Introducing kittens with different ages

[kittenlady0201]

My sister is planning to bring a new kitten home that's around 2 months old. We already have a resident kitty that's around 4.5/5months, and I worry about how to safely introduce them. Any tip is appreciated!

 

[tabbytom]

My sister is planning to bring a new kitten home that's around 2 months old. We already have a resident kitty that's around 4.5/5months, and I worry about how to safely introduce them. Any tip is appreciated!

kittenlady0201, welcome to TCS!

Here are some articles for you to read and if you have further questions regarding cat introductions, you may post your questions here in :- cat-behavior.5 to get a speedier answer.

how-to-introduce-a-kitten-to-an-older-cat

how-to-successfully-introduce-cats-the-ultimate-guide

introducing-cats-to-cats

how-to-fix-an-unsuccessful-cat-introduction

how-to-safely-break-up-a-cat-fight

Feel free to ask questions and c ya around

 

[ArtNJ]

Kittens that young are usually really easy to introduce and always become friends. Eight week olds are very very little, and if the other cat was a too playful one year old, I might recommend waiting a few weeks, but a 5 month old should be ok. Stick the new kitten in a safe room for a few days until he seems comfortable and very friendly towards you. This can take up to a week but is usually very fast. Its an important step, because tiny kittens can hide in very inappropriate and unsafe places. So most folks stick them in a bedroom and they hide under the bed until they are comfortable with you. An empty room might be even better, but letting them hide under the bed is harmless even if it is a bit frustrating to new owners! Of course, some kittens are fearless from the start, but it doesn't normally take long.

Once the kitten is comfortable with you, I would just let them figure things out. You don't need a formal introduction process with kittens that small.

You might be a little freaked out when they start to wrestle in earnest. Tell us what is happening, take a video, and we will almost certainly be able to put things in perspective and calm you down.

This is a very very young kitten you are getting, however, and it isn't totally impossible that a big super playful five month old might truly be playing too roughly, in which case you could wait an extra week or two before the introduction. But its not likely to be necessary. Twelve week old kittens play safely with full grown but still rambunctious one year olds. It can look a little scary, and sometimes the big uns will make the little one uncomfortable and they will squeal a bit, but they are not actually hurt. The size difference here won't be any more then that.

 

[ArtNJ]

One other note -- if the mother cat is still in the picture, its always better to wait a little longer. I'm not sure exactly what the current recommendation is, but pretty sure its best to wait till at least 12 weeks if mom is still in the picture.

 

[kittenlady0201]

One other note -- if the mother cat is still in the picture, its always better to wait a little longer. I'm not sure exactly what the current recommendation is, but pretty sure its best to wait till at least 12 weeks if mom is still in the picture.

Thanks for the tips! No, the mom isn't in the picture. The new baby came today, and the 5 month old is currently taking the new presence pretty well, he wanted to see the kitten as soon as he smelt her on the other side of the door and we have let him see her from a distance after he reacted very calmly to smelling her things.

The 2 month old seems like a bold and adventurous one, she is sleeping on our backs and chests and doesn't seem to even react to the other kitten's presence thus far, maybe she's too distracted? (She has also smelt his stuff now. Also, she seems to want to use the litter box we gave her as a place to lay down. She has eaten a bit and she's drinking water but apparently she hasn't had the urge yet)

 

[ArtNJ]

Oh good. A lot of times it is exactly that easy. Like I mentioned, young kittens essentially always work things out, but sometimes it can take a little bit.

Sleeping in the litterbox is gross, but its a known thing that some of em do, especially as very young kittens, especially after coming from somewhere like a shelter where they don't have a lot of room. Maybe buy a cat bed. Just as long as you are aware its 50/50 that the kitten will use it lol. Or go low cost and put a blanket in a basket, and get your 50/50 shot the kitten will use it that way.

Even though it sounds like its going super well, I'd still keep her in the safe room for at least a few days. That way, the kitten knows that room is safe, and if you use the vacuum, or drop a dish, or whatever, you know where the kitten will hide and the kitten won't pick somewhere terrible, like behind the laundry machine or under the stove.

As far as interacting more, they will get to that soon enough. Maybe a little uncertainty or hissing, or maybe you won't see that. Could take a few days or even longer to start playing even if they are chill with each other.

 

[kittenlady0201]

As far as interacting more, they will get to that soon enough. Maybe a little uncertainty or hissing, or maybe you won't see that. Could take a few days or even longer to start playing even if they are chill with each other.

there was definitely some hissing and growling from the 5 month old at first, but he seems to want to play with her now. The 2 month old is normally chill and they have laid close on the floor and slept together on the same bed already (no cuddling, just on the same bed with a little distance) but she seems to get scared when he tries to play, she hisses and tries to hide (although she doesn't hide for long and acts normally after getting out). He swaps at her face quite a bit, which is what usually makes her hiss and hide if he continues. He also jumps around her the same way he does when I throw a toy, which is why I think he wants to play already

 

[ArtNJ]

Its ok that the 2 month old is uncertain about play. The fact that she is normally cool with the older kitten tells you there is no real problem there. If he was hurting her, she would show it outside of play. Cats hold grudges. Play with a bigger cat can just be a little scary or uncomfortable; she will get over it.

Whapping another cat on the head is a thing some of them do. Normally, its to get attention, and kind of the opening move in play. However, my first pair would each stand on a stack of milk crates (I was a poor college student) and continually whap each other in an odd game of joust. The booping each other on the head was the whole game. Anyway, he is likely trying to get her attention and interest her in playing. As long as he isn't scratching her up, there is no issue there. Sometimes a cat isn't great about retracting the nails, so that is something to monitor. HOWEVER, "swiping at the face", isn't necessarily the same as booping another cat on the head. Your description makes me worry that he might scratch an eye by mistake. I'm also not quite sure what "jumping around her the same way he does when you throw a toy" actually means. Sometimes cats do a funny little hop/sideways walk when they are excited and want to play with a toy or another cat - maybe that is what you mean? So, while I'm sure everything is fine, it wouldn't hurt to post a video for us to look at. Might not be a bad idea given that the girl is so young.

 

[kittenlady0201]

Its ok that the 2 month old is uncertain about play. The fact that she is normally cool with the older kitten tells you there is no real problem there. If he was hurting her, she would show it outside of play. Cats hold grudges. Play with a bigger cat can just be a little scary or uncomfortable; she will get over it.

Whapping another cat on the head is a thing some of them do. Normally, its to get attention, and kind of the opening move in play. However, my first pair would each stand on a stack of milk crates (I was a poor college student) and continually whap each other in an odd game of joust. The booping each other on the head was the whole game. Anyway, he is likely trying to get her attention and interest her in playing. As long as he isn't scratching her up, there is no issue there. Sometimes a cat isn't great about retracting the nails, so that is something to monitor. HOWEVER, "swiping at the face", isn't necessarily the same as booping another cat on the head. Your description makes me worry that he might scratch an eye by mistake. I'm also not quite sure what "jumping around her the same way he does when you throw a toy" actually means. Sometimes cats do a funny little hop/sideways walk when they are excited and want to play with a toy or another cat - maybe that is what you mean? So, while I'm sure everything is fine, it wouldn't hurt to post a video for us to look at. Might not be a bad idea given that the girl is so young.

English isn't my first language and this is the first time I've ever owned cats, so I wasn't sure about the right terms, but I did mean booping and a funny sort of hop! Here's a video

 

[kittenlady0201]

Its ok that the 2 month old is uncertain about play. The fact that she is normally cool with the older kitten tells you there is no real problem there. If he was hurting her, she would show it outside of play. Cats hold grudges. Play with a bigger cat can just be a little scary or uncomfortable; she will get over it.

Whapping another cat on the head is a thing some of them do. Normally, its to get attention, and kind of the opening move in play. However, my first pair would each stand on a stack of milk crates (I was a poor college student) and continually whap each other in an odd game of joust. The booping each other on the head was the whole game. Anyway, he is likely trying to get her attention and interest her in playing. As long as he isn't scratching her up, there is no issue there. Sometimes a cat isn't great about retracting the nails, so that is something to monitor. HOWEVER, "swiping at the face", isn't necessarily the same as booping another cat on the head. Your description makes me worry that he might scratch an eye by mistake. I'm also not quite sure what "jumping around her the same way he does when you throw a toy" actually means. Sometimes cats do a funny little hop/sideways walk when they are excited and want to play with a toy or another cat - maybe that is what you mean? So, while I'm sure everything is fine, it wouldn't hurt to post a video for us to look at. Might not be a bad idea given that the girl is so young.

seems like the video didn't upload, here

 

[kittenlady0201]

Its ok that the 2 month old is uncertain about play. The fact that she is normally cool with the older kitten tells you there is no real problem there. If he was hurting her, she would show it outside of play. Cats hold grudges. Play with a bigger cat can just be a little scary or uncomfortable; she will get over it.

Whapping another cat on the head is a thing some of them do. Normally, its to get attention, and kind of the opening move in play. However, my first pair would each stand on a stack of milk crates (I was a poor college student) and continually whap each other in an odd game of joust. The booping each other on the head was the whole game. Anyway, he is likely trying to get her attention and interest her in playing. As long as he isn't scratching her up, there is no issue there. Sometimes a cat isn't great about retracting the nails, so that is something to monitor. HOWEVER, "swiping at the face", isn't necessarily the same as booping another cat on the head. Your description makes me worry that he might scratch an eye by mistake. I'm also not quite sure what "jumping around her the same way he does when you throw a toy" actually means. Sometimes cats do a funny little hop/sideways walk when they are excited and want to play with a toy or another cat - maybe that is what you mean? So, while I'm sure everything is fine, it wouldn't hurt to post a video for us to look at. Might not be a bad idea given that the girl is so young.

sorry! that was the wrong video, here:

 

[ArtNJ]

Yeah, he is trying to get her to play for sure! It will be fine, but keep an eye on them for a week or so, because that is a pretty huge size difference! Like I mentioned though, she will help you out by either acting chill with the boy when he is chill, in which case everything is ok, or acting generally afraid and avoiding him at all times, in which case you might want to rethink letting them play now. If she is acting ok with the big kitten and you don't find any wounds, then its fine to let them work it out. But you do want to try and keep an eye on them, because cats gain a pound a month the first 6 months, so from 2 to 3 months they get 50% bigger! So have to be a bit more careful with an 8 week old, even if the other one is a kitten too!