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Felicia Smith, a retired veterinarian in central New York, counsels cat owners to keep the new pet in a "safe room."
"Depending on how young the kitten is, and where the kitten has come from, give both pets privacy for three or four days, and longer if you feel it will benefit them. If you adopt a pet that has already received a vet exam and clean bill of health, and your older cat has all his shots, introduce the scents of each to the other first."
A young kitten may require a longer sheltering from your older cat. Smith recommends "If your kitten still takes milk -- if for any reason she isn't fully weaned -- please keep her away from the older," says Smith. It is also critical to keep them apart if either could be sick. "I remember one tragic instance when a kitten carrying feline leukemia was introduced to an older pet," says Smith. "The older cat hadn't been vaccinated for the disease. Within two years, both were dead."
A rare occurrence? We hope! More commonly, passing ear mites or a mild infection between pets occurs. If your new kitten is feral, make sure a vet checks and vaccinates her and that you know it is safe before introducing her to the older cat.
Caroline Hussey, a veterinarian in Hawaii, agrees. "Make a separate place for your kitten. A separate room is best. Place a new litter box, food and water bowls (away from the litter), and a pet bed or blanket there," advises Hussey.
"After a day or so, let your older cat sniff the kitten's blanket. He will associate the new scent as part of the household," says Hussey. "After a few days, introduce the kitten to your cat. Hold her in your lap, allow both animals to interact. If everything goes well, let them play on the floor in your presence. It's probably not a good idea to leave the pair to sort things out between themselves. A few minutes at first, then increase the time gradually over a week. Both cats will appreciate not having to share space in the beginning."
When both cats are allowed to share each other's space, continue to give both a private litter box and food areas. They may become the best of friends and one day share the settee or a water bowl, but in the beginning create distinct areas, "Let your pets know they don't need to compete for a litter box, food bowl or water dish, or you," says Hussey.
If your older cat starts to groom the kitten and you notice them butting heads from time to time, you have done your job well. Smith says "Sometimes it's a test of wills to determine dominance, but sometimes it's easy. The older cat will show the little one the ropes if you're lucky."
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This is very good advice for anyone thinking of introducing a new pet into the home. The older cat will feel invaded and you don’t want there to be any animosity towards the new addition; ideally you wish for them to be friends and to get along with one another and this can be achieved by being patient and making sure that you introduce the new kitten gradually and don’t allow the two of them to be together initially alone or for long periods of time; instead let them play together little by little after you get them both accustomed to each other scents and then allow them to play together for short periods of time throughout the day.
Once you begin seeing them butting heads with each other and starting to groom one another you will know that they are getting friendly and acceptable to one another and you will have a much more happier home, but in the mean time go slow and don’t try and rush them. Plus, it is a good practice of paying more attention to your older cat during this time so he/she doesn’t feel they are being replaced by the new addition which could lead to them fighting, and it could lead to one of them getting hurt in the long run. Better to just take is slow and do the job right then rush things and have it all fall apart.
Does it make a big difference if the new little one is a male or female - if my 1 yr old cat is a female? My Patchee is from the shelter, so she is fixed. I want to get another kitten from the shelter too. Should it be a male or female??
Thanks ! .... Linda
either one..but..I think a male would love your female....make sure he gets fixed before the hormones kick in....Make sure the kitten has its shots and was tested......If you can save one off the streets that would be wonderful...or...go to a shelter....I bottle fed a couple of mine..One had a cleft palate and had 2 surgeries....one was thrown from a car and had injured back legs...I have 8 cats but don't go that far, because the territory problems start..........
OK I have 7 cats and our most recent "baby" is about 3 1/2 yrs old. We took her in from outside, took her to the vet FIRST to make sure she was healthy and for the 1st night, we kept her in a different room. After that we opened the door and let it be. I do not think locking them up in different rooms is right, if they are going to have a hissing match....... so be it. They will become friends sooner or later. The most important thing is to remember to show you other(s) love as well so they do not feel "left out" especially if you are closer with one cat.
Always repect the old cat's territory- good advice. Go slowly. It took months before my old cat would share a bed with the new one, but imperceptibly they became closer each day and now it's normal for them to share spaces and run through the house chasing and playing.
For an example of what a cat goes through, search YouTube for 'talking cat' and there's a clip of a very upset older cat trying to give the young one a warning. If you search 'talking catS' you'll see a pair who became friends and have conversations.
it is cruel to make an only cat accept another - cats that grow up around aother pets usually socialize rather well - usually end up running the place - cats do not tolerate change so if adding a cat i would get another that could be returned if all goes wrong - as so often does - easier to add kitten than adult
I disagree to a certain extent. I have found that most older cats value companionship even if they are not buddy-buddy. My 7 year old wanders around the house looking and meowing for her housemate. She also misses the older tomcat who died 2 years ago.
I disagree to a certain extent. I have found that most older cats value companionship even if they are not buddy-buddy. My 7 year old wanders around the house looking and meowing for her housemate. She also misses the older tomcat who died 2 years ago.
The first rule I found is to respect the older cat. Do not assume he / she is "old and lonely". Not all old cats need (or want) another feline companion. I had an old boy and adopted an a very young kitten who was abandoned. Senior Tom was not amused. As time went on they became close friends...but not before I fielded several battles....usually over a favorite "sleeping spot" that the newcomer tried to evict my older cat from. I found that giving the older cat a lot of space helps. Don't force them to eat, sleep or stay together for too long at first. Old cats are like old people...set in their ways and happy with a predictable pattern. A new young kitten throws their pattern off. It worked out in time with my old cat but sometimes the two cats just do not get along. Thats why its important to really weigh out how the older cat will react. It avoids a lot of conflict and hear ache.
I agree,...I have 8 cats...all rescues over the years....Everything was fine untill one cat and my older ones did not like eachother.They separated and the new cat was not allowed upstairs where my older cats stayed.....it was like that for 12 years....my older cats died at 20 years and 17 years....One of my rescues came out of the one room he was in and just made friends with everyone else and they all love him...each cat is different.....I still have the trouble maker,she is about 16 .She loves to still hide behind things and jump out and scare others and she swings her arms like a ninja...
i had adopted a cat from the pound she was about 1 1/2 years old and she was the only cat in our home for about a year. she was very needy wanting lots of attention. one day when i was at the pet store they had a older cat that was up for adoption. the shop said if they couldnt get her adopted she would be put down. she was 6 years old and had the most stunning blue eyes. well needless to say i brought her home and all hell broke out. i thought my needy cat would love to have someone to play with. not. they hissed and fought and it took about a month before they finally become freinds. my older cat is the boss of the house even though she came second. my first cat loves to groom the older one and she loves to sit and let her. they have their favorite spots to lay in the sun, and its a matter of who gets there first but when they move the other will grab it. it does take time for them to learn to be together. you cant force it. but i also feel that cats was not ment to be alone either. im happy we got the second one, i just wish someone had explained to me about slowly introducing them.
We have two female cats. One is 17 and the other is 18. The older one is very sweet and is all white with one blue eye and one orange eye. Recently, we adopted the most beautiful snowshoe kitten who is about seven months old. When we introduced them the first time, it was no big deal. During the second introduction, the older cat was screaming and hissing and trying to kill the kitten. It was horrifying and difficult to stop because the older cat had the kitten trapped under the bed. Before we we able to remove the older cat from the room, she also urinated all over the bed. We had never seen this behavior in her before. She had been used to sharing our home with the 17 year old and our 13 year old who recently passed.
If the new one ,would of been a tiny kitten ,the other one wouldn't of felt threaten...its so much easier to introduce...but..I agree with the article its better to do it slowly....The new one needs time to adjust ,too....Most of them eventually become friends....
7 years ago I took in a young stray male. My 9 year old female checked him out, then huffed and walked away. She was willing to let him stay in her house, but didn't want him bothering her. To this day, they still don't get along, but at least for my benefit they tend to stay out of each other's way.
This is exactly how I have done this on several occasions and it always seems to work out. I have noticed that once all the introdutions are done, one of the older cats, ans it seems that it is always the cat that was introduced last, will take on the roll of the mentor for the kitten.
I had one cat that would jump from my dresser in the bedroom to the top of the open bedroom door. I actually watched the older cat show the younger cat how to that. A couple of years later when I brought another kitten home, that cat showed the new kitten the same thning. Cats are so amazing!
My daughter brought home a little 6 week old stray when our older cat (an unneutered ( he is now! ) male) was about 9 months old. He was only supposed to stay the night (since the shelter was closed till the next day), but our older cat totally adopted him! He was a little leery about the kitten at first, but it was pretty amazing how quickley he took to him. He's a very sweet natured cat, but we never expected that! The two are inseparable now, and although I never planned on having a second cat (heck, I never planned on the first one!) I'm so glad our big guy decided to adopt him.
When we introduced two new 3 months olds to our 3 year old cat, we partitioned off an area about 6' by 8' with a screen for the kittens to stay in. That way our cat could see them, smell them, but they were no threat to him or his territory, and the kittens felt safe as well. He would sit and watch them play for hours a day. After a couple of days, we began to bring them out one at a time for him to interact with. It took about two weeks and they became best friends with little or no hissing.
my problem was reverse for 4 years. I brought home an 11 year old male from the SPCA. My younger dominant male absolutely would not accept the older cat. I did everything to introduce them slowly. I'd never had a problem before, but then, I'd always brought home younger cats.
The younger cat would absolutely try to kill the older fellow. There were terrible fights if they accidentally met each other. So the old man lived in my bedroom for 4 years, along with a very skittish female.
The younger male died recently from lymphoma. Now all the cats wander freely. And an old female is the new dowager empress.
I have 2 cats and both are rescue babies. I had my older one for about 5 yrs before I took in my 2nd one. They were a little unsure of each other first, but now they get along great. They cuddle with each other on my bed when we sleep. I always joke around and say my oldest cat is my pet and the youngest one is my older cat's pet. My bf also has 2 rescue cats. His older one was actually very aggressive and he was worried that she was too much for him to handle. I found him a 2nd cat and the older one really calmed down. They together all the time. They have their own version of hide and seek and it's always fun to watch.
Sometimes the older cat will initially hate the young kitten because they think the mother cat is around. My cat used to "look" around corners and under the chairs when he saw the small kitten. I think he thought the mother was lurking around just waiting to fail him if he bothered the young one. He stopped after about a month. Newcomers can be stressful on the old cats.