9 Tips for Introducing Your New Kitten to Other Cats

Already have a grown up cat or an army of grown up cats at home but you still want to adopt a new kitten to join the group? You’re in luck because today we are going to give you some tips on how to to introduce your new kitten to the other cats.

Introducing the new kitten to the group might be a bit challenging because maybe your other cats have grown up together as a group and might harm the new comer. Cats are territorial creatures, so if there is someone new, they might go wild or hurt the new kitten. In order to avoid that, here are some tips on how to make the life of your new kitten safe, healthy and happy.

1. Visit the Veterinarian

The first and most important thing to do is visit the veterinarian. Whether you adopted a new kitten from a rescue center or bought the kitten from a pet store or you just picked up a poor little kitty from the road, it is important to have the veterinarian check the kitten. Even if you got your kitten with all her shots and with all the documents needed to prove that she’s healthy, it is still better to be sure if she’s 100% healthy and safe to bring home too. Some other kittens might have a contagious virus that can affect the health of your cats at home.

2. Create a Safe Hiding Place for the New Kitten

As i have mentioned before, cats are territorial. And that is no exception to your current army of cats at home. Even if they behave well in front of you, you will never know how they will react if you go and introduce your new kitten to them. It is best to have a safe place for the new kitten to relax on to after moving into your home. Keep the new kitten away from the group of cats at first. Let the newcomer be comfortable at her new home before introducing to the cats.

3. Use Scent Transition for First Introductions

One of the vital part of cat introduction is smell. If they smell something they don’t recognize, who knows how your cat will react to that. So the next thing to do is to introduce the cats through their smell. You can do this by gently petting your new kitten with a clean towel or gently rubbing them with the towel and place that towel on where your cats usually hang out, whether near the food bowls or near their litter box. Keep repeating this procedure until your old cats gets familiar with the new kitten’s scent.

4. Nice and Slow Introductions

As you do the scent introduction to the old cats, slowly introduce the new kitten to them. Do something like putting the new kitten on a cage where the cats can go near her and try to sniff her. Be sure to check how your old cats will react and be sure to supervise this procedure. It is also important to introduce your kitten and a cat one at a time. Don’t introduce the whole group at once for it might scare the kitten. Be sure to check for signs of aggression from the old group.

5. Explore in Peace

The next thing to do is let your new kitten explore the whole place where the old cats stay. Keep your old cats in another room where the kitten won’t be able to see them. Let the kitten walk around and explore every corner. Be sure to supervise while your kitten explores the place. Let her sniff the surroundings so that she will be familiar with the new home she is going to live in to.

6. Share the Love and Attention

Yes cats can get jealous, too. So be sure to share the same love and attention you give to your army of cats and to your new kitten. Keep everything normal and don’t spend too much time with your new kitten even though we know she’s very adorable and cute.

7. Spay or Neuter All Your Household Cats

This is very important for their health and also for their negative behavior. Cats that have not been spayed or neutered tend to be more aggressive and more territorial because of their hormones. It is better to spay or neuter the new kitten too when she’s at least 8 weeks old.

8. Keep the Litter Boxes Clean

The litter box is part of the cat’s territory. It is often placed in a cat house or beside the scratching post.  A litter box should be kept clean at all times because the smallest change in their home can have litter mishaps. Keep it clean to avoid litter accidents around your home.

9. Respect Your Cats

Your resident cats have different personalities. Assess their personalities first before adopting a new kitten into your house. Be sure that you are committed into having a new kitten to the family. And be sure to be patient no matter how easy or how hard it is to introduce a new kitten to the family of cats you already have.

Introducing your new kitten to your other cats shouldn’t be a difficult task. Keep these tips in mind and you will be both alright. Share your other tips with us by commenting below.

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