Help; Kitten introduction - what do I do?

[Tashanasha]

So I brought my new kitten home. She has eaten, used the litter box, is purring and cuddling - she's very comfortable. But she doesn't want to be alone in the little room we prepared for her.

She escaped once, met Marx, he didn't react at all, bit she hissed and fluffed up. Now she's howling in the little room to be let out (or for someone to come in) and I have no idea what to do. I feel bad for leaving her in there, but don't know if it's ok to let her out.

 

[druvendra]

Here is a great page from Jackson Galaxy, a cat behaviorist about it! Two videos!!

 

[Tashanasha]

I've actually read that and that was the plan, but it didn't really work out. Turns out that the little one knows how to open doors and that's how she escaped. She howls horribly when left alone in the room so I couldn't bring myself to lock her in and now she's roaming the apartment. She is pretty much behaving like she always lived here, following me around, asking for attention, purring... the whole deal. Marx doesn't pay any attention to her. He tried to approach her once or twice, got hissed at and gave up. So now he's doing his thing, she is doing hers... so yeah, I guess I blew this.

 

[rubysmama]

How old is the kitten? And how old is Marx?

Generally, even with kittens, it's best to do the introductions slowly. TCS has this article which may be helpful: How To Introduce A Kitten To An Older Cat

 

[ArtNJ]

Some adult cats will adjust to a kitten quickly and easily. It is possible. Even in those situations though, you want the kitten in a safe room for a couple of days. Otherwise, when the kitten gets scared, it could hide anywhere, like behind the fridge or the hole in the wall that you forgot about. A couple of days in the safe room sets that room as the safe space, where the kitten will run too, and also helps with litter box adjustment. Is that a big deal? Not normally. But every once in a while, things can go very wrong. Maybe six months ago we have a poster that had a cat hiding in the wall for a month and a (much bigger) hole had to be torn in her wall.

Conclusion: if the adult cat seems chill, its fine to introduce the kitten quickly, but its still better to have the kitten in a safe room for a couple of days. If that turns out to be truly impossible, ok, things are probably going to be fine regardless, a lot of people don't do proper introductions, but it is possible you might have some issues.

 

[Tashanasha]

rubysmama Marx is 2.5 years and the kitten is 11 weeks old.

For now it seems that I got lucky. He is a bit curious about her, follows her around the house sniffing places where she's been. She is no longer hissing at him! She seems to be a bit scared of him approaching her but at least she isn't fluffing up and hissing anymore.

I do understand the importance of a safe space for the kitten, but it seemed kinda cruel to lock her up in a room when she clearly wanted to go out.

Currently they are both sleeping in the same room, so I guess we're doing good? I just hope this works out even though I messed the process up.

 

[maggie101]

rubysmama Marx is 2.5 years and the kitten is 11 weeks old.

For now it seems that I got lucky. He is a bit curious about her, follows her around the house sniffing places where she's been. She is no longer hissing at him! She seems to be a bit scared of him approaching her but at least she isn't fluffing up and hissing anymore.

I do understand the importance of a safe space for the kitten, but it seemed kinda cruel to lock her up in a room when she clearly wanted to go out.

Currently they are both sleeping in the same room, so I guess we're doing good? I just hope this works out even though I messed the process up.

When I rescued Peaches 5 weeks old very tiny,she had the run of the house. My other cat was 13 yrs old. At first Josie would hiss and growl but if did not take long for them to be close. Josie would lick Peaches for a long time

 

[ArtNJ]

Yeah, sounds like it is going fine, they will probably end up friends. Pretty decent odds when the resident cat is young in the first place, and Marx just sounds so chill about the whole thing. He may change his tune when the kitten tries playing, but I'm guessing it will be fine. If you haven't had two before, sometimes the play can look too rough, but you can always come back and ask.

Remember to do a round of kitten proofing if you haven't already. Plenty of stuff that a 2.5 year old isn't likely to bother with that a kitten might get into trouble with.

 

[Tashanasha]

He really is very chill about the whole thing and isn't showing any signs of distress. He's actually quite playful himself chasing us and everything else that moves, so I guess he'll enjoy having a playmate. I'm just worried about their size difference - she's so tiny compared to him! I haven't weighed her yet, but I think she weighs around 1Kg whereby he is a chunky 6Kg boy.

 

[maggie101]

That is awesome he is enjoying his new playmate. Size wasn't an issue til Peaches was adult. Their personality changes so much once they are older. I think one reason she does not like being chased by Maggie is because Maggie is bigger in size. As kittens they were playmates. Peaches is 8 yrs old 7 pds, Maggie 7 9 pds

 

[ArtNJ]

He really is very chill about the whole thing and isn't showing any signs of distress. He's actually quite playful himself chasing us and everything else that moves, so I guess he'll enjoy having a playmate. I'm just worried about their size difference - she's so tiny compared to him! I haven't weighed her yet, but I think she weighs around 1Kg whereby he is a chunky 6Kg boy.

You probably don't actually need to worry, but certainly we are used to answering those questions because heck yes, it can look scary to first timers when cats with such a size difference play. Its almost always totally fine, even if the kitten squeals a bit and runs away after a little while. Basically you can trust the kitten's judgment, and if he comes back in a few like nothing happened, all is well. It seems that when there is a big size difference like this, at times it feels a little uncomfortable for the kitten to be pinned and such, on the order of a head noogie, so you get a little squeal and a desire to run/disengage, but there is no actual injury and the kitten wants more after a bit. But I had almost no squeals between my latest kitten and 5 year old, they pretty much played vigorously but nicely from the get go, so don't worry about your chickens before they hatch.

 

[rubysmama]

It sounds like things are going pretty well. Just watch to ensure Marx doesn't start to get stressed, though it sounds like he's doing fine.

Remember to do a round of kitten proofing if you haven't already. Plenty of stuff that a 2.5 year old isn't likely to bother with that a kitten might get into trouble with.

Good reminder, A ArtNJ .

TCS has this article Tashanasha which you might find helpful: Kitten Proofing Your Home: 13 Practical Tips

 

[flybear]

it is totally possible for cats and especially kittens just to get along ... introduction for my kitten took ... 3 days ... I have a very cat friendly boy ( yes those cats exists ... mine just loves all other cats ) and two ...more reserved girls... a few days in the bathroom for the kitten and they played under the door with paws and now , 1.5 weeks later they cuddle together ... sometimes you get lucky ... I had a few fosters that cried more than just the normal 1-2 days and they were all very young kittens taken form their mom too early- they were so loud ... wow ... it feels cruel to leave them alone all night I understand - but having the kitten run around unsupervised at night isn't safe - they tend to climb up way too high and get stuck or jump and get sprains or ... stuck in the weirdest places ... - Could you put baby in a play pen or large crate at night ( you can easily build a nice one out of cube wire shelving) so he could be separated from the resident cat but still see and smell him? If your cat doesn't mind the little one chances are that they'll be friends or at least tolerate each other well ...

 

[Tashanasha]

Yesterday we all slept in our master bedroom: Marx on the floor, Toffee (the kitten) at first on the bad, then decided to sleep next to it. No fighting, no crying... It works for now.

Today she "attacked" his tail twice: he didn't really react, just looked at her, but she started hissing. I'll post a video if I figure out how. Basically I think that Marx is ready to be friends, but she isn't there yet. She does seem to be a bit scared of him, but other that avoiding him she's behaving like this is her home. She settled in perfectly.

 

[ArtNJ]

It may sound weird, but the kitten hissing is more a good thing than a bad thing. When the kitten loses that fear (soon!) Marx might well get very annoyed with him. Probably be fine since he is so chill and also young and playful, but the problems that last are never the ones on the kitten side. They are just too adaptable. So if it takes Toffee a little longer than normal (up to a week or so would be normal) then that is totally fine, will just give Marx more time to get comfortable with the kitten (though he may be already!)

 

[Tashanasha]

This is them. Poor Marx

 

[ArtNJ]

Cute! I think the little one wanted to play, but that was an unexpected noise is all.

 

[Tashanasha]

One more thing I was wondering about: is it ok if they use each others litter boxes? Marx is, as his name suggests, a socialist so he thinks it's ok to eat her food and use her toilet and he doesn't really mind her using his stuff, but will it be a problem for her? And how would I even make him not use her toilet?

 

[ArtNJ]

Don't worry about that. Some people even have one box for two cats, which is OKish if you clean it every day (although cat # + 1 is recommended and essential if you start having problems or just don't want to clean it as often).

 

[rubysmama]

Wow, Marx really is a chill cat. Sooner or later, though, he'll probably give the little one a swat or hiss, just to let her know who's boss, and teach her kitty manners.