Need advice with 6 week 4 day old kitten...

[adequatenikki]

I need advice with introducing my 6 week 4 day old female kitten to my approximately 6 month old female kitten.

I have just received a kitten last night. 

The 6 week, 4 day old kitten is 1.4 LBS and my 6 month old kitten (who is small for her age, but a giant compared to new kitten) is 4.5 lbs. 

6 week 4 day old kitten (Her name is Bumblebee) is very outgoing and playful when she is awake. She is also super cuddly, as well.
She matches the personality to my approximately 6 month old cat, too. (Outgoing, friendly, playful, talkative, etc.)

I would like some advice with introductions between my kittens. 

Dandelion (My approximately 6 month old kitten) is extremely interested in Bumblebee, but will hiss and growl whenever she's really close to her (inches a part).

However, I've gotten them to eat about 5 inches away from one another, but once Dandy has  finished her treat will look up at her growl/hiss. She even swatted at her (no claws and has made runs at her, too that I have intervened and Dandy has never injured the new kitten.) In other words, I think Dandy has tried to pounce on new kitten, but I had stopped that from happening.

Dandy also will play with me while the kitten is laying on me, (I have a cat tree next to a day bed, in which I lay on and play with her on with a fluffy thing on a stick).
She plays like normal, no hissing/growling whatsoever, but when I move the kitten near her, she then proceeds to growl/hiss again.

I try to give the new kitty breaks from her, but Dandy is my cat.. She sits at the door meowing/pawing, etc and I feel bad because she's my baby.

ANY advice on this matter would be wonderful.

A few things I want to mention:  

I know that a kitten who is a little over 6 1/2 weeks is EXTREMELY young and shouldn't be taken away from her mother, but this was an urgent matter. 
Bumblebee's home conditions were extremely stressful and poor. The previous owner's young daughter would chase Bumblebee around with a vacuum cleaner, stressing Bumblebee out enough that she'd lay in the litter box and not want to be pet/touched.
They live in very confined living quarters, with several cats on the premises (I just want everyone to know I think it's awesome of people who own several pets, but when a house is very small and all you can smell is cat urine I don't think it's appropriate to have that many.. :L I mean, the WHOLE house smelled of cat urine.),  that were indoor/outdoor cats (I discovered this due to the fact that Bumblebee has ear mites and had signs of fleas (no adult fleas) that went untreated for weeks.)

I also would like to mention that we didn't get the kitten home until 9pm last night, she stayed secluded in a spare room (I slept with her the whole night) and I took her to my Vet's first thing the next morning.
She has been prescribed ear drops for her mites, Wormers and also got her first vaccination done (The vet did not give her the full vaccination dose as she was so little.) She is also negative for FIV/Leukemia. 

I have also treated both of my kittens with Revolution as soon as I got home, and just for sanitary purposes ( I doubt if this helped anything) washed the sheets and clothes that the kitten laid on me with last night.

I will also be bringing both of my kittens in for check ups on the 18th.

Bumblebee is also eating wet food/watered down dried food and she uses the litter box perfectly.
I stay at home all day, so she will never be out of my sight. I know not much of this makes up for taking her away from momma at such a young age, but I couldn't bare to see her in a place like that so I hope y'all go easy on me.  

I've also posted a picture of Bumblebee, soda can for size reference lol..

bumblepopcan.jpg

• adequatenikki
• Feb 24, 2017

 

 

[moorspede]

I love the names of your cats. Bumblebee's old life sounds horrendous, she really sounds like she's fallen on her feet, though.

Ok so generally when you bring a new cat into the house you place her into a small room (usually a bathroom) with her bowls, something to sleep on, some toys and a litter box away from the rest. This is to get her used to the household slowly and with as little stress as possible. While the cats are separated you go through a process of scent swapping and then you swap rooms, generally one at a time so the resident kitten can get used to the idea of having a new cat in her territory and the new kitten can start to learn the layout of the place and start to make it hers.  

Here are some articles on introducing cats:

[Article] How To Successfully Introduce  Cats: The Ultimate Guide

 [Article] Introducing  Cats  to Cats

I realise they've seen each other but I would still suggest Bumblebee have a week separated from Dandelion so that she can find her feet. 

Scent swapping and room swapping gives each cat a chance to get used to the other's scent, the articles describe this process in detail, it basically means that you either swap their bedding and/ or rub each kitty with a piece of cloth (particularly it's cheeks) and then rub each kitty down with the other so that their scents mingle.  

There is also Jackson Galaxy's method which has both cats separated by a baby gate or a door. The idea is that you start to feed them several feet away from each other on either side of the door You could prop the door open a crack but that would have to be done so well that Bumblebee can't escape and Dandelion has no possible way to get into the room with Bumblebee. The idea is to give them their meals on either side of the door and gradually move their bowls closer together so that they begin to associate good things (the food) with the other cat. 

The Jackson Galaxy method of introductions (feeding them on either side of a door or gate) is at youtube, you just need to place his name and "introducing cats" in the search field. 

Personally, I don't think you would need to do this very long, both are kittens and therefore they are much more easily adaptable than cats. Also, while Dandelion is saying she's not happy with this new kitten in her territory now, she's curious rather than being overly aggressive.