Many cat owners don't realize that their friendly, solitary adult cats may have problems with a new kitten.
A new kitten will usually be eager to make friends, but older cats in the house may not want anything to do with the baby. Often older cats seem sad, withdrawn, hiss a lot, and sometimes even stop eating if they are not adapting well to the new family member.
This behavior is explained by the fact that cats do not like change, especially when it concerns their territory. Introducing a kitten to an adult cat can be very stressful, but there are some things you can do to help make the introduction smoother.
Preparation is the key to successfully introducing your new kitten to your cat. If you prepare your cat for her new pet and make the changes less drastic, she will be more likely to adjust to the kitten.
Give yourself (and your cat) plenty of time to prepare for this adaptation with the following steps.
This is the cat of the author of the article Fuhrer with a new cat Bullet, lying on his favorite tattered chair
Calm your cat
Pheromones are useful in creating a calm environment for any cat. The weeks leading up to the arrival of a new kitten in the house are a great time to take advantage of them.
Diffusers, sprays and wipes are all available and can help your cat feel relaxed without the use of medication. Try using pheromones for at least a few weeks before bringing your kitten home.
If you suspect your adult cat will be stressed and anxious with a new kitten, consider supplements designed to calm her down.
They will help your pet stay calm and relaxed.
Supplements usually work best if given several weeks before the expected stressful event and can be continued after the new kitten arrives.
These ingredients typically include L-theanine, phellodendron, magnolia, whey or milk protein, and other natural ingredients proven to be safe and effective for pets.
How to train a wild kitten to the litter box without much effort
Almost all cat owners are afraid that their pet will start going to the toilet past the litter box. Or even worse - into shoes or things. Due to the peculiarities of feline physiology, all that remains after “use” is to throw it away, since the clothes are saturated with a specific smell that cannot be destroyed in any way. Choosing a tray for a cat is not so easy, since pet stores offer a wide range of products. To begin with, it is better to choose a regular rectangular tray with a lattice insert.
This is especially important for a wild kitten: closed trays or containers with a high side can scare him away
Are you solving the problem of how to toilet train a feral kitten? Patience and more patience will help with this. At first, your pet may leave puddles and piles everywhere. Under no circumstances should you poke him with your face or hit him for this. Severely reprimand the baby and take him to the tray. Having planted it in the right place, explain what needs to be done in it. A little trick: blot the urine on the floor with a newspaper and put it in the tray. The kitten will come to the smell of its discharge and do its business where necessary.
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Why shouldn't you use physical punishment? This will only cause fear in the kitten; he will become aggressive towards the owner and begin to mark shoes and things out of revenge. Therefore, before taming a wild kitten to go to the litter box, learn the carrot and stick method. As soon as your pet makes a puddle, sternly reprimand him and take him to the litter box. It has been scientifically proven that animals clearly distinguish between intonations. Therefore, a dissatisfied voice will affect them, and they will understand it as “you can’t do that.” When the kitten goes into the tray, pet it and gently praise it, treat it with meat or a piece of tasty food.
Prepare the house
New items for your kitten, such as food bowls, beds, another litter box, toys, should be placed in the house before the kitten arrives home.
Start placing items in new locations about a week before arrival so your adult cat can smell them and get used to them. If you can, try bringing items that already have kitty scent on them.
Make sure you are ready to adopt a kitten yourself.
If you are stressed and unprepared, your adult cat will be able to tell and be negatively influenced.
Designate a small room, such as a bathroom, for your new kitten to have privacy in for the first week or so. Your older cat should be able to reach the door of this room to hear and smell the kitten, but not have any interaction with it.
Place the kitten's belongings (such as a litter box and food bowls) in this room along with a toy that belongs to the older cat.
Prepare the cat
Make sure your cat is healthy. Adding additional stress to an unhealthy cat will only make the situation worse. Take your cat to the vet to make sure she is healthy and her vaccinations are up to date.
Respiratory illnesses are common in kittens, so you want your adult cat's immune system to be ready to handle whatever comes along.
While some cats accept a kitten right away, others usually need a little time to adjust to the changes. Sometimes cats never fully accept a new kitten, but simply coexist while staying away from it.
Introduce your cat to a new kitten
When you bring your kitten home, let your cat sniff while the kitten is in the carrier or in your arms. Go straight to the room pre-designated for your new kitten and let him explore it.
The litter tray, food bowls, bed and some toys should be easily accessible. Don't allow your older cat to have unsupervised access to the kitten.
At night, when you are not home and you cannot supervise the kitten and your older cat, keep the kitten in its designated room with the door closed.
When your cat becomes curious, she may stick her paw under the door, sniff under the door, and listen to the kitten. Do this for about a week, depending on how your cat reacts to the changes.
Remember to give your older cat plenty of attention after playing with the kitten. He will need your attention and support, and the smell of the kitten on your clothes will help him get used to the newcomer.
How to break up a fight
Conflict between cats can manifest itself in different ways and does not always require the intervention of the owner. When cats run after each other, hiss, and sometimes give a short blow with their paw, there is no reason to intervene. Just watching your pets is enough. The grinding process is inevitable - and the sooner it begins, the sooner it will come to an end. It makes sense to intervene when there is a real fight involved.
Never try to separate fighting cats with your bare hands. These are predators with sharp claws and teeth. Even despite their small size, they can seriously injure a person.
The easiest option is to throw a blanket or large towel over the cats. Other options are to splash water on them or try to separate them with a mop/any long stick. When you stop the fight, take the new cat into another room. Leave them in isolation for 1-2 days, then try again to introduce the animals.
Encourage spending time together
After about a week, the kitten can be allowed to explore the house under your watchful eye. Let your cat watch this exploration and leave if she wants.
Don't force interactions between your cat and kitten. If your cat has a favorite interactive toy, such as a pen wand or laser pointer, try playing with both cats at the same time.
This will stimulate mutual activity.
You can also give them both treats at the same time and feed them from different bowls at the same time. Be sure to leave enough space between food bowls so your cat doesn't feel threatened.
Encourage any positive interactions your older cat has with your kitten using praise, treats, and physical affection. Make sure your cat associates the kitten with happy, positive things.
How to accustom a cat to hands and affection
If you want cat affection, become patient and affectionate yourself. An outdoor cat will begin to trust a person when it gets used to his smell and voice. He will associate his appearance with a pleasant event (food, affection).
A wild cat is tamed in the same way as a kitten. First, treats are brought regularly. Then they hold out their palm with a piece of the most delicious thing (the delicacy lies in the center of the palm, not on the fingers!), and allow it to be sniffed. When the cat begins to approach, perhaps rubs its head on its leg, you can pet it in response, speaking calmly and affectionately.
A common mistake: in order to tame a cat at home, he is immediately locked in a room - the animal will try to escape as soon as it is freed.
You can call the cat with you, after a few meters, stop, praise, and give a treat again. The main thing is that if you come, give her the opportunity to leave. Without feeling afraid, the pet will return.
Let the cat establish a hierarchy
Cats need to have order, and the new family member needs to know where he is. Your cat may go through a period of time where she tries to establish a hierarchy with the new kitten.
Your older cat may hiss and spank the kitten when the newbie does something unfavorable. This is completely normal, and while he's just hissing and slapping, do your best not to interfere.
Your cat thus establishes her role as the dominant cat in the household, and the kitten is taught where her boundaries are as a new cat.
How to reconcile two pets: first steps
For a cat, the appearance of a second pet in the house is stressful, and making them friends is realistic only when the animals have enough time to get to know each other. And in order to help the pet quickly adapt to this situation and get used to the idea that the little kitten is now a full member of the family, the owner must provide the most comfortable conditions for both pets to live together.
- You shouldn’t force things and pit your pet against a new resident as soon as he appears in the house. First you need to check what your cat's reaction to the kitten will be and if she does not show aggression, you can give them the opportunity to get to know each other better;
- You should not leave animals in the same room unattended, hoping in this way to bring them closer and make friends, since the behavior of an adult pet is difficult to predict. He can take advantage of the owner's absence and attack the kitten, causing him serious harm;
- It is unlikely that you will be able to make friends with pets if your baby steals food from the cat’s plate. Therefore, in the first days it is better to feed the kitten separately and not allow it to the bowl of an adult pet;
- Cats are very jealous of their litter box and may refuse to go into it if the kitten leaves traces of its presence there. Therefore, a small pet should have its own tray to correct its natural needs;
- To prevent the baby from taking over the cat’s favorite house or its bedding, he should be given a separate place to rest;
- You can make friends between a cat and a new kitten by playing together. When playing with your baby, include an adult pet in the game, this will bring them closer and give them the opportunity to get to know each other better;
- You should not allow the baby to do things that are forbidden to the first pet, for example, sleep on the table or eat from the owner’s plate, because this will cause an additional portion of jealousy on the part of the old-timer;
- If a cat asks to be held and requires attention and affection, do not refuse it, because she wants to make sure once again that her owner still loves and appreciates her.
Problems and correct behavior
Don't give up if the first meetings are not positive. It may take time for older cats to get used to a younger cat.
A common mistake is to rush socialization between cats and then get angry or upset when it doesn't work out.
Stay calm and work gradually to bring the cats together. Try to time your interactions and gradually increase the amount of time you spend together.
If your older cat is particularly aggressive towards the new kitten, talk to your veterinarian or behaviorist for advice.
Watch a funny video about how the small cat Bullet tries to drive the adult cat Fuhrer away from his bowl, although her bowl is full. And how carefully and gently an adult cat “educates” an unreasonable, cocky little feline creature.
Behavior algorithms
How friendly a cat will accept a stranger is determined by the following factors:
- cat breed;
- character, temperament;
- gender differences;
- age.
The cat breeds with close wild roots are the most difficult to get along with their fellow tribesmen: Bengal, Savannah, Safari, Caraquet. Such animals are bred at the same time.
Cats of the Persian and Siamese breeds show aggressiveness at first, but then get used to the opponent. Abyssinian, Burmese, Siberian breeds have difficulty accepting competitors. It is better to get a second pet while the animals are young.
Russian Blues, Nibelungs, and Ragdolls are flexible and friendly towards new residents. Sphinxes, exotics, and rexes are distrustful and have difficulty accepting changes.
When buying two animals at the same time, in an unfamiliar environment, it is easy to make friends with them.
Elderly cats over seven years old have a hard time accepting the appearance of a stranger: they become depressed and can become seriously ill.
Newcomers of the opposite sex, younger and smaller than the resident, settle in more easily.
There's a cat living in the house
To make a playmate for your furry pet, the following rules will help you make friends:
- You cannot get a pet when the cat is pregnant or nursing kittens. The exception is a kitten, which the cat will raise along with her kittens.
- During estrus, the female is excited and aggressive, and the appearance of a stranger will be met with protest.
- Older cats are sensitive to newcomers.
- Young individuals bond more easily.
Cats are strongly attached to the house and consider the apartment to be their nest. They fiercely defend their rights, and gradually accept the second individual. Over time, animals are able to make friends. The old cat usually dominates.
A cat that appears in a house with a cat will quickly become friends with it. The result will be mating and offspring, regular pregnancies. It is better to neuter one of their animals. Surgery on a male is easier. Experienced breeders do not keep a pair of fertile individuals of different sexes together.
If the cat is sterilized, the appearance of a fertile male causes a protest: the cat hisses and can scratch or hit with its paw.
A kitten up to 6 months will be adopted by the cat, following maternal instinct, she will take it under her care. It is possible that when the kitten grows up, problems will arise between friends.
There's a cat living in the house
The appearance of a kitten when an adult cat lives in the apartment is rarely perceived with friendliness. Males do not have the instinct to care for offspring; the cat will ignore the baby. If his territory is encroached upon, he may hit him with his paw, but will not fight seriously.
Do not pair a kitten under 3 months with an adult cat, it can choke it.
It's difficult for two cats to get along in the same house. Competition in everything: for territory, affection of the owner, food, the best place to relax. An active male will oppress a weak one. Confrontation leads to stress and weakened immunity. The solution is castration of one or both individuals, keeping them in separate rooms or enclosures.
The cat accepts the female in a friendly manner, neighbors can easily become friends. A fertile male shows interest in an individual of the opposite sex; a castrated male is friends with a cat due to the preservation of the reflex functions of the body. It is important to feed separately. The cat, proving its dominant position, deprives the pet of the necessary calories.
