Any cat experts??? Introducing baby kitten to only cat.

Question

I’m big on bottle feeding and fostering and I got my first cat almost a year ago as a singleton and he has never been around only cats it’s been only him in here. I recently fostered a sweet 12 day old calico and I really want to keep her! The only problem is my 11 month old male cat I walked by with her and showed her to him and he started hissing and got all defensive and she’s so small it’s not like she’s a bigger cat. I just want to keep her and have them as friends. Any advice? Should I just let her walk around instead of being isolated? He is neutered so I don’t know what the deal is with him. He loves my dogs since he grew up with them but I want to have 2 cats and now I know it might not be possible😢 
This is my older cats face when I was bottle feeding her hearing her cry😐 evil right? Lol

And this is the sweet little angel I really want to keep!

Answer

They will eventually get used to each other, I just recently took in a 5 week old kitten with my single 2 year old kitty. The 2 year old (rose) HATED the kitten forever. We kept them in separate rooms with separate litter boxes and separate food/ water bowls, but where they could still hear each other, then slowly started letting them peak at each other through a crack in the door, I also switched their rooms so they could smell the other cat in a safe environment. Along with rubbing the kitten with a towel then leaving it for my 2 year old to sniff at her own will. After a bit that only supervised play time. It’s been a few weeks since we got the kitten, and here’s my progress!

Answer

He’s gonna have to just get used to her. Don’t leave her unattended with him because he could kill her while she’s that young. My cats weren’t friends at first. He’s gonna have to learn to share his territory

Answer

Keep them separated and slowly let her walk around and him as well I have an older cat and she was not happy when we got our new kittens  when they are in the same room as him keep an eye on both of them

Answer

I started by having my new kitten in a separate room and swapped cat beds around after a couple of days so that they could get used to each other's smell. After a week I opened the door a small bit so they could smell each other through the crack without hurting one another. I waited 2 weeks before letting them together in the same room, but only supervised - increased this in length for the next week until they stayed permanently together. Rescued lots of cats over the years from the streets and re-homed them. I have 6 cats all of different ages and followed the above instructions that I once received from my vet and a cat rescue centre - there are no arguments in my home.

But DON'T leave a kitten under 2 1/2 months with an adult male cat as they are known to kill kitten too young.

Answer

Whew! I know how you feel! When my fiancé and I had gotten our gorgeous silver kitty we had her as an only cat for a couple of months. 
After that we were wanting her to have a playmate so we got her a little sister. 
What we had to do was keep them completely separate for a couple of weeks. We would bring out blankets and towels with the new kitty’s scent so she would get used to it. Once she stoped hissing at it we would allow them to sniff each other from under the door. After a couple of days of that we had this glass table that was rectangular that fit just right against the door and we would let them see each other. After a few days of that we made a little crack between the wall the glass. Just big enough for their paws to fit through. And by the end of the night that day kitties were playing together through the little crack. 
The next day we tried introducing them to each other again. The older kitty was still hesitant but she didn’t hiss not try to hit her. (I had the new girl in my arms the entire introduction to be sure I could pull her away from harm if need be.) 
After a few days of no barriers our older kitten was coming around and trying to play with her little sister. 
The main thing I’m trying to say is just go slow. I know that even though it was hard we got lucky within a couple of weeks. Some others a bit longer. Just go slow with it at your cats pace and don’t force them to get along right away. That could lead to them taking long never to get used to each other. Also, more than anything make sure that you’re still spending a lot of time with the older kitty!  Let him know that just because there’s a new kitten in the house he’s not forgotten. Dote on him a bunch ❤️

Answer

It’s normal for the first cat to get defensive first, there will be hissing, growing etc. She looks a little young to be introduced to him yet so I’d wait a couple of weeks to properly introduce them.
The best way to go around it is positive reinforcement - I’ll explain how I’ve always done it.
I will keep the kitten in one room that my other cats don’t use often. There I will keep everything they need (bed, food and water bowl, litter tray, toys etc). I will start by swapping their scents, I let the older cat come into the kittens room while they’re not there and they can have a good sniff of everything, you’ll probably notice that they won’t be too happy at first that another animal is in their home. Give them some treats while they explore the room. I’ll do this a couple of times while also letting the kitten smell the older cats things, until I feel ready to move on. Usually what will happen is the cat and kitten will sit up against the door and sniff and play or fight under the space of the door, if you see them doing this just give them some more treats while they play but don’t let them together yet. Then when you feel ready, show them to each other by holding the kitten and letting the cat some and sniff if they want to. They might hiss, this is okay, just do it a couple of times over a few days until the cats reactions don’t seem as aggressive. You’ll usually know when it’s time to let them meet properly, just make sure you’re able to supervise them and pick the kitten up if it turns nasty. When they’re together try to distract them with toys, treats etc and it’s really helpful to feed them their meal when you put them together. If they associate seeing each other with being fed they usually won’t mind being together. Don’t leave them alone together until you’re positive they are friendly enough to not fight. Sometimes the whole process will only take a couple of days but sometimes it can take months, you just have to be dedicated. Good luck and feel free to message me if you need any tips 😊 I’ve introduced kittens and cats quite a few times now

Answer

When  I introduced a new cat to the family we began by having them in separate rooms then I took blankets they had been lying on and swapped them over... then I physically swapped the cats into the opposite rooms then finally let them meet... there was a bit of hissing but now they're pals. I fed them separately for a bit longer as that was a tense time lol.
I wouldn't do this until baby kitty is much bigger though as she looks too fragile right now she could get hurt if the big one took a swipe at her xx

Any cat experts??? Introducing baby kitten to only cat.

Let’s Glow

Glow is here for you on your path to pregnancy

25+ million

4.8 stars

20+

Getting Pregnant

Pregnancy

1st Year (Baby & You)

Baby Products