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- Sep 11, 2020
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Hey everyone. I’m looking for some advice on how to properly introduce a two month old female kitten to a four year old male cat.
Currently, the kitten is living outside on my porch with my chihuahua, Skit. They get along perfectly and love each other. However, cold weather is coming extremely soon. Starting in about three weeks, my fiancé is going to bring her into his apartment. We currently already have a 4 year old cat named Midnight. He is neutered, but does have all of his claws. He is fairly laid back loves belly rubs, and can be picked up at anytime. However, like any other cat, he does get into his super playful moods where he wants to attack everything. He will play bite and scratch, and it does hurt sometimes, especially when it feels like his claws are stuck in me. He weighs 15 pounds, and is chunky. He has had other animals around him before. There was a dog that he disliked, but dealt with. There was also a foster kitten that was only around for a week, but he got very mad. He even used the bathroom in the tub. Finally, there was kitten that showed up around the house that was believed to be an offspring of him. He didn’t care much at all, but didn’t get too close.
My two month old kitten, Smoothie, is extremely playful as expected. She is almost always playing, and loves to play fight with my chihuahua. She jumps on her back, bites at her tail, and grabs her face. My chihuahua loves it, and plays right back. Smoothie is also incredibly adventurous, and has to be under complete supervision most of the time, besides when she is sleeping. She is fearful of nothing.
I have been looking up some information on how to properly introduce the two of them. However, there are some problems. My fiancé’s apartment is pretty small, and he has a roommate. The only place where she could be locked up away from Midnight is the bathroom where his kitty litter is. I do have a large crate for her that locks so that she’s safe at night when I can’t be outside with her. Should I bring the crate instead of her being locked up in the bathroom all day? My fiancé will be gone for work about 10 hours everyday. He lives 20 miles from me, and my family currently only has one car and I’m unable to have one at the moment for financial reasons.I will most likely be able to visit them twice a day when he is at work. Once around 5:00 pm, and the second time after 10:00 pm.
Although it would be easier for me to bring her into my home, I am unable to because my 9 year old cat, King. He is incredibly contrary and cannot stand any other animal to be in his home. When our chihuahua comes in during the winter, he sits and stares at her constantly and will even attempt to attack her. We one time brought some kittens into the house, and he hissed and backed away. They instantly went back outside. We are unable to bring Smoothie in here because I am almost positive that King would seriously hurt her, even under our supervision. I refuse to take that chance.
My questions are as follows:
Will the crate or bathroom be a better option for her? How long should I keep the two of them separated? Should I be worried about how he is going to behave around her? What if even after the amount of time I keep her locked away from him, he still doesn’t respond to her nicely? Is there anything protective wise that I can buy Smoothie? (I ask this because Midnights claws are extremely sharp, and he is probably 8 times bigger than Smoothie. I’m worried that she will attempt to play fight with him, and he will not respond well, possibly hurting her.)
I’m particularly protective of Smoothie because she is the offspring of my recently deceased cat, Milkshake. His life was tragically cut short by living outside, and I want her to be able to live a good safe life, inside.
Currently, the kitten is living outside on my porch with my chihuahua, Skit. They get along perfectly and love each other. However, cold weather is coming extremely soon. Starting in about three weeks, my fiancé is going to bring her into his apartment. We currently already have a 4 year old cat named Midnight. He is neutered, but does have all of his claws. He is fairly laid back loves belly rubs, and can be picked up at anytime. However, like any other cat, he does get into his super playful moods where he wants to attack everything. He will play bite and scratch, and it does hurt sometimes, especially when it feels like his claws are stuck in me. He weighs 15 pounds, and is chunky. He has had other animals around him before. There was a dog that he disliked, but dealt with. There was also a foster kitten that was only around for a week, but he got very mad. He even used the bathroom in the tub. Finally, there was kitten that showed up around the house that was believed to be an offspring of him. He didn’t care much at all, but didn’t get too close.
My two month old kitten, Smoothie, is extremely playful as expected. She is almost always playing, and loves to play fight with my chihuahua. She jumps on her back, bites at her tail, and grabs her face. My chihuahua loves it, and plays right back. Smoothie is also incredibly adventurous, and has to be under complete supervision most of the time, besides when she is sleeping. She is fearful of nothing.
I have been looking up some information on how to properly introduce the two of them. However, there are some problems. My fiancé’s apartment is pretty small, and he has a roommate. The only place where she could be locked up away from Midnight is the bathroom where his kitty litter is. I do have a large crate for her that locks so that she’s safe at night when I can’t be outside with her. Should I bring the crate instead of her being locked up in the bathroom all day? My fiancé will be gone for work about 10 hours everyday. He lives 20 miles from me, and my family currently only has one car and I’m unable to have one at the moment for financial reasons.I will most likely be able to visit them twice a day when he is at work. Once around 5:00 pm, and the second time after 10:00 pm.
Although it would be easier for me to bring her into my home, I am unable to because my 9 year old cat, King. He is incredibly contrary and cannot stand any other animal to be in his home. When our chihuahua comes in during the winter, he sits and stares at her constantly and will even attempt to attack her. We one time brought some kittens into the house, and he hissed and backed away. They instantly went back outside. We are unable to bring Smoothie in here because I am almost positive that King would seriously hurt her, even under our supervision. I refuse to take that chance.
My questions are as follows:
Will the crate or bathroom be a better option for her? How long should I keep the two of them separated? Should I be worried about how he is going to behave around her? What if even after the amount of time I keep her locked away from him, he still doesn’t respond to her nicely? Is there anything protective wise that I can buy Smoothie? (I ask this because Midnights claws are extremely sharp, and he is probably 8 times bigger than Smoothie. I’m worried that she will attempt to play fight with him, and he will not respond well, possibly hurting her.)
I’m particularly protective of Smoothie because she is the offspring of my recently deceased cat, Milkshake. His life was tragically cut short by living outside, and I want her to be able to live a good safe life, inside.