I am struggling with my cats right now. I found Pickle, my older cat, outside as a kitten about three months ago. He was older than eight weeks when I found him, but I’m not sure exactly how old he is. He seems to be in that “teenager” stage.
Three days ago, I got a new kitten named Peanut. At first, Pickle was confused and kept trying to sniff him. Peanut didn’t hiss or seem scared; he just let Pickle check him out. There was a bit of a mishap when my boyfriend’s niece accidentally pushed Peanut off the bed onto Pickle, which made Pickle hiss. I told her not to do that again.
For the first few hours, Pickle was unsure about Peanut, but now he wants to play. Unfortunately, Peanut isn’t having it and hisses and growls whenever Pickle approaches. Pickle backs off sometimes, but he rarely respects Peanut’s boundaries, which frustrates me. I feel bad for Pickle because he just wants a friend.
After failing to engage Peanut in play, Pickle starts meowing loudly and trilling. I know he’s not trying to fight; he trills when he’s being playful. He hasn’t hissed or growled at Peanut since that first encounter.
I mainly got Peanut, so Pickle would have a friend to play with when I’m not home, so it makes me sad that Peanut seems to dislike him. It’s strange because sometimes Peanut rubs against Pickle and lies next to him when they sleep, but as soon as Pickle tries to play, Peanut gets defensive.
I have looked up advice on introducing cats, and it usually suggests the resident cat is the one being territorial. But in my case, it feels reversed. Peanut has even playfully swatted at Pickle, but when Pickle does it back, Peanut gets upset. It’s confusing!
I tried separating them after realizing things weren’t going well. I set up a space for Peanut in the bathroom, but Pickle found a way in. When I fixed that, Peanut managed to escape. Our bathroom door didn’t latch properly, so he squeezed out. I even tried blocking the gap with blankets, but he figured out how to get past them.
I am at a loss and just want to find a solution. It’s getting concerning because Pickle sometimes pins Peanut down while playing, and Peanut meows loudly to get him to stop. I’m worried about Peanut’s safety and don’t want to have to re-home him. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.