new kittens and old cats

by angel barnes
(independence,missouri,USA)

Ok so my cats have been here awhile and one of them just had a litter a kittens 5 weeks or so ago, there stating to climb out of the box we had them in, and tonight my cat went up to the kittens andd smelt them and then hissed, then my cats kitten went and hissed at them too...is this normal and when will it end soon?

Answer by Kate
Hi yes this is normal and i'm sorry to say my never completely end.

cats are not pack animals likem dogs and are very territorial, so the more cats on one territory the more liklihood that their will be fights etc.

In the wild kittens would be chased off once they were old enough to go and find their own territory.

if you intend on keeping all of your cats then I would strongly recommend that they are are all neutered or spayed, this will reduce a lot of the aggression (as well as preventing more kittens or course).

The best that you may have to hope for is that they all settle down and get used to each other to the extent that they just keep out of each others way, but there will always be the occasional conflict.

In the mean time try introducing your cat to the kittens in a controlled fashion (described on this page here https://www.our-happy-cat.com/introducing-cats.html and also spread the kittens scent around the home to help your cat become used to their scent etc.

best wishes Kate

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