Introducing a Kitten to my 4yr old Calico...?

[Firecracker]

My mom picked up the kitten after it was hit by a car. She was injured and we took her to the vet. The skin on her bottom jaw was pulled away and it's going to take months to heal. So we don't feel comfortable giving her to a new home until she has completely healed up. She's been here about 2 weeks now. Pumpkin my 4 yr old calico has not been a happy camper. She pretty much stays in my room when the kitten is out and about playing. (Note: The kitten is staying in a spare room and let out with supervision.) They have both exchanged hisses and are practicing avoidance, which is great considering they could be trying to attack each other. They have talked to each other through the door and then hissed and Pumpkin left for the bedroom again. Miracle is about 6 weeks old, and I feel bad leaving her in the spare room but I can't risk them fighting and Miracle winding up more injured then she already is. Any suggestions?

 

[bri burton]

My brother brought home a kitten like 4 weeks ago and i already have a 3 year old ragdoll, and they are still having issues getting along, we have to keep the kitten in my brothers room most of the time except when we let them out together.... you just have to let them work things out themeselves, its expected for them to hiss at eachother a lot when they r first getting to kno eachother... as long as their not hurting eachother you should let them be together ( supervised only) dont expect them to love eachother because cats are very territorial, and your older cat is gonna hve some serious jealousy issues for a while, just like mine..... theyll get better with time.

 

[Jimmy Perbertson]

Introduce both of them to each other several times and then they should be fine!

 

[minuteblue]

Cats need to be introduced gradually. This is generally done by keeping the new cat in a separate part of the house so it does not impinge on your older cat's territory and make her feel threatened. The two cats should be allowed to sniff each other under the door and smell the scent of the other cat on you.

During this period, you need to give more attention than usual to your older cat to reinforce to her that her livelyhood and resources...her territory and you, are not in danger of being taken away from her.

When the older cat isn't around you can eventually let the kitten out to explorer the house, and then a few weeks later you can eventually let them start seeing each other. It's a gradual process and the most important thing is you give you older cat lots of love and attention.

Even after they acclimate to eachother, they still may not be the best of friends. My oldest cat, who was an only cat for much of her life, wouldn't tolerate being in the same room with our second cat for about a year. She would growl at him if he walked in. The second cat, however, tolerated our third cat just fine, and they became good friends. The first cat tolerated the third cat to the extent that she came to tolerate the second cat. She could stand being in the same room with them eventually but if they got within paws reach of her she would bat at them.

 

[Sara Smith]

Keep them apart. Don't let them both be out at the same time. Can't be too hard

 

[meghan kramer]

You should alternate them. One being in the room by themselves and letting the other roam the house and then switch the next day. That way they can smell each others scents around the house and leave their own without the other one being near. Keep them separated until they are nice to each other