Older cat being introduced to kitten?

[o0samotech0o]

Hi, we recently have got given a kitten (male), but we have an older cat (female 8 yrs). The kitten is absoloutely fine about it all, a bit scared, but the older cat just does a mixture of hisses, growls, and cat 'cries'. I've tried introducing them when they were both a bit sleepy and put them next to each other, and with some reassurance, they managed to sit next to each other for a while (5 minutes) before the growls from the older cat started up again, and the pattern kept repeating. And then when they next see each other, it's back to square one. hisses growls and cries...

Any advice? They'll be living together for the rest of their lives so I want to make them friends

 

[???????? Aimee ?]

Hi! Does the older cat have a place she loves to sleep?? Get the kittens scent on something (Blanket) And lay it down where the older cat sleeps so she becomes used to the kittens scent...
Make it so they have to share Everything. Like food bowl, litter box, just anything you can think of so the older cat learns that the kitten is part of this house now.

 

[Mel]

Female cats are moody. All females are moody more so than males. (This goes for humans too).

The female cat will need to feel motherly towards the kitten but at the moment she is defensive because it is her territory and she sees the kitten as an invader of that.

I suggest you do this while both cats are wide awake, if the female is sleepy she will be moody. Wait until the kitten is hungry and when he starts meowing for food his cry should kick in a motherly instint in the female cat. Don't starve the kitten just let him go hungry for a while and put the cats together in the same room, don't push them together just watch them in the same room and let the female cat go over to the kitten on her own. Once she has had a sniff and become curious of the kitten then feed them together. If you do this on a regular basis they will get used to eating together and then everything else will follow as the female cat will realise that the kitten is not a threat.
Good Luck.