Will my cat do good with a kitten?

[Chicken poppy]

Let me start by saying, yes, i’m very aware all cats are different. I know her response could be anything and could be great, bad, or neutral. But as a paranoid cat mom i must ask for advice anyway!

I’m getting a kitten 8wks old very soon! (In two weeks because they aren’t 8wks yet) gender is not for sure yet.
and my lovely cat Kiwi, is about 5 years old, female.

I would love tips on how to slowly introduce and if you think Kiwi will do well.


Kiwi goes absolutely crazy and feral so to speak when she smells stray/feral cats on my hands. However, i have touched and rubbed a domesticated cat before, and she doesn’t care at all. I don’t think she cared about the kittens smell either (the one im getting)
She is good with dogs. Amazing with my birds, she snuggled with my bantam chicken, it’s a sweet relationship, but for the most part with a dog that used to live with us, and chicken bonding she stays neutral, doesn’t bother them, but doesn’t like them that much either.

She has lots and lots of kitten energy and is snuggly.

Thanks for any advice, suggestions, tips, etc!

(Names also appreciated as it is a work and progress)

 

[NatJ]

I have very little cat experience.
But based on what works with other animals, I suggest you have some way to separate them if needed. You may not need to, but it's useful to have a plan just in case.

Any room with a door can be used to separate cats (at least until a person opens the door.)

A wire dog crate could also be used to set up a look-no-touch situation, like is often done with chickens. Either cat could be the one in the crate-- the current cat so the kitten can freely explore the room, or the kitten if you want to keep it out of mischief while you are not directly available to supervise or if it keeps pestering the adult cat.

Of course there are differences between chickens and cats. With chickens it is common to set up a look-no-touch situation and have them live that way for weeks. With cats, I might expect to do it for a few hours or less each time, and the rest of the time either have them shut in separate rooms (much larger than a crate!) or else have them both completely free to interact with supervision.

And as you said, they might be fine from the beginning, so this would not be needed.

 

[Chicken poppy]

I have very little cat experience.
But based on what works with other animals, I suggest you have some way to separate them if needed. You may not need to, but it's useful to have a plan just in case.

Any room with a door can be used to separate cats (at least until a person opens the door.)

A wire dog crate could also be used to set up a look-no-touch situation, like is often done with chickens. Either cat could be the one in the crate-- the current cat so the kitten can freely explore the room, or the kitten if you want to keep it out of mischief while you are not directly available to supervise or if it keeps pestering the adult cat.

Of course there are differences between chickens and cats. With chickens it is common to set up a look-no-touch situation and have them live that way for weeks. With cats, I might expect to do it for a few hours or less each time, and the rest of the time either have them shut in separate rooms (much larger than a crate!) or else have them both completely free to interact with supervision.

And as you said, they might be fine from the beginning, so this would not be needed.

Thank you for your reply! I will definitely keep this in mind, i have never mixed cats before though I’ve owned a few, all at different times.

 

[Helloyou89]

I rescue cats and have done this before. One of my older cats did not like non-spayed or neutered cats. Once we got the kitten fixed, she tolerated the it much better. I have 5 cats, they each have their bff and a cat that they dislike the most. Right now, my older cats are learning to tolerate a little menacing kitten who wants to play constantly. Sometimes, I catch them playing with her and other times they are hissing at her to let her know she’s too much.
Slow introduction works well, but they also will need to learn to tolerate one another and learn the ‘rules/boundaries’ from the other cats.
It’s funny because I swear that two of my girls who used to constantly squabble, I thought they hated each other and did my best to keep them apart. Until one day I saw an unknown stray cat, trying to pick on one of them and her ‘frenemy’ came running outside to defend her!
It takes time, patience, and supervision. But in most cases they will learn to get along, or establish their own spaces and while they may not be the best of friends…they will cohabitate just fine.

 

[RDchicken99]

I have very little cat experience.
But based on what works with other animals, I suggest you have some way to separate them if needed. You may not need to, but it's useful to have a plan just in case.

Any room with a door can be used to separate cats (at least until a person opens the door.)

A wire dog crate could also be used to set up a look-no-touch situation, like is often done with chickens. Either cat could be the one in the crate-- the current cat so the kitten can freely explore the room, or the kitten if you want to keep it out of mischief while you are not directly available to supervise or if it keeps pestering the adult cat.

Of course there are differences between chickens and cats. With chickens it is common to set up a look-no-touch situation and have them live that way for weeks. With cats, I might expect to do it for a few hours or less each time, and the rest of the time either have them shut in separate rooms (much larger than a crate!) or else have them both completely free to interact with supervision.

And as you said, they might be fine from the beginning, so this would not be needed.

What a darling little kitten!
As NatJ said, allowing them to sniff each other and interact through the safety of a wire crate is one of the best ways to introduce cats.
Now, this depends on your house, but if you have any glass doors to separate them, I’ve found that works as well. They can see each other clearly and if someone decided to try and swipe then there would be no harm done.
Feeding cats beside each other also helps them get used to the other’s scent, but this might not work if your older cat decides to guard her food.

*accidentally posted too soon
I have also found that cats are VERY structured creatures and love to have schedules, so you might work on setting up specific ‘hang-out’ times.
Also, be sure not to have every time they’re out together become play-time. This can lead to them both having all of that extra play energy built up when they see the other cat, you want them to learn to relax with each other!

 

[ShrekDawg]

This post is a year old now so I’m sure they’ve already got the kitten and it either went great or went terrible. I’d be curious to know. also this info is useful for anyone in the future who needs it so still good to leave it.

 

[RDchicken99]

This post is a year old now so I’m sure they’ve already got the kitten and it either went great or went terrible. I’d be curious to know. also this info is useful for anyone in the future who needs it so still good to leave it.

Oh goodness, I never saw that!
I’m curious as well.

 

[ShrekDawg]

Oh goodness, I never saw that!
I’m curious as well.

I didn’t notice at first either but then I double checked lol but yeah, maybe @Chicken poppy will come back!!!

 

[Chicken poppy]

This post is a year old now so I’m sure they’ve already got the kitten and it either went great or went terrible. I’d be curious to know. also this info is useful for anyone in the future who needs it so still good to leave it.

We ended up naming her Missy, and at first the interaction was as you might expect, some hissing and dislike from Kiwi, but i’m very grateful that she warmed up to her quickly. I kept Missy in a smaller area in my room so she wouldn’t hurt herself, and when she got a little older i let her roam around my room freely and let them both sniff each other thru the door. I would take Missy out of the room and let Kiwi in, so she could smell around and i think that helped. Now they are always together.

Here is a photo of them i took before we moved, but shows how much she’s grown!

 

[Chicken poppy]

What a darling little kitten!
As NatJ said, allowing them to sniff each other and interact through the safety of a wire crate is one of the best ways to introduce cats.
Now, this depends on your house, but if you have any glass doors to separate them, I’ve found that works as well. They can see each other clearly and if someone decided to try and swipe then there would be no harm done.
Feeding cats beside each other also helps them get used to the other’s scent, but this might not work if your older cat decides to guard her food.

*accidentally posted too soon
I have also found that cats are VERY structured creatures and love to have schedules, so you might work on setting up specific ‘hang-out’ times.
Also, be sure not to have every time they’re out together become play-time. This can lead to them both having all of that extra play energy built up when they see the other cat, you want them to learn to relax with each other!

This is similar to what we ended up doing and it worked out very well! I like the idea of working out specific hang out times, i’ll have to try that!