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- Nov 13, 2018
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Two weeks ago we brought home two little kittens to our cat family of 3. We have two sisters age 3 and one 4.5 month old rescue kitten ( who had to become a more or less temporary family member due to some medical issues that make him hard to adopt ) . We did a very careful introduction with the kittens over two weeks ... with a separate quarantine room, scent exchange ... . This is not our first kitten introduction ... we are an on and off foster family. This time however ... our adult girls do not like the kittens. The 4.5 month old is playing with the kittens quite nicely still being a kitten himself ... but the adults won't let the babies come close ... they hiss or swat them even though they really seem to love the older kitten ( sleeping cuddling ...) ... I think there have been two issues ... one is that the babies tried to nurse on the girls a few times which they immediately hated ... and the other is .. that the babies initially needed medication and might have just smelled weird and had some GI issues ... However ... I have the feeling that relationships are not improving at all. We have tried to take a step back and keep the babies in the bathroom to give the adults some breathing room but ... our cats know how to open doors and jailbreak the babies - at least a few times a day ( despite our best efforts to secure that door ... we have Houdinis ... ). The babies have good social skills - they don't bug the adults and really mind their own business ... they are not pushy and really mellow and sweet and immediately back off and go elsewhere when hissed at - they are not rough in play and they wait patiently when someone is eating their food and don't steal toys- no dominant behavior, no pesky kitten syndrome- they are Ragdolls and probably the most mellow and easy going kittens we ever had. The adults usually just ignore the babies unless they get too close at which point they receive a hiss and maybe a swat ( babies always take the hint and go elsewhere ). We have not noticed any hiding or litter box issues... everyone eats well - sometimes in close proximity to each other - we free feed and have multiple food and water stations and 6 litter boxes in three rooms, lots of hiding spaces and many cat trees, shelves and cat-ified spaces. I have to decide when "enough is enough" ... I do not want tension in my cat family permanently and 5 cats are a LOT - but I have to admit that this time ... we are head over heals in love with the babies ( I am sure the adult can sense that and maybe that is why they act the way they do lol ). To those of you that have larger cat families ... what are warning signs you would not ignore- or reasons to re-home a newcomer due to incompatibility? I will keep the babies until neutering for sure ... another two weeks-until they are 12 weeks but then ... we'll have to make some decisions ... maybe I a just spoiled because introductions in the past were much easier ... but I am concerned about my girls! They deserve a peaceful home
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