Introducing new kitten to older cat

[JentlyDoesIt]

Hello, this might be a case of "shutting the gate after the cat has hissed" but we have just brought home an 8 week old kitten (male) and not sure how to introduce / settle him in with our older (2yo) female cat.

has anyone got any suggestions? We can shut our kitchen / living room off from the rest of the house so that the older one can escape upstairs without being followed, and she can get outside as well. At the moment they are both in the kitchen / living room avoiding each other but the little one has been at the big ones biscuits already which did not go down well :)

I suppose I don't try and "force" them to get on, just leave them be? The bigger one has hissed and growled at the little one and is now sulking behind the sofa.

Help please?

[bamboobutton]

good luck!!!! we got a small kitten and have just had to rehome her after almost a year of trying to get her to get along with the resident cat, he really hated her.

i've heard feliway works to calm cats.

[lubeybooby]

The older one will get used to it in time, give the new kitten lots of cuddles so it smells like you, also get a feliway diffuser or two they really help.

[JentlyDoesIt]

Thank you
Where does one purchase a feliway? Willing to try anything!

Older cat has gone out, won't worry though til she doesn't turn up for tea weeny one is asleep in the sunshine on the bay window!

Thanks again x

[JentlyDoesIt]

2 feliways ordered - thank u amazon!

[RedwingWinter]

Don't forget to still make a big fuss of your older cat so that she knows you still love her. Kittens can be very demanding and it would be easy to accidentally give the older cat less attention. It's good that the older one has some space to herself. Good luck with the ongoing introductions!

[buggerlugs82]

i have, in my time, brought home 2 strange kittens to my older cats. The kitten had to sleep upstairs in the spare room for the first week as my boy cat cried his head off and hated her. It took a good few weeks of them smacking each other and deciding who is boss but now they're the best of friends.

Give it time, don't rush it and let them do what cats do. They'll hiss, smack and maybe fight. Let them, they need to decide the pecking order.

Don't stress over it and give it plenty of time.

Good luck :)

[JentlyDoesIt]

Hi all, thank you so much for the advice

Kitten (Jasper) has settled in well, currently climbing all over me and purring louder than any cat I've ever heard

Big girl cat (Tabitha) is spending most of her time outside, she now won't come in to eat so I'm leaving it in our covered bit outside, just to make sure she eats, she came in earlier but scarpered as soon as she clapped eyes on kitten. She is coming in overnight though to overheat me in bed

Really hoping this improves over next few days / weeks. She's a lovely cat & has always been very loving & cuddly

Keep your fingers crossed for me...

[rockinhippy]

We did this back in December last year - DDs Xmas gift was a 9 week old Kitten - our 2 year old Cats was NOT happy & we were very worried for a few weeks - they are now sleeping together curled up in 1 big fur bundle on the bed behind me & spend their time racing around the house play fighting & boxing - great fun to watch & they really do love each other :)

it did take a while, but the worst was over in a few weeks - we dared leave them alone together by then & DH made a point of making a BIG fuss of Big girl & never the kittten until she settled, which we think helped her feel less pushed out, so it can work out brilliantly - it has in the past for us before too

good luck :)