Two Kittens From Different Litters Tension

[Noremak]

Hi all,

Yesterday I adopted two female kittens that are about 10 weeks old. They are from different litters and are the smaller of the littermates. When adopting them, the foster parents there let them sniff each other (wrapped up in a blanket) since they were going in the same crate home. They got along just fine in the crate and drive home. Then when I brought them into their new environment and showed them their new home, one of them keeps growling and hissing at the other. There is a black and multi-colored cat, and the multi-colored one is the one that growls and hisses. They both were introduced to their new area at the same time, so I'm not sure why all of a sudden there is growling and hissing going on. They haven't fought or anything, but the multi-colored cat definitely lets the black cat know that she isn't happy. It hasn't even been a day since they have both been here, so I may be worrying about nothing, but do any of you cat parents out there have suggestions? I was Googling some suggestions and some say they they will work it out themselves and other sources say to separate them and re-introduce them slowly. The thing I don't get about separating them is that normally I see that when you are introducing a new cat to a resident cat. Since these are both kittens and new to the place, I wasn't sure what is preferred. My last cat was an adult when I adopted her and I only had one. This is the first time I've had two cats, and kittens at that.

Cheers

 

[Letta]

Hi,
I am not an expert but from my experience 1 day is not a lot. A lot of things are going on for them, everything is new and scary. Don't forget that they are away from everything they once knew.
It takes cat a while to warm up to cats from a different social group as in nature those would not be friendly. It is easier with kittens but still not immediate. It is in general recommended to let them in a safe room for a while when brought back home until they feel safe. They don't know the house, they don't know you and they don't know each other so they are a bit confused, scared and unsure. It will be fine they just need time to adapt. If I were you I would separate them by a baby gate or something like that in your room for example. Let them settle peacefully first, feel more secure before they interact with each other. It will be fine very quickly they are so young. They just need a little while to relax and adapt. Once they relaxed play a bit with them. It is the best way to bond with kittens.

 

[Ms. Freya]

It sounds like they're sorting out who's in charge. If all they're doing is the occasional hiss & growl, I would keep them supervised, but together to see how they do. If they get at all physical, I'd separate them. You may also want to confine them to a smaller portion of the house if they have the run of the whole thing - maybe a room or two. That way they aren't trying to sort our pecking order and explore a new place all at the same time.

 

[Noremak]

I appreciate the responses from you letta and Ms. Freya. Both kittens now hiss at each other when they are too close for comfort. They can be a foot apart and as long as they are distracted it's not a big deal, but when they run for the same toy and encounter each other or if one runs around the corner and spooks the other, they hiss at each other. They are not physical with each other, just verbal. I ended up getting a diffuser that has a chemical that is supposed to mimic a mothers pheromones so the cats feel safer. It seems like as long as they are distracted, the hissing isn't as frequent. I'm hoping sooner than later they will be bff's, especially introducing them so young.

 

[Kat Kernow]

Hi There,

I'm having a similar experience myself with two kittens we have adopted from different litters. Though, it mainly seems to be the girl kitten (12 weeks) seems to be the one hissing at the boy (9 weeks). How are your kittens getting along now or are they just simply tolerating each other?