introducing new kitten after previous cat passing

Jean Howard

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So it's been about a month since our elder cat Boodle passed away. She was euthanized at home because she had declined health-wise from complications of old age and suspected cancer, but it was done within 48 hours of us seeing her start to decline and the entire process was easy and peaceful since we didn't have to transport her and the vet was very nice. So my family has been able to move forward to welcoming home a new baby fairly smoothly.

We have one other cat named Rex. He is a 6-year-old grey domestic shorthair, and is neutered and fully vaccinated. He is a nervous cat and will hide whenever someone enters the house and is cautious of strangers, but is otherwise a very sweet boy who loves snuggles and bread ties. He and Boodle got along... not the best when we got him at first, mostly due to Boodle's attitude. She was not impressed with this new kitten encroaching on her territory and there were a few brief fights. But they were usually initiated by her and they did mellow out within a few months. They tolerated each other for the next few years and while they were never very buddy buddy, they didn't fight and could exist fairly peacefully in each other's spaces. Feeding time was always fine, neither showed any food aggression and would eat next to each other without any issues.

Rex's behavior hasn't changed much with Boodle's passing, still eating, playing, cuddling, and using the litter box the same as before. Frankly, I'm unsure he's even noticed. My mom has made the move to put in an adoption request for a kitten named Mango, who is 11 weeks old and fully neutered. If all goes well we may be bringing her home within a week! However, while we know how to introduce cats fairly smoothly I do have concerns if Mango would be able to still smell Boodle and get confused or stressed or something. Is using a smell neutralizer on Boodle's old scratching posts and beds a smart idea? General introduction tips are also appreciated!
 

ArtNJ

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Kittens are not the hard part in an intro. They very rarely take more than a week to adjust and generally not nearly that. So don't worry about Boodle's lingering smell impacting the kitten.
 
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