Adding a neutered male kitten to home with older neutered male cats

[oyster]

This is a follow-up question from my question about adopting a wild/feral kitten. We have crossed that bridge and the kitten is in a spare room for now. I need to introduce him slowly and carefully to my older cats who are both males. I am terrified that my sick one (has lung cancer) will be angry and depressed seeing this young kitten in his territory. He already marks up our home with pee at the slightest change or stress.
Any tips or suggestions on whether 3 neutered males can coexist? Tips on introducing the kitten to the older ones? I know about the crate and letting all of them smell each other through their bedding/clothes etc. Anything else?

 

[ArtNJ]

Here is this site's guide. Its a good one:

How To Successfully Introduce Cats: The Ultimate Guide

If the kitten is really young, that is a plus in that adult cats don't attack kittens - biological hard wiring. So that is one less thing to worry about. However, sometimes kittens are very over eager to play and don't take no for an answer, so that is a potential minus. And sometimes older cats seem oddly scared of little kittens, even when they are being polite. The older cats growl and hiss, maybe defensively swat, and just in general act stressed. Its not something I would have recommended you try with a older cat that is sick and prone to stress, but the thing is that the way these things go is highly variable. You might have a lot of trouble, or not much. Now that you have crossed that bridge, lets see how it goes. Might be pleasantly surprised. Or you might regret doing this, if your sick cat prone to stress reacts badly. Only time will tell.

Follow the guide, let us know how things are going and we'll try to help. You are going to err on the side of a longer slower introduction given that you have a sick cat prone to stress. I would plan on at least three weeks before you let them meet, and that would only be if the older cats are not reacting negatively to the kitten's scent.

I don't actually love the idea of using a crate in an introduction process. Using stacked baby gates or a cracked door (with door jambs) seems like a better intermediate step to me. But some people have used a crate, can work.

 

[abyeb]

The article that A ArtNJ linked to is an excellent resource. Three neutered males definitely can get along (you would have a lot more issues if they were whole males because of raging hormones), but it is important to get them off on the right footing, which, you will if you follow the steps outlined in the article. And, as A ArtNJ also mentioned, it will be a lot easier to introduce a kitten than an adult cat. Sometimes older cats will even take on an almost parental role for a new kitten, which is very cute to see.

 

[Jcatbird]

All the above is good advice. A small room is nice for the kitten. Make sure it can’t get into a place where you cannot access it. I have used large cages for introductions and it got me through the introductions. It’s so much easier with a kitten. I’m hoping your older kitties will find the younger one to be a comfort and make life more fun. Make the introductions slowly over time. That really helps. If you have the in a room then you can gradually let everyone see each other under the door and then through an opened crack in the door. The wire shelving used in closets is something that you can place on end to block the doorway when the kitties are ready to view each other. You can fasten it to swing away for entrance to the room. My kitties jumped over the child gates. Lol You May find that it all goes pretty smoothly. A bit of hissing or swatting may be present at first but I find that kittens are accepted as non threatening by my cats. In time they have become a part of the group. Sometimes the older ones do try to teach the younger ones some manners but once they have the kittens in line, they are happy. If you post a progress report then I am sure there will be people here to offer you support and assistance.

 

[oyster]

So I started with the first step:use a clean sock and rub the kitten all over. I left the sock in a non-threatening place for my older cats to sniff. They did. One was completely disinterested and the sick one ran off to his safe space--our bedroom. So, I don't know what to make of this event. Is this good or bad?
Also, how long should I wait for the worms, fleas, etc. to disappear? I cannot pass on anything from once-feral kitten to my immuno-compromised cat. I am afraid of passing on fleas on the sock method too.

 

[FeebysOwner]

Hi. There are flea sprays that contain IGR that you could spray the sock with and let it dry before rubbing on the kitten and giving it to the others. The IGR is supposed to prohibit eggs/larvae from maturing into fleas, and the flea spray should also contain flea adulticide as well. I would be using that kind of spray on the room the kitten is staying in too - perhaps keeping the kitten in a bathroom while it dries.

I am not sure about the timeline for the wormer, but the fleas could take a while. You need to be thoroughly and routinely treating the kitten's room by vacuuming - and using flea sprays containing IGR. You will also need to be diligent in repeatedly cleaning all bedding, etc. that could be housing fleas/eggs/larvae. Depending on what wormer(s) you are using, there should be instructions about how many treatments and what signs to look for to determine you've eradicated them. Odds are if the kitten if infested with fleas, any worms will be long gone before the fleas will.

Your sick guy sounds like it freaked him out a bit - hopefully that will subside shortly! Here are some more TCS article that you might find helpful too. Keep in mind that you can only go as fast with introductions as the slowest adapting cat. And, just so you have it, I am also including a link to a great web site about fleas and getting rid of them.

How To Introduce A Kitten To An Older Cat
Do Cats Get Jealous? (and What To Do About It When They Do)
Potential Stressors In Cats - The Ultimate Checklist

FleaScience

 

[ArtNJ]

I've never had a cat really react to smell alone, all of my intros have gotten dicey only with visual sightings, but its a known thing and doesn't mean things are going bad per se. That is why scent swapping is part of the process after all, to get them used to it. It does mean that there is work to do, and as we expected, this is not going to be a real quick introduction process.

Keep us posted.

 

[Pjg8r]

Yes they can but since one of your older cats is ill you will need to go slowly. In my experience, as long as everyone is neutered, males can get along better than females. It’s hard to be patient (I’m seven weeks into an intro between two kittens and my older three). They still are separated at night and when I’m out of the house. This is a picture of my three boys today (two older ones and the kitten).

 

[oyster]

That is adorable, Pjg8r...and very encouraging. We are on day 2 and only doing the smell intro. and both my older ones are pretending that the smell and sounds (Kitten is very vocal and has been crying himself hoarse) of another creature just don't exist. There is zero curiosity and I find that puzzling because they are normally not like that. It's almost like they are like kids who close their eyes and ears and hope it all goes away. LOL

 

[tnrmakessense]

That is adorable, Pjg8r...and very encouraging. We are on day 2 and only doing the smell intro. and both my older ones are pretending that the smell and sounds (Kitten is very vocal and has been crying himself hoarse) of another creature just don't exist. There is zero curiosity and I find that puzzling because they are normally not like that. It's almost like they are like kids who close their eyes and ears and hope it all goes away. LOL

I have a couple of senior cats and they're that way with new cats. Couldn't care less.

Have you tried a ticking clock inside a toy for the baby ? I've read that they find it comforting.Or, if there are two of you, maybe one of you could sleep in the room with the kitten until he gets settled. I have one that still had blue eyes when I rescued him - he cried too - I spent the first night on the couch with him in my hand (he was that tiny) afraid to fall asleep in case I rolled on him. Now he's a chubby, spoiled mama's boy who resents anyone else getting attention.

 

[tnrmakessense]

Oh, and I've got a screen door on my walk in closet. Newcomers get smelled through the door for a while. You could put a screen door on the room where the kitten is. That might even comfort him - I've found that troubled kittens were less troubled if they had a sight line to me.

There's just no telling about if or when the kitten will befriend the older ones. I'd say indifference is a good start. I'll take that over outright hostility any day !

And one final thought that will probably have you cursing me through the computer, and you'd have every right since your household is on its ear right now and your stress level is at 10, but maybe the kitten needs a little companion ?.......................

 

[oyster]

Um no. No companion. We have rabbits, cats, feral cats, a hedgehog family and enough birds to keep me very very busy. No way am I adding more to this mix. LOL. I might go insane. Some people in my family are currently questioning that.

 

[tnrmakessense]

Um no. No companion. We have rabbits, cats, feral cats, a hedgehog family and enough birds to keep me very very busy. No way am I adding more to this mix. LOL. I might go insane. Some people in my family are currently questioning that.

No llamas ?

 

[tnrmakessense]

Just teasing you. I can relate to the size of the family and level of exhaustion. I'll slap myself on your behalf.

 

[Jcatbird]

Blended family is great. Been there too. Maybe I can console you with an, at one time had, rabbits, cats, dog, iguana, owl, fish and pony. All were rescues. The owl was a baby raised for release and the pony was brought to good health before being moved to a nice farm. Still.... lol. Now I have only cats. Feel better?
The cats ignoring a new member doesn’t sound that odd considering they must know other creatures live there. Considering the array, they probably just kind of shook their heads and went back to their favorite spots. Catching the scent on the dock is a little different. That was up close and personal. Running from it is not at all unexpected. As tnrmakessense mentioned, no hissing is a plus. A ArtNJ mentuoned, this should be a slow process. The kitties will show you their comfort level and that is what you need to follow. Just take care of the immediate flea and worm problems as the scent becomes familiar to the household. I’ve never had a kitten become a real problem to older cats. They are accepted far more easily than introducing an older cat.
As for kitten crying, that is a need for physical contact and comfort. The fleas and worms are not fun but also a kitten needs closeness and bonding. You can try giving it a stuffed toy to snuggle. A warm towel or blanket can help. Kittens usually have another warm body to snuggle. Some people find that soft music helps. There is musics online specifically for cats. If the doesn’t help, harp music might. A radio or any other source of sounds of life may work. The more human contact you can give the baby, the better. I have walked around with a kitten in my shirt or even an open tote bag. I know you can’t expose everyone yet but if you can do that at any point the kitten may begin to settle a little more.

 

[oyster]

These are all great ideas. I am going to follow these suggestions as soon as the kitten is free from all its parasites.