Adding a new member to your family is always a stressful experience. Routines change, attention gets divided, and life is never really the same. Cats, especially older ones, can be very particular about who they allow into their territory, whether it be another person or animal.
Kittens are adorable, adjust faster, and can be very loving to their new parents. However, being separated from their mothers or siblings for the first time can be frightening for them. Not introducing older cats properly to their new kitten siblings may cause chaos in your home and make it unlivable for both cats when done wrong.
If you are willing to take the challenge, there are tons of benefits to having more than one cat in your home. Besides providing intellectual stimulation, they also have companionship for all the long hours that their humans are busy at work or school.
Once you have decided to welcome a young feline friend into your loving home, here are a few ways to make the process as smooth as possible:
Step 1. Avoid any stressful or disruptive experiences for your older cat before the kitten’s arrival.
Cats are very particular about routines. Avoid moving around furniture, unnecessary vet trips, changing cat food, or coming home at odd times for a few days. Should the new kitten arrive during a period of turmoil, your older cat will be stressed out of its mind and blame the kitten for it?
Adding another kitten on its own will already be a stressful experience for your older cat. Try not to add to it by making sure that the older cat does not associate the arrival of your new kitten with other negative experiences. Keep your older cat calm, happy, and relaxed for the days leading up to the adoption.
A few days before the new kitten arrives, you can also use pheromones to help them manage your older cat’s stress. Diffusers, sprays, and even supplements are readily available in pet shops to help manage the transition.
Step 2. Prepare your kitten necessities.
At any stage of a cat’s life, they will have different development needs that will require special care. Kittens need food which has the right nutrients they need to develop into a healthy adult cat. To avoid any tummy aches, be sure to ask their previous owners what their cat food is so you can slowly transition their diet to your preferred kitten food.
For kitten litter boxes, a rule of thumb is that you should always have litter boxes that are 1+ the number of cats in your household. For example, if you have two cats in your house, you will need at least three litter boxes.
Additionally, make sure the litter box you get is also appropriate for their size. Particular designs such as those opening from the top may be too high for smaller kittens to reach. Some younger kittens may try to eat their litter, so you may need to invest in tofu litter until they are old enough to know that they shouldn’t do this.
Step 3. Find a safe, secluded home base for your new kitten.
While it may be tempting to introduce your kitten and cat right away, you have to avoid instances wherein they are left unattended in the first few days to manage potential aggression.
It is necessary to provide a safe space where they can explore and walk around without fear of being attacked by other animals in your household. To make your kitten feel safe around you, they need to know that you are their new mother figure in their new home.
Some recommended places for your designated kitten-safe room are bathrooms, walk-in closets, or spare bedrooms. Be sure that the kitten holding area has all its necessities such as a bed, food, water, and litter box.
Step 4. Scent switch items between the older cat and the kitten.
Scent is a powerful tool that cats use to separate their family from other people. In the first few days, your kitten will still smell very much like an outsider. Initially, your older cat may respond aggressively to an unfamiliar animal in its territory.
Before you can expect your older cat to accept your new kitten and vice versa, they should be familiar with each other’s scent. While your new kitten will start smelling like your family with enough time, you can make this process of exposure faster in two ways: spending time with your kitten and switching their items.
Start by letting the kitten rub its scent on you while keeping it company. Then, spend time with your older cat and let them smell the kitten’s scent on you. Alternatively, let your kitten or cat smell blankets, towels, or bed that belong to their other. You may spend a few days switching these items so they can get familiar with the other’s scent without seeing them first.
Step 5. Feed them on opposite sides of the door.
Food is a common source of tension among new kittens and older cats. Older cats who have lived most of their life alone may not know how to share and be protective over their food. If you’re not careful about teaching them about how to eat together, they will be fighting over food well into the kitten’s adult life.
The proper way to begin joint feeding is to slowly move their food bowls towards each other until there is only a wall separating the two. Both the kitten and older cat should be able to sense that they are eating near each other while knowing they are never going to run out of food.
After the introduction, you can proceed to put their food bowls closer to each other slowly. Observe if they will consistently eat from their own bowls or try to steal food from the other cat’s bowl. Separating their feeding is necessary, especially when you will need to provide different kinds of food for each cat.
Step 6. Introduce your kitten and older cat in a supervised environment.
Begin by introducing your kitten and cats through a carrier or by holding the kitten in your arms. Start with letting them sniff each other slowly. If you see any signs of aggression, separate them right away. If they react positively, proceed to expose them to each other for increasingly lengthier periods.
Next, let them sniff each other through the door of your kitten-safe room. Gently open the door and let the cats see each other. If there is no aggressive growling or hissing, you can reward both cats with a treat. For a stable household, you need to let your cats establish their own functional hierarchy.
When you feel as if the kitten is no longer in danger, you can let them be in the same room together. During this period, it might be easy to feel alarmed when the older cat tries to hiss or smack at the kitten. While it may seem alarming, it’s completely normal as long as there are no real injuries.
Step 7. Be consistent as a household.
Other family members must be on the same page regarding acceptable behavior. Consistently enforcing rules will help kittens will learn your routines very quickly. For example, what furniture they are allowed to be on, what times food is served, and the placement of their litter boxes.
Be sure to reward good behavior through petting or treats whenever the older cat and kitten interact positively. Boundaries are necessary for any functional relationship, and this includes the one between your two cats.
Conclusion
Some older cats may take to kitten quickly, while other cats may never fully accept and only tolerate them. Adjustment periods vary depending on their age differences, personalities, and life experiences. Similar to how humans don’t all like each other, the same is for cats. The most you can do as an owner of multiple cats is to make the process as smooth as possible and hope for the best.
Introducing a new kitten to an older cat can definitely be challenging. However, it can incredibly be rewarding. Cats that bond well can bond for life. They will keep each other happy, healthy, and active, which will matter on days that you might them as much attention as you would hope. Also, there’s nothing that tugs your heartstrings quite like coming home to two cats snuggling to keep each other warm.