Bringing a kitten into a home with a happy cat?

[NeverCleanAgain]

I have an incredibly affectionate, tame 4yo make, neutered British Shorthair who I have had since he was a kitten. He has free range of the house and seems very happy and content. He comes and goes during the day and whenever I’ve seen him spot another cat he will try and attack it although he always ends up coming off worse.

My 10yo’s best friend’s cat recently had kittens. He spends quite a lot of time over there and has really bonded with one of them. Kittens are an accidental litter (mum escaped before she was spayed and got knocked up) and if homes can’t be found they’ll be put in a shelter. Of course now DS wants this kitten.

Theoretically I can’t imagine another cat would be that much work. I work from home, house is big enough to keep them separate if need be, but is it always cruel to do this when I’ve already got a perfectly happy cat? Has anyone successfully done this without original cat getting too upset?

I have never understood why people want to risk upsetting a happy, established pet and introduced a new one tbh.

of course DS wants one, they are cute and playful, but you already have a family cat. Plenty of people will come on and say it’s fine & it worked out for them but if your one gets stressed and upset, and demonstrates this by repeatedly pissing on your duvet, are you going to rehome him or the cute new kitten?

He spends quite a lot of time over there and has really bonded with one of them.

When you say 'he' do you mean your 10-year-old or your cat?

We have! We got our first cat about two and a half years ago, she was very happy and we decided we'd like another. We got a kitten about 6 months ago, introduced them very gradually and kept them separate when we weren't home to begin with. For the first couple of days the older cat wasn't happy, hissed at the kitten etc. But within two weeks they were besties. They chase each other around the house, cuddle up together for naps on the sofa, share food bowls even though they have their own separate eating areas and play outside in the garden together.

I wouldn't. My daughter tried and she's ended up with two very unhappy and stressed cats. You can't separate a house properly because what happens if both cats need their human cuddles and love at the same time? Which one gets to sleep on the bed? The humans are a part of a cats territory, its not just food, littertray and water.

@AsAnyFuleKno sorry, I wasn’t clear. Yes, it’s my 10yo who has fallen in love with the kitten.

@Oopsilot this is exactly what I’m worried about. I’m guessing if they don’t take a liking to each other it’s not something that’s going to happen over time? A friend of mine had an adorable, friendly cat but then got a dog. The dog has never paid the cat the least bit of attention but it still turned the cat into a neurotic mess who will now go nowhere near anyone. I love my cat to pieces and don’t want to upset him.

I've successfully integrated cats, but it does take time and you need to be able to separate newbie for a good few weeks (with supervised introductions) so a lot depends on your house layout.

Also, the character of your cat and his background will play a part - has he ever lived with other cats before?

I've just dine this and regret it as established cat has become withdrawn as kitten (7 months) has become a terrorist

I thibk it depends on the nature and age of cat

When I say I regret it I don't actually mean that, but what I do mean is, it's hard work and on reflection probably wasn't a great idea.

Done it many times over the years - in my experience the male cats were more likely to be friendly to the kitten than the females. Some of my female cats studiously ignored the "newcomer" for ever, the boys generally ended up grooming them.

My cat used to be mates with the cat across the road, so when he moved we got a kitten for him to be playmates with. They took a while to warm to each other but they became best brothers. They did a lot of chasing each other around the house and rough and tumble, but neither ever got hurt. Little one was a tearaway, and liked to pounce on big one from behind curtains etc. Then I’d find them curled up together with the kitten on big lad’s head. He was 3 when we got the kitten. They were very funny and sweet together.
Sadly kitten was killed in a road accident when he was 18 months old and now big lad seems a bit old to introduce a new one, but he does seem a bit bored a lot of the time. It can work.
Has your cat ever had a friend?

Yes - got a kitten when my cats were around 18 months. They all got on well after a couple of days not being sure of each other! Re the amount of work, personally I'd say once you've got one cat its very minimal extra work to have more than one. Also means I'm a bit more comfortable leaving them when I have to as they have each other for company.

We've done it several times and have never had a single issue. We also never spent days/weeks/months separating everyone and swapping smells - kitten just got introduced and they were all left to get on the with it (under supervision). We only separated at night to give the older ones some space.

Never had any fights, scraps or problems sharing food, water, trays or territory 🤷🏻‍♀️

I did, he wasn't a kitten though. He's a pain in the arse and either wants to play or be top cat but he's also the most affectionate and loving cat and I can't imagine the place without him. My other cat gives as good as she gets. They share my attention. It's actually worked out better than I expected, when the older cat was ill he watched over her.

The RSPCA did say as he wasn't an alpha male it would be easier to introduce him. They both came from multi cat households too (her sister died last year).

This is good to read as we've just got a kitten and already have a 2 year old male. My partner's 10 year old cat died recently and we thought long and hard about getting another one.

I think ultimately he'll be fine. He has a much older playmate who lives a few doors down, they often play in the garden together.

We're only on Day 4 and they're just starting to meet each other. There's still growling and hissing so.im keeping it really short and they're separated at night. He came into the lounge while she was with me today and it went well. I kept her totally distracted and he left but was crying as he left, bless him. He got snuggles from me and a treat after.

I really hope they get on. He's very playful so I have every confidence they'll be chasing each other round the house in no time.

Depends on the cats'personalities too, but it was a disaster when we tried it. Our established cat hated the kitten on sight. She attacked him every day, and eventually left home for a week.
He was the sweetest kitten i have ever met and i loved him instantly.
She injured him so we took him back to the family he came from. I was so upset.
The ironic thing was our cat disappeared shortly after, and never came back. So Instead of 2 i had no cats at all.

I agree.

I wish I hadn't done it. My 1 yr old pushes my nearly 2 yr old around. 2 yr old is anxious and stressed out.

Love both of them to bits - and wouldn't be without either - but hindsight says, I should have got two kittens together in the first place or simply left cat no 1 alone as a happy cat!