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Questions
- How to introduce a new kitten to a cat
- What to do if they don’t like each other?
Almost everything you read on the social nature of cats and how to introduce them to a feline friend will firstly tell you that cats are naturally solitary animals. While this is true, it doesn’t mean you can’t introduce your cat to another friend. They can lead a happy and healthy life without company, as cats tend to seek the company of humans more than their own kind. If you introduce them slowly and give them time to adjust, a kitty companion is great for keeping them company when they’re busy and widening their social circle.
Cats allowed to go outside often have a small circle of friends they’ll coexist and socialise with. They might not be as friendly as dogs are when they see each other at the park but they will sit on fences together or watch the birds together. They’re not entirely unsocial for the most part.
How to introduce a new kitten to a cat
Before you even consider getting a kitten there are a few things you need to think about. Your existing cat’s temperament around other cats can give you a good idea of how possible it is for them to peacefully coexist with a friend. If you’ve seen them behave passively to cats out and about or maybe if they previously lived with company then your chances are better. If your cat is the kind to immediately try to chase any other cat off and gets agitated just by sight, they may not want their own kitten buddy.
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Keep them apart to start
For the first step, your new kitten will need to have a room to themselves where they can settle in and find their feet. If you just bring them home and expect them to get along, your introductions may not go very well. Keeping them separate to begin with means they both get time with you while getting used to the idea that there is another cat in the house. They will be able to smell each other under the door and it will help them to gradually acclimate.
You can also do something called scent swapping. Taking a bed or blanket that belongs to them and putting it in each other’s space to allow them to explore each other’s smells. They can spend short periods swapping spaces and exploring each other’s scents as long as they don’t meet during this part of the process.
Meet through a barrier
Their first meeting should be through a barrier like a baby gate or you can have the kitten in a playpen or carrier. This is so they can get used to seeing each other but still not have access to each other. It will keep pressure off if they know they can’t reach each other but it will get them comfortable with settling down within sight of one another. Every stage of introducing cats should have plenty of treats but these first glances should be heavily rewarded.
Cats love their food so building up an association that their favourite treats come out around each other will really help to create a positive association.
Supervised time together
Once they seem to be bored of seeing each other and barely react or have friendly sniffs through the barrier, you can start letting them interact without a barrier. It’s a good idea to have plenty of distractions like toys and some interactive food games so they don’t have to just focus on being social. They might have the odd squabble if your new addition pushes their luck but as long as they’re not continuously at odds, you can start to build this slowly until being around each other isn’t a big deal at all.
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Build it up gradually
While they’re getting used to each other, they should still have plenty of space to get away and may still need plenty of time apart. You may want to separate them if you’re leaving the house and their relationship isn’t quite at a point where you know they won’t squabble. Give them plenty of distractions and you should have at least one litter box per cat so they don’t have to share space if they don’t want to. With a nice gradual introduction, they can go at their own pace and develop a lasting friendship.
What to do if they don’t like each other?
You don’t need to panic if there is a setback during introductions, they can happen and it doesn’t mean that they will never be friends. It might just mean that you’ve gone a bit fast and they aren’t quite ready to have the contact you want them to yet. It can take weeks to a few months for them to really start to settle so don’t be too put off if there are a few bumps in the road. Cats are territorial by nature so they might just need to take it very slowly.
There is a chance that your new kitten and your moggy might never be the best of buds but they can learn to coexist around each other. With time and patience, you can have a multi cat household. For everything you need to build a lasting relationship between your fur babies, visit us in store and online.