Introducing a 9 week old kitten to 1 year old

[Christinapa9]

Hi all,
I adopted a kitten a week ago and looking for advice on introduction to an existing cat. The other cat is about 14 months old and I’ve had him just about a year. This new kitten is about 9 weeks old and only 3 pounds.

I’ve put the kitten in a separate room. When I first brought the kitten home I allowed them to sniff each other in the carrier and it went well. Then when I brought her in the room the older cat has been going nuts by the door trying to get inside. They play footsies under the door. I tried to feed them on opposite sides of the door but the kitten doesn’t eat usually right away she will go back to her food later on when she’s hungry.

we have a baby gate to help get in and out of the room but the kitten has learned how to escape. She of course went right over to the older cat and wanted to play and wrestle. He played right back but I worry he is going to hurt her since she is so small. She constantly cries at the door wanting to come out but I don’t want to rush the introduction. I thought it was going well and since the older cat is very easy going and friendly I thought he would be more open to the kitten. I need some advice please!! Thank you in advance.

 

[rubysmama]

Hello and welcome to TCS. Congrats on the new kitten! And congrats on how well the introductions are going.

TCS has this article on How To Introduce A Kitten To An Older Cat | TheCatSite but I almost think you don't need it, with how well things are going.

The most important things to watch for is the older cat getting stressed and not eating or having litter box issues. Or a fight erupting which results in fur flying, or blood. Or the kitten seeming scared of the older cat.

Because she is so small, I would definitely not leave them alone unsupervised, as the older cat could unintentionally harm her with play. He may eventually have some bouts of "rough play" which would be him teaching her cat etiquette. But, again, as long as she doesn't seem scared, or if she runs away, quickly comes back for "more fun", then all is probably fine.

 

[ArtNJ]

Let the kitten be your guide. If the kitten plays and never runs or squeals, then your 1 year old is a saint. I recently had a 4 year old that played vigorously with a 10 week old kitten and almost never caused a squeal, but a 1 year old is not likely to be so restrained. More commonly, the kitten will squeal a bit and run in the middle of play when it gets uncomfortable. If the kitten only stays away a few minutes, comes back to big cat and wants more attention later and doesnt act afraid then all is well. This is the normal scenario, and means that the squeals basically indicate an indian sunburn or head noogie level of discomfort. Its not ideal, but that is the way one year olds play, and you can't teach it differently. And the kitten is getting a net benefit. Now if the kitten starts screaming (not necessarily the end of the world as some are drama queens) and acts afraid of the big cat at all times, then it might be better to keep them apart another week or two.

So no matter what it looks like -- and we know its scary to watch -- use the Sensai Kitten approach, and let the kitten school you as to whether this is a problem or not.

 

[Christinapa9]

Hello and welcome to TCS. Congrats on the new kitten! And congrats on how well the introductions are going.

TCS has this article on How To Introduce A Kitten To An Older Cat | TheCatSite but I almost think you don't need it, with how well things are going.

The most important things to watch for is the older cat getting stressed and not eating or having litter box issues. Or a fight erupting which results in fur flying, or blood. Or the kitten seeming scared of the older cat.

Because she is so small, I would definitely not leave them alone unsupervised, as the older cat could unintentionally harm her with play. He may eventually have some bouts of "rough play" which would be him teaching her cat etiquette. But, again, as long as she doesn't seem scared, or if she runs away, quickly comes back for "more fun", then all is probably fine.

Thanks for that advice! She does sometimes go to hide under the couch but she immediately tends to come back out and taunt him to play some more. The one thing I worry is that he won’t let her go if she wants to. If she squeals I will usually go and break it up. All else that you described seems fine everyone is eating normally and using the litter box, just mom is stressed about them playing rough!!!

 

[Christinapa9]

sa

Let the kitten be your guide. If the kitten plays and never runs or squeals, then your 1 year old is a saint. I recently had a 4 year old that played vigorously with a 10 week old kitten and almost never caused a squeal, but a 1 year old is not likely to be so restrained. More commonly, the kitten will squeal a bit and run in the middle of play when it gets uncomfortable. If the kitten only stays away a few minutes, comes back to big cat and wants more attention later and doesnt act afraid then all is well. This is the normal scenario, and means that the squeals basically indicate an indian sunburn or head noogie level of discomfort. Its not ideal, but that is the way one year olds play, and you can't teach it differently. And the kitten is getting a net benefit. Now if the kitten starts screaming (not necessarily the end of the world as some are drama queens) and acts afraid of the big cat at all times, then it might be better to keep them apart another week or two.

So no matter what it looks like -- and we know its scary to watch -- use the Sensai Kitten approach, and let the kitten school you as to whether this is a problem or not.

Thanks so much for this advice!! The little kitten definitely does squeal at some points, she’s hissed at him a few times and threw out a spit when he chased her under the couch. Could that mean she is feeling cornered? I am just afraid he won’t release her. Usually when I hear her squeal I go over and break it up. When she runs the older ones LOVES to chase her like she is a toy and he kicks her like she’s a toy. That personally scares mom! The little one is fiesty though she never seems scared and always gets on her feet. I think the older one gets a little annoyed at her though the pupils get big and his tail wags like he is annoyed. That’s why I’m not sure if they really like each other yet.

 

[ArtNJ]

He is playing. Raking with the legs is the classic cat defensive manuever, and cats do it all the time in play fighting. Its of course ridiculous when used on a tiny kitten and does look scary, you are far from the first to think so, but its not done with intent to injure and you shouldn't find scratches (do look though). Big pupils and tail wagging means he is in play hunting mode.

All normal! Totally fine to give kitten a break if kitten seems particularly miserable but it seems to be going ok.

 

[Christinapa9]

He is playing. Raking with the legs is the classic cat defensive manuever, and cats do it all the time in play fighting. Its of course ridiculous when used on a tiny kitten and does look scary, you are far from the first to think so, but its not done with intent to injure and you shouldn't find scratches (do look though). Big pupils and tail wagging means he is in play hunting mode.

All normal! Totally fine to give kitten a break if kitten seems particularly miserable but it seems to be going ok.

Awesome to hear!! Appreciate the help and will check back in if I have any other doubts of questions.

 

[Christinapa9]

Things are still going the same. I let the older cat in the room the kitten is in and they play but they constantly are play fighting. They never give each other a chance to sniff each other. It seems like when I let the kitten out into the rest of the place the older cat plays a lot tougher like he doesn’t like her in his territory. But eventually they will have to coexist there. Any advice on how to let him know it’s ok?

 

[ArtNJ]

Post some videos if you like. I've suggested that they are likely ready to be together full time, and what is going on sounds normal, but can't be much more definitive than that without videos. So post some videos, I'll make sure a couple of us take a look, we'll all tell you they are doing great and you can breath easy!

 

[Christinapa9]

Post some videos if you like. I've suggested that they are likely ready to be together full time, and what is going on sounds normal, but can't be much more definitive than that without videos. So post some videos, I'll make sure a couple of us take a look, we'll all tell you they are doing great and you can breath easy!

Thanks! Really appreciate the help. Can you attach the videos here? It doesn’t look like it’s letting me do that.

 

[ArtNJ]

It used to be pretty easy, but I've heard some people have had trouble lately. Lets ask rubysmama for help.

 

[rubysmama]

Here's a tutorial: How To Upload And Add Videos To Your Posts – TheCatSite Articles

However, I think the video needs to be very short, or small file size, to work, and therefore it might be easier to use Youtube, then post the link here.

 

[Christinapa9]

Thanks! I decided uploading to YouTube was easiest. Here are two videos both when we let the older one in the room the kitten is in. The shorter video, the kitten does squeal at the end that she was getting hurt or discomfort. That makes me nervous! It also seems like when the older one gets more annoyed at her he goes in harder.

 

[ArtNJ]

Oh those are wonderful! The kitten is fully engaged in playing and not showing any fear, and the big cat looks to be playing fairly gently. You are always going to get *some* squeals now and then when an adult cat plays with a kitten in my experience. If the big cat is chill, it won't be very often, but it can definitely be more with a one year old. At the end of the second video though, it looks like the kitten just got into an unintentional awkward position -- that wasn't even any over enthusiasm by the big cat, just some positional discomfort. In any event, a squeal or running away just means a bit of discomfort. The kitten definitely wouldn't be playing like this if it was being hurt. Also, kittens can and do scream if actually being hurt (and sometimes just because they are drama queens) -- squeal is sort of the level one ordinary discomfort noise. Kitten likes big cat and wants to play, so I think you are all set to allow them to freely interact.

 

[Christinapa9]

That’s great to hear!! Do you suggest I break it up if the little one squeals? Yesterday there was a time where it looked like the older one has her by her throat and she couldn’t make a noise. I think watching them makes me more nervous!

 

[ArtNJ]

Breaking things up is harmless as long as you do it in a way that will not discourage them from playing. So we recommend distraction, not something like squirting or a loud noise. Usually you can just grab one as well (something which will get you scratched if it was a real fight). But they will play like this when you are sleeping or away, and if you dont allow unfettered access today, then when? The kitten will get a bit bigger every week, but the big one is going to continue to dominate play for at least a couple of months. It mostly is what it is. So I'd say if you happen to be around and the kitten seems particularly miserable or trapped in an uncomfortable position, sure, why not intervene, but don't worry too much that you need too, if that make sense.

As far as play biting, remember, that is how cats kill in the wild. If it was a real bite, the kitten would likely be dead or badly hurt. So we know for sure that it was play. It looked scary, but there was zero intent to injure. Play biting is something that cats do, a practice hunting behavior. They don't hurt each other (rarely you get a cat that overdoes things and pulls out tufts of hair but we don't see bite wounds from play biting). Anyway, I'd just watch the kitten. If the kitten isnt scared and continues to actively play with the big cat your good.

 

[Christinapa9]

Thanks for that advice. I will work on letting them play freely. It makes me nervous sometimes the 1 year old won’t let the kitten go after she squeals so I really have to pry him off of her. Is there something I can do to prevent that? It doesn’t happen often but sometimes after a lot of playing he gets too rough in my opinion. They both come back though neither one ever goes to hide.

 

[rubysmama]

I don't have any experience myself with cats playing, so I sometimes can't tell the difference between fighting and playing.

The TCS article Are My Cats Fighting Or Playing? – TheCatSite Articles is more an example of older cats fighting versus playing, but there's some videos and pics that might help you to identify the signs to watch for if it's actual aggression, rather than play. But, again, in the case of cats and kittens, if the kitten isn't hiding or showing signs of fear, and keeps coming back for more "fun", it is probably having fun.

 

[ArtNJ]

Thanks for that advice. I will work on letting them play freely. It makes me nervous sometimes the 1 year old won’t let the kitten go after she squeals so I really have to pry him off of her. Is there something I can do to prevent that? It doesn’t happen often but sometimes after a lot of playing he gets too rough in my opinion. They both come back though neither one ever goes to hide.

I don't think you are wrong at all. However, I think that what you are reacting to is a big brother that won't stop with the head noogies while little brother cries "ugh, bully!" Of course you would break that up if they were your human kids. Its not nice play. But with cats, most of us feel there is no way to teach a cat to play nicer. So you pretty much just have to let them be, rescuing when you are around, and confident that even if big brother is not always so nice, he won't actually hurt little brother, and little brother still loves him and wants to play with him.