Will a new kitten be alright with an older cat?

By joining our community you will have the ability to post topics and access other forums reserved for members. Registration is quick, simple and absolutely free. Join our community today by clicking here.

Baiting Guru Joined: 08 Jul 2004 Posts: 11857 Location: UK

Thinking about getting a kitten, but I was wondering how the older cat, a male about 14 months old, would react to a new little friend, if an older cat was brought in to the home, there would probably be a big fight, but bringing a new kitten in should be ok, shouldn't it?

Posted: Mon Jul 23, 2007 1:12 pm

Only one way to find out.. make sure it's sale or return Very Happy

Posted: Mon Jul 23, 2007 1:36 pm

SP, if you are getting the kitten from the RSPCA (as you always should - wags finger!), the recommend that you bring your cat in to have a "1-on-1" in a controlled environment to see how they react to each other. Don't worry if your old(er) cat shies away and sits in a corner, that isn't a problem. As long as he isn't being overtly violent towards the kitten they usually consider them to be ok together.

Expect lots of squealing fights though. We got a new kitten for our (at the time) 3 year old female to keep her company after her sister died. The two of them chase each other around and wind each other up, but there's never been any time when we've been really worried about them. We did keep them separated when we first got the kitten though, to allow him to acclimatise to his new surroundings, but thats all...

Hope that helps, I'm not really an expert, just my personal experience.

Elite Baiter Joined: 03 Jan 2006 Posts: 1455

If you do get one... remember to post kitten pictures!

In fact... you could say there's a certain argument that it's almost time for another cat pictures thread anyway, couldn't you?

Posted: Mon Jul 23, 2007 1:55 pm

SP,
Lots of good advice HERE

Posted: Mon Jul 23, 2007 2:01 pm

^^ I would say that much depends upon the character of the older cat.

My little tiger has such a sweet nature, that when we borought two little kittens home, he immediately started to clean them and started to mother them.

He is the same with any new born bunny rabbits, and has never made any aggressive move towards them.

Baiting Guru Joined: 31 Jan 2007 Posts: 12237

Scam Patroller...Kittens...?! My image of you is ruined. I always pictured you as a Chuck Norris type lurking in Nigeria with two rabid hyenas in tow.

edit: bonehead typo

Master Baiter Joined: 04 May 2007 Posts: 139

Your kitten, after the initial shock and indignance of "what's HE doing here?!", will probably be accepted by your older cat. That 14-month-old is not far out of kittenhood himself, and would probably love a new playmate once he gets over himself. As long as there's enough food to go around and enough territory to share between them, they'll establish a pecking order between them and, once done, they'll get along.

I would recommend putting the new kitten in a seperate room or area for a while, say a week or so. In order to accomplish this you'll need a room or space that your existing cat won't miss if he's shut out of it (the bathroom is usually a good place, but your kitten would probably prefer a bedroom or the den that your existing cat hasn't staked out). That will allow your older cat to get used to the smell of the new arrival, and maybe even see him, before he's confronted face-to-face with the little fuzzball with nothing between them. Make sure you divide your attention between them; cats do get jealous and if you spend all your time with the new kitten when your older cat used to get a lot of luvin's, your older cat is going to see the younger one as a threat when he meets him face-to-face. Conversely, if you ignore the kitten he's going to grow up more independent and less affectionate towards you (plus you'll be missing out on the cute kitty phase).

Make sure you keep a squirt bottle handy just in case; your kitten doesn't know the house rules. Cats usually require very little housebreaking - they'll learn very quickly where the sandbox is - but your kitten will need to be discouraged from scratching anything but the scratching post. You may also need to break up fights. If you start hearing hisses, spitting and yowling, grab the water bottle and drench them both, which will end the fight in a hurry, but be aware that play-fighting and chase games are perfectly normal, especially between two adolescent cats.

Posted: Mon Jul 23, 2007 2:35 pm

Try introducing the new kitty in a carrier/cage. Don't leave them alone at the first meeting - just watch that the older kitty doesn't head straight for the cage and try to beat the snot out of the newcomer!
Another trick I learned (having had 6 felines myself) is to take a dry washcloth and rub it on the face, especially just under the ears and around the cheeks where the scent glands are. Do this on the older kitty and then take it and you can either rub it on the new kitty or you can leave it under the food dish. Same for the new kitty's scent. After a couple of days of getting used to each other's particular scent they should be ok to be in the same room with each other. I would still advise keeping them separated at night or if you have to leave for any extended period of times for a couple of weeks until you are sure that they aren't going to get into a fight. Separate feed bowls on opposite sides of the room are a must at first - most serious fights will be over food - but you can start moving them closer once the heirarchy is established.
A few weeks at the most and they'll probably be curling up together and washing each other's faces.

Posted: Mon Jul 23, 2007 3:27 pm

I find isolating each cat in a separate room for a few hours, then swap the cats in the room for another few hours, then put them in rooms with only a door between them so they can sniff eachother under the door works.. They still hiss, but it gets them used to eachother's scent first..

When I got Bob, Harley was about a year older and bob was about 4 months old. I had to isolate Bob anyway because he had parasites.. They could see and smell eachother under the door and by the time it was OK to let Bob out, they had little problem except occasional spats. Now they're like old friends.

EDIT: Removed excessive use of the word "anyway" Laughing

Posted: Tue Jul 24, 2007 2:02 am

Done it once. Then did it again. Then, how about a third time. I'll never learn. Actually, not a prob, except that the last one was taken from the litter too early and promptly chose my only male, who was 5 yars old at the time,as the only one possible who could nurse her (in other words who woud feed her naturally, go figure). He was not too amused at the time but four years later there is an incredible bond between them.
I just introduced them and let them get on with it.

Posted: Tue Jul 24, 2007 2:17 am

There will probably be territorial "conversations". The above posters have advised you well. #1 is go slow. Keep them seperated at first. Sometimes, just sometimes, it can turn nasty. I recommend a loaded squirt gun within reach just in case. In a week or two, they'll be cuddling and watching each others back.

Posted: Tue Jul 24, 2007 2:30 am

I would also suggest you get a (desexed) female kitten. Male/male combos can be a bit too territorial and Who's Got The Biggest Gonads (even if you've had them removed). And I know it's not relevant in your case but female/female can be fraught, noisy and expensive too. Sound familiar? Laughing

Posted: Tue Jul 24, 2007 5:20 am

Have you ever collected cat urine? Sprinkle the kitten with the older cats urine and then introduce them. Oh and make sure you wash your hands latersoon after.

Posted: Tue Jul 31, 2007 12:56 am

ive had cats for about 25 of my life an im only 26 so overall ive had about 40 cats Cool

but theres nothing i could add on top of what all the other informattive userz about have put down for useful info for u SP.

than if ur luckly like i was with me last cat.... your be a nearvous wreck in no time lol

why i ask yourself... simple my last cat loved to wake me up by licking my eyelids an DAMMM does that messup any hot uncenrosed highly erotic dreasm ur hvaing at the time Evil or Very Mad

oh an theres the occasional them trying to copy the wrestling suicide moves out the window when ur flats on the 5th floor Question

but other than all that stuff ur have alot of found memories of the silly yrs of the new kitten alone of with ur older cat Very Happy

p.s. if the git who poisioned my 2 favourate kittens when they were 9 ays old in my garden back when i was a teen are on this fourm im gonna hunt u down an feed u the same as what u poisioned my 9 day old kittens with but ur get a larger amount stuck down ur throat then stamp on ur head u evil bugger Evil or Very Mad

PLEASE exsuce my anger outburst but i not long ago found out who poisioned my kittens but i cannot find them scumbags now Mad

EDIT: dam 6 button jammed

p.p.s please post pics of the kitten if you get one SP cause i love seeing ppls new kitten piccys!!!

p.p.p.s beware im a chatterbox at times Shocked

Posted: Tue Jul 31, 2007 4:03 am

Licking eyelids. hmmmm?

Posted: Tue Jul 31, 2007 4:19 am

That whole post is very "WTF".

Ummm... back on topic. Cats should be fine together SP. Though what would I know, my cat just ran away Crying or Very sad

Posted: Tue Jul 31, 2007 6:02 am

Sex is important... um... well isn't it? Is the new cat female? Is the male neutered? It does make a difference but not as much as the personality of the animal. Our household has three cats and a rabbit. The cats are all rescues or volunteers from the neighborhood. Every three or four years another cat comes by and it joins the gang.

Posted: Tue Jul 31, 2007 12:39 pm

We got a female kitten about 7 years ago when our first cat was about 5-6. He (the old cat) didnt like it all at first, but they get used to it. Just do what others say and supervise them. They'll always fight (my two do still now), but they'll get used to each other. It might be wise to put them in seperate rooms when you go to bed for the first few nights.

Oh, and dont neglect your old cat all....maybe get him some treats and things to soften the blow for him.

Posted: Tue Jul 31, 2007 5:12 pm

Do you want to find cat poo in your shoe? Nasty nuggets under your buffet? Don't get another litter box. I've found that some cats will not use a box if its been used by another cat. The kitten will not care but your adult may find another spot if its box has been "scented". No amount of bleaching with chemicals or the sun will remove the smell. Two boxes will save a lot of drama.

Posted: Tue Jul 31, 2007 6:47 pm

My beloved Devil Cat would eat any newcomer I brought in. He's a jealous little sod! Smile

Hello I'm New here! Joined: 13 Jul 2007 Posts: 5

In the same situation I fould that little gestures that establish and confirm the earlier cat's dominance really helps.

The things I have noticed to work:

Present the older cat's food first
Greet him first in the morning

etc.

Posted: Wed Aug 01, 2007 8:53 am

We had a bad experience when we brought a kittten into our cat's domain. Mind our cat was older, about 7 - 8 years old and fairly set in his ways. While he initially tolerated the new kitten he eventually got tired of the new kitten wanting to play and jumping on him when he wanted to lie in the sun. He started to swipe at the kitten, and chase it outside, until one day the kitten just disappeared and never came back.

Baiting Guru Joined: 08 Jul 2004 Posts: 11857 Location: UK

Cheers all, I could have Googled and got the link that BB posted, but I wanted to hear first hand from people like yourselves, who might have brought a new kitten in to a home. Looks like the concesus of opinion is to keep them seperated for a day or two before introducing them, or to just introduce them straight off and supervise closely, then keep them seperated during the night.

Well, one decision has been made, today, some kittens were viewed, they were really nice, but instead of getting one, it was decided to get 2 of them Very Happy

They are both all black, apart from a very tiny white spot about the size of a thumb nail on both of their chests, and another smaller white spot on both of their tummies, there was another longer haired black one with the same markings, the mother also has the same 2 white spots, they are currently 4 weeks old, so they should be ready for collection in 4 weeks time jump_4_joy

Photos/video as and when they arrive in their new home Very Happy

Wannabe Baiter Joined: 20 Jul 2007 Posts: 93 Location: USA

You've got Kittens in Tuxedo Attire? I have gotten a thing from the pet store that you plug into the wall. The thing (I cannot remember what it is called for the life of me) emits a specific hormone smell that gives the "all is well, no one is mad, you are safe here" signal to the cats. It really helped when I had a nervous and freaked out rescue cat. It was only about $15 and it had refills in case more was needed.

Will a new kitten be alright with an older cat?	View next topic View previous topic