Angel Posted October 30, 2011 Share Posted October 30, 2011 but we've got a very finicky 10yo cat. Dh has said yes to the kittens and is not so worried about our anal cat (the anal cat that gets post traumatic stress disorder if anything rocks his world :glare:). In fact, everyone else said that it will be ok. But I'm still a little worried. Any advice? Will this work out? We thought about getting two thinking that they will keep each other occupied and leave our older cat alone. (And each girl wants a kitty, though the anal one is supposed to be our older dd's, it hasn't worked out that way). Our older cat is male, fixed and declawed in the front. The two kittens are boy/girl litter mates, 4.5 months old, fixed but still have claws. I'm trying to look at this from all angles. My friend thinks I'm crazy for worrying, she brought home two kittens and set them down in front of her 3 other cats and said get along:tongue_smilie: Help!!! Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AngieW in Texas Posted October 30, 2011 Share Posted October 30, 2011 I do know a couple who got married and weren't able to integrate their cats. They had to partition the house and let his cats have one portion of the house and her cats have the other. They swapped the cats every week. They split up after about 4 years and I know they still hadn't been able to integrate the cats. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paige Posted October 30, 2011 Share Posted October 30, 2011 We brought a kitten home last month. My older cat is 14yrs and hates other cats. She even hated them as a tiny kitten. She is a little mad but mostly she is just annoyed. We kept them completely separate for about a week, then we allowed supervised interaction. She hissed, kitten would freeze and be scared. We have gradually allowed more interaction and the kitten is getting braver and adult cat is getting more tolerant. They will never be friends but I think they will be ok. I think getting 2 is a good idea. I wish we could have 2 because I think it would help my kitten quit bothering the older cat. He was really crushed when she rejected him too- it was pretty pitiful. It helped that the kitten started off super tiny so she didn't see him as a threat. I think introducing an older kitten wouldn't have gone well. She was not as aggressive with him as I've seen her with bigger cats. Also, I got her some treats called "Calm Kitty" or something like that. I gave them to her for the first 2 weeks and she was chilled out more than I've ever seen her. She even let the kids pet her which never happens. It might be worth picking some up to help her deal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Starr Posted October 30, 2011 Share Posted October 30, 2011 I have a friend that just puts them together and lets them hiss it out. Bringing kittens in should be easier than older cats. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tex-mex Posted October 30, 2011 Share Posted October 30, 2011 It depends on the older cat -- by age 10, it is going to be VERY set in its ways -- and may not be willing to accept the new cats. Begin the intros by sequestering the new ones in ONE bedroom for one week. Allow the intro on day one with the older cat and new ones in a neutral room -- you may need to keep the kittens in a cage or the older one in a cage. It is up to you. Be prepared for LOUD hissing and howls from the older cat. That is normal. Give the first intros only less than 15 minutes and take away cats -- put kittens in "safe" house for remainder of day/night. As each day goes, build up time for the group to mingle. Be prepared to intervene if needed. Increase the time for the group by 5-10 minutes a day. On the last day of the week, no more isolation. Give it a go. But the new kittens may need that room to be their safe escape if older cat torments them. You may need separate kitty litter boxes permanently as older cat may detest their urine smell in his/her box and they will pee in the house elsewhere. But basically the kittens will have to allow the older cat the honor of it being in charge. As they age, it will mellow into a better relationship. It just depends on the older cat's willingness to accept a new cat in his "pride". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stephanier.1765 Posted October 30, 2011 Share Posted October 30, 2011 We also just brought home a new kitten a month ago and integrated him in a house with a 10 yo female cat. They still aren't friends and will still occasionally have a hiss off but it's the kitten that always backs down which helps the cat feel safe in her position. Otherwise things are going pretty well. If the kitten is eating and the cat comes looking for food, she will patiently wait until he's done before getting some herself. I think it's much easier to integrate kittens to cats vs cats to cats. At least the cat has its size to help it feel secure in its position in the home. If anything, I feel sorry for the kitten because he wants to play so badly with the cat that he looks so sad when he tries to and gets rebuked. Bringing in 2 kittens sounds like a great idea to me. If I could convince my dh to do that I would. A pet for my pet. :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Remudamom Posted October 30, 2011 Share Posted October 30, 2011 The kittens might normalize your anal cat. We had an only cat for about 12 years and then all of a sudden we started aquiring other cats. Original kitty took it all in stride. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Angel Posted October 30, 2011 Author Share Posted October 30, 2011 Wow! Thanks for all your advice! I'm so nervous about this. But anal kitty really isn't a loveable hug a bug and older dd needs a hug a bug. Younger dd just wants her own kitty. We will be looking for "Calm Kitty" treats tomorrow!! Our cat could probably use those daily LOL. The integration advice was really helpful. And it's good that we will be home pretty much all week this week, so I guess it's as good a week as any! Remudamom, I hope you are right! I showed dd your post and she laughed. We can't imagine our anal cat being normalized :lol: If we get them, I'll try and post a picture! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Angel Posted October 30, 2011 Author Share Posted October 30, 2011 Also, I got her some treats called "Calm Kitty" or something like that. I gave them to her for the first 2 weeks and she was chilled out more than I've ever seen her. She even let the kids pet her which never happens. It might be worth picking some up to help her deal. Could you tell me where you got these? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lea1 Posted October 30, 2011 Share Posted October 30, 2011 I got a new kitten a few months back. Before that, I had two 13 year old cats (one male and one female) and one of them (the female) died. I took lots of time to gently introduce the new female kitten with my 13 year old male cat. He did lots of growling and hissing at first. He is really a laid back cat and I thought he would adjust pretty easily to her. Long story short, he would really be perfectly fine with her except that she will. not. leave. him. alone. She is constantly running up to him and jumping on him and attacking him, sometimes playfully, sometimes not so playfully. Sometimes it is an all out cat fight, although I think he still goes easy on her because I have never seen any fur flying, which I used to see when my other two would have a disagreement once in a while. He gets so tired and frustrated at having to fight her off constantly that I really feel sorry for him. I wonder if having two kittens would have made a difference, since they could have played together. I get the feeling that she is already trying to challenge his position as dominant cat of the family though. I keep thinking that she will get better as she gets older. I hope I'm right because playing shuffle the cats all day can be tiring and stressful at times. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paige Posted October 31, 2011 Share Posted October 31, 2011 Could you tell me where you got these? I got them at a pet store called Feeders Supply but you might be able to find them in other pet stores. I haven't seen it at Walmart or Target. It was by the cat treats and supplements. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nakia Posted October 31, 2011 Share Posted October 31, 2011 We've brought home several new kittens over the years. Every single time the cats that are already here get p*ssed for a week or so, and then they get over it. The only exception was our old cat, Quincy. He actually LOVED kittens as soon as they walked in the door. He would baby them, groom them, and just love them to pieces. Once they were about 8-10 months, though, he lost interest. We used to joke about getting Quincy a kitten. He was a sweetie! Unfortunately we had to have him euthanized earlier this year due to liver cancer. Enjoy your babies! I love kittens! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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