Ok, so my fiance's big boss offered us a kitten that his wife is sheltering, so of course we took it. I am just looking for some tips, we currently have a male cat, a little more than 4years old, that we have had since he was a tiny kitten. He has never really been around any other animals, he stays inside all the time, only occasionly when someone brought their dog over, so not much. I was wondering if there is anything that someone could tell me as far helping them get along. I am really not sure what to expect, so any help is greatly appreciated and if you have any questions that could help you provide a better answer, thats not a problem. Thanks....
Daily Kitten Chat Forum » Cats & Kittens
I'm getting a new kitten.....please help!!!!
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Hi, Rza. Welcome to TDK! I added a tag to this thread. Please click on it and you will find several other threads where this issue is discussed. Please tell us more about your new kitten. How old is it? Male or female? Have you given it a name?
Please keep posting to let us know how your new furry buddy and your resident cat get along. Introductions should go slowly, only after you've had your kitten tested for communicable diseases by a vet. Good luck! :)
Posted 8 months ago by Kitten Whisperer #
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Okay I am going through this right now, resident Male cat at little over a year and a month roughly when she came. To prepare I moved him out of the Playpen which I used to train him when he arrived. They can sniff smell and poke/paw at each other with no real harm.
I Have let them out for supervised playdates in the bedroom as well as the kitchen then the bedroom/kitchen to roam. He gets a tad rough biting sometimes but I use a no and a spray bottle or if the spray bottle is not close I snap my fingers twice.
When the baby gets there seperate them for at least 10 days and get a vet visit in and a poop sample as well so that you cna check for parasites and such which can be trafsered to the resident cat.
Spend loads of time with both loving and pettign tyr to keep main parts/schedules or routines the same so that you continue to share certain times with said resident cat. My normal schedules me and max time at night she's in the playpen. Morning shower Max comes with, then he and I make the canned breakie for them then he and she eat followed by some cuddle and snuggle time for me and max like usual, when he is ready to roam I then let her out and play and cuddle and lvoe on her. I started with 20 minutes and am now up to hours with her out of the playpen in the bedroom while max is out in the rest of the house. They have 20 to 2 hour playdates depending on Max and how rough he gets and how often it becomes.
Hope this helps!
Posted 8 months ago by Momma to 2 MaineCoons #
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hey KW I see Boots!
Posted 8 months ago by Momma to 2 MaineCoons #
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:)
Yes, it's her turn to be in my avatar. lol
Posted 8 months ago by Kitten Whisperer #
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cool! OS your up late aren't yay?
hehehe So when her turn is up whose next?
Posted 8 months ago by Momma to 2 MaineCoons #
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Thanks for getting back to me so quickly. We are actually getting the cat tom. morning so I should have gotten on here sooner. The kitten is a female, I'm not sure the exact age, will find out when I pick her up, but I know it is between 6-12 weeks. Her name is Tigerlily, but like I said before, we are getting the kitten through my fiance's bosses boss. I know his wife shelter's cats, so I don't know if she named it or what. I am pretty sure they have already had it tested, but I guess there is still a good amount of details I need to get huh? Yea some of those suggestions sound great, so I am gonna go see if I can find a playpen, but is there anything else I could use incase I cant find one?
One thing that will work out is that me and my fiance work different schedules, so I can be there in morning and early afternoon and she will be there in the evening, and then I get off at 1am, so I can play a little then too. But at the times we are away at the sametime, we were going to put the kitten in the spare bathroom. Is this ok or would a bedroom be more suitable?
Another question, when we got our resident, he slept in bed with us everynight, now he will get in bed w/us at some point in the night, just about everynight. So the question is, should we put her up at night, b/c I do not want Hobbs (the resident) to not sleep with us or get jealous, etc.
Thank you all very much and I will get a pic of Hobbs up soon and her when she arrives!!!!
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Yes you can keep the babu in the bathroom but that can become and incovience or if you have a baby like mine he goes in the restroom when I shower. SO then what would you do with the new fuzzbut. I have a friend who could not find a playpen though petco usually has them you can purchase a large or extra large dog crate to allow playroom litter box and food and such. I suggested the playpen because this allows the cats to see and paw at each other. Plus you cna putting it in your bedroom or livingroom so that the baby gets to see the normal day stuff and interacts with you both.
Posted 8 months ago by Momma to 2 MaineCoons #
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Well it has been quite an adventurous day so far, I picked up the new kitten (Tigerlily) at 9am and went to Petsmart and was home by 10. I put her in the spare bedroom while I got the litter box and food and everything ready for her. She has been wonderful, hasn't whined or cried or anything and after only a few minutes of checking out the bedroom, she was running and playing with toys, etc. So I figured the time was right to introduce Hobbs (resident) to her. He slowly came into the room and smelled around, and when they finally saw each other he hissed once and she made a couple of noises at him, but nothing to bad and he basiclly left the room. So at that point I thought it wouldn't be so bad. So I seperated them and went back and forth spending time with each.
So a little later I tried to let them meet again, but when I opened the door she was right by it and this time Hobbs kept hissing, so I just shut the door. After a little bit, I decided to switch the rooms they were in. Once again she was fine, no trouble at all. But when Hobbs got into the spare bedroom, he was hissing and moaning, just not happy at all. I left him in there for about 10-15 minutes and he just was one upset kitty. He hissed at me and basiclly just wanted out. So I switched them back, and he hasnt been too bad since. If however, I have been petting her and go to do the same with him with out washing my hands then he will let me know.
So it looks like we have a ways to go, but it's the first day and I am sure it will get better eventually. I am going to try to have her in the Pet Taxi, it's all I have currently, and let him around her and see how that goes. I am just going to take it slow for a while, until Hobbs starts to relax a little.
Any additional pointers or advice or anything would be great. I will keep posting updates and if you have any questions, don't be afraid to ask. Thank you all for all the help!!!!!!
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Rza, my girls are sisters but they didn't remember that by the time that we managed to catch Windi. They were both ferals but since since promoted themselves to Queens of the Universe. When we first brought Windi in, we put her in a spare bedroom with all of her things, and closed the door. Willow knew that she was in there and noises were exchanged under the door but then they began to poke at each other under the door. After about two days, we rigged a way to open the door about 2" without them being able to push the door open. They could now see each other through the door, and get a paw through. I guess that we did that for about three days until the hissing had mostly died down and they had really had time to see each other. Then we opened the door but I stayed in the bedroom. Willow came in, a couple of hisses were exchanged and then they ran off to play. They have been inseparable ever since.
They will come around!
Posted 8 months ago by WillowandWindismom #
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Hi Rza, welcome to TDK! This will work out, it just takes a lot of time and patience. Two of ours hated each other when they first met, they're now inseparable best mates! Keep introducing them in short bursts, and doing the scent transfer thing after petting each one. Make sure you lavish extra attention on Hobbs (that's him in your avator, right? gorgeous!) then he won't feel so inclined to be jealous of the new arrival. When the immediate hostility has died down a bit, try feeding them treats together - food is a good bonding tool! You may also find a synthetic hormone spray called Feliway useful to calm things down (for them not you!!) - it's available as a plug in diffuser, and a lot of TDKers (me included) swear by it. But above all, don't give up hope! - and keep posting here, it's a great little supportive community, who all love cats, and have a lot of fun!!
Posted 8 months ago by MadcatwomanintheUK #
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Welcome to TDK, RZA! We love pictures here of the cats so when you get a chance, we would all love to see a picture of your new kitty.
Seems you have gotten some good advice already.
Posted 8 months ago by SylvesterMiasMomma #
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Oh no!I am the fiance of Rza and he has done such a wonderful job today! ALthough I am getting so worried about our resident cat! Has 4 years been to long to bring another one in the picture? I want them to get along and don't want this to cause stress on our new found family....please reassure me this was a good decision. Thanks to all of you for your help and guidance!
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Be patient with your kitties. This is just the first day. It may take several days or a few weeks for them to figure out which one of them is going to take the dominant role in your home. Your older cat has not had to share his territory (which includes you and your fiance) with another cat so he is understandably upset. You need to give him at least as much attention as you always have and then some so he knows he is not being forced out of his home.
Please keep posting to let us know how your cats are doing. Post pictures when you get a chance! :)
Posted 8 months ago by Kitten Whisperer #
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Now I am not sure what to do. Hobbs, the resident, seems very distant. Yesterday he would barely come out of our bedroom, besides to eat. He just laid underneath our bed in one spot and really didn't move. We went out to eat and when we got home he was loving and we gave him treats etc. Then I brought out the kitten in a pet taxi to see what would happen. He hissed a little and sniffed around the cage for a second and then went back underneath the bed. He did get in bed with us last night and this morning he jumped back in bed with me and laid down like he has for the last 3 weeks or so ( I am not sure what made him start doing this, but every morning he will lay with me and if I rollover then he will jump over me so that he is laying in front of me and no matter how many times I rollover, he will jump over me to make sure he is laying in fromt of me). But now he is back under the bed and will not come out, eventhough I have not had Tigerlily around him. I don't know if it's b/c she has been in the living room and he still smells her or what, but he will not move for anything. Also the last couple of times I have introduced them he will just walk away after about a minute of hissing and smelling, it's like he really doesn't care about being around her. So at this point I am at a loss for what to do, I know it has only been a little over a day, but if anyone has any advice or had a similar experience to share that would be wonderful, thanks again.
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Hobbs has 'his nose bent out of shape' because he thinks the new baby is a threat to his comfort level. It's just like having a human child for a few years, and then having a new baby arrive. Mom and Dad spend a lot of time with the baby, and the older child feels neglected, maybe to the point of thinking they aren't loved anymore. So they resent the baby....and act up.
Hobbs is the 'older child' in your current scenario. Eventually things will get better, especially since you have two different sex kitties. There is no real threat with the baby, it's just very new to Hobbs and it upset his routine. Kitties like regular routines.
It sounds like you're doing everything right, keeping them separated most of the time, with small bits of introductory time here and there. It's more likely the energetic, bouncy baby will want to play with the older kitty long before the older kitty realizes the baby is not a threat, but a new playmate.
Be sure Hobbs has quality time with you, and for awhile, don't let him see you make a big fuss over Miss TigerLily. You can make a big fuss with her, just not where he can see and hear :-) it's impossible to NOT want to play and coo with a kitten.
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