Introducing a new kitten to an 8 year old cat

[woobl]

Hi all! First post but hoping people might have some sage advice for me!

We have an 8 yr old male Exotic Shorthair and we have been thinking about getting a new exotic kitten. It turns out the breeder we originally got him from has a lovely exotic girl available in February so we are quite tempted. However, having read various articles, I'm worried after all this time of him being the only cat in the house, it might be tricky to introduce a new friend. Would love to hear any experiences people have had. I'm hoping that being the same breed, this might help.

Look forward to your thoughts!

W

 

[rubysmama]

Hello and welcome to TCS. No personal experience with introducing kittens to adult cats, but generally it is easier/quicker than introducing an adult cat to another adult cat. Usually the adult cat is displeased with the newbie, and will hiss/growl, but will not hurt a kitten. Occasionally an adult cat is actually scared of a kitten, but that's more rare. The main thing to know is that you will have to keep the kitten separated from the adult cat at first, and slowly work through introductions.

Here's the TCS article on How To Introduce A Kitten To An Older Cat | TheCatSite with more details. Good luck.

 

[ArtNJ]

Eight is definitely old enough that, more likely than not it will be a difficult introduction and they will never be friends. Even if you follow the introduction process outlined in the article linked above (which in turn links to How To Successfully Introduce Cats: The Ultimate Guide – TheCatSite Articles) there will likely still be tensions, because older cats tend to hate being jumped on. The article rubysmama linked phrases it as hyperactive kittens causing problems to senior cats, but most kittens are hyperactive, and its really hard to tell if a kitten is hyperactive or not based on whatever comments the breeder might have or your observations during a visit. Kittens just change to fast for any of that to be meaningful. So even if its true that chill kittens make things much easier, the odds aren't great that you'll get one. I don't know the breed characteristics of the cat your adopting, but breed characteristics for cats tend to be just increased chances, not guarranties, with the cats still being very variable.

Now of course people do get lucky, and sometimes 8 year olds can actually befriend a kitten. Just be realistic and expect the more likely result -- that there will more likely be some tension in your house as they slowly inch towards toleration over the weeks and months after the introduction process. Its still a reasonable thing to adopt a kitten -- just don't expect your 8 year old to be greatful, because that would require some luck.

 

[rubysmama]

A ArtNJ is right, that an introduction between a kitten and older cat tends to be more difficult than if the adult cat is younger. And proof is in all the threads that cat parents have posted over the years looking for tips/help with introductions.

Here's a link with all the threads with "older cat new kitten" in the title, if you want to scan through of them.
Search Results for Query: older cat new kitten