Kitten seems to be retaliating against my dad...

Question
In August, I found a malnourished kitten near a freeway and had to bring it home. Our other cat (Buddie, who is going on 10 years) doesn't like her, and tends to take it out on us by growling, scratching, etc so we end up having to put her outside. This has been happening less and less lately, and they seem to be getting along somewhat better.

But today, Buddie had another of those fits and my dad put her outside. While he put Buddie outside, Baby (my kitten) got upset at him and urinated in his chair. He punished her by rubbing her nose in it, yelling, and throwing her away from him (definitely not the way to deal with this!) Anyway, this is not the first time that has happened, she does it whenever she gets stressed, usually when everyone leaves the house and she is left alone, or when Buddie goes outside. My dad thinks this is a form of retaliation, and is getting rid of her unless he finds a sure way to make her stop.

I want to know what I can do to stop this behavior of "revenge", so that I don't have to get rid of her (this was her last chance).

Answer
Kryss,

Your dad is going about the situation in the worst possible way and it is not going to help the situation at all. Rubbing the cat's nose in it and throwing her is only going to make her resent your dad worse and be afraid of him too, which you don't want.

The cat is probably a sensitive cat and gets upset and stresses easily. Your dad probably yelled at Buddie which upset Baby very much. You have to remember, you don't know what kind of trauma the poor kitten went through before you found her and what bad experiences she had.

Baby is telling you and your dad how upset she is the only way she knows how. And you know it was directed at your dad because it was his chair she made her feeling known on.

Most older cats do NOT like kittens. Maybe because of their smell or their energy. Sometimes it takes months for a kitten and and older cat to get along.

The best thing to do when Buddie has fits is to QUIETLY put her outside. No yelling or scaring the cats. Buddie will then associate her attitude with being put outside, and the kitten won't suffer because of it. If your dad is worried about his chair, then when he is not in it put down towel over a piece of plastic until the kitten relaxes and doesn't stress anymore.

When you know the kitten is going to be left alone and be upset by it, put her in a smaller area with a little litterbox until you come home. She is getting used to having a home, food, warmth, and attention. Also remember that she was lost and alone when you found her. When everyone is gone, she gets that feeling again and gets scared it going to be permanent.

You, and especially your dad, need to have patience and give love and reassurance to the the poor little one to build up her confidence and trust.

Tabbi