.

Good luck and best regards... Norm.