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ohsohappy · Jun 24, 2010, 09:02 PM

Hey everyone! I have a cat who is nearly 3 years old. My Apartment Manager's cat just had a litter of kittens, and I'm going to be getting one of them. So far I've been going over there every day to get to know the kitten and bond with her (gonna call her Win) , And today I brought Win over to my place for about 3 minutes for my other kitty (Luka) to sniff her. (the baby is only a week and a half so I didn't want her away from mommy too long) Needless to say, Luka hissed and hid. I want to know how to help introduce them. I still have about 7 weeks until I can take Win home permanently, and I would really like for the transition to go smoothly.

Anybody have some good suggestions?

EDIT: I should also add that we have a much older cat who is sick, we have to put her down soon, so Luka is used to other animals. Or at least one other cat.

hheath541 · Jun 24, 2010, 09:32 PM

OK, the fact that he's used to having another cat around will make it easier. Is the other cat male or female?

A lot of cats do not react well to tiny kittens. Males, especially. Think of it like handing a bachelor a baby and expecting him to know how to react.

The kitten is a weird, foreign object and he doesn't know what to do with it. I would wait until the baby's up and running around and playing before trying to introduce them again. When you do so, keep a close eye on both of them.

After you bring baby home to stay, still keep an eye on both of them. It wouldn't be a bad idea to keep them separated when you're not around for the first week or so.

Make sure to show him lots of love and attention when the baby's around, and praise him when he plays nice. They may never be best of friends, but it should be possible to get them to at least coexist peacefully.

Wondergirl · Jun 24, 2010, 09:33 PM

The kitten smelled "funny" to Luka -- not at all like the smells she's used to. And I wouldn't stick a smaller animal under another animal's nose. You could end up with blood flowing or a dead younger animal. (Been there, done that when I was young and stupid).

If I were you, I'd wait with the introductions. The kitten's mom might reject the kitten if it doesn't smell right. Dragging the kitten back and forth isn't good on several levels. Wait to introduce until the move is permanent. Meanwhile, we'll give you help to prepare for that.

Hheath* just dealt with a new litter of kittens, and I'm sure will have some good advice for you.

*YAY! She showed up while I was editing my post.

ohsohappy · Jun 25, 2010, 04:19 AM

Awww thanks guys. Both kitties are female by the way. I was thinking that maybe I could get a moist hand towel and rub it all over baby and then bring the towel home that smells so Luka will get used to the smell, I'd put the smelly towel under food. Something online told me that. What do you think?

ohsohappy · Jun 25, 2010, 10:58 AM

If anyone else has any suggestions I would really appreciate it. :)

Wondergirl · Jun 25, 2010, 11:07 AM

Originally Posted by ohsohappy

Awww thanks guys. Both kitties are female by the way. I was thinking that maybe I could get a moist hand towel and rub it all over baby and then bring the towel home that smells so Luka will get used to the smell, I'd put the smelly towel under food. Something online told me that. What do you think?

I suggest you relax and let the kitten grow up first. There will be plenty of time for introductions when the two cats can interact in person in various ways. (And we'll help then.) They probably won't be best friends from the get-go no matter what you do now.

morgaine300 · Jun 26, 2010, 09:09 PM

Agreeing wholeheartedly with Wondergirl. You seem to be trying to rush this. A few more weeks isn't going to make any difference. As she said, you're going to end up with this issue regardless of when you do it, and I doubt it's really going to help much to try to introduce that smell just a few weeks earlier.

People bring new cats into a household all the time and as a general rule, the cats don't like each other very much. You are going to have hissing and hiding and growling and whatever. Yes, it's easier that he's gotten used to having another cat around, but he's only 3 so it's easier at a younger age anyway. But that still doesn't mean he'll take to a new kitten easily.

Let them hiss and growl, let them run and hide, let them do what they want. Don't interfere unless you think there's going to be some serious harm. They need to work it all out for themselves, and they will with time. They may become best buddies, they may never really like each other. But they will work it out in some manner.

Oh, and what hheath said - separate them when you're gone or at night until you feel comfortable they at least won't kill each other when you're not there.

morgaine300 · Jun 26, 2010, 09:10 PM

Oh, sorry, and after all that "sternness" - thanks for taking on a new kitten, and good luck!

ohsohappy · Jun 28, 2010, 12:02 PM

Thanks for the advice guys! I was just hoping to make the transition easier, but I know they might not get along at first. They're both great. We just had to put my mom's cat down because she was sick and old. I feel terrible about it. I just want the new baby to have a good home and know we love them both. :)