Cat and new kitten questions

[looking4pup]

How do I introduce them?

I haven't got one as yet. Cat is 4 and has not lived with others.

She is used to leaving her food and coming back to it. How can I stop her eating the kittens food. How do I stop the kitten eating her food?

Do I need 2 litter trays and 2 beds?

I leave the door open a lot for her to come in and out. I can't with a kitten can I?

My cat is very affectionate. Will this change?
Will my cat feel left out?

Ignore my username it's old and I didn't get a pup.

Is it not worth the hassle?

Thanks.

We've introduced multiple kittens to resident cats over the years and we just let them get on with it (under supervision of course - we separated the kitten at night or when we were out for about a month).

My personal experience is that there'll be a day or two of hissing and suspicion and anger (from the residents) and then they get over themselves, realise the kitten is no threat and just get on with things.

We have mixed combinations over the years but now have three neutered boys - they're 8, 3 and 6 months and it took 48 hours for the oldest to be washing the youngest. The 3yo was fine from day one.

And to answer your other questions - we put the adult food out of reach of the kitten (this works until they're about five months and can jump higher) and have three trays (technically one per cat but they all share and sometimes two will use the same tray at once - weirdos!).

You will need to leave the doors closed etc as the kitten won't be able to go out.

Recommend Jackson Galaxy on You Tube for tips on this! He suggests setting up a “base camp” for the kitten in a separate room and letting the cats smell each other through a door first, becoming comfortable with each other’s scent by feeding them closer together, and gradually removing barriers between them.

The general rule is 1 litter tray for each cat plus 1 additional, so you would ideally have x3 for two cats.

Though we introduced a [female] 3mo kitten to our 2yo Prince fairly recently, and it didn’t go particularly well. He is very chilled and was always affectionate but has become more guarded since. I think as she gets older and less hectic they will be more companionable.

One thing we did not expect, when she came back from her spay he acted as though she was a new cat and went for her. Probably she smelled of V.E.T.! Thankfully a couple of weeks later they have reached a state of mutual tolerance
and even play together a bit now and then.

Overall I wouldn’t change getting her but it has been more difficult than expected.

Thank you both. My cat sleeps on my bed most nights. I'd feel awful closing my bedroom door on her. She would scratch and meow. Ah I'm stressing now.

You wouldn't need to shut your cat out of the bedroom but you will probably need a different room for the kitten overnight - at least for the first month or so, if not longer.

Aw my kitten slept on my pillow the first night.