Bringing New Kitten Home To Resident Cat

[xoxhannahh]

Hi, I just got a new kitten, she’s 3 months and her name is Kali.

We already have a 10 month old cat named Kitty. Kitty is a laid back cat and loves to nap with me but still has her spazz moments where she runs around the house for an hour or so. We have friends who bring over their cat who is 7 months and after so many visits they learned to play so we figured she’d be okay with a new kitten.

We brought Kali home and growing up I never knew there was a proper way to introduce cats, we always just let them get used to each other on their own and I guess we got lucky and they never had problems so I did exactly that and there was some hissing and swatting but nothing major.

That night they slept on the same bed with us, Kali at our feet and Kitty at our heads and they were fine, Kali would move towards the head and Kitty would hiss softly and then Kali would just go back to our feet.

The next day was different though, Kitty would not let Kali be, she would chase her and corner her and wouldn’t let her play. So I’ve seperated them, Kali is in a safe room with food and water and toys and her litter box, but she cries and cries for so long even if I go in and play with her for a while.

I think Kitty is upset that she is so wild and I don’t know if they’re a good match or what. I also don’t want Kitty to feel hurt by us bringing home a new kitten.

 

[ArtNJ]

It's usually ok in the long run when they are so young. Problems get more likely when the resident cat is over 2 yrs old. Just let them be - this really isn't an introduction issue, it's just a hyper kitten issue. They should be good in time. You can try and tire the kitten out w play and give the older kitten some breaks and such, but nothing will really work except time.

Admittedly, your 10 month old kitten is acting like an older cat. Nonetheless, even with an older cat getting anxious at a hyper kitten, there isn't much to be done. Try to tire the kitten out with play, distract the kitten, give the older cat love and alone time. You can do all that, maybe it will help, but mostly they have to work it out. Some stuff you might try can even backfire...for example, if you separate them for a bit, the kitten will become even more eager to jump and play with the older cat, and the older cat won't get to ever see mellow(er) kitten.

Keep us posted. There are other things that can be tried if things get worse.

 

[Mamanyt1953]

Here are a few articles that will help you along the way:

How To Successfully Introduce Cats: The Ultimate Guide
Introducing Cats To Cats
Do Cats Get Jealous? (and What To Do About It When They Do)