Should I Take In A Second Male Kitten When I Already Have One Male 6 Year Old Cat? Please Help...

[lilyaw]

Hi,
I'll try to keep this as short as possible, so bear with me.
I used to have 2 cats (one female, one male) - after 5 years I had to surrender the female because of territorial issues (downstairs neighbors had 2 cats, and since they are all indoor at night/outdoor during the day, she felt really stressed and I thought it was the best for her).
I am currently fostering a 10 week old kitten from a shelter and he is very shy...we have been working on it and it is getting better and the rest of my family fell in love with him - he is adorable!
Anyway, I was looking to adopting him. He would be, like my current cat outdoor/indoor. Do you think it could work?...We have not yet introduced him to our adult cat because the shelter said to keep them separate.
Thanks for reading and helping,
Lilyaw

 

[susanm9006]

My concern would be that you end up back with the territorial issues you had with your female. You might have just lucked out with your older male but a number of cats sharing a relatively small territory can cause issues as you unfortunately learned. I would hate to see you in that situation again, for your sake as well as your adopted cat.

 

[Mamanyt1953]

So, you are fostering this kitten in your home? Does he have any exposure to the other cats at all? The fact that he is young means that he can adapt if he has the temperament for it, but you do say that he is shy. Could he possibly be an indoor-only kitty if the other cats make him nervous? This situation has both some pros and some cons, I would like a bit more information.

 

[lilyaw]

Hello,
Thanks for your response!
So, yes I am fostering this kitten in my bedroom (it's off-limits to the adult cat), and he has had a bit of exposure to my current cat. Just this morning, I put the kitten in his crate, a place where he feels safe, and I brought him into the living room, where the adult cat was. Of course, I did not let the kitten out but he was still in the same room as the other cat. There was no hissing, they "booped" noses, but surprisingly the adult cat seemed scared - his pupils became small and he didn't really dare approach more than two feet away, and he kept backing up...However, the kitten had his eyes wide open (i don't know if this is good or bad) and seemed to hesitate coming to the front of the cage, but did after a few minutes.
For the indoor/outdoor question, I am against keeping kitties indoor (personal experience/opinions)...so I don't think that would be an option. Of course, foster kittens do have to stay inside and he has a litter box etc...
Again, thank you for your response!
Lilyaw

 

[lilyaw]

My concern would be that you end up back with the territorial issues you had with your female. You might have just lucked out with your older male but a number of cats sharing a relatively small territory can cause issues as you unfortunately learned. I would hate to see you in that situation again, for your sake as well as your adopted cat.

Hello,
The thing is that the female and the male cat started having territorial issues when we had to move away from our place with the garden (so they were indoor cats for about 10 months). We felt very bad, but that is when they started acting up...Now we are back (it's been 4 months), and our male cat, who is now alone, is doing well.
Thanks for your reply!
Lilyaw

 

[lilyaw]

Hello again,
Just right now, I let the kitten out of carrier, but still lightly held him at the scruff of the neck to be ready of something happened between him and the adult cat. They booped noses for a while, and my current cat starting grooming (for 5 seconds) the top of the kitten's head. I am sure this is a good sign so I let the kitten, who seemed unbothered by the adult, kind of wander around. Then he came back to the big cat and I started petting him - he purred and lay on his back. This is a sign of him feeling comfortable, and since he was close to the adult cat who was also laying down, I think this is good.
However, the main reason we surrendered our female cat was because she urinated everywhere (probably due to stress, territorial issues, or some underlying medical condition we did not know about). The biggest issue right now are that my current cat might feel jealous/vexed and he might start to mark his territory by peeing in the house... what are the chances of this happening?
Thanks,
Lilyaw

 

[ArtNJ]

Wow, going unusually well so far. It is actually very common for the older cat to be stressed & act scared -- and quite often this is a big problem. Kittens are more adaptable, and they are more often the problem, jumping on the older cat and not respecting their space. Quite often older cats raised solo or with a buddy are unprepared to put the kitten in his place using their superior size, and they get stressed instead.

You should continue the experiment. Cats are like people, they have different personalities. Sometimes you get lucky and a kitten and older cat can hit it off pretty quickly.

 

[lilyaw]

Wow, going unusually well so far. It is actually very common for the older cat to be stressed & act scared -- and quite often this is a big problem. Kittens are more adaptable, and they are more often the problem, jumping on the older cat and not respecting their space. Quite often older cats raised solo or with a buddy are unprepared to put the kitten in his place using their superior size, and they get stressed instead.

You should continue the experiment. Cats are like people, they have different personalities. Sometimes you get lucky and a kitten and older cat can hit it off pretty quickly.

So my best bet would be to continue the encounters a few times a day. Perfect I hope it works out!
Thank you for replying!
Lilyaw

 

[lilyaw]

It is actually very common for the older cat to be stressed & act scared -- and quite often this is a big problem.

How can I calm him down/make him feel that he is safe and his place in the house will be the same then?
Thanks

 

[ArtNJ]

So my best bet would be to continue the encounters a few times a day. Perfect I hope it works out!
Thank you for replying!
Lilyaw

Yes, but sometimes a limited encounter isn't enough time for them to work through stuff. For example, often a kitten is sooo excited by the prospect of a playmate, they will immediately jump on the older cat. If you give them time, the kitten may calm down and they may settle in. If you limit the encounter, the kitten doesn't get it out of the system and is just as eager at the start of the next encounter. If it is going well -- really if there isn't actual fighting -- then continuing to watch and monitor is best.

 

[ArtNJ]

How can I calm him down/make him feel that he is safe and his place in the house will be the same then?
Thanks

If it continues to go unusually well, you may not have to! Giving them time to work through stuff is the single most effective thing, but you can also try giving treats together, playing with a toy together, that sort of thing...positive experiences. And if they seem to be getting ready to fight, you can try distraction. If there is a lot of stress, of course timeouts from the process may be required, for the older cat to get some alone & happy time (but as I note in prior post, time outs are not always beneficial).

 

[lilyaw]

Yes, but sometimes a limited encounter isn't enough time for them to work through stuff. For example, often a kitten is sooo excited by the prospect of a playmate, they will immediately jump on the older cat. If you give them time, the kitten may calm down and they may settle in. If you limit the encounter, the kitten doesn't get it out of the system and is just as eager at the start of the next encounter. If it is going well -- really if there isn't actual fighting -- then continuing to watch and monitor is best.

thank you so much for taking your time and helping, I will keep updating
Lilyaw

 

[lilyaw]

If it continues to go unusually well, you may not have to! Giving them time to work through stuff is the single most effective thing, but you can also try giving treats together, playing with a toy together, that sort of thing...positive experiences. And if they seem to be getting ready to fight, you can try distraction. If there is a lot of stress, of course timeouts from the process may be required, for the older cat to get some alone & happy time (but as I note in prior post, time outs are not always beneficial).

Thanks for replying, will get to you soon to give updates in the future!
Lilyaw

 

[Mamanyt1953]

So long as your older cat isn't spraying or hiding, I think you are in good shape. Now, at some point, he may well do some hissing and even swatting, but that's a good thing as well. That means that he is teaching the kitten how to "cat," reprimanding and disciplining him just as a mama cat would. It would be a rare thing for an older cat to actually attack a young kitten. It can happen, but it is rare. With the exception of unneutered toms who have been known to kill newborns that they didn't father, but that isn't a problem here. And some toms have even adopted and nurtured orphans, so that isn't written in stone, either. And now I'm babbling.