Is is too early to introduce a new kitten to my 5 month old kitten?

HI, im new to this site, but it seemed like the best place i could come to to get some good advice on something ive been thinking about for a while.

I have had my 5 month old kitten, Angus for 3 months now, since i moved into a new home. I initially wanted two kittens but did not think i could handle two.

However, things with Angus have been worked out so well and ive been thinking that mayby i should have got two afterall.

But now i think mayby it is far too early to introduce a new kitten to Angus, when he's still growing, and certainly feeling like the king of the house.

All the cat sites ive been on have given advice on introducing a much older cat to a new kitten. Does anyone have any ideas on whats best to do in my case??

Is it too early to be thinking about introducing a new kitten to Angus??

Hi, welcome to TCS When I decided that my kitten Diesel needed a buddy I read alot of articles on introducing cat's. One of the things that I learned is that introduction is very rarely without problems. That doesn't mean that it won't turn out great it just means that at first most cat's and kittens have a hard time adjusting to sharing their space.
Diesel was five months old when I brought Tucker home and he freaked out when they met. He started hissing,something he had NEVER done before and laid back his ears, growled and swatted at him.I was devestated I re-read all of the introduction articles and realized how common his reaction was.
I placed Tucker in my bedroom with food/water, litterbox, toys and made sure to give them both lot's of love as well as time to adjust to the change.
I would put Tucker in his crate and give both of them a treat of tuna juice on opposite sides of the door to help them associate good things with seeing one another and within a week the hissing and swatting behavior had become almost non existant We introduced them and they love each other now. They sleep and play together, groom each other and never fight. They do play pretty rough though which, to me, looked like fighting at first
I think that bringing a second cat into our home was one of the best choices I have made.
Most of the time a cat/ kitten will adjust more easily to a kitten than an adult . here's a link that had alot of great info. on introductions

http://www.catclinicofroswell.com/fa...l.aspx?faqid=9

Thanku so much for ur advice Kittiex2...

its made things seem more possible to me.I am comforted to know your story had a happy ending!!

I have a few more questions tho...

How old was tucker when u brought him into the home??was he the same age as deisel??I am worried if we brought a smaller kitten than angus into the house, he might have the advantage in their 'play fights'.

Also, are they of the same sex??we heard it was better to introduce kittens of opposite sex??

I will check out the site you recommended, thankyou so much.

faybellina and angus

At this point, I'd wait another month-6 wks til he's neutered (should be), and then another couple at least before bringing in another cat. I definitely suggest another male, but so much depends on individual temperment and you can't predict that when they're little.

I'm glad that their story helped you, It was such a hard thing to go through. I felt like I had totally failed them when they didn't instantly get along
To answer your questions, Tucker was really little, almost 8 weeks old when he came home. Diesel was 12 weeks when we brought him home but weighed 6 lbs so by the time that we brought Tucker home Diesel was almost 10 lbs. Seeing this giant grey fluffball hissing at a tiny 1 1/2 lb kitten was awfully intimidating. If I were to do it over again I think that I would get a kitten that was a little older and more able to defend himself. Diesel never HURT Tucker but I worried that he would because Tuck was so small.
I had heard that male/female matches work well but I really am partial to male cat's. All of the males that I've owned have always been so sweet and the females have always had a bit more attitude

here's a pic. of diesel and tucker about 10 days after Tucker came home. He was about 9 weeks old. Diesel is 5 1/2 months in the pic.

My personal opinion is that the younger a kitten is, the easier it is for them to adjust to a playmate. Your 5 month old is still very much all about play, and a new kitten will be the same. After an initial adjustment, they will most likely get along marvelously. When they are older and more set in their ways, they don't appreciate the disruption in their lives.

And I would also suggest getting another male. My males all bond with each other very well and the females always seem to be the odd cat out. It's almost like they don't think the same way.

Thanku all for ur advice...

I had begun to think it would be best to wait till angus is neutered in 4 weeks.so this gives me a bit more time to make this decision.

And thanks for all ur advice on boys vs girls....i was surprised to hear that boys favour.I thought cats of the opposite sex would work better but im kinda glad as i think i prefer male cats!!

Ill write back with any feedback if/when i have any!!!

many thanks uve all been really helpful!!i am soo chuffed i found this site...its been so useful!!

fay and angus x