How do you bring a new cat into the family where there is already a cat?

Question

okay so i have this two year old at and today i brought home a 8 week old kitten and i want to know how to get them used to eachother...please help thanks!!

Answer 1

Just recently my ex brought a kitten home (to his house) and he has a grown cat (13) and all he did was let the kitten and the big boy have time to check each other out. Things are working out fine between them. It's been about 4 wks. now and the grown cat has kinda taken over the kitten,to the point that he gives this kitten baths, and plays w/ with him. I was real worried because he is an older cat and is diabetic and I thought with the stress of a new kitten he might feel like an out cast,but that didn't happen. So let them be cats and see what happens. Good luck with both kitty's. and make sure you show them equal attention.

Answer 2

Your best bet is to keep the new edition in it's own room for a little while, with their own food dish and litter box. Then once or twice a day, swap cats, let the older one into the kitten's room and let the kitten into the house. This will let them get used to each other's scents and thus more used to the idea that they are not alone.

Also, feed them at the same time, but on either side of the door of the room that the kitten is in. This will help your older cat associate the kitten with good things (food time!). After about a week or two, you should be good to go. But if you want to try and introduce them before then, make sure it is only for short, supervised periods of time and DON'T punish your older cat if he's not so nice to the new one. You can actually let him assert his dominance, to a point, then separate them and put the baby back in his own room. This will help the older one maintain his 'head of the house' status.

Be patient, this won't happen overnight. As long as you make sure that your older cat is still getting as much if not more attention as usual, all should be fine.

Answer 3

If we couldn't do that then there'd be no multi-pet households.

The trick is to introduce them gradually, and hope the youngster won't be too 'in your face' with playing to annoy the first cat.

Keep the kitten in a closed room for the first few nights, so the other cat won't feel territorially threatened, and then after that check to see how he's dealing with the kitten before you let them both have the run of the place every night.

Feed them in different areas of the kitchen with their backs to each other so the main cat doesn't feel threatened, or feed the kitten in a closed bathroom. That way one doesn't feel the need to protect their food and they're not looking directly at the other while eating.

Answer 4

I brougt the new cat in and put him in a room by himself. Allowed the other cat to sniff at he door and then brought the old cat in to gently sniff the new cat in his carrier.
Then I let him stay in the room by himself but making sure to go in there quite often. Played with him as well so as to get his scent on me. Then went out and played with the old cat.
Ater a few days i let the old one come into the new cats '"room" . Fed them both some delish food ( not too close but at least togetehr) and stayed with them.
Sometimes it may take longer, depends on the cats.
What you MUST NOT DO is put the new cat in a place that is the old cats favourite place.
eg I introduced the new cat to my bed gradually with the older one there.

Answer 5

You can go to: http://www.littlebigcat.com and read Dr. Jean Hovfe's article titled "Cat to Cat Introductions" for some tips on doing the introduction.

Hope all goes well and the cats will be happy together.

Answer 6

Try keeping the kitten in a pet carrier a few days, or in seprate room with door closed so they become familar with each others scent.