Posted by Judith
on 7/23/2009, 6:21 pm, in reply to "Hi some of you might remember me........msg"
so sorry about Mower. It's very hard to lose them and I can tell how much you loved him.
Lily sounds more nervous than feral to me. I've had a lot of kittens in my house and never once did I have a situation where an older cat didn't accept the kitten. They would be curious. A bit stand offish. Come closer. Sniff. Maybe even bat a bit (What is this little thing? It moves!) Sometimes, an older cat would mother the kitten, disciplining and grooming. But I've never a situation where an older cat harmed or was aggressive to a kitten.
There are a few things you can do and they center on happy activities they share so they learn to associate good things with each other. Feeding them together is a good idea. Playing with them together is also a good idea, like throwing little mousies or with a feather wand. You can put a bit of vanilla or tuna juice on both so they smell alike and might well groom each other.
Lily and Tiger may not be best buds but, if they are, they will find their way to it in their own time. You may be forcing the situation a bit by trying to integrate Lily into Tiger's kittenhood. Of all my cats, only a few have real bonds to each other. The rest tolerate the other ones. And, in my experience, the older a cat is, the less interested the adult cat is in a kitten.
Best of luck!
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