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5 days ago I got a 6 week old kitten. I started off slowly with introducing him (Sheldon) to my female cat (Alina) and within 3 days they had had their first face to face meeting...or rather, nose to nose
I have a few questions about their behavior when meeting. The first meeting with out any thing between them (crate, door) went well, they sniffed noses, their ears were alert and forward and they weren't showing any signs of agression. They were wary, however.
After that we allowed Sheldon more time outside of his room. Another meeting took place on my bed when I was cuddling with Sheldon. Alina wandered in and jumped up on the bed, she wasn't expecting him to be there and was put out for a moment. They stared at one another for a good minute or more and then slowly Alina settled down and crossed her paws as she rested. Her eyes were half closed with contentment, Sheldon followed her and did the exact same. It wasn't until Sheldon decided he wanted to play with me that Alina left.
For now they haven't batted at one another, or growled. Sheldon will hiss but that hasn't happened for a day or so now. They walk around one another, still wary but generally without complaint. They even attempted to play last night, while hesitant it was still cute to see.
My questions are as follows:
Is this normal behavior for cats to show in such a situation?
Should I expect fighting when they get their courage around one another?
What are signs of stress?
Is sniffing noses always a friendly gesture with cats?
And finally; any tips or hints to help them settle in with one another? I'm feeling a little hesitant and unsure, I've never owned two cats at once before and I'm very wary of doing things wrong and messing up any progress I might have made.
On a side note, Alina has never in her 11yrs lived with another cat (or kitten). Could this be a problem?
I have a few questions about their behavior when meeting. The first meeting with out any thing between them (crate, door) went well, they sniffed noses, their ears were alert and forward and they weren't showing any signs of agression. They were wary, however.
After that we allowed Sheldon more time outside of his room. Another meeting took place on my bed when I was cuddling with Sheldon. Alina wandered in and jumped up on the bed, she wasn't expecting him to be there and was put out for a moment. They stared at one another for a good minute or more and then slowly Alina settled down and crossed her paws as she rested. Her eyes were half closed with contentment, Sheldon followed her and did the exact same. It wasn't until Sheldon decided he wanted to play with me that Alina left.
For now they haven't batted at one another, or growled. Sheldon will hiss but that hasn't happened for a day or so now. They walk around one another, still wary but generally without complaint. They even attempted to play last night, while hesitant it was still cute to see.
My questions are as follows:
Is this normal behavior for cats to show in such a situation?
Should I expect fighting when they get their courage around one another?
What are signs of stress?
Is sniffing noses always a friendly gesture with cats?
And finally; any tips or hints to help them settle in with one another? I'm feeling a little hesitant and unsure, I've never owned two cats at once before and I'm very wary of doing things wrong and messing up any progress I might have made.
On a side note, Alina has never in her 11yrs lived with another cat (or kitten). Could this be a problem?