Introducing 3 month kitten to 6 month kitten going badly.

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Our male cat ( 6 months) is on his own as his sister died recently. We thought we would get another girl in for him to play with. We have all been very upset and thought it would redress the balance.

Also for background: We had horrid feral cats in the neighbourhood and there had been a couple of run ins in the past as one had a litter in our garden the day the other two arrived.

So: we have been proceeding slowly. Separate rooms, swapping beds after 4 days and now bringing him in 2 or 3 times a day. 1st time he hissed and tried to attack, now he hisses and then bolts for the door. How much time should we be putting them together? Should we keep themin a room together or let him escape after 15 seconds? The little new kitten is fine, in fact, although a timid little thing generally, she ran to him to play.

When Iget my new cats, one after the other, one which was at home just decided to reside upstirs and came in her own time within a week to greet the new one. I think advice is different, but they are good with each other now. I think having separate litter trays and food made them OK during that time.

IME the younger kittens just want to play and dont always pick up on the oh-so-subtle body language of the older cat.

It takes time but we've done it in the past, they have a few skirmishes to establish whos boss and why and then it's either best friends or polite indifference.

I was being ironic btw, being pinned down and bitten is not subtle.

Separate litter trays, places to bolt where they feel safe and have their own territory, then just let them work it out between them. Feeding them in the same room can help them socialise as they want the food more than the fight. I'm not sure I'm getting your completely though - are they kept outside?

Thanks for the advice. I thought due to the very strong reaction from the older that i should only let them be together supervised?

We've got a fairly big house and, at the moment, one is in a bedroom and en suite upstairs but we bring her down to the sitting room and shut her in with us to give her some company, bringing him in for a quick hiss and a scarper. Nothing has changed in a week, hence my desperation.

Oh yeah, I didn't mean unsupervised. I just meant that there would be punch ups and bolting and upsets and to a degree they need to just 'find their place' with each other.

DOes supervised mean holding the older cat? Should i let him pounce on the younger one?