New kitten tomorrow...nervous about resident cat

[alex17]

Hello! It has been a while since I have been on but I am back because I will be bringing home a little rescue kitten tomorrow. I am extremely excited to be helping a little kitty but I am also extremely worried about my 1 year old cat. I have posted about Caspian before and I really have no idea how he is going to react to having another kitten around. Caspian has some problems with aggression (its more of a play aggression than a vicious "i hate everyone" aggression) and i have no idea how he is going to react to another cat. Caspian does live with a small dog and he is okay with him (except when he chases him, but that is mostly for play), but  I dont know if it will be different with a cat. I have been thinking that this may be a good thing for Cas because I believe most of his aggressive episodes happen because he is bored and wants attention. I think having a young playmate may give him a level of interaction he never got from the dog or something he could never get from me.

Am I crazy for thinking that they could get along okay? I am planning to have the new kitty separated from Cas and introduce them VERY slowly. I guess I am posting this because I want to see what yall think about the situation with how my resident cat is. I honestly have no idea what I am going to do if they dont get along. What should I do if Caspian reacts aggressively even after a few weeks of slow introduction? 

 

[stephenq]

hi @Alex17

It is perhaps too early to worry about aggression weeks from now, but worst case scenario is you return the new cat, make sure that is possible before bringing the new cat into the home.  Here is some cat intro info:

There are several steps to a successful introduction, the goal being BFFs, not enemies or angry at you (especially the resident cat).  A careful introduction raises the stress level in incremental steps, allowing both cats, especially the resident cat time to acclimate to the stressor before being introduced to the next level.  You are going to move the "bar" closer and closer to the resident cat until the final step, a supervised face-to-face, becomes  a fender bender and not a car crash.

Step one: Complete separation, putting the new cat is a small room like a bathroom with food, litter and water.  Do not let the cats see each other - too much stress too soon.  Give the new cat time to adjust.  Give both cats time (a week+/-) to get used to this.  They will know each other is there.  Start feeding the resident cat nearer to the door, adjusting daily until he is at the door eating. Do voluntary scent exchange by rubbing the new cat's cheeks on a sock and then offering the sock as a gift to the resident. Don't force him to smell the sock, don't rub it on him. Observe his behavior and allow it.   Rub a clean sock on his cheeks and offer it to the new cat.  Continue to do this but never force either cat to interact with the other cat's sock.

When they are reasonably calm with everything in step one go to:

Step Two:  Allow the cats to see each other.  Two baby gates stacked on top of each other in the open door is a great way.  Cracking the door open and blocking it into position so they can't get through the door is another way.  With many cats the stress of this will make them revert, but it would have been much worse if you had started with this step.  Continue as if this was step one, but now with them seeing each other.  When they are both calm, no hissing or growling, you can go to:

Step Three: After eating meals and feeling satisfied (full stomach = less aggressive) and trimmed nails, you can start to do brief supervised introductions face to face.  Watch their body language and reactions and increase their time together until you are confident that they can manage on their own.

In General, treat the resident cat like he is King.  Don't do things to make him jealous. Don't discipline either cat for showing aggression, punishing them for what they feel is a normal behavior (and is normal for them) just raises the stress.  And follow your cats' lead on the speed of the introduction, there are no rules other than to listen to them.

http://www.thecatsite.com/a/introducing-cats-to-cats

http://www.aspca.org/pet-care/virtual-pet-behaviorist/cat-behavior/introducing-your-cat-new-cat

http://www.catbehaviorassociates.com/a-simple-little-trick-to-use-during-new-cat-introductions/

 

[alex17]

Oh my goodness thank you so much! I know I have been jumping the gun a bit about things going wring but I'm just nervous lol. Your post was incredibly helpful. I will definitely be returning to this post throughout the upcoming weeks. I'm getting Maya (the kitten) tonight and I will definitely post how things go. I feel much better think ing about the whole process as a bunch of steps rather than have a ton of information on my mind about everything.

Thanks again!

 

[fhicat]

In addition, during introduction, your own feelings and mental state do carry over to your cats. Try your very best not to be nervous, apprehensive, or otherwise paranoid outlook. Cats are extremely perceptive and they can sense and react to your own emotional state. You, the "alpha cat", needs to be calm and confident during this period of adjustment. It definitely helps.

 

[stephenq]

Before long get the kitten a vet exam and sometimes cats come home and develop colds so watch for sneezing and mucous discharge.  Feed the same food the kitten had in the shelter and if you want to switch him over, do it slowly over the course of a week to prevent diarrhea.  If he develops any illnesses extend the separation so the resident cat doesn't catch it, and most of all have a great time!!!

 

[alex17]

Hello guys just wanted to give an update on how everything is going. The new kitten is doing great. I actually found out the day I went get her that she is actually only 6 1/2 weeks old, so I was a bit worried about how she would do. Thankfully, she is eating and drinking really well for her age, she is being active and her diarrhea is gone. My biggest health concern has been her fleas, but I have given her a dawn bath to get some off and hopefully will get the rest off with just one more bath.

With that out of the way, things have been gone really well with my resident cat.everything was going very smoothly and we are now up to supervised face to face meetings. There has only been about 5 hisses from both cats combined. Grumbling has been happening more often but that seems to be slowly stopping. The only time they really start to grumble at each other is when Tabitha (kitten) goes directly up to Caspian's face. Tabitha always puffs up her back when approaching Cas, so I think it just makes him uncomfortable. Caspian hasn't swatted at her, chased her, or shown any physical aggression towards her.

I am so so so thankful things seem to be going so well so soon.Thank you all for your help:heart4:

 

[stephenq]

Congratulations!