Help! Introducing Kitten To Shy Cat

[Jacie]

Hello!!

I have a 3 year old cat who is very calm and can be affectionate but is also shy at times. Yesterday I adopted a new kitten (10 weeks old) to be her friend since she has no other animals to be with since our dog passed away. We are keeping the new kitten in her own separate room but have allowed her to explore when our resident cat is in shut in another room . We have let our resident cat sniff at the door where we are keeping the new kitten and let them see each other briefly while they are both eating (not getting them close to each other and watching them to make sure neither one attacks) and while the new kitten seems okay with our resident cat, our resident cat is scared and hissed a couple of times at the new kitten. Our resident cat is, as I said, already shy and I don’t want her to be scared or mad at us because we brought a new cat. I also worry about her not accepting the kitten if we introduce them wrong. Any tips for how/when I should go about introducing them? The kitten also meows a lot when left alone/ is very clingy to me so I would prefer to introduce them as soon as possible
Thanks!!

 

[tabbytom]

Hello J Jacie , welcome to TCS

So far you are doing pretty right for the moment. A slow introduction is a better way.

Here are some articles on introducing cats :-

How To Successfully Introduce Cats: The Ultimate Guide
Introducing Cats To Cats
How To Safely Break Up A Cat Fight

 

[Animal Freak]

It sounds like it's going pretty well. I introduced a hyperactive dog into a household with three cats, one of whom is very insecure and nervous and let me tell you, if hissing is your biggest problem, then it's going way better for you than it did for me. Just keep in mind it's going to take time. Both of them are probably scared, but it will get better. It may take weeks, it may take months. Heck, it could take a year, but it doesn't sound like the situation is bad enough for that. Just do whatever you can to correlate the kitten with good things. Food, treats, play, attention. Try to do everything as close to where the kitten is as your cat will allow. Introduce them when both seem calm. If at all possible, start with a baby gate between them.

You can try calming diffusers, sprays, or collars. Most people recommend Feliway but I, personally, can't since I tried it and didn't notice a change. It's also ridiculously expensive. I think it'll be fine though. It took a few months for there to be peace in my household and about a year for the dog to be accepted, but we started off worse with one cat hiding for the first few weeks and then attacking the dog. I can't guarantee they'll be friends though. That's a bit of an age difference and there could be a difference in energy levels.

 

[SamanthaL:)]

Hello!!

I have a 3 year old cat who is very calm and can be affectionate but is also shy at times. Yesterday I adopted a new kitten (10 weeks old) to be her friend since she has no other animals to be with since our dog passed away. We are keeping the new kitten in her own separate room but have allowed her to explore when our resident cat is in shut in another room . We have let our resident cat sniff at the door where we are keeping the new kitten and let them see each other briefly while they are both eating (not getting them close to each other and watching them to make sure neither one attacks) and while the new kitten seems okay with our resident cat, our resident cat is scared and hissed a couple of times at the new kitten. Our resident cat is, as I said, already shy and I don’t want her to be scared or mad at us because we brought a new cat. I also worry about her not accepting the kitten if we introduce them wrong. Any tips for how/when I should go about introducing them? The kitten also meows a lot when left alone/ is very clingy to me so I would prefer to introduce them as soon as possible
Thanks!!

Hi!!

Can you tell me how your situation turned out? I was very happy to find your post because it describes my own current circumstance and feelings. Would love an update on your saga I'm five days in...
Thanks!

 

[dustydiamond1]

Hi!!

Can you tell me how your situation turned out? I was very happy to find your post because it describes my own current circumstance and feelings. Would love an update on your saga I'm five days in...
Thanks!

Hi, welcome. You can start your own thread in this forum and by all means check out tabbytoms suggested articles.
How To Successfully Introduce Cats: The Ultimate Guide
Introducing Cats To Cats
How To Safely Break Up A Cat Fight
See ya around.

 

[SamanthaL:)]

Thanks for the warm welcome I have read the above articles and found them pretty helpful but given the added variable of my resident cats shyness, there are certain tips that don't work for us for example- group feedings. Sauce (resident cat) stopped eating during mealtime and I can hardly get her interested in being spoon fed her favorite in front of the new kitten. So I'm pretty curious if Jacie (above) had a similar experience and how it turned out. Sauce's behavior reverted a lot to the behavior she had when I first brought her home. But it seems like she's coming out of her shell again a little bit everyday. I'm at Day 8 and I still have the new kitten in the bathroom when I'm not home and at bedtime. I think my barometer for when when it's time to let her out for good will be when Sauce returns to her old self and isn't exhibiting her overly cautious behaviors. I think we're making progress but maybe you can tell me from the pictures below. I know the little one is playing but I'm not sure if Sauce is...