Will a new kitten ever get along with an older cat instantly?

When I introduced Lilly to my older kitties, Hurley was instantly enthralled with her. It was love at first smell. He groomed her almost immediately. Pandora took a lot longer and sometimes they still don't get along. Lilly has a very aggressive personality and Pandora is pretty timid and sensitive.

Lilly and Hurley are the best of friends. They are constantly wrestling and playing with each other. I've had Lilly for 6 months now.

I have seen a number of cats from the shelter who had absolutely no problem with any new cat. Sheba was among them. Loves everybody and every cat.

I adopted Rocky at 4 months old and he and my RB kitty Harrison, then 12, got along from day one.

Lynxx didn't like Luna, and hated Midnight. Luna and Midnight liked each other right away.

Pipsqueak (he is four now) seems to welcome in any new cat without a problem at all. It amazes me!!! So I just think it depends on the cats temperament, confidence level, and personality. Perla, my eight month old female, is definitely the opposite of Pipsqueak. Magilla has been with us for five weeks now, and Perla is now finally giving in to accepting her, but still gets hissy with her at times. Perla will need much more time and careful planning when introducing any newcomer. Every cat is different, just like us humans..Some of us get along with everyone, and some of us, well.....

Good luck with your kitties.

Queen Eva, at 8 weeks old was accepted without reservation by the adult cats

Perhaps you can tell us more about your problem and we can help you find a solution.

Welcome to TCS!

Sophie was about 7 months old when I brought Max home. Max was about 10 weeks old at the time. As soon she saw the new kitten she ran under the bed. Despite the fact that she was 3 times his size, she was scared of him. When I put Max down, he immediately ran under the bed to say hello to Sophie. Sophie hissed and swatted at Max and Max backed off at first. Then he went back under the bed, swatted Sophie and then ran away. The chase was on. Sophie chased Max until she caught him and then wrestled with him while biting him on the neck. Finally Sophie had Max pinned down and was biting his neck and Max began to say "mew, mew, mew, mew, mew, mew, mew mew" (translation: I give up, you can let go now). Sophie let him go right away. Although I was concerned at the beginning, now I know that Sophie didn't want to hurt Max.

Since I had to leave for work, I separated them. I put Max in the bedroom and Sophie had the run of the apartment. They each had their own food water and litter box.

When I got home, I let Max out. He immediately went over to Sophie and swatted her in the head. I was surprised that he was provoking Sophie who was 3 times his size. Sophie was annoyed, but she didn't hiss, she just chased him until she caught him and beat him up a little until he cried uncle (mew, mew, mew, mew, mew, mew, mew). The she let him go. Apparently Max thought that this game was fun because he would go right back and swat her again. The chase was on again and it ended the same way. They kept doing this until they tired out. Then Sophie would always rest and/or nap in a spot where she could see Max so that he couldn't sneak up on her.

The next day when I went to work I separated them again just to be safe.

When I came home and let Max out of the bedroom, the same game was on. However, now Sophie would sometimes start the chase by swatting Max and running away.

The next day I let them be together while I was at work. I could see that Sophie did not want to hurt Max, they just wanted to have fun. Sophie would let Max go before he cried "mew".

For the fist few weeks there was a lot of chasing and wrestling but no more crying or hissing and no blood was ever spilled. When they were too tired to chase and fight they rested and napped about 10 feet apart so that they could see each-other and avoid sneak attacks.

Eventually they stopped the constant chasing, but they still enjoyed a good chase a few times a day. They accepted each other and groomed each other. The grooming sessions usually turned into a wrestling match though.

Soon Max was bigger than Sophie but nothing changed. Max was still dominant, but Sophie was very strong. She could still make Max cry "mew" if she wanted him to stop annoying her but it rarely got to that point.

All in all, they had a very good relationship. They were good company for each other. I believe that they loved each other in their own way.

Most all times its an adjustment time - from a week or two up to months before acceptance.

Normally I confine the newcomer to his/her own room for at least a week before I introduce them slowly. However, some cats may have other ideas! When we brought Jack home, Charlie was so insistent on meeting his baby brother, that we let them together 2 days after Jack was here. They got along almost instantly with very little hissing at each other!

But that's not a common thing. Hopefully Jack will be quick to accept his new baby brother Zorro in April.