Introducing A Kitten To My 2 Year Old Cat

[sunnykew]

Hi,

I hope I can find some guidance here.
We took in a feral a couple of years ago who has a pretty much a free run at home and has been the only cat since. We do have a few ferals visiting us and although she friendly to them she is clear about not letting them in the house.

We recently spotted a 5-6 weeks old kitten out on the road (lost) and decided to bring him in till we figure out what we do next. He is so adorable that we thought of keeping him with us.

We kept the kitten in a separate room and our resident cat was exploring him through the closed door. It was all going ok suddenly when while entering the room the kitten ran out which scared the older one and since then she cannot stop hissing at him.
Not only that she now refuses to come close to anyone and is staying away from us. Sometimes when I go near she sniffs my hand and starts to hiss. This behaviour is troubling us and even though we are trying she just does not want to come close. But during food time she all around.

What can we do to make her comfortable and more importantly accept the little one.

 

[Shane Kent]

There is a good article on this site for introducing cats. You can click / touch the article title below, it will take you to the article. I used that information earlier in the year and it worked out well for me. Took a lot of time and patience but it was well worth it. Was a lot of hissing and batting at each other with paws at first but over time it is less and less.

How To Successfully Introduce Cats: The Ultimate Guide

I took two cats home in May and had two cats at home already. It is normal for the existing cat(s) to get upset when you bring a new one home but they should adjust over time. How long have you had the new cat in the house?

 

[sunnykew]

It's been 5 days now. I know it's too soon but since the kitten accidentally ran out of the room, my resident cat has been nervous. She has been hissing at me coz of the scent of the kitten. She is not hiding but just avoiding us. She does not come anywhere near the first floor where the other room in which we have kept the kitten.
How do re-initiate the process again

 

[Shane Kent]

"How do re-initiate the process again"
You keep the kitten in the room and re-introduce at a later date.

I kept the two I took home in a room for several weeks and there was some tension even after that. All you can do is apply lots of patience. Nobody can tell you for certain how long it will take it depends on the individual cat. I kept the two I took home in the room for 3 weeks before gradually letting them out. If things got to tense I put them back in the room. Unfortunately it is a waiting game. It is normal for your cat to be upset they are territorial.

I think all you can do is wait and go through the article I pointed out above. Give it a few weeks and see if the cat adjusts to the new comer. If you are still having problems post back to this thread and keep an eye for other replies someone may have some better advice. There are people with far more experience than I have that frequent these forums.

 

[Shane Kent]

P.S. God Bless you for rescuing the kitten, I hope things don't take long for you. Have a nice weekend

 

[sunnykew]

Thanks Shane,

The kitten has been in the room planned for him since he came which is on the first floor of the house.
My challenges are below
1) The older cat is not going up to the first floor anymore which is not like her. If she won't go on top how would she normalized to the kitten which is behind a door
2) The older cat is being very difficult with us too. Not coming close and growling when we try to go close. The only time she is around us when it's food time which too is not her usual excited.
3) The kitten screams a lot from behind the door. Which makes her uncomfortable and more anxious

I know patient is what it takes but it just breaks our heart to see her through this. The kitten on the other hand seems to be oblivious in his world playing

 

[Shane Kent]

Cats are cats. They don't like things to change and like the predictable comfy life. But they can learn to change if given time. I know the guilt I have put a few cats through it They really don't like it because they can be stuborn but they do look up to you and typically they cave in if given time.

 

[Shane Kent]

You should spend some time with the kitten and get some small foam balls from pet store and get the kitten into them. They are a soft foam so they can bite into them.
Make sure you spend every ounce of attention you can on your first cat. Lots of love, treats, and play time.

Keep the kitten going and make sure the older cat gets lots of love and attention.

 

[sunnykew]

Thanks Shane,
This is an interesting phase, fingers crossed for how the next few days turn out.
I hear you on the attention to the first cat part. Have been trying to spend time with her but the kitten when alone in the room screams a lot and wants to come.out which spooks her out and she doesn't stay with us. She does try to go the door of the room where the kitten is.
What would be a good time to open the door and try another round of introduction perhaps this time the kitten being in a kennel.

 

[Shane Kent]

How long depends on your existing cat. You should let her calm down before proceeding to the next step. If she seems anxious or upset you should wait until she seems less anxious or upset. Wait until the growling at you dies down and you can get close to her again. For the most part, let your cat tell you when it is OK to move to the next step.

It can take several weeks for her to adjust to the new cat in the house. You may feel guilty keeping the kitten isolated in a room for a few weeks but what you are doing is in the best interest of the kitten so ignore any guilt feeling. There is no reason to feel guilty because you are in the process of rescuing the kitten. The little kitten has it's whole life ahead of it so no need to rush things. When you feel guilt just think of how much better off that kitten is in your house opposed to living outside without someone to care for it.

 

[maggiedemi]

Do you have a gate or a screen door you could use to introduce them through?

 

[sunnykew]

Thanks..

The little guy is crazy... Just screams screams all the time from behind the door and wants company spooking my older cat.

 

[Shane Kent]

I was fortunate I had two kittens so they kept each other company and had each other to play with. They meowed a bit but not often or for long. The other cat I brought home a couple of years ago was an older cat I got from the Humane Society and she was well disciplined by whomever had her before me. She didn't meow much at all and settled in fast.

I think you should tackle this as a separate issue. You might want to start a new thread for that in the Cat Behavior forum. "How to get kitten to stop excessive meowing." I would guess more play time and toys to keep the kitten entertained. However, sometimes when you want to change a cats behavior it is best to ignore their bad behavior and let the cat learn over time. I think you should start a new thread and see what sort of feedback you get. Make sure you point out how long ago you got the kitten and that you have it isolated in a room to slowly introduce to your existing cat.

 

[Shane Kent]

The photo below is the four I have at home. Taz, the orange cat, was the first to live with us. Next was the gray cat Zoe, she is the cat I got from the humane society. Taz was still a kitten when we got Zoe so he adjusted fast but spooked her a bit at first as she was not used to a playful kitten. I had to keep Zoe in a room for about a month and a half. She had dental work with stitches in her mouth so I had to wait before I could let her be around Taz. Some nights I would put Taz in our bedroom and let Zoe explore the house so she did get some time out of the room.

The cat eating with the orange cat is Kitty and the bigger cat near the gray cat is Kitty's brother Rusty. I took them home at the beginning of May this year. Zoe and Taz hissed at them a lot. Taz would charge at them. Taz was upset for over a month but he slowly came around. The fact that his little step-sister Kitty can eat from the same plate as him is amazing as I was not sure if he would ever adjust.

 

[kissthisangel]

I would definately get a couple of cardboard scratchers. You should put one in with your resident and one in with the kitten, do more if you can more scratchers, bedding, they're fairly cheap but I know that some are on a tight budget. If you can't afford this, you can just use a couple of cardboard boxes. The card picks up the scent of the cat when they play and rub on it. After a couple of days swap them over. Observe the cats if they play with the other boxes and mark the scent this is good. Then after another couple of days you can swap them over again so that the scent is mixed. Keep doing this, it helps them to accept another scent in their space.

Patience is the most important part of this process. If you follow the linked thread above but move at your least confident cat's pace, you theoretically should be able to introduce the two successfully. Your resident has had a big scare, this isn't your fault, but now we have to deal with that. Try getting your cat to come to you with a treat, or lead them around with play toys. Personally I like the long wands and my new favourite to play with my cats is this worm made of felt. They can't get enough.

 

[sunnykew]

Shane Kent they are a bunch of cuties.

So here is the update. The last two days went well. The older cat came around the room more often to sniff around and looked probably more in a mood to meet the newcomer.
The kitten as usual playful screams when there is no one in the room. Which again draws her attention.
There has been a lot of scent exchanges and my older cat can smell the newcomer off me. In the last two days there have been instances where I had to take the kitten to my room as he wouldn't stop screaming and the other room needed to be cleaned up after the mess.
While the kitten was in my room the older cat has gone in the kittens room and sniffed the entire place. Also has gobbled whatever little left on the food plate of the kitten.
She stopped hissing at me and was engaging in play.
All looked good. So I thought of another round of introductions (vision) just a short while back. And the moment the older cat cat saw him ( he was in his kennel) she started hissing and would not come close.
I had no choice but to bring him back inside his room.

We are back to square one.
I hope she does not hiss at me like she did before.

 

[Shane Kent]

Shane Kent they are a bunch of cuties.

So here is the update. The last two days went well. The older cat came around the room more often to sniff around and looked probably more in a mood to meet the newcomer.
The kitten as usual playful screams when there is no one in the room. Which again draws her attention.
There has been a lot of scent exchanges and my older cat can smell the newcomer off me. In the last two days there have been instances where I had to take the kitten to my room as he wouldn't stop screaming and the other room needed to be cleaned up after the mess.
While the kitten was in my room the older cat has gone in the kittens room and sniffed the entire place. Also has gobbled whatever little left on the food plate of the kitten.
She stopped hissing at me and was engaging in play.
All looked good. So I thought of another round of introductions (vision) just a short while back. And the moment the older cat cat saw him ( he was in his kennel) she started hissing and would not come close.
I had no choice but to bring him back inside his room.

We are back to square one.
I hope she does not hiss at me like she did before.

You are not back to square one, not at all. It is a slow process with a lot of one step forward and two steps back. Just allow your existing cat to calm down every time before proceeding to introduce them. It took several times of introducing them before my cat Taz would stop charging at Kitty and Rusty. It is a slow process that typically takes several weeks. Cats don't like change but if given time they will accept it.

 

[sunnykew]

I guess time is the essence. But it's just quite stressful for all of us including the cats.
So I was feeding the kitten in his room with some wet canned food and the older one stood outside the door screaming quite obviously excited with the smell of the food. Although she had already finished hers ( she is quite a glutton)
The moment I opened to door to get out she darted inside pretty much scaring the kitten who was confused whether to go near or stay away. I had to then chase her out of the room and once we were outside she came to me and finished the leftover from the same bowl. We took her when she was a year and half old and was feral. So she is not comfortable with being held etc but shows her love in her own way.
I guess food is good way to explore introduction. May be I could try feeding them together on either side of the doors and see how that goes and slowly opening the doors between them.

My only concern is here that the kitten is full of energy and she might find that overwhelming

 

[Shane Kent]

You need to stop stressing out over it. I know that is easier said than done. Cats can pick up on stress from people and make the situation worse.

I know that might sound crazy, cats picking up on your stress but there is a really good article on this website about it.
If you click or touch the title it will take you to the article.

You, Your Cat And Stress

A quote from that article :

"a stressed owner projects anxiety making the cat more prone to behavioral problems, causing the owner more stress and on it goes, spiraling into a situation where both human and pet are trapped in the claws of stress and anxiety."

Cats are stubborn and you need to be more stubborn and not let it get you stressed out.

 

[Shane Kent]

sunnykew
I think tomorrow may be a busy day for me so I will say it now. Have a nice weekend, I hope things level off for you and start getting easier. I know how frustrating it can be. I admire you a lot for getting the kitten off the road please stick with it and don't let it frustrate you.

All the best to you, your family and the cats.