Can i make my new kittens treat each other nicely?! With pictures.

[oxcat1]

I have just taken in two 4-month old female kittens from Cats Protection. They seem very small for their age to me, but they have had all their jabs and been neutered so obviously the vet has no concerns.

They're totally gorgeous, and already so loving towards me (although, frankly, it is deeply unnerving when a kitten stares intensely at your eyelashes waiting to pounce...) but is there any way that i can get them to be more equal to each other?! Basically, one is slightly larger, and clearly more dominant. If she wants to sit somewhere, the smaller one gets up and moves. The smaller one keeps trying to share the bed with her, but her bigger sister kicks her out. If i have the little one on my lap and she is purring contentedly, her sister will come and jump up, easing her out of the way - even if i have tried to put her on my lap first and she wasn't having any of it! They are very loving generally, cleaning each other, following each other around, and chirruping to each other, but i'd like them to see each other more as equals.

It's not going to happen, is it? Presumably I can't change cat hierarchy?!

the first two photos are Mulli (Mulligatawny), and the third is Mabel, the smaller of the two. Do you think they look ok for 16 weeks?

If they're generally loving to each other, I'd leave them to it. One is likely going to be dominant so it looks as if she's setting out her stall early.

They are gorgeous.

I wouldn't worry too much cats generally sort these things out themselves. We had one for a few months then got another and our first cat would run down stairs, jump up on the arm of the sofa, whack the new cat with her paw then run off. She would also hiss at him and generally just be pretty nasty, however now they love each other. Like sleeping in the same bed together love etc and have been living together 8 years.

I would just make sure there are plenty of beds and they have their own food bowls etc to ease tensions.

Females are more dainty, males are bigger. I'd leave them to it, it's not a democracy.

Their gorgeous little things.

Thanks so much. They're actually both females, but Mulli is bigger, more boisterous, and cheekier! Mabel is very lady-like and delicate. They seem healthy enough but i thought my last cat was almost fully grown before she was neutered, and yet it was at the same age. That's why i'm concerned they're too small...?

One of ours was dainty, even at 15 people would squeal ooh it's a kitten!.

They might just be petite. Just throw food at them.

They don't look 16 weeks but probably didn't have the best start in life. Their mum could have been very young and not looked after.
Feed them really well and they will catch up.

When mine were in foster care after being rescued the foster mum would have to separate them so that the quieter one could have some fuss without her more dominant sister taking over. When I got them the bossy dominant one hid for a week but the quieter one was fine. 14 months on and the quieter has only just come out of her shell. And they are now typical siblings!

I had such a tiny, exquisite tortie Alice in the past. Divine. They probably need to establish themselves before you worry too much. Give it a few weeks.