HELP! introduce new kitten to older cat?

meowmeowlove

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my boyfriend just brought home about a 10 week old kitten who is the most loving and cuddly little guy. We have an older cat (at least 6 months) who was living in the house first....How can I go about introducing them so he doesnt have to be locked in the room forever?

oh, and when can a kitten be neutered? at what age? THANKS!
:]
 

goldenkitty45

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You can have the kitten neutered now if you want or by 4 months old. Check with your vet to see if they are ok with neutering now


As far as introductions, the new kitten should be isolated till checked out by the vet for a clean bill of health. Keep him in a room with litter pan, food/water for a few weeks. You can introduce them in a number of ways.

First clip ALL nails so they don't hurt each other. Expect hissing, growling and some possible fighting. Do not interfer unless one is obviously in trouble.

Next try sprinkling both cats with cornstarch baby powder (to smell the same) or use a dab of vanilla extract on their noses when introducing face to face.

Keep the kitten in a room by himself for a few days. Then switch places - let the kitten out and put the resident cat in the room. This way they can check out the other's smell before face to face meeting.

When they seem more comfortable, put the kitten in a carrier and let the older cat approach - this way they both will be safe. If they seem friendly, let the kitten out and supervise their meetings.

When we bought Charlie home (4 months old) he was put in the library by himself. Introductions to the dog were within 2-3 days - they were fine together. Ling (the resident cat) did NOT want to be friends for weeks and months. I think they finally got more friendly after about 2 months of living in the same house.

But Ling is "miss priss" and still doesn't totally accept Charlie and he's a year old now.
 

meow me

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This happened to me twice... The first time, I found a beautiful 4 month old siamese mix in the street and couldn't help but bring her home. I have a 5 year old cat and a 4 year old boxer dog. The dog didn't mind her much , as soon as she saw we were taking her in, so she was not an outsider. Theodora, our cat, took a while to understand that she was not going to get " less love" from us. The first days I had to keep them apart, also because I didn't know anything about the new cat so I wanted to have her vet checked before introducing to the family. That was for about a week, then I started letting her roam the house under close supervision, and back to her room at night. Two days later and everyone in the house was just fine with her. I also petted the residents a lot when the new one was exploring, so they knew I was not " replacing" them.
Now I have 2 new kitties that a friend found when they were days old (they're 6 weeks now), and both our dog and older cat are very respectful and caring with them, although the cat just recently decided to sniff them closely ;-) I guess the smaller they are, the easier the bigger ones with deal with the new additions !
Give them time and lots of love and they should be buddies soon !
Good luck


Originally Posted by meowmeowlove

my boyfriend just brought home about a 10 week old kitten who is the most loving and cuddly little guy. We have an older cat (at least 6 months) who was living in the house first....How can I go about introducing them so he doesnt have to be locked in the room forever?

oh, and when can a kitten be neutered? at what age? THANKS!
:]
 
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