Really need some reassurence! Please leave comments or advice.. I'm a complete worrier...

[liza1903]

Hi all. 

So I have an 11 year old female cat who has been an only cat for the 11 years that we have had her. Today - this morning, to be exact - I brought home a 3 month old female kitten. I am trying to follow the standard protocol for introductions and have the new kitten isolated in a room for at least a week, but even though my resident cat has not seen the new kitten, she definitely picked up the new scent. After investigating the living room area (through which I carried the kitten), she left and went under the bed in my bedroom (the new kitten is in another bedroom, alone).

I tried to give her wet food and fresh shrimp (which she adores) to help her feel more at ease, but she did not accept these right away. She stayed there under the bed for about 2 hours or so, while I went to run some errands. When I came back, she seemed a tiny bit more comfortable and even made a lap around the house before going back under the bed. Before she went back under the bed, however, she did accept some kitty treats from me.

I checked on the new kitten and then decided to come lie down on my bed, under which my resident cat was hiding, and after a bit she came out and got onto the bed with me. She smelled me (I think she smelled the kitten's scent on me) but nevertheless decided to lie down on top of me for a bit while I petted her. Some time later, she went back under the bed. For the rest of the day, it has been a cycle of her coming out from under the bed, making a lap around the house, eating some wet food, and going back under the bed. For a little while, she came and lay down on the couch with me in the living room, but then left again and went under the bed.

Logically, I know that it's only been a day, and I can't expect her to be totally fine with the new scent, especially since she has been alone for so long. And part of me feels like the behavior she has shown isn't quite bad at all. I just can't stop worrying, though, that this will not work out or that she will get depressed or sick or that I will have to take the kitten back to the shelter (I really can't bear to do that after I've already adopted the poor baby).

Has anyone had an experience like this? This is normal, right? How long did it take your cats to get used to the new presence? Basically, someone please speak to me, I can't stop worrying  

 

[catpack]

First, congrats on the new addition!

Second, your eldest's behavior is normal. And, if her hiding without hissing/growling at the scent of the kitten is the worst of it (especially after being an only for 11 years!) consider yourself lucky!

As you mention, you have only had the kitten for a day. Many cats take several weeks to acclimate to each other and others take months to a year or more. The MOST important thing to remember is that you need to go at the cat's pace when doing introductions, not yours. Often, you cannot go too slowly; but, you can go to fast and end up having to back track and repeat steps.

Give your eldest plenty of time to acclimate. She needs to be fully comfortable and confident in her environment before you move to a new step in the introduction process. (I will give you a link to that after I post this first.)

As a side note, you will also need to be prepared with LOTS of toys to keep this kitten happy and entertained, especially once you do integrate them. And, plan on having several play sessions with her daily to help drain her energy so that she does not aggravate your eldest with her kitten antics.

Also, having several cat trees, wall shelves and/or perches throughout the house will give your eldest places to retreat away from the kitten and will also help the kitten burn off more energy.

Remember, the goal with introductions is for the cats to be buddies; but, the main thing is for them to, at the very least, tolerate each other and share space.

Keep us updated with the progress and ask questions. Most of us here have been through the integration process and can offer advise.

Also, we'd love to see some pics of both your kitties!

 

[catpack]

Here's the link to the cat to cat introduction article.
http://www.thecatsite.com/a/introducing-cats-to-cats

 

[mermaidkitten]

I just brought home a 6wk old stray kitten a few weeks ago and my older cat did the same thing. He now will be in a room with a see through barrier between them after two weeks. Don't worry, your other cat will get bored of the under the bed self isolation eventually.

 

[liza1903]

Hi guys, thank you so much for your comments. I do realize that with a kitten, I'm going to have to make sure to really play with her a lot to get that energy out so she doesn't bother my resident cat too much, and I was prepared to do this when I adopted her. My older cat seemed to be doing just fine this past night - she slept with me on my bed as if nothing was amiss, woke me up at 5:30 a.m. as usual to feed her, and went back to sleeping with me until it was time to wake up for real. She made a few laps around the house this morning, stopped at the door to the room where the new kitten was, smelled around a bit, watched the door for some time, and was off to my bedroom again, I assume under the bed. Hopefully with a few more days, or a week, she will realize that the new scent is here to stay and is not threatening to her, as she has control over most of the territory of the house. I'll keep you posted and thank you so much for helping me calm my worrying mind. 

 

[shadowsrescue]

Here is a great video on cat to cat intros.  Take things slowly and all will work out well.

 

[liza1903]

I'm really happy to say my older lady has been out and about in the house quite a lot today, and has spent a significant amount of time in the living room, on the couch. It seems she's finally feeling comfortable enough to not hide under the bed all the time. She's still a bit tense, though, and it's obvious that she keeps looking around as if controlling her territory, so she definitely knows the newcomer is still here. Hopefully, she'll soon realize this is not a threat. Tomorrow, I'll continue swapping their scents with towels and will try to feed them on opposite sides of the younger kitty's (closed!) bedroom door to get those positive associations going.