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The litter tray

Join our community of cat lovers on the Mumsnet Cat forum for kitten advice and help with cat behaviour.

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Original poster

Advice on introducing our cat to our new kitten.

20 replies

FriggFRIGG · 29/05/2012 22:21

Kitten arrived yesterday,so far he has the living room as 'his room' and pixie (resident cat) has free rein over the rest of the house (except the dc bedrooms) as usual.
They have seen each other briefly when DP 'showed' pixie the kitten whilst holding her,pixie hissed and swiped at that point DP separated them again.

I have been stroking the kitten,and then pixie in an attempted to spread his scent...and we are going to put the kitten in our cat box and then allow pixie in to get a good look at him.
We have been making a Big Fuss of pixie when she's in,and obviously the kitten,(when out of sight of pixie)
They are both lovely,and quite chilled generally.

Does this sound right?
When should we do this,is it better to wait a few days?
Will feliway or food or anything like that help to diffuse the situation?
Any tips?

Any advice greatfully received!

OP posts:

Hassled · 29/05/2012 22:25

Am watching anxiously for responses because our adult cats are, two weeks since his arrival, still very unhappy about the new kitten. Boy Cat is hacked off, Girl Cat is terrified. They're still at the hissing stage and I'm starting to resent the kitten for it.

So whatever you do - don't do as I did and install the kitten in what I should have realised was actually the cats' favourite room (sitting room) and then just let them discover each other. I didn't know about the scent transfer thing - will try that.

Original poster

FriggFRIGG · 29/05/2012 22:31

Oh gawd,.....I don't have another room that we can baracade off,the kitchen/dinningroom is open plan,and leads off into the garden and the upstairs...

The sitting room is the only place we could possibly put him.

OP posts:

Hassled · 29/05/2012 22:41

Yeah - that's pretty much where we were :o. I can't work out if the cats hate the kitten because he's new and a kitten, or if they hate the kitten because he's in their room.

We need an expert, dammit!

Original poster

FriggFRIGG · 29/05/2012 22:47

Where are they all?!

There must be someone here...

OP posts:

Original poster

FriggFRIGG · 29/05/2012 22:50

S'weird....pixie doesn't even swipe when the boy child attacks pats her....but this teeny cute kitten really pissed her off...and he luffs her,he keeps begging at the door and mewing when he hears (? Smells maybe?!) her come in...

OP posts:

FunnyLovesTheJubilee · 29/05/2012 22:50

Whenever we have had a cat and introduced a new cat/kitten they have basically hated each other. One cat will assume dominance and the other will be forever scared. I've done this 3 times and it's always been the same. The only time I have ever had 2 cats get along is when I've had a brother and sister who have moved on together. They got on fine. Sorry and hope your cats are the exception. For years I have lived with hissing scrapping cats!

Original poster

FriggFRIGG · 29/05/2012 22:51

OP posts:

FunnyLovesTheJubilee · 29/05/2012 22:54

In fact one of our cats, the brother, ran away last year as he was quite a farm cat really, and I would never introduce another cat to our household. The sister is quite happy on her own and would really hate the invasion of her space. They do 'put up' with each other eventually btw, just will do their best to avoid each other. Anytime they cross paths there will be fireworks.

oohermrs · 29/05/2012 22:57

Same here we got a kitten nearly a year ago. He is adorable. Older female cat (she is 3 yrs) hated him from day one and still does. He has always been desperate to play with her but she will have none of it. Swipes at him regularly. He does though get on well with our 2 dogs and is regularly curled up with them in the big dog bed! I'm sure he actually thinks he is a dog!

I did ask my vet for advice and she said unless you get 2 kittens together cats are not social together and so won't get on.

MrsSchadenfreude · 30/05/2012 07:09

We got a kitten about six months ago. She loved our big Maine Coone boy from the get go, but he hissed at her and didn't want to know. After two days, they were curled up asleep together. He just clamped her down with a big paw, gave her a good wash and then cuddled her to him. And she definitely rules the roost now, although she is about half his size. So it can work.

Original poster

FriggFRIGG · 30/05/2012 08:20

I think we are going to try a meeting (with kitten in the cat cage thing) this evening...

I'm going to buy some feliway and some treats for pixie...Rudi has been discovering the rest of the downstairs today whilst Pixie is out (and helping himself to her food!) he's a brave little thing!

OP posts:

tabulahrasa · 30/05/2012 08:44

When I got the kitten (who is now not far off two, but still called the kitten a lot of the time, lol) I kept her seperated at night and when I was out, but didn't let her upstairs while the cat just had the run of the house as usual.

The older cat stayed upstairs sulking for about three days, then she started to come back downstairs but would hiss if the kitten was, well, pretty much if she was doing anything, she'd also hiss at my hand if I'd been stroking the kitten that lasted about a week, then we had about six weeks of her acting like she was a martyr because there was a kitten in her house, I swear she was almost sighing and rolling her eyes, lol.

Now, the kitten isn't allowed to sit on my lap and the kitten sometimes gets told off for trying to play when she's not in the mood, but other than that they rub along pretty well, the cat gets the kitten to chase her, they sometimes clean each other, they occasionally sleep curled up together. They come and get the other one if there's another cat in the garden so they can chase it off together and a couple of times the kitten has brought the cat prey back. The kitten definitely likes the cat more than the cat likes her though.

Just don't expect anything to change quickly, give the older cat lots of time to get used to the invader, lol

Horsemad · 31/05/2012 00:00

I always kept new additions in a separate room to my cat and then just gradually introduced them, keeping an eye on the big cat in case they decided to go for the kitten.

Apart from the expected hissing for the first few days, they always bonded and loved each other after a few weeks.

Have done this with every kitten I've introduced and never had long term problems; even had a dog and a cat and a new kitten at one time and they all used to curl up next to one another after the first few weeks :)

LiberteEgaliteFRIGGernite · 31/05/2012 13:45

horsemad that has made my day.

Horsemad · 02/06/2012 21:37

Frigg how are they getting on?

LiberteEgaliteFRIGGernite · 07/06/2012 20:26

Hello! Sorry about the lack of update!
Well we let kitten out of 'his room' on friday...
the first couple of 'meetings' Big cat hissed and made a wierd guttural noise...whilst staring intently at Kitten.
Slowly,big cat has stopped hissing,and is just generally peed off...she tends to leave whatever room the kitten is in and avoids him whenever possible,but she has never attacked him,even when he bounds up at her trying to play!

Horsemad · 07/06/2012 21:44

Hi, that sounds hopeful! I'm currently introducing a new one here - my cat is blind and deaf though, so it's a bit trickier than usual!

Actually, my cat is totally oblivious to the other (although I imagine she can smell the new one) but the new cat is having a hissy fit if mine walks towards her - which is quite often as she can't see where she's going!

Haven't left them in the room together for long, just increasing it every day. New cat isn't seeking the elderly cat out to ambush her or anything, she just seems to freak if elderly cat keeps walking at her!

LiberteEgaliteFRIGGernite · 07/06/2012 23:33

I don't blame the new. At really,I'd be fairly disconcerted if someone kept walking at me...

Yes,I'd say it's going fairly well,Cat is just trying to make a point about how unfair it all is...she'll come around.

saltcod · 07/06/2012 23:55

I have a 2 year old cat & introduced a new kitten. After a few days I started feeding mine side by side, much to the original cat's disgust. However, she was hungry so had no choice! Each day I moved the bowls closer and closer and now they eat side by side very happily.

It's now been 1.5 months since I introduced the kitten and they sleep side by side and the cat (female) often washes the kitten (male). The only time she still hisses or growls at him is when he pounces on her wanting to play. I'm relieved that it all seems to be working out!

EllaJ99 · 16/06/2012 03:09

I had a 4 year old cat and got 2 new kittens, introduced them to her slowly and gave them their own space but she was having none of it. Any sighting of them sent her into a rage. 2 years later she can just about tolerate them! She still occasionally attacks them, but with a half-arsed punch rather than claws and teeth.

The thing you need to be worried about is territorial weeing. Mine were weeing on EVERYTHING until they came to terms with each other.

It sounds like your cats are doing well though, fingers crossed they make friends.

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