That said, it took about a year for my oldest cat to accept two 1 year olds I had brought in together. By accept I mean they tolerate each other. In a multiple cat household there will always be moments of quiet, moments of play, and moments of hissing. Cats have their own personalities and will eventually learn to live with each other and tolerate each other. If you are lucky they will cuddle and like each other. Sometimes, like in our relationships, the most we can hope for is that they tolerate the existence of the other cat in the house. It is okay for this to happen. It is okay for them to roll around, chase, hiss, etc. with each other on occasion.
I would just make sure each of your kitties have a "safe" place to call their own. Each one of my cats have a spot where they can sleep on their own spot. One has a dresser in my craft area and I put a small blanket there to make her comfy. Make sure that the food bowls are shared nicely otherwise get another bowl and same for litter boxes. Make sure you give them equal time with your love and attention. Hugs and Purrs. (07/30/2009)
By haywalk
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Request: Introducing a New Kitten to Your Older Cat
Archived on 07/28/2009
I have a 13 year old, lovely cat who we love dearly. She is spoiled rotten. I would like to adopt a kitten and was wondering how to go about introducing the kitten. I'm trying to avoid our cat getting spiteful and jealous. Also, Kallie is a female, should we get a male kitten?
By RealtorRose from Malvern, PA
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RE: Introducing a New Kitten to Your Older Cat
Make sure you keep the new kitten in a room away from your cat for at least a week before you introduce them. Let your cat near the room so they can smell each other under the door and hear each other meow. After the week is over, calmly introduce them to each other for a few minutes at a time until you are sure they can both get along. I have done this successfully. Cats can be very territorial and they need time and space to accept the idea of someone else.
Don't forget to shower your cat with lots of love and attention and remember who was there first if things don't work out. Good luck. (06/27/2009)
By amhappy
RE: Introducing a New Kitten to Your Older Cat
What I've done over the years is place the kitten in a room for a few hours and then do a switcheroo where existing baby(s) are in the room for a few hours and the kitten has the roam of the house (this way the kitten's scent is in the entire house). I do this for a couple of days and then quietly just open the door and let them begin mingling. But I do it at a time where I know I'll be home for quite a few hours to keep an eye on how they're doing. If they do well, I just leave them be. If they have a hard time adjusting to one another I try another day at a time of room separation. You'll be able to tell what to do by instinct. It might take a couple of weeks.
Oh, my personal preference would be a female kitten. In my experience girls got along with girls and boys with boys on a more even/equal basis. (06/27/2009)
By Deeli
RE: Introducing a New Kitten to Your Older Cat
I say let nature take it's course, and let the older female cat become a surrogate mama to the little kitten. We have a male cat that is a surrogate mommy to two of the neighbor's kittens; it is quite cute to watch him cleaning them up and letting the little ones play with his tail as he is napping. Your older cat may surprise you and just love the new baby, as it will become her baby. Keep us informed on how it turns out, okay? (06/27/2009)
By Paula Jo Carr
RE: Introducing a New Kitten to Your Older Cat
Thanks all. I brought Toby home on Saturday and have him set up in his own bathroom. Kallie hides most of the day but is coming out to eat. I keep them separated for the most part. Right now Toby is exploring the house and Kallie is hiding upstairs. Wish I could say that Kallie has decided to be a surrogate mom but that hasn't happened yet, although I am still optimistic. Kallie is really a sweet cat and Toby is as cute as a button. Sounds like patience is the key. (06/28/2009)
By RealtorRose
RE: Introducing a New Kitten to Your Older Cat
"Amhappy" gave excellent advice. I would just add that you must respect their pecking order. The resident cat comes first. Feed first, greet it first when you come home and in the beginning it is not a good idea to make a fuss over the new kitten when the resident cat can see you doing it. You can do that later but during the introductions and socializing don't give the resident cat any ammunition to resent the new kitty. The new kitten should not have the run of the house yet. Your resident cat will stay in one room and seethe about being displaced from its usual routine. One last word; Get the new kitten fixed asap when it is the right age, or he will be trying to mount poor Kallie. (07/22/2009)
By Needtoknow
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Article: Introducing a New Kitten to Your Older Cat
Archived on 06/26/2009
By Larry Chamberlain
So, you read somewhere that introducing a new kitten into your home could be great for your existing cat, for companionship. And you remember how much fun your cat was when she was a new kitten, and you would love to re-live those days.
It is generally thought that cats thrive better with the company of another feline, especially cats confined indoors. But before you rush off to your local cat shelter or breeder, here are a few tips to make bringing home a new kitten as stress free as possible.
Choose a time when your home is not too busy and you will have time to devote to your new kitty and your existing cat, avoid holidays, for example, or other times when friends and family are likely to visit.
Before bringing home the new kitten, take her to your veterinarian to get her checked and vaccinated, kittens have weak immune systems and are likely to pick up something at the shelter or cattery. Consider adopting a cat of the opposite sex to your existing cat, this will avoid same sex rivalry and associated problems. For a number of reasons all your cats must be spayed/neutered.
If possible arrange to bath your new kitten at a friends house before you take it home, this will neutralize kitty's odor, and go some way to prevent unsettling your cat.
A short isolation period is necessary when introducing a new kitten. It would be ideal to have a separate room for the new kitten, your new little pet will need her own litter box, and food and water bowl. Some kittens will hide out under furniture for some days, more adventurous ones will be eager to explore their new home almost straight away. Do not try and force kitty to leave the room, you will know when she is ready.
Allow your new kitten to explore around your home while your older cat is in another room. Make the introduction, slowly, bit by bit, it is a good idea to let your existing cat sniff your new kitten's blanket a few times before they actually meet. Make the initial periods of contact short. Gradually increase the time that they spend together as they get used to one another. It is not unusual for there to be a few spats in these first meetings, so do not leave them alone together until they get on. If a fight does break out, distract the combatants and get them into separate rooms as soon as possible, never punish either cat.
The process of introducing a new kitten to an older cat, can often be relatively stress free and need not be full of problems. The key is in making the introduction slowly, and perhaps the best tip of all is to give your older cat just as much attention and affection as you give the newcomer.
Before you know it you will have two cats that thrive on each others company.
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RE: Introducing a New Kitten to Your Older Cat...
Those who have mentioned having a kitten and an older cat not get along after only a few days need to give it more time. Patience. Also, letting your cat roam outside is "not' the answer to a proper introduction and yes, you "could" lose your older cat. Keep her indoors.
The key is to lavish your original cat(s) with attention and to "ignore" the newcomer until your original cat has accepted it. This means no baby talking to your new kitten. No holding or petting of your new kitten. Babytalk your older cat, hold and pet your older cat, and never, ever scold your older cat for hissing or swatting at the newcomer, as this will make the new cat introduction take even longer.
Give full access of all rooms in your home, except one bathroom, to your older (resident) cat. Confine the new kitten to one bathroom. Allow access through a cracked door, with both sides of the door held shut by several rubber doorstops, so that the door is only open a couple of inches and only when you are there to supervise. When you are not there to supervise, shut the door.
If it is a very young kitten, being introduced to a very young cat, the process shouldn't take very long. "Only" in the case of a very young kitten, from 12 to 16 weeks, being introduced to a cat of between 6 months to 2 years old, would I recommend the following: A very short introductory period wherein the kitten is kept in a separate bathroom with resident cat having run of the house. After a few days, crack the door and let them sniff each other and play through the door. After a few days of this, put your resident older cat in a separate room (at a time so that the older cat doesn't feel he/she is being unfairly placed in the room, but so it feels natural; such as a room to sun him/herself in) for a brief time. Allow your kitten to access the house and explore. Allow your cat to explore the kitten's bathroom and smell the kitten's smell, while the kitten is not in the bathroom. (With the door shut so the two do not accidentally meet.)
Do not pick up the kitten or give the kitten any attention. Do not talk to the kitten. Do this for a few times. After a few days of this, pick a morning (cats are calmer first thing in the morning) to let the kitten out into your cat's space. Do not say anything or react to your cat when your cat hisses or growls at or swats at the kitten. All of these are normal behavior. Only intervene if a cat fight breaks out, and by this I mean two cats in a ball that are truly fighting. With a young kitten the chances of this happening are "slim to none". They may have brief scuffles, including low, menacing growling and hissing and swatting with paws, but that is not a fight.
Keep their litter boxes separate (the kitten's should be in a bathroom) and their food separate (eating on two sides of the same door is a great idea, as it is a positive experience they can both share). Keep this up and do not talk to the kitten nor give it any attention "until you see that your cat has fully accepted it." This will greatly minimize the introduction period. Good luck. (10/26/2008)
By E
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