New kitten, young male cats...(kinda long)

thewendysguy

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I'm very new to this site and could use some help. My fiance and I have two wonderful, loving, calm male cats. They're two year old brothers from the same litter. My fiance fell in love with an adorable female kitten while we were at the pet store last week and yesterday we decided to bring her home. We brought her in the house in the carrier we take Zipper and Squeaker to the vet in. They are deathly afraid of them, have been their whole lives, and wouldn't go anywhere near it. SO we let the new kitten out and they both hissed and growled at her. We didn't seperate them, we thought since they are both such mellow cats that they would get used to her quickly. Are we hoping too much that they will get used to her quickly? THe dominant male has stopped hissing but is still somewhat weary, but Zipper is still clearly threatened and will not let her out of his sight. They haven't been aggressive with eachother, no fighting or swatting, but Zipper won't stop hissing when she gets near him. We're afraid to lock her up because our house has been their territory their whole lives and we don't want to make it worse, we just want them to be friends. What do we do? Please help. I'm willing to be somewhat patient, but my fiance is extremely worried about Zipper and she hates to see him so scared and defensive.
 
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thewendysguy

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Yes, before you ask, I have checked out the Behavior threads but nothing is really that close to my problem specifically. I just really need some help with this, my fiance is going out of her mind she's so worried. She never thought it would be like this.
 

tempteq

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Originally Posted by TheWendysGuy

Yes, before you ask, I have checked out the Behavior threads but nothing is really that close to my problem specifically. I just really need some help with this, my fiance is going out of her mind she's so worried. She never thought it would be like this.
Hello! Welcome! And congrats on the new bundle of fluff!

First off, here's a link to cat introductions:
http://www.thecatsite.com/Behavior/4...cing-Cats.html

What you need to do is set the new female up with her own room where Squeaker and Zipper can't get to her. Go in there to play with her but make sure Squeaker and Zipper get more affection/play time than normal. You need to make sure they don't feel like this intruder is going to take over.

With multiple cat households, I have read that the best thing to do is to introduce the alpha cat to the newcomer first because if the alpha cat accepts the newcomer, the chances are the rest of the cat(s) fall into line and also accept the newbie.

Cat introductions are slow since cats are territorial, but as long as you take it slow, get them used to the scent of this new kitten and reassure the resident cats that their home is secure and that you still love them, then you'll be a-ok.

First things first - separate those kitties!
 

goldenkitty45

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First I'm assuming the males ARE neutered. If not they need to be separated from the female kitten till they are done (and a month after). The female needs to be spayed (pet shop is one of the worse places to adopt). How old is the female?

Second, you must separate them (males/females). Any time you bring in a new cat you should go thru proper introductions no matter how nice the resident cats are. Cats are not dogs; they don't socialize in the same way.

So put the female in her own room for a week or so and let her get used to things and feel more comfortable. Keep her own litter box and food/water bowls in there.

Then after a week, let her out and put the two boys in the room for a few hours. They will get used to each other's scents.

I would wash the new kitten so that it minimizes any pet shop smells, etc. When you let them face to face, sprinkle all cats with cornstarch baby powder (to smell the same) or put a dab of vanilla extract on their noses and butts (to smell the same).

After a week or so, put her in a carrier and set in the middle of the floor and let them all see each other. They will hiss or growl at times - that's normal. Then let her out of the carrier and supervise everyone. Do not interfer with hissing/growling unless it gets physical between them.

And if you are not there to supervise all 3, then put her in a room by herself till you can trust everyone.
 
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