Im getting a new kitten soon but i have an old cat. Its 10 years old and some people say that older cats generally accept kittens, is it true? and does the whole putting them in seperate room thing work? Also some tips on kitten-proofing my house thanks!
2006-11-18 09:25:35 · 12 answers · asked by Anonymous in Pets ➔ Cats
ok first about the older cat:
i had a cat who was about 9 when i got a new kitten, when i first got her my old cat would hiss at her and swat at her but then i realized they were just playing so if they do fight just let them be it will work out the big cat just wants to show who's boss!
secon about kitty proofing: since christmas is coming up i would be careful with your trees this first year. make sure none of your breakable ornaments are low cause my kittle loves to play with them they will also try to climb the tree just let them climb it once WITHOUT ornaments and let if fall down it. sounds mean but it won't do it again!
hope i helped!
2006-11-18 10:57:59 · answer #1 · answered by hbanana12492 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
She will accept the kitten with very poor grace indeed. A 10 yr old cat will not like a kitten in her territory - eating her food, napping in her favorite places, and bugging her all day long to play. Her nose will really be out of joint to say the least.
The kitten should have its own special place with its litterbox, food and water. A whole house is too overwhelming for a kitten unless it has been fostered for a while in a home. Just as with a creeping toddler the floor must be clear of all things a kitten could swallow. Sewing paraphanalia - needles and thread are particularly dangerous.
So they should be separate for a while and only be introduced to one another when you are present to observe how things are going -- a hour or so at first and then the periods can be extended.
With a 10 year old cat two kittens would be a better idea as they can work their incessant engergy off one another and not bug the older cat so much.
2006-11-18 17:38:27 · answer #2 · answered by old cat lady 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
First, kitten proofing your house is like baby proofing your house. If you've ever had kids you'll know what to do. Strip everything you don't want broken, remove plants, keep food put away, watch that your dryer door doesn't stay open, make sure your screens and slider screens are lockable, keep any bathroom chemicals under the cupboard closed up, if you have a good shower curtain get a cheap one, get some cat off spray for your drapes, carpets and couches, tie up your mini blind pulleys, watch your electrical cords for chewing, keep your toilet lid closed and the list could go on and on, but you will find more proofing as the kitten grows.
The acceptance will depend on your 10 yr old cat's disposition. Do you know if he likes other cats? If he doesn't then a kitten won't work, I've tried it and my cat just hissed at it.
At 10 years he may be very territorial. Best of luck.
2006-11-18 17:44:12 · answer #3 · answered by Hedicat 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
most cats will accept a kitten alot faster than an adult cat. Don't worry if the older cat gets a little hissy at first, he's only letting the little one know he's boss and that he was there first. I've never worried about the seperate room thing. They will get along and you don't have the habit of marking territory being started. As far as kitten proofing make sure your cords are out of sight so he doesn't chew them. There's not really a whole lot you need to do seeing you already have the older cat.
2006-11-18 17:30:28 · answer #4 · answered by Jennifer R 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It's been brought up before and the answers were all over the place. It can and then it might not, work. Old cat with kitten, middle age newcomer, it all depends on the cats.
Our male was 3 when we brought home a 8 week old girl. We did the seperate room thing for several weeks. He still beats up on her occasionally, but now she's 18 months.
She's docile, he's very outgoing and thinks this is HIS house.
Your kitten might be smart enough to give the older cat his/her space, but it might get whacked a couple of times first.
If you adopt it from a rescue group, explain the situation to them and a good group will understand if it doesn't work out. We had to do that with the first female we brought home. She was angry at our male, at us, everyone. We finally took her back and the group admitted she was FERAL!
So the next one we adopted was from the original group we got the male from.
I have a friend that has something like 8 cats; she obviously has good results and sometimes "bad" results, but she doesn't give up. She doesn't think it's cruel to the "older" cats. She loves to save as many as she can.
2006-11-18 17:46:00 · answer #5 · answered by K.B. 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Wow! That's almost exactly what happened to me. We had an 11 year old cat, and we brought home our new 8 week old kitten. The older cat wasn't used to having a new kitten, so they really didn't like eachother. But you should keep an eye on the kitten until the cats get used to eachother, but cats typically fight.
2006-11-18 21:14:25 · answer #6 · answered by Izzy C 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You won't know really until you put them together. I have an older cat who gets along fine with the two kittens but then I have another cat who tolerates them only...
Do not have medicines where the kitten can reach them and or any kind of insect poisons it can get into. You could get an empty cardboard box for the kitten to play in. That will distract it somewhat...and be prepared for it to get into all sorts of things...but also be prepared to laugh and fall in love with the little thing.
PS one more thing...be careful around the fridge...my oldest got into the fridge when I was not looking and fortunately I went back for something a few minutes later and saw him in there! It scared me to death! My kittens try and get in there but I shoo them away every time. Good luck!
2006-11-18 17:59:16 · answer #7 · answered by tigerlily_catmom 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
We had an old tom cat show about 2 years ago we kept him he is very territorial this spring we got our daughter a kitten I was very Leary.
No problems in fact the big cat backs up when the kitten growls by the food bowls.
2006-11-18 17:41:14 · answer #8 · answered by mom363546 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It all depends on your older cats personality. If it doesn't like strangers then it may not be as accepting but if your cat is friendly, it will probably accept the new kitten more. Just make sure to give your old cat just as much attention as you used to or it may not like the new attention stealer.
2006-11-18 18:39:48 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
In my experience, the old cat will hate the new one until it is out of that kitten play stage.
They usually at least TOLERATE each other after that.
If they are 2 different sexes, they won't get along unless they are both fixed.
2006-11-18 17:34:45 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋