Best way to integrate Ally with her new friend

Ally will be getting a friend this weekend. Unfortunately, I'm not allowed to do a meet and greet (bringing Ally) first.

I plan on getting a kitten somewhat younger than her so she doesn't feel like her territory is threatened immediately.

The only question is - just put them together in my room immediately, or keep them separated and do some sessions for about a week before they get to stay together?

I talked it over with the folks and we agree that while it may be more trouble in the immediate future to deal with a second kitten when I'm about to move, it would be best for multiple reasons to do this now instead of when I move in about a month or two.

It all depends... Bring her in the crate, and let Ally see the crate for a while, and see how she reacts.
Many will say to keep them separate for a little while, placing her in the bathroom first. I kept Bugsy in the bathroom for a couple of hours, but he was crying and crying to get out, and Lucky crying to get it... It's been a couple of months now, and they are the best of friends. It didn't take long at all for them to become friends and play together. On the second day both were already sleeping with me on my bed.
Ally is still young, and I think she is going to be just fine. Why not rescuing one of those kittens in the gun shop??

I've never done slow introductions, partly because I didn't know I was supposed to. I would say just put the new kitten in your room in the carrier until you see how they react to each other. If there isn't much hissing or growling, open the carrier door and let the kitten come out on his/her own. If it looks like they're going to argue, start out with one in your bedroom and the other in the bathroom and take it from there.

Why not rescuing one of those kittens in the gun shop??

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I was planning to, but I think the gunsmith is going to hold onto the whole litter and the mother. I can call and ask tomorrow if he's in whether or not he'd be up for letting me adopt one.

If not, I was going to go to the local humane society and adopt.

I've never done slow intro's either, with Ally being young they should both adapt fairly quickly.

All the above is great advice - with my older adoptees, I did try the slow introduction, but ended up letting the new cat having free run (under supervision) earlier than they normally say - Dharma was upset with the closed door to the sanctuary room, and Dante was crying to get out. There was some chasing and hissing, but things did settle down. I wonder if it might not be a bad idea, if you pick a kitten and have time before you bring it home, to 'trade scents' - bring a tee-shirt with Ally's scent (and yours - nothing like an excuse for dirty laundry) to put in the kitten carrier, and have a tee-shirt with the kitten's scent on it to bring Ally to check out.

I have read that it's a good idea to tell Ally that this is her kitten and keep reassuring her, in words and actions, that you love her and she hasn't lost any space in your heart - basically to give her tons of attention, and take care of her needs first. Also, I was very careful to make sure my original cat got treats and fed whenever the new cat was in close proximity, so that Dharma got used to the idea that good things happened when the new cat was around. And Dharma always gets brushed first!

Good luck - and have patience - but it should be great for them to have each other for company when you're otherwise occupied.

Kittens usually adjust pretty quickly. But take the new kitten to the vet immediately to be sure he's not carrying something that will harm Ally. It happens all the time. Don't be surprised if Ally ends up with a URI; the virus is everywhere.

Are we talking FIV, or something else?

Originally Posted by LawGuy

Are we talking FIV, or something else?

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If you get a cat from the Humane Society, it SHOULD have been tested for FIV, FeLV, etc. If not, get the test done before you bring the little darling home. But I think Mike Blanche was referring to the ever-present upper respiratory infections in shelters. Very common. Even if the kitten doesn't present with it at the time of adoption, it could still develop. And Ally could get it. One reason to keep them separated for a day or two, though given your limited space, that may not be applicable. Im not sure..... but I think you can carry it back and forth on your hands, clothes, etc. Someone else here with more experience in this can answer that Q. But as with anyone with a cold, wash your hands inbetween contact with Ally and the newbie.

A few posters have you given you some advice on integrating Ally and a new kitten. Introduce them slowly to each other if there is any hissing or growling discipline them with a squirt gun or water bottle or keeping them separated or crated.

Please don't ever discipline your kitties with a squirt gun. It only makes them scared of you. If there's serious grappling, you can break it up with a loud noise - coins in an empty can is great.

But to teach a cat "no," like to not be bitey or to not hop up on the counters - the most effective method is to blow a short, sharp puff of air directly in the face and say "NO" firmly. They learn quickly what "NO" means (whether they pay attention is a different matter! ), but that air in the face is the closest we humans can get to "cat language" they understand. Cats hiss at each other - and that puff of air in the face is a great human equivalent.

Growling and hissing can be a very normal part of play. You have to watch for the other signs. Tails up - happy, friendly. Ears back, tail down and very agitated, or back ridged - aggressive, not friendly. Butt wiggling with no other signs of aggression - play (getting ready for "play" attack). They can get their tails really puffed up during play. If one of them puffs their tail BEFORE any other interaction, then it's aggressive and likely not play.

Laurie

Originally Posted by LDG

But to teach a cat "no," like to not be bitey or to not hop up on the counters - the most effective method is to blow a short, sharp puff of air directly in the face and say "NO" firmly. They learn quickly what "NO" means (whether they pay attention is a different matter!

), but that air in the face is the closest we humans can get to "cat language" they understand. Cats hiss at each other - and that puff of air in the face is a great human equivalent.

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Just make sure you're the one doing the blowing. Canned air is dangerous, partly because the pressure is too great and partly because if some of the propellant accidentally comes out it will freeze whatever it touches, including kitty eyes and ears.

Originally Posted by GoldyCat

Just make sure you're the one doing the blowing. Canned air is dangerous, partly because the pressure is too great and partly because if some of the propellant accidentally comes out it will freeze whatever it touches, including kitty eyes and ears.

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Canned air is a great way to mimic a 'hiss', but it ought to be sprayed into the air, not at the cat.

I forgot to mention the vet check on the way home, too...even though the kitten should be checked over by the shelter, it doesn't hurt to get a second opinion, and most shelters will ask you to have an independent check done within the first three days, if there is not another animal at home already...then, it's good to go direct from the shelter. My vet's office was very good at fitting me in for 'new pet' check on my way home - and, the initial check was free (understanding is that you use the vet for ongoing needs). It's just good to check for colds, fleas, who knows what - and hopefully nothing more serious surfaces when the vet looks the kitten over.

Oh, I remember being old not to separate fighting cats with my hands - throw a towel over one. I had only one incident of Halloween cat mode - but those fluffy play tails threw me for a loop the first time!

Originally Posted by darlili

I forgot to mention the vet check on the way home, too...even though the kitten should be checked over by the shelter, it doesn't hurt to get a second opinion, and most shelters will ask you to have an independent check done within the first three days, if there is not another animal at home already...then, it's good to go direct from the shelter. My vet's office was very good at fitting me in for 'new pet' check on my way home - and, the initial check was free (understanding is that you use the vet for ongoing needs). It's just good to check for colds, fleas, who knows what - and hopefully nothing more serious surfaces when the vet looks the kitten over.

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Every cat I ever adopted was taken straight to the vet by my house that doesn't require appointments and it worked out great. Not to impune shelters, I just wanted to know for sure I'm bringing in a healthy animal around my other cats.

My vet does appointments, but when I said I was adopting, they just asked about what time I thought I'd be getting to the shelter...I don't know how they allowed the timing for me to get to the vet, but when I arrived they popped me into an open exam room - I had a very short wait for the vet. I did feel a lot better that I wasn't exposing my girl to anything that I could avoid, and then my vet also had a good base line exam of Dante right from the beginning. I had taken my girl home first, because she was my first pet - but I had her into the vet the next morning for her check-up.

You might want to consider getting a kitten from a foster group. The group I got Brady and Bruschi from have them already vet checked, 1st shots etc. They gave me all their paperwork. Brady did not have a URI. Bru did but he had his URI prior to being at the rescue.... from the MSPCA in NY where he came from. Just a thought. But even if Ally gets sick, she hopefully will be ok in a few days if she has all her shots. Brady had watery eyes and sneezing from Bru but only for a few days. He never got sick enough to need a vet visiit. Good luck! adopting a new kitty is so exciting.

My shelter does vet checks, shots, chipping, neutering if old enough - the whole 9 yards - and still requires in their contract that you go to an independent vet within the first three days - and advises that you stop on the way home if you already have an animal at home.

I know we're harping on this vet check deal but for the most part the new pet gets a clean bill of health, and everyone has peace of mind...it's that one percent time that you're looking out for. There's enough excitement and potential stress with changing environments for everyone involved - that's another reason I think a base line vet check doesn't hurt anything.

Anyway, anxious to hear if this weekend did bring Ally a new friend - but the right friend will come at the right time, whenever that is.

Ollie has been tested for Feline Leukemia and is negative as is Ally, but supposedly he's too young for an FIV test to be done. They say not until 4 months, which is odd because the vet that takes care of Ally did hers at 4 months (last Friday) and they said that would be accurate.

I talked to the vet that took care of Ollie and he said that for the moment I shouldn't worry about him infecting Ally with FIV as it's mainly transmitted through fighting and aggressive biting, not play bighting or sharing dishes.

I wasn't sure what to make of that since it violates everything I've read elsewhere. Worst case scenario, in 9 days, when Ollie will be ok to be transferred from his own room into my bedroom with Ally, I will ask the vet that takes care of Ally what he thinks and if he could do an FIV test on him.

He said that in 9 days, just to put them together and monitor them for the first day or two to make sure they don't fight, but he didn't expect they would at their age. Ollie is around 3 months old and Ally is 4 months old (but they're about the same size and based on playing with Ollie, I'd say he has plenty of energy).

I am worried about Ally play-biting too hard. She likes to sneak up on me and bite my hand or foot as her playing. I tried the advice here to get her to stop, but she didn't. Also, I have to agree on the dust-off products comment about them being dangerous. I used it until one time the liquid sprayed out and freaked me out (because it can cause frost-bite). I lucked out and it didn't seem to hurt her (she didn't cry out in pain or anything and I've looked at her eyes since then and see no problems) so I lucked out... but I decided to just use my lungs and be safe. It seemed like a good idea in theory when I read it here, but yeah - it's got a risk associated with it.

I am hoping, that Ally biting too hard will illicit the type of response from Ollie that Ally would get from a litter-mate and she will learn from him what not to do quickly so they can play safely and have fun. She doesn't break the skin, and I think she's trying to be gentle, but it hurts a little bit.

I've had many many cats thought the years and I have always made sure they were healthy of course first...I've never confined them or kept them seperate from each other....I've always just let the new cat in the house with the others...and never ran into any problem but some hissing in the begining few days...Some cats got along instantly other have taken longer but usually ..I've just let things work themselves out and they always have...Good luck to you and your new kitten