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I really need some advice...I have a 10 year old cat. She is sweet and very laid-back. My 12 yr. old daughter really wants a kitten. Can I put a kitten with an older cat? Has any one done this? Did it workout ok? I do not want to upset my older cat. Thanks for any advice
We got two kittens (brothers) and raised them from about 4-5 weeks. We had three older cats.
1. Adopted them and became a father figure.
2. oldest doesnt even think he is a cat so doesnt want anything to do with them although one of the kittens keeps trying to imitate him
3. Is the closest in age and thinks he has a new brother to play with.
There is usually no danger and the older one will probably set the rules. Just let them meet slowly. We had ours quarantined for about 4 weeks because they were so young.
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I'd suggest getting two kittens rather than one. The two kittens will entertain each other, whereas if you got one kitten, it will likely try to entertain itself with the older cat. The older cat might be ok with that (but would probably be slow to warm up), or she might not want anything to do with the kitten. If its the later, a second kitten would deflect kitten energy away from the older cat, who can then go about her life and house leader from afar.
Being a female cat, if she accepts a new kitten, she could very well take over "mommy" roles. My Bugsy did that when we got Gandy as a kitten. Bugs was only 2 at the time, but she quickly (within about a week) adjusted to the kitten and started bathing her along with playing with her.
Of course you can. Cats like the company of other cats -- once they get used to one another. You just want to introduce the two carefully. Keep the kitten in a separate room with the door closed for a few days. Let the older cat smell the kitten from under the door. She'll hiss and carry on. After a few days, maybe a week, open the door to the other room so the kitten may come out and sniff around. She may run back into the other room. Allow the cats plenty of time to adjust. Whatever you do, don't push the introduction. Let them go at their own speed.
Thanks for the advice..We are going away for labor day weekend, as soon as we get back we are getting a kitten. We are waiting to get approved by our local animal shelter. I will keep you all posted.
We got two kittens (brothers) and raised them from about 4-5 weeks. We had three older cats.
1. Adopted them and became a father figure.
I had two older male cats (brothers) and adopted a female kitten from our local shelter, and one of the boys became a "mother" figure, even allowing the kitten to "nurse".
She integrated perfectly into the existing group and they are part of our happy family. Best of luck with introducing your new one -- hope it goes smoothly!
Last edited by Wanderlust07; 08-19-2007 at 01:34 PM..
Reason: added text
I'd be careful if you're older cat is a male and you bring another male into the picture. We had two males at one point and they weren't related- didn't get along all that well.
We have an older cat 13(female) and a younger one 6(male) and for the most part it has worked out ok, but I will say the younger one has a tendancy to try and rough house with the older one and on a couple of occassions he has hurt her. .
If I had to do it over again I would have gotten them a little closer in age.
My older cat is Male 5yr old,my kitten is Male 5mnths old,my older cat is not warming to him at all, because the kitten is full of play and pouncing on older cat, my older cat has started growling and hissing at him, it's not good...what can I do as I love them both now ?
Every cat will be different. I know an older female cat (not mine) that tried to kill a kitten that was being introduced. It wasn't even a question of getting along well together or not. She downright tried to kill it as soon as she saw the kitten and would have if not for a fast intervention. The kitten was so traumatized it defecated on itself. Some cats are very territorial and won't tolerate another in their territory even a kitten. Cats by instinct are loners and not social with unknown members of their own species. They evolved that way. It's just something to keep in mind.
Last edited by marino760; 05-13-2019 at 08:30 AM..
My older cat is Male 5yr old,my kitten is Male 5mnths old,my older cat is not warming to him at all, because the kitten is full of play and pouncing on older cat, my older cat has started growling and hissing at him, it's not good...what can I do as I love them both now ?
If he's just growling and hissing and not attacking the kitten, I wouldn't interfere. It's fine that he's telling the kitten enough. You shouldn't let the kitten annoy the older cat.
If the older cat is attacking the kitten, actively seeking him out and trying to hurt him, that's different and you will might need to rehome the kitten.
All the older cat is doing is telling the kitten to leave him alone and that's OK. If the kitten keeps going back after the older cat has told him no, I'd try to get the kitten interested in a toy or move him to another room. You don't want the older cat to get so annoyed that he ends up hurting the kitten. Make sure the kitten has plenty of toys, scratching posts etc. Also make sure you are playing with the kitten multiple times a day and trying to drain some of that energy. If you do he will be less likely to annoy the older cat. Get a toy on a string that he can chase.
Go to Jackson Galaxy's website and read up about how to introduce a kitten to an older cat. He also has good suggestions on how to play with your cat.
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