Friendly, single adult cats can have difficulty adjusting to life with a new kitten. Older cats often seem sad, withdraw, hiss a lot and sometimes even stop eating or start urinating in strange places if they don’t adjust well to the new family member.
These behaviors are due to the fact that cats don’t like change, especially when it affects their traditional territory. Reuniting a kitten with an adult cat can cause a lot of stress in your household, but there are some things you can do to make the reunion go smoothly.
Preparation is the key to successfully reuniting a new kitten with your older cat. If you prepare your cat for the new arrival and make the changes seem less drastic, she will be more likely to adjust to her new roommate. Providing new bowls and items for the kitten in advance is an important step, and setting boundaries for both cats will help everyone adjust. Overall, these steps should give you (and your older cat) plenty of time to prepare for the transition.
Preparation
Calm Your Older Cat
Pheromones are useful for creating a calm environment for any cat. The weeks leading up to the arrival of a new kitten are a good time to use them. There are diffusers, sprays and wipes available to help your cat relax without the need for medication. Try using pheromones for at least a couple of weeks before taking a kitten home.
If you suspect your older cat is becoming stressed and anxious with a new kitten, consider cat calming supplements. These won’t give your pet any medication, but will help them stay calm and relaxed. They usually work best when given a few weeks before the anticipated stressful event, and can continue to be taken after the new kitten arrives. Ingredients typically include L-theanine, phellodendron, magnolia, whey or milk proteins, and other natural ingredients that have been shown to be safe and effective for pets.
Your veterinarian is a good source when it comes to recommending safe and effective tranquilizers. There are a variety of “tranquilizers” available today. Check with your veterinarian before giving your pet a supplement to make sure it’s worth the time and money!
Get Your Home Ready
New items for your kitten, such as food bowls, beds, a new litter box and toys, should be placed in and around your home before the kitten comes home. Start putting these items in their new places about a week before the new kitten arrives so that your adult cat can smell them and get used to the new things. If possible, include items that have already taken on the kitten’s scent. Make sure you are prepared for the kitten. If you are stressed and unprepared, your older cat will notice and be negatively affected.
Set up a small room, such as a bathroom, for your new kitten to retreat to and spend the first week or so in. Your older cat should be able to get to the door of this room to hear and smell it, but have no contact with the kitten. Place the kitten’s belongings in this room (e.g. litter tray and food bowls) as well as a toy that belongs to your older cat.
Cats are usually stressed when they have limited access to resources. These resources include food, water, litter boxes, good seating and you. There should be one litter box and one extra litter box for each cat, and these litter boxes should be located throughout the house. Cats generally don’t want to bump into another cat when trying to get to a resource, so take this into consideration when placing resources around the house. Remember that it’s a good idea to start using pheromones and tranquilizers before making any changes to your home, as this process alone has been known to cause stress-related illness in cats.
Prepare Your Older Cat
Make sure your older cat is healthy. Putting an unhealthy cat under stress will only make things worse, and you want your cat to be prepared for a new kitten not only mentally, but physically as well. Have your cat checked by your vet to make sure he is healthy and his vaccinations are up to date. Respiratory diseases are common in kittens. So you want your senior cat’s immune system to be prepared for anything that comes into the house. In the event of any scratching or biting incidents between cat and kitten, your cat’s rabies vaccination should also be up to date.
It is also important that you know the status of your cat and kitten with regard to Feline Leukemia (FeLV) and Feline Immunodeficiency Virus (FIV) before adopting. Your veterinarian can inform you of the recommended tests that should be performed before you take a new cat into a home.
Older cats sometimes accept a new kitten immediately, but they usually need some time to get used to the changes. Sometimes cats don’t fully accept a new kitten, but simply live side by side and stay away from the other cats in the house. Regardless of how your cat feels about the new kitten, you should make sure that everything remains peaceful and you have the best chance of building a friendship from the start.
The Introduction
It is also important that you know the status of your cat and kitten with regard to Feline Leukemia (FeLV) and Feline Immunodeficiency Virus (FIV) before adopting a cat. Your vet can advise you of the recommended tests that should be carried out before you take a new cat into your home.
Older cats sometimes accept a new kitten immediately, but they usually need some time to get used to the changes. Sometimes cats don’t fully accept a new kitten, but simply live side by side and stay away from the other cats in the house. Regardless of how your cat feels about the new kitten, you should make sure that everything remains peaceful and that you have the best chance of building a friendship right from the start.
Encourage Time Together
After about a week, let your kitten explore the house under your watchful eye. Allow your older cat to observe this exploration and retreat if she wants to. Do not force interaction between your cat and the kitten. If your cat has a favorite interactive toy, such as a feather wand or laser pointer, try to play with both cats at the same time. This encourages mutual activity. You can also give both cats treats at the same time and feed them from separate bowls. Make sure there is enough space between the food bowls so that your older cat does not feel threatened.
Encourage all positive interactions between your older cat and the kitten through praise, treats and physical affection. You want your cat to associate the kitten with happy, positive things.
Allow Your Older Cat to Establish Boundaries
Cats need order, and a new member of the household needs to learn the rules. Your older cat may try to set boundaries for the new kitten for a while, and may hiss and hit him if the new arrival does something unpleasant. This is perfectly normal, and as long as it is only hissing and hitting, you should try not to intervene. Your older cat will show the kitten what his boundaries are as a new cat.
Problems and Proofing Behavior
They may never become best friends, but most cats learn to accept and occasionally appreciate the presence of another feline roommate. Don’t give up if initial encounters are not positive. Older cats can take time to get used to a younger cat. A common mistake is to rush the socialization between cats and then get angry or frustrated when it doesn’t work out. Stay calm and work slowly to bring the cats together. Try to stagger the interactions and slowly increase the time together. If your older cat is particularly aggressive towards the new kitten, consult your veterinarian or a behavior specialist for advice.
