You’re about to introduce your tiny new kitten to your big resident cat. Ever thought about what could go wrong? You want this to be the start of a beautiful friendship, but life isn’t always that simple.
Bringing a new cat into your home can go in a number of directions, so it's best to stay prepared.
Some cats will become besties right from the get-go. For others though, they can be a bit territorial, and if your new buddy’s invading their space they won’t be happy.
Even with the most docile of breeds, you never know for sure how they’ll react. And it only takes one of the pair to get spooked for the whole relationship to turn sour - before it’s even started.
That said, there’s plenty you can do to maximise the chances of a happy outcome. From laying the groundwork to that crucial first meeting and beyond, here’s how to make your kitten and cat friends.
Picking Your Kitten with a Happy Home in Mind
If you have several kittens from a litter to choose from, always factor in your existing buddy when making your choice. If they’re on the docile side, it’s probably best to steer away from the overly boisterous kitten who thinks they’re a tiger.
Prepping Your Home for the New Arrival
When it comes to introducing a kitten, a slow and gentle approach is definitely best. That way, your older cat won’t feel like they’re under attack - and your new buddy won’t be terrified of their territorial big brother or sister.
Make sure you’ve got enough time to properly establish your new multi cat environment, that starts right from the collection date. Picking up the kitten on a Friday and leaving the weekend clear is a good idea.
In terms of caring for your kitten once you're home, pick a room to bring them to when you arrive. For the first day or so, make this their room and don’t let your adult cat in. It makes sense if this is a room they don’t bother with too much anyway, or they’ll get curious about what you’re hiding away in there.
Having a kitten pen in the room can also help you, giving a safe and reassuring space for the kitten to play and feel comfortable in their new home. Your new buddy should have their own litter tray along with food, water and a few toys.
Arrival: Mix Those Scents
They’re not going to have a face-to-face just yet. Let them get used to each other’s scent first.
Have lots of towels, old cloths or bedding at the ready. The idea is to mix the scents by rubbing them over the fur of both cats. Next, put a couple of scent-mingled rags next to the cat’s feeding bowl, and another couple next to the feeding bowl in the kitten’s pen.
Carry this on for a couple of days. What’s happening? Well, hopefully now your two besties are gradually getting used to each other without having even met yet. The scent rags are placed next to the feeding bowl so they associate this new smell with a positive experience. Simples!
Love at First Sight
By about day three, it’s time for a first visual interaction. Leave the door of kitten’s room open for a while. They’re still safe inside the pen, but it’s all part of the initial familiarisation process.
Kitten and Cat's First Encounter
Maybe a day later, you’re ready for the big one - it’s time to meet face to face. Bring your cat into the kitten's room and let them get to know each other.
Here’s the type of behaviour and reaction you’d expect to see…
- A lot of staring while they’re sussing each other out.
- Posturing. It’s natural that they’re going to be on their guard.
As they start to relax, grab a toy and encourage them both to play. You’ll probably see some cautious paw-to-paw contact and up-close sniffing.
Keep this first session short and sweet so you don’t overwhelm them. A few hours later, try it again for a bit longer. The next day you can try bringing the kitten out of their room to see how they get on together. Physical, non-aggressive contact, sniffing, maybe even some mutual grooming, these are all signs of a budding friendship in the making.
Cat Introduction Warning Signs
Of course, things don’t always go totally to plan. Even if they made a solid start, unsupervised contact isn’t a good idea for at least the first month (your new buddy won’t be able to defend themselves if it all turns sour).
Signs of Aggressive Cat Behaviour
Stay in tune with your cat's body language and behaviour to make sure you are aware of any souring of the relationship before it happens. Some negative behaviours to keep an eye out for are:
- Either cat flattening their ears
- Growling
- Spitting
- Full-on clawing
These are the signs that it’s time to take a step back. Once again, separate them, give them more time to get used to each other’s scent and set up some more carefully supervised play sessions.
How Long Does it Take to Safely Introduce a New Kitten to a Cat
There is no fixed answer to this. It might take weeks. It could take months. Every cat, environment, relationship and situation is different.
But this little-by-little approach is one of the best ways of teaching your feline friends how to get along!
While most cats will get used to newcomers eventually, some are just not cut out to be friends. So, buying a new kitten should be a well thought out decision, not an impulse buy!
Things to Know When Introducing a Kitten to an Adult Cat
Introducing kittens to adults cats sounds like a great way to start your multi-cat-household journey. But it does always go as smoothly as you'd like. Your existing cat might not think your new bundle of fluff is nearly as cute as you do.
So, alongside following the process we outlined above, you might also want to try these top tips:
- Keep the routine: Make sure your existing mog doesn't miss out on the cuddles and attention - try to keep things as "normal" as possible for them before you introduce the new kitty.
- Sharing is not caring: If you're upping the number of cats in your house, then you need to increase the number of accessories too. Make sure each cat has their own food bowls, beds, litter boxes, scratching posts and toys.
- No stealing: Keep them apart at feeding time to prevent one from taking the other's food.
- Wear out your kitten: Playing with your new arrival will help tire them out and prevent them from irritating your cat.
- Think about barriers: Baby gates alone won't cut it here. Your kitten will be able to slip through small gaps, so make sure you are effectively cutting off through routes.
What to Know When Introducing Adult Cats
If you're adopting a cat to be a new friend to your existing cat then there are some other things to think about.
It helps to understand both cats personalities and temperaments, so that you know from the start whether they are going to be compatible or not. This will also help prevent them fighting with each other.
Tools like pheromones can help calm quarrelsome kitties, but it's always best to try and match their personalities as best you can before getting them in the same household.
Top Tips for Introducing Kittens
Going all in on a couple of kittens from the start can be a nice way to become a multi cat house. But, again, you do need to think about getting the right two kittens from the start.
One of the smoothest routes is to try is to go for siblings, rather than two cats that are unaware of each other. You should also think about getting kittens that are at a similar age and, in terms of relationship management, the younger the kittens the better.
Signs of Cat Bullying to Watch Out For
One other thing to watch out for when introducing cats and kittens (or two cats) is feline bullying. Some classic signs of cat bullying include:
- One cat routes around the house, cat flaps or resources.
- Pushing the other cat away when with you.
- Hitting or jumping on the other cat when they're sleeping
- Hitting or jumping on the other cat when they're not looking.
- Staring.
- Growling, spitting or clawing to intimidate.
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