Adding a kitten to a one cat home-- need advise

[SC Minnie]

OK-- I think my title says it all---

DH just called me and asked if I wanted a 6mo old male kitten. The kitten is being neutered today. He showed up on a coworker's front porch and has been there for a couple of weeks. She hasn't been able to find the original owner and she can't keep him. She is paying to have him neutered though and wants to find him a good home. We have Tink (in my sig) who is 4.5 yrs old and has been an only since we brought her home at 8 wks.

DH is already sending me names for this kitten so I think he has decided he wants him.

What is the best way to introduce the new kitty into our home? I asked DH if he could get a blanket or something with the new kitty's scent so we can begin that way before we bring him home. What should we do once we get him home? I need suggestions on how to make this a smooth transition--


TIA

 

[mickeyboat]

We just did this and it was a lot easier than I thought it would be.

Ziggy was about 9 weeks old when we got him. He was not neutered, had no shots and was not litter trained. Until he had been seen by the vets, had some shots, and was tested for feline lukemia, I kept him locked in our downstairs bathroom except when we took him out to play.

After his vet visit we let him out while we were home, but kept him in the bathroom when we weren't - to make sure he was going to use the litter box and to give my other cat a chance to get used to his smell (from under the door) without having to share his litter box, food and water.

After two weeks we gave the kitten run of the house. We kept the litter box, food and water in the bathroom to make sure he would know where it was if he needed it. He also had a cardboard box with a soft towel in that bathroom where he could go if he needed a little security. After a couple of weeks we got rid of all the bathroom stuff and Ziggy never looked back.

We were very concerned that our 12 year old cat, Fatboy would melt down over this intruder. The kitten is very playful and the older cat was not amused. There has been a lot of chasing, hissing and puffed up tail.

Ziggy was neutered at the end beginning February and I have been surprised at how much better the cats get along now. They aren't cuddling, but they can both be in the same room, even on the bed at the same time, without hissing. We are having a blast with both of them.

So my advice would be to give the new kitten a safe place to go to and to introduce the cats to one another slowly.

Good luck!

 

[brerrabbit]

Good luck. Read all the books and take all the advice you can get. We got two kittens at once and introduced them slowly and all was fine for a while then we had a hurricane, lost power for a week and today are faced with having to get rid of one of them because he pees on everything. Literally he has done thousands of dollars of damage to our house and is currently in a cage every night and all day while we are at work. After a week of caging we let him stay out one night and off went the water works. We have been to the Vet numerous times and yet nothing has changed. It is breaking our hearts to consider giving him away but we honestly cannot afford financially to keep him.

 

[Crystal0608]

We had our Squeaky (male neutered) cat about a year when a stray male kitten walked right in our house. He didn't belong to anyone so I put litter and food in the bathroom and kept him in there for a couple days until we could get him neutered and shots. Immediately, Squeaky who really doesn't like many humans, loved his new kitty brother. Squeaky was twice his size, but never hurt Cloudy during silent cat wrestling, which is their daily sport besides the elephant race (sounds like a herd of elephants when they chase each other, lol). They also groom each other though Squeaky is strict on Cloudy and will hold him down until fully groomed. They spend most days together sitting on the ottoman on watch-cat patrol looking out the living room window. Your older cat will probably enjoy the company. I'd have both their nails clipped though, in case one of them gets a little frisky at first.

 

[DearDaisyinDurham]

http://www.amazon.com/Complete-Kitten-Care-Amy-Shojai/dp/0451206347/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1267117024&sr=1-1

We had a three year old female when we added a two month old male, this book was a big help. Enjoy your new little one!

 

[PeterPan09]

I had a 5 year old male when I adoped two 6 mth old girls. I kept them in a separate room for a few days, and there was some hissing and spitting-but he got used to them quickly.

Good luck!

 

[hedgehog2owl]

kept our little guy in a small bathroom and he and the big cat sniffed each other from under the door for a day. Then we let little kitty out. We made sure we gave big kitty a break if he got too agitated, but mostly it was ok.

Little kitty was interested in Big, but Big wanted nothing to do with him. Lots of hissing and running away.

That lasted about 2 days. Now they are fine with each other and sleep in a pile with their fluffy kitty tails entwined.

eta: they both started out as stray kittens

 

[gypsydoodlebug]

My experience was much like mickeyboat's except Porkfat was 8 when we introduced 3-month-old Callie to her. They're not BFFs, but I'll occasionally catch them laying together (but very rarely). And Callie always grooms Porkfat but never the other way around. I think it's a sign of trying to get acceptance, even two years later.

Good luck!

 

[LiLIrishChick63]

the blanket with the kitten's scent is a really good idea.

also, keep them seperated for a little bit, and slowly introduce them to each other. don't leave them alone in a room while you're not there right away, either.

i had two cats and we introduced one more a year later and it took a little while, about 2 weeks, but eventually the other two cats accepted her and now they all get along just fine.

good luck with the new kitty!! kittens are my weakness! everytime i go to the petstore or a shelter i zoom in on the kittens and my husband pratically has to pry me away lol

 

[puffkin]

We got Riley (9 mos) when Lilly was 5. Riley was through a pet foster org so we knew she was safe to be around other animals since she was fully up to date and tested on everything. We really did have the best intentions of seperating them for a few days, but we didn't. We just brought her home and let her go and that was it. We spend the first 2 days taking her to the litter box every 2 hours or so, but other than that she had free run of the house as much as the other animals.

Riley was a bit shy, but fine. Lilly hissed and carried on for about 2 weeks. They did have a couple of scuffles, but claws were retracted so I just let them go. Even to this day Lilly will hiss at Riley and put her in place and they do fight/chase each other, but they also lay together a lot and Riley will lick Lilly. It really was a lot less of a deal than I thought to add another cat. And, now the cats bother each other and our dog is left alone which was the goal in the first place of getting another cat.

 

[Robinrs]

I've had 2 to 5 cats at a time for 30 years... they're ALL different.

I've had cats who LOVE kitty company, some who HATE it. They're like people, they have social mores that are inate per cat.

My situation now is this:

I had 4 adult cats ages 7 - 10 last year. Two act like a married couple and the other two act like a brother and sister who HATED each other.

The boy died in October of cancer...

Now I had three sedate cats aged 8 - 10, who liked being with each other.

We find a kitty, 3 months, at a rescue place that my son FELL for and notably because he was so much like the one we lost.

I brought him home and like all previous ones I had to put him in a room for a week before the other cats could be introduced. During this time they get used to each other's smells and eventually they'll understand the "intrusion" on their territory.

One cat loved him.

One cat LOATHED him.

One cat was afraid of him.

Eventually, they ALL got along. It's a process and it takes patience but depending on the cat's personality, all can be good or BAD their entire lifetimes.

Good luck... and thank you for taking in a rescue.

 

[LiLIrishChick63]

One cat loved him.

One cat LOATHED him.

One cat was afraid of him.

Eventually, they ALL got along. It's a process and it takes patience but depending on the cat's personality, all can be good or BAD their entire lifetimes.

that's how my cats were when we got our 3rd one. the boy was fine with her....he could care less(he just likes human/animal attention of any sort....it's kind of annoying lol)

the girl was the one who at first didn't really care for her. but eventually they started to get along, and now i'll find them sleeping together sometimes lol

but by reading this....oh man Robin...does that mean that my boy cat will NEVER be good!? he's SO BAD! omg! i swear he thinks he's a child rather than a human.

 

[Kae]

I had a 5 year old male when I adoped two 6 mth old girls. I kept them in a separate room for a few days, and there was some hissing and spitting-but he got used to them quickly.

Good luck!

My friend did this & then she got a old screen door & put it in front of the door so they could smell other other. Also said she had two litter boxes for a while. Kept them apart for feeding too.

Kae

 

[webprinter]

We just adopted a 6 month old female in Sept. We already had a male who is 4-5 years old. We tried to keep them separate but after two nights of no sleep because they meowed all night, we let them investigate each other. The little one adored the older one immediately and the older one tolerated the younger one. Now, after 6 months (it happened within a few weeks), the older one watches over the younger one and bathes her which she loves. She has taught him how to play again. They have their spats but they are not serious (usually the older one hisses or meows not so nicely and the younger one backs off). They get along very well most of the time. Actually, they get along better than my kids did when they were younger.