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Introducing a New Kitten to Your Resident Cat

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Here are the questions asked by community members. Read on to see the answers provided by the ThriftyFun community.

April 21, 2015

I have just got a 8 week old female kitten, and my 6 year old cat, won't come in, or go near the kitten, she seems to be scared of her. My cat, has always had other cats in the home, and I have done gradual introductions, but every time we try a introduction she just turns and runs away. I have never had this before so am a little unsure as to how to handle this. My cat is now not coming in.

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By Nicky

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Bronze Feedback Medal for All Time! 226 Feedbacks
April 22, 20150 found this helpful
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I would give it some more time. Try feeding them something they love so they are eating within sight of each other (but not too close). Do this a few times. Make sure your resident cat get lots of attention. Cats in the wild only eat with family, and feeding within sight seems to create a bond. 'Good luck.

 
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March 8, 2015

We recently got a new female kitten named Misty and our resident cat, Shadow, a male, seems very angry with both us and the kitten. We haven't properly introduced him to the kitten because when we try to bring him into the house he gets very aggressive and hisses, growls, and scratches. He sits at the door and watches us, but refuses to come inside. He and Misty have seen each other through the window and Misty is fine with him, but we're scared that when we introduce them to each other our resident cat might hurt the kitten.

I'd really like for them to be friends and I don't want them to hate each other. How can I make Shadow come inside and how can I introduce them without one of them getting hurt?
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By Eve M

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March 9, 20150 found this helpful
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I've gone through this before and actually am in the process of this again now. You just have to lock the kitten up when you are away. And let it out when u are there. They just have to get used to one another. Mine have been in together for about 2 months and now my cat let's the kitten eat from her bowl and occasionally licks her. But once and a while she still growls and has attitude. But will get over it.

 
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February 27, 2014

I have a female cat she's 7 months and we've just got a new 8 week old male kitten. I don't have the room to keep them in separate rooms, but make sure they're not left alone and they are separated at night. My female cat keeps attacking the kitten, she seems to calm down and sometimes just sniffs him then walks away, but other times she's really nasty and pins him and bites him.

I've made a fuss of her, bought her her favourite food, and I make sure she gets lots of attention so she doesn't feel left out, but she still keeps attacking him. It's only been a week, but I can't see the light at the end of the tunnel. They will sleep in the same room together in the day if someone is there, but the minute she thinks you're not looking she gets ready to pounce and she wiggles her behind and then jumps and pins him to the floor and then bites him.

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She sometimes just sniffs and licks him and then walks off, but then she seems to get worse and nastier. I don't think they will ever be friends, but I would love them to co-exist. Any help or advice would be greatly appreciated.

By Janine

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March 1, 20140 found this helpful
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Get a spray bottle filled with water, when ever that kitty is being unruly spray her. It's not going to hurt her and eventually she will get the idea not to harm you're kitten. I use one on a male cat that thinks he needs to spray to get attention. As long as he knows he can't do this he doesn't get sprayed. The long spraying type of bottle is great. Good luck, I have 5 kitties and love them all. Although my male is fixed he still thinks he has to spray it eases my mind just to use this method instead of chasing him.

 
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June 18, 2015

I rescued a black kitten 6 months ago. He was around 8 or 9 weeks old and having been hand reared from 3 weeks old. He was found in a bin with a very ill mother and 4 brothers and sisters, all re-homed. He is very comfortable with people. So comfortable he behaves more like a dog than a cat. He is now about 8 months old, neutered and and a very happy cat. kitten

 

Just over a week ago my partner came home with a box with a tiny female kitten of around 5 or 6 weeks that he saw being dumped in a bin. Dumping kittens and puppies in bins is a "huge" problem in Spain. So my partner took her and brought her home.

Hugo, the 8 month old, reacted as I would expect. He was pretty unhappy that his kingdom suddenly had another cat's scent in it. I kept her in the second bathroom for the first night and day as she was seriously terrified of everything. On the second day I got hold of a crate and brought her into the living room. To start with Hugo would hiss and growl and run away. Ok, pretty normal right?

So after about a day and half of this he suddenly did a 180, or he seemed to. He sits in front of the crate and plays with her through the bars. He lays on top of the crate and plays through the side slits. He isn't staying outside for as long as before, sometimes he comes in, goes and sniffs her, then goes out again, like he is checking on her. They eat within sight of each other and she meows for him if he is in the room, but not right near the crate. I was thinking I had a major result without really trying.

So I opened the crate and let her out with Hugo in the room. He tried to bite her neck, from the top and from the underneath, and then got her in a headlock and I thought "oh no!", but then he started licking her, her head or her bottom usually, and I thought all was well. The headlock and licking has now turned into dive bombing her at every opportunity and after a minute of licking he starts biting her. He keeps biting her genital area which is somewhat concerning me as she doesn't fight back. She just adopts a completely submissive position and cries out when he bites.

If I shout his name or tap his bum he lets go and gets off her straight away, but then dive bombs her again within about 5 seconds. I've tried a water spray on him before, to stop him shooting up my curtains, but it didn't work as he loves water.

He is super friendly and confident, she is super timid and cautious. Is there anything I can do to help the situation or is it simply a case of waiting until she is bigger, stronger, and hopefully more capable of defending herself before they'll be OK together? Is it possible he can kill her? Her little neck seems so dainty compared to his teeth! Any advice would be greatly appreciated, thanks in advance :-)

Hugo
 

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June 19, 20150 found this helpful

This is false mating behavior.
Your cat has been neutered, but the instinct for mating remains in the brain. As soon as he realized she is a female the kitten was no longer safe.

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This may seem rough for mating, but mating male cats bite the female by the neck and hold her down. Licking and biting of the genital area is typical.

Unfortunately, he can harm her pretty badly. She is just too little for this and he will continue. It's possible that re-homing the newcomer will be your only option.

 
June 20, 20150 found this helpful

Awww, that´s shame. I´m fostering her for a charity at the moment, I said I would give her a forever home, providing all was well between them. As this is mating behavior and she is at risk I will contact the charity and get the re-homing process started. When we took her and Hugo on it was with the intention of helping the animals - sometimes the right thing for them is upsetting for us, but it´s still the right thing to do.

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Thanks for the advice :-)

 
June 20, 20150 found this helpful

Sorry that isn't going to work out for you. It is possible you'll be able to foster a male kitten or maybe a small dog in the future.

 
July 27, 20150 found this helpful

Just wanted to let you know that we have success! My vet suggested that I was giving up a little quickly and that I should try moving the kitten to another room and limiting the contact between the 2 of them.

I played musical cats for several weeks and the time apart seemed to do the trick. I came home one day to find Hugo on the hallway side of my daughters bedroom door, and Lula on the other side (door closed obviously), meowing to each other and trying to get under the door...

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so I opened it.

They instantly started grooming each other, which led to biting each other (not aggressively), which led to tearing round the house together at ridiculous speeds and generally having a really good time. They are the best of friends and have not (touch wood) had any fallings out.

A couple of weeks of mild inconvenience and we now have 2 very happy rescue cats.

 
 
July 28, 20150 found this helpful

I am glad you didn't have to rehome her.

 
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July 26, 2015

I have a white cat Marcel who is one year three months old. We have just lost our beloved ginger cat Oscar, his brother. It was a big step for my husband and I to take in our two kitties last year. We took two brothers as we thought it would be easier for them to get to used to their new home and they would be friends and keep each other company. And it was so until this week. They were always together. They went hunting together, they played together, they ate together, they slept together. My beautiful smart boys. As we don't have children my cats are like my babies. They are part of me and it's very hard to get used to the idea of loss of my little baby Osky. cats lying upside down

 

Now my little Marcy is alone and it makes me worried that loneliness may make him want to go and wonder far from home. I know I won't "replace" my deeply beloved Osky, but I thought maybe I could bring two more kittens in the house and they would be friends with my Marcy? Would they be able to be close as the two brothers were? I honestly don't know what to do. I look at my cat and he looks so bored and sad. And I don't know would it be a good idea to bring more cats or it may be the biggest mistake I make. Really worrying.

Selfishly speaking I always wanted several cats. They bring such joy and such love in our life. But I am so scared my little Marcy won't be happy with newcomers.
Could you please share your experience with me? I thought maybe as my Marcel was grown with another cat and as he is only a year and a bit old it will work OK? I will really appreciate if you could share your experience with me.
thank you very very much in advance!

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Bronze Feedback Medal for All Time! 226 Feedbacks
July 27, 20150 found this helpful

I am so sorry you have lost one of your babies. Blending cats is a tough job, so I understand why you are concerned. There is no way to guarantee it will be a good mix. It seems most often adopted adult cats just end up tolerating each other. The things I have seen work is getting a kitten of the opposite sex. There are many tricks to make things go well. Do a search on this site and you will find many of them. A couple that come to mind are, swapping sleeping blankets before introducing cats. Having cats eat within sight of one another. And of course, many rescues will take a cat back if it looks like an impossible mix. I have had all of those happen. It helps to remember that cats are not pack animals. They live with extended family only. That is why they do not like being mixed with other cats. But I have had unrelated cats become best friends. And I am with you, one cat is never enough. Good luck to you.

 
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September 4, 2013

Hand holding a black kitten.I have been reading these posts looking for suggestions and such. I am currently fostering a 12wk old kitten who was found outside my sister's job, motionless, at about 5wks of age. It was severely dehydrated and anemic from fleas. She vetted her for the day and brought her to my house to foster, including bottle feeding, meds, you name it. Well now 2 months later she is a healthy, very energetic kitten who just wants to play.

I have a 3 year old female tortie, who is pretty laid back. I kept the kitten in a huge tent like pen for about 1 month, only letting them together when I was home. I think a month was sufficient. My older cat had access to sniff and smell all the time. Well now that they are not separated anymore, any time the kitten sees the older one, it's like WWF under my bed. My cat has no tolerance for her antics, and bear hugs, and biting of her tail, lol. My cat hisses, growls, meows, you name it and the little one just keeps pressing on. When it gets too much I redirect her with a toy and then separate. But other times, I will find them laying next to each other under my bed. I'm assuming this is all a normal part of "distinguishing boundaries"?

By Simi112671

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September 4, 20130 found this helpful

Now that they are living together in the same environment it is time to give each of them their own place to get away from the other. The cheapest way I have found is to get ironing boards and cover the ironing board with a towel. Have some up high areas they can go.

Make sure they have different food dishes far apart from one another. I do scold my older cats if they act to bad, if they try to start a scuffle. I will not get them if the kitten is trying to overwhelm them with attention. Always make sure the older cat gets attention first.

 

Bronze Feedback Medal for All Time! 226 Feedbacks
September 6, 20130 found this helpful

This sounds really typical. You are really doing a great job with an orphan. Growing out of the crazy kitten stuff is just a matter of time. Sometimes hand raised kittens are a little slow to develop their social skills. But it sounds like your mature cat is up to the job. Blessings to you for having a heart for this kitten.

 
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August 21, 2013

I have a female cat (Jess) who's just over a year old, she was with another cat, but she and her owner moved out a few months ago. They got along well, eventually.

I bought a new male kitten (Tigger) to keep her company and they aren't getting on. She hissed and growled to begin with, and he didn't like her, but they are over that now.

They can be in the same room together and they are mostly fine, but he keeps aggressively playing with her by jumping on her back and biting her face and ears. She cries out sometimes and she always pins him and tells him off for hurting her, but he's always straight back on her doing it again. He will chase her around the house and give her no peace until I have to separate them (even as far as he won't let her go to the toilet). I don't know what to do with them anymore, short from getting rid of Tigger and would like some advice.

By George

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August 22, 20130 found this helpful

Get him neutered as soon as possible. Ask a vet whether this could be the solution. Ilona

 
August 23, 20130 found this helpful

You never said it Tigger was castrated. If not do this ASAP if he is find him a nice home where he is the only cat.

 
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August 14, 2019

I don't know what to do with our 2yr neutered male cat. We got another cat and were told it was a female, but it is a male. My older one really is not getting along with him. We have a plug in thing, but it has not worked. Should we keep him in as we've let him out and he disappears for 24 hrs? He hisses and growls whenever the kitten is around.


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March 23, 2019

I introduced a new kitten to my resident cat. She went outside today and last night she seems to be upset and comfortable with the new kitten although I put the new kitten in a crate. Will she come back, since last night she was not getting near me, and my resident seems to be a naughty cat and seldom wants to be pet. Please give me more insights on this.


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September 22, 2017

My girlfriend and I moved in together a little over 6 months ago. We already have 1 amazing cat who is just over 1 year old. His name is Arthur and he is very playful, fun, energetic, and cuddly. We've been looking around for another kitten because Arthur has been getting kind of lonely and we think we found the perfect kitten.

She's only maybe a couple months old if that. I grew up with dogs and Arthur was my first cat, so I really don't know much yet about cats. My question is how do I go about introducing them and just any tips you guys might have.Introducing a New Kitten to Resident Cat - medium haired orange tabby cat
 

Thanks and I appreciate the help.

Introducing a New Kitten to Resident Cat
 
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April 5, 2017

So we've had a neutered male cat for 11 years, since he was a kitten. He's always pretty much been the only cat in the house. Recently, we brought a 8 week old kitten into our house and she's super hyper. She was shy for about 2 hours after I brought her home, then started jumping around and exploring. She was kept in her own room for about a day, but moved outside as we let her explore.Introducing New Kitten to Resident Cat - tabby colored kitten

 

Our resident cat was understandably kind of upset with the new addition and he would often avoid her and hiss and growl at her if she got too close, he even batted at her once. I was wondering if this would improve with time if I kept letting them interact?

I'm not sure he's aggressive with her though, like he's never tried to attack her he's just always kept his distance.

Introducing New Kitten to Resident Cat - adult black and white cat
 
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September 10, 2015

I've done the research and followed the instructions. I've tried separating them and slow introductions. I rescued my kitten Charlie about a month ago from a bad home. She's super sweet and playful. But I started to worry because I work long days. She seemed lonely so a couple weeks ago I got another kitten Hurley. She had a hard time coming around to me and my boyfriend. But she's doing great with us now.

But Hurley just seems to hate Charlie. I've tried the towels. I've separated them. I've done the kennel, feeding within sight, and playing within sight or sound. Charlie is super playful and curious about Hurley. But if she gets within three feet of her Hurley starts growling, any closer and she hisses and runs. She's scared. Is there anything else I can try to make Hurley less anxious about Charlie?

calico kitten
 
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October 3, 2013

Young woman holding black kitten.I have a 12 week old boy kitten named Oliver that I've raised since he was 4 weeks. Now I've rescued another boy named Atari and since he is smaller, he gets picked on, tackled, slapped, and bitten. It's not so aggressive that it's scary; I'm just concerned. Will they grow to like each other?


By Mayson B.

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October 5, 20130 found this helpful

Your best bet on this is to get their needs met in separate locations. I have about four different feeding stations for eight cats.

Also make sure there are two different watering stations, and that there is not just one prime piece of real estate in your house (high spot) to lay on but two. I have eight cats, and still some don't get along.

From what you say is going on, they will be fine if you don't force them together, as in feeding at the same spot etc.

If you don't have any prime real estate for them, invest in an ironing board and put a towel or something over it. If you need to get two of them. Cats love to be up on things.

 
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August 26, 2013

I have a 1.5 year old neutered male cat and an 8-month old spayed female dog. The male cat absolutely loves other cats. Whenever he is introduced to cats, he is very friendly and follows them around wanting to play.

I decided to get a second cat so he wouldn't be so lonely. Yesterday I went to a shelter and got a spayed female 1-year old cat. The people at the shelter said she is good with both dogs and cats. When I brought her home though, she would hiss and growl at both of my resident pets.

I quickly isolated her to my bedroom and kept her separated all of last night and all day today while I was at work. Tonight she seems comfortable with my dog and hasn't hissed or growled at her. But she is still acting very aggressive towards my male resident cat. He is not aggressive back, but keeps slowly approaching her. But she hisses and will even chase him away from her. I don't know what to do because otherwise she is really sweet. Any advice? :(

By Courtney

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August 27, 20130 found this helpful

I was looking at this article and I think it says a lot of what could help out in this situation.
www.petfinder.com/.../

Here is another article:
www.wikihow.com/Encourage-Multiple-Cats-to-Get-Along...

There is no way to rush this process. I have had cats hate one another for a year or more. :)

 
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August 2, 2013

Chuchi is a cat we "rescued" from friends. She's roughly 6 and has had quite the life. When our friends got her she was grossly overweight and although she still carries quiet the belly (we wonder if she may have had a litter at some point), through good diet they brought her weight down.

They also have a large dog who was a bit of a bully at times, so when relatives had to come to stay it became rather overcrowded and we offered to house Chuc. In that house she could go out doors, but rarely went further than the door.

With us she's a full house cat as we live in a large flat. She's been here almost a year and is extremely content, as are we. However the guys I live with want to get a kitten. They say for her, but I think it's more for them. I think she's pretty happy having her own space for once and at this age and given her gender is it fair to get a kitten? Won't she just tolerate it more than enjoy? She can be crabby with us, let alone a kitten. Thoughts?

By jae

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August 30, 20130 found this helpful

That is how I ended up with eight. :) Go for it, I think they will learn to get along. They will have to or they will avoid each other. :)

 
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July 10, 2013

I have a 9 year old female cat who has had kittens of her own. Then a few years later adopted a male cat. For a few weeks Daisy the 8 year old didn't really take to him that much. They were very distant and arrogant towards each other and also had a lot of disagreements.

We're now about to get a male kitten who obviously will be castrated. Would my 9 year old female be okay and take to him or will she disapprove of him like the other one? Daisy also suffers from water infections, but hasn't had one for about a year now. I'd hate to have to let the new kitten Oscar be rehomed as he is just so sweet. Does anyone have any suggestions as to how I could get Daisy to take to Oscar? Thank you.

By Abbie E

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July 12, 20130 found this helpful

From experience, it can take months for cats to become tolerant of one another.

Always pet the older cat first, and then the newer cat and tell the old one No softly but firmly when he growls or hisses in a loud way. Soft hissing is ok, in our home.

I take the little kitten around our house and go from room to room telling him the names of the other animals. I watch closely and I won't let them alone together until I know they are safe. It is ok not to have them be best friends but if there is a problem with phsical aggression then I would keep them seperated for a while and supervised.

These are my tips but here are some other ideas from one of my favorite places:

www.humanesociety.org/.../introducing_new_cat.html

Blessings!

Also as a trick, you might try giving the other older cats some treats in a seperate room that the new kitten doesn't get as a way to make them feel special.

 
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May 13, 2013

We have one cat who is 4 years old and has just lost his friend. Would it be best to get one or two kittens to keep him company?

By John from Devon

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Silver Feedback Medal for All Time! 282 Feedbacks
May 15, 20130 found this helpful

I'm sorry for you and your cat's loss. Is he grieving? If yes I'd give him a couple of months to get used to the loss of his friend, and then slowly introduce a younger cat or kitten to his home.

Two might be a bit overwhelming for him but some cats like a crowd:) Try the pages at the following link for some great info on a multi-cat home:

cats.about.com/.../How-Can-I-Introduce-New-Kitten-to...

 
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