OT-cat owners help!!

quinnybear

my hubby and i got a kitten a few months back (she's 6 months old now). well, since we both work random schedules she's alone a lot. her first 8 weeks of life she was surrounded by her brothers and sisters and kittens from another litter born a few weeks before her. we really want to get another kitten so she has someone to play with, and we also want another one for us. theres some kittens up for adoption this weekend and we want one! but what i was wondering is who has had to introduce a new kitten to a older kitten that has been the "princess" of our house for 4 months? any suggestions, comments, help??

quinnybear

my hubby and i got a kitten a few months back (she's 6 months old now). well, since we both work random schedules she's alone a lot. her first 8 weeks of life she was surrounded by her brothers and sisters and kittens from another litter born a few weeks before her. we really want to get another kitten so she has someone to play with, and we also want another one for us. theres some kittens up for adoption this weekend and we want one! but what i was wondering is who has had to introduce a new kitten to a older kitten that has been the "princess" of our house for 4 months? any suggestions, comments, help??

Sunibc22

I have a 10 year old cat but when I got her she was a kitten and my roomate had a german shepard!! We basically held the dog and let him smell the cat....she then hid behind the couch or under the bed for a few days but every day she would venture out more and more until they became the best of buddies. Of course we made sure both of their claws were clipped short!!! Since then I've moved a few times. She has been introduced to another full grown cat of a roomates....then on her own for a bit...then to a puppy saint bernard...then to 2 other puppies since....lol. She is getting more and more grumpy about it all as she gets older but really each time I do it the same way. Always making sure her claws are clipped though...this is key!!!....lol.

Good luck!

Eve23

:bigsmile: I have fostered kitties and I own 3. My mom has 7. So I have had a fair amount of instances bringing a new cat in. In our house we have chosen to have all males because the Queens can have alot of attitude I don't appriciate. But my mom has a majority of females. The eldest female rules the roost and the others take their place in line. So do beware of that. She will let the other kitten know their place and they will work it out. There may be a rough time for a few weeks but it does calm down and they will accept each other. I have seen instances with kittens where they were very quick to accept each other so she may be young enough yet that it will be an easy transition.

Good luck

Fab140

Wow! Just went through this with our 1 yr old and a 3 month old kitten. The adoption agency actually came and I think the lady psuhed it too far....

This is what we did:

We let the new kitty out to explore while the other kitty stayed in the bedroom. After Rosie got her "sea legs" we let Oscar out to sniff. There will be hissing and maybe a little bit of smacking. After they know each other is there, we put Rosie up in her own place (the bathroom at night and the bathroom/bedroom during the day). O and R could sniff eachother through the door and when we got home from work, we would give Oscar a TON of attention before then going in and talking to Rosie, and then letting her out and letting them figure each other out. Also, after playing with Rosie in her space, we would comeout and play with Oscar with her scent on us. It helped him understand that Rosie was "fun".

It took all of three days before they were wrestling.

Since you say your "princess" is only a few months old, she will adapt to the other kitty much faster. Just be careful that they both have all of their shots. You don't want to get them both sick!

First and foremost, though, designate and set up an area for the new kitty. Doing it last minute will create a feeling of insecurity for "princess".

:flowerforyou:
Good luck!

Katy009

I did the same for the exact same reason.....I got another cat when mine was 6 mo. old for company when I was away and for me. They are both now 18 years old.

My first cat was a little jealous at first, but she came around pretty quickly being so young.

Although I did not do this, I have heard it's better to have a non-family member actually bring the cat into the house the first time. Don't know if there's any logic to that or not.

Good luck.

Fab140

I did the same for the exact same reason.....I got another cat when mine was 6 mo. old for company when I was away and for me. They are both now 18 years old.

My first cat was a little jealous at first, but she came around pretty quickly being so young.

Although I did not do this, I have heard it's better to have a non-family member actually bring the cat into the house the first time. Don't know if there's any logic to that or not.

Good luck.

Yea, the non-family member seems to help with the transition. Makes them think someone just dropped it off and they don't blame you as much!!

I do have to say that my Oscar was a mommy's boy until we got Rosie. It's been a month and he's coming around, but it is hard!

Wynnie

Cats are like people - they have unique personalities. I had a grey tabby who would be friends with any critter you put him with. I also had a snotty (but beautiful) Persian who refused to befriend another animal no matter how long you gave her. She calmly walked up to a 85 pound Belgian Shepherd and reached up and slapped him on the nose - the first time they met. (fortunately he was a nice dog - phew).

Anyway - the kitty may or may not accept a newcomer - you just have to see. Kittens are usually better about it. Good luck!!!

mommared53

When my son got his cat, Judy, we had already had my cat, Andre', for a while so we put Judy into a bedroom and let Andre' get used to her scent being around before we let her come out. They got along really well.