Moving & introducing our 3 cats to 4 new: mom and 6mo. old kits

[lovexrin]

So... this may wind up being kind of long.
I love cats; I love to know about cats; I love to research cats. I've introduced cats before too. But never like this... which is why it'll be long. Backstory, explaining things, all that. So here we go...
 

My SO and I are moving out of his parents' home and will be renting out the home his mom inherited from her own mother. We have 3 cats - none of them like each other.
- Tiger is a grumpy lady. She was my SO's cat before I moved in.
- Kocha was adopted later. Tiger went from only cat to '*** is this!' Kocha, having been one of 3 litters on a farm, was sad. She still wants to be buds with Tiger but it's a no-go, so I think she's accepted it. Very skittish.
- Kilo, my boy, came a few years later. He's super high strung and both of the girls hate him for it because they're so mellow. It causes the occassional issue but it's manageable.

So, the catch.

We took in a pregnant stray and kept her at this other house as no shelter would take her, where up until now, my SO's brother has lived with his own cat. SO's brother and his cat will be moving out and in with his parents instead. Basically, we're swapping homes.
This stray had 3 kittens. Because SO's brother's cat had herpes, vet said to keep them separated; while it may not always be a big deal, he said not to risk it if we didn't have to. So Mom and babies had their own large spare room in the house and were let out nightly to run around after the other cat's belongings were picked up.
I fell in love with the two boy kittens. My SO fell in love with the mom and the girl kitten. Our friends flaked out on adopting.

See where this going?
Thankfully, SO has an awesome job and we can manage it, and in this home, there will be the space for it.

But I have no idea how to proceed with introductions when we move in next month!
The kittens will be turning 6 months old.

I intend on not moving my original 3 cats until our new bedroom, at the very least, is settled. There, they'll get time to adjust to being somewhere new for the first time ever since being adopted.
I'll do scent swaps and the like, but after that... introducing 4 cats to 3? Yeah, I'm nervous. lol. But really hopeful that having some more active buddies will be good for my highstrung boy so he leaves my girls alone, and that maybe maybe maybe Kocha can bond with the mother cat or the more passive kitten because she does crave companionship sometimes.

My biggest concern is mama cat - Micah.
SO's idiot brother let them out a couple of times when the kittens were young. Unsurprisingly, Micah chased down and attacked other cat. So he learned his lesson and that stopped, but I'm apprehensive about whether Micah will continue to be protective over her babies even though they're almost 6 months old. We recently took them to the vet for their last round of shots, and apparently, Micah cried by the door most of the time they were gone. It'll be good when we can separate them more later and give them free run of the house always.

But I don't know how to introduce mother Micah to my original 3 with her babies present. She's otherwise the most relaxed, chill cat ever - just like my other two girls really. But I don't want a Feline World War or something on my hands.

After my 3 adjust to the new home, I'm debating rotating letting them out to explore the house for a bit, then at other times, still let out the other 4 from their room - so they explore the same areas, but not at the same time, not yet.
I know the tricks - associate meetings with good things like food and treats...
I'll have plenty of bowls, litter boxes, toys, beds, all that. And the first thing I'm buying once we move is a nice big cat tree as I'm-sorry-you-guys-are-moving bribe.

...but I can't find much advice on the matter of introducing a mom and her kids to other cats. Factor in the weird moving situation and... well... it feels so complicated! The new cats are the ones already adjusted to the home and the original ones aren't, so I know they're really going to be thrown for a stressful loop which is why I'm going to try my best to take things slow.
Do I introduce just the kittens first? Just mom first? Mom and kids at same time?

So if you actually read this and have any insight, advice, or even experience - thank you! I love my furkids and want this to be able to work out.

 

[Columbine]

The good news is that mom is unlikely to be protective over the kittens in the way she was when they were tiny.

I've never done large scale introductions like this, but my instinct is to start with TONS of scent swapping. As well as the usual cloths, cardboard scratchers could work really well. Let each group have a few for a while and then swap them. Repeat until they fall to bits :lol3: You could start the scent swapping right now - no need to wait until the move. Doing this might help ease the transition for everybody too.

I don't think I'd do full on introductions in groups though. Feeding by the door etc is fine, but when you try face to face start small. It sounds like Kocha is the most social of your three, so she could be an ambassador. Use a neutral room, and introduce Kocha to Micha. When they're good with each other, bring the kittens into the mix. Keep doing this until all four are good together. I think from there I'd start allowing supervised interaction between all the cats. Kocha going back and forth should have got everyone ready for the face to face contact, and the joint feedings/treats will have laid the foundations too.

Open up vertical space in the house as much as possible, and do your best to prevent dead ends where someone could get cornered. Stay calm but vigilant, and be prepared for a long haul. Kilo might benefit from Composure during the initial move, and again when you start the face to face. His being calmer will reduce the chances of him becoming a target.

Good luck with all of this. It sure as hell won't be easy, but it should be possible if carefully managed.[article="32680"][/article][article="29726"][/article][article="32804"][/article][article="30316"][/article][thread="297074"][/thread]

 

[talkingpeanut]

The advice above us great. Scent swapping, starting now, is wise. You also want to make sure that everyone has equal time to explore and establish themselves in the house.

Are all cats involved spayed and neutered? That will make life MUCH easier and happier for all involved.

 

[lovexrin]

I'll go ahead and start swapping scents now then!
That's kind of what I was instinctively thinking - mom first, then babies later. Show Micah that the others aren't a threat before her kiddos come into the mix.
As for vertical space - that's a reason I'm getting a cat tree! Beyond that I'll probably keep things off the tops of shelves and other furniture (oh, they're knock it down anyway) so they can lounge around there.

Thanks for the advice so far! And yes, everyone is fixed. (: