Introducing two new kittens to resident cat

[Grinchy]

Hi everyone. I’ve been lurking for ages on this forum, but I’ve decided to bite the bullet and register and ask for some advice and find out about your experiences with cat introductions.
I have three female cats: an adult cat, Buffy (5 yrs) and two kittens, Ferius and Kellen (10 weeks old). The kittens have their own lovely room. Three litter trays, toys, cat fountains, cat cube, cat trees, extensive catification of the wall space etc. I’ve really tried to make their base camp comfortable, fun and cosy. They’ve settled in well and enjoy their space.
As for the cat introductions, I’ve followed the Jackson Galaxy approach (from his book Cat Mojo and advice from his website and videos). The kittens were born to my brother’s cat, so I was able to visit them and rub their scents onto socks and bring them back to my cat.
The kittens have been here for two weeks now and this is what I have achieved so far:
- Feeding other side of the door a couple of feet apart
- Site swapping
- Scent swapping
- Feeding either side of baby gate one foot apart each side but covered by blanket
- Feeding either side of baby gate one foot apart each side with blanket lifted up a little every feeding
- Feeding either side of baby gate one foot apart each side but no blanket covering and in full view of each other

I’ve had mixed results with the last step because sometimes Kellen becomes curious about Buffy’s food and runs to the gate. Buffy responds by hissing and going back to her eating. I started giving Kellen wet food today, and this has stopped her going up to the gate.
I’ve also tried moving to the next stage which is playing in the same room, but at opposite ends, but this has not worked yet. Buffy becomes aware of the kittens and refuses to play or she runs towards them, so we have reverted back to focus on the feeding ritual.
When I started this process, I was very positive and pleased with the progress of all cats. But today, I was in tears at my failure to get ‘play time’ to work in a meaningful way. I just feel that there’s no progress beyond the feeding either side of the baby gate in full view stage.
I’d be grateful for any advice you can give me that could help make the introductions successful. Also, I’m curious to know how long it took your resident cat to stop hissing at a new cat(s). How long were your new additions isolated from your resident cat before they could mingle safely with the resident cat?
Thank you.

[Ruth B]

Welcome to the forum, it sounds like you are doing really well with introductions, but things take as long as they take. I've watch a lot of Jackson Galaxy videos and he has a lot of good advice, the only thing i do wonder at times if things are rushed a little to fit it into the 3 visit format for the tv series. If your introductions take a little longer don't worry about it, you haven't failed them.

I would suggest making sure Buffy has plenty of places, either high up or cat caves depending on whether she is a tree or a bush dweller cat where she can watch when you play with the kittens and decide how much interaction she wants at her own pace. The two kittens will hopefully play together and giver her space to do her own thing (this was the idea I had when I got my pair of youngsters, it didn't quite work out but they manage). Give it a bit longer on the feeding together then move onto the play, if Buffy doesn't want to play but wants to just watch what is going on then that is fine and her choice and I would let her be, if however she shows an interest in playing then if possible have someone else play with her while you play with the kittens. It sounds like she is accepting them very well, but you do have to give her time to adjust and to mentally process everything that is happening.

My own introductions have always been a bit more hit and miss and actual introductions often happened long before i really planned them to, fortunately I've been lucky and they have all settled down together for the most part. Hissing is a normal part of a cats vocabulary and generally isn't something to be too concerned about, to me it comes out along the lines of a slightly exasperated 'leave me alone' rather than anything more violent. Of course if the antagonising cat doesn't take the hint then it can get more serious, you just have to be aware of what is going on and watch the body language carefully. When i introduced my two youngsters to my resident cat, who was in her teens, the young lad was a bit too friendly and playful, and enjoyed teasing her. He soon discovered that she had a very good right hook and wasn't backwards in using it when needed, but it was always with the claws in and never really aggressive. Hissing can go on for months, even years, it is just one of their ways of communicating, letting another cat know they have got too close. I'm sure you have seen it watching Jackson, he knows that the cat is warning him off with the hisses, but his job means he has to push it and see where the line is, if he backed off when the cat gave the warning he would be fine. Fortunately most cats already speak 'cat' and understand the warning, a confident youngster might try and push the issue just to see what they can get away with, but most of the time you can leave it to them to sort themselves out. If you see the rest of the body language change, the ears flat back, the pupils dilated and the cat taking on that hunched posture then it is time to intervene, and if you ever have to, try and have a cushion or pillow to hand, one of the cats might unintentionally redirect their aggression onto you and you don't want to end up in A&E.

Also keep telling yourself you aren't a failure, you have done really well and you will get there. Every cat is an individual and every introduction goes a little differently, sometimes you don't need to go through every step exactly as listed, sometimes one step takes far longer than than expected but as long as you aren't constantly going back two steps for everyone forward you will get there in the end.

[Mollycat]

I second Ruth on the hissing front. My Molly is a real hisser, she hisses for fun sometimes, she hisses when I stroke too far down her tail and she's not in the mood, she hisses at the dog because he's a little too excited, she hisses at her toys while she's playing, she even hisses to herself as she's walking away from me sometimes. And she has a really good hiss, nose all wrinkled up and everything, very often with a spit at the front of it (sounds like a loud tut or sharp clack) especially at the dog.

This isn't to say ignore hissing because it is a warning and it's backed up, just that hissing alone isn't necessarily a drama. If it's followed up with a growl, swipe, or very flat back ears, or is prolonged or repeated, that's a bit more concern. But here's a lovely clip from Big Cat Rescue Florida, where Mac is literally expressing every thought that goes through his head as it happens. Turn the volume up so you can hear the purr before and after the hiss https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dAUpL62-FLM

[Grinchy]

Hello Ruth and Mollycat,

Thank you very much for your helpful and considered replies.

I'll take on board the benefit of your advice and go with Buffy's pace.

Thank you, again.

[Grinchy]

Hi,

I have an update...

Buffy has been very relaxed eating near the kittens. She's eating with them sideways on and only looks up once and then again when she's finished. She also walks away to groom.

However, we had a bit of a drama today. The kittens escaped from my room and Buffy saw them. She hissed at them. They made themselves all big and puffy and she ran away!!

Will it cause an issue going forward?

Many thanks in advance for any help and advice.

[Mollycat]

You're always going to get setbacks until things really settle, it might make her a bit jump for a while but if she got to comfortable enough to eat and walk calmly away, remember overall you're making good progress.

I'm smiling imagining a dignified all grown up cat catching a glimpse of two little bouncy kittens and everyone all puffed up like the spiky things in cartoons and all running away!

[Grinchy]

Hi Mollycat,

Thank you for your reassuring words.

The 5pm feed went very well just now, so no lasting damage.

It was funny to see a grown cat scared off by two tiny kittens but I'm glad they've shown her that they'll stand up for themselves.

[Ruth B]

Eating together and just walking away to have a quiet wash is really good.

As for the running away from puffy kittens, I think that was just one of those 'what on earth are those' moments. It sounds like it is all going fine and everything is a perfectly normal reaction to each other. Imagining it does bring a smile though, kittens do have an extra puffy setting don't they.

[Grinchy]

Thanks for your reassurance.

I am now looking ahead to the next stage and I don't know what to do.

Do I make them play in the same room? Do I bring a kitten into the room where Buffy is.

I don't know what my next step should be after shared feeding time.

I've seen lots of articles but they're vague and there's no tangible steps to help.

[Mollycat]

Slow down, slow down. At every positive step, pause and let that become normal ...





....... before thinking of the next step.


Repetition makes a new normal. Every new step is a challenge. If you take the next challenge before the last one became the new normal, you risk a small hiccup in the last step undoing all the good you have achieved in the last 10 steps because that was the last normal to run back to.

[Grinchy]

Hi Mollycat,

Yes you are absolutely right. And I won't do try the next step for a few days. I'm focusing on the positive experience that the mutual feedings are bringing to all three cats.

But my question was about my ignorance of what happens next?

I literally do not know how to implement the next stage.

Mutual playing doesn't work.

So do I leave my bedroom door open and play with kittens and hope Buffy checks it out of curiosity?

Do I play with Buffy downstairs and allow the kittens to come down?

Do I bring the kittens into the living room whilst Buffy is chilling there?

I have no idea what comes after now.

Any help would be very much appreciated. Thank you.

[Ruth B]

As Mollycat says, slow down and try and relax a bit. Everything is going really well, just let it happen for a while.

Give it a week or so of them eating together without incident, I assume there is still a barrier between them, then try it without a barrier. If they are already eating together without a barrier then just see what happens when they finish. Have a toy ready to distract the kittens, and make sure Buffy has a place to o where she can watch while feeling safe then just see what happens.

You have already gone along most of the road of introductions, and there has already been one unplanned meeting that really went as well as could be expected, Buffy running from puffy kittens isn't that unexpected, she needed a bit of time to process what she had encountered. We humans can have a tendency to over think things, plan too much and insist on step by step rules. Remember none of the cats have seen those rules so sometimes you just have to watch their body language and then decided what to do next from what you see. Repetition and routine are the key, make sure they are fully comfortable with where they are at then calmly move on to the next step as if nothing has happened.

[Grinchy]

Hi Ruth

Thank you so much for your reply.

They all eat either side of a baby gate in full view.

I may go with 'baby steps' at first and try leaving the baby gate open an inch or two and proceed that way.

Thank you for help and support.

[Mollycat]

Play might not be the right tool for these particular cats, it might be catnip, or human cuddles, or even sleep - the key is something they all enjoy and doing it close to each other for as wide a variety of positive experiences as possible with the scary other nearby, to make the scary thing less and less scary and eventually something to be curious about and eventually friendly with.

[Grinchy]

Hi Mollycat.

Thank you for the ideas. Seeing your tips as made me a lot anxious about the next stage.

Buffy and the kittens ate today with the baby gate 1/3 open.

Buffy looked up a bit more, but other than that, no dramas!

[Grinchy]

6am feed update! I left the gate half open. Buffy only looked up twice.

Ferius finished first and walked off to groom.

Then Buffy finished. Instead of walking off, she crossed the baby gate into their room then stopped!

I pushed Ferius' bowl a bit closer to her. She ate, looked at Ferius, and hissed. Then backed off and left.

All this time, Kellen was a few inches from her!

The best thing was the reaction of the kittens. Just as stunned as I was!

I'm so happy and pleased that Buffy made some progress to come into their room.

[Ruth B]

Sounds like things are going great. While they are still unsure of each other I feel the hiss was just her saying 'my house, my food, if i want it' and letting the kittens know she is top cat. I don't think it will be too long before you won't need the gate to be there when you are feeding them.

One I will mention for you to think about, when you are feeding them all together with no barrier you might want to divide the food into 4 bowls not three. This is something I started doing when I introduced my two youngsters to the elderly resident cat. My introductions weren't anywhere near as planned and organised as yours have been and feeding was always a little more chaotic once the youngsters weren't shut in their room. Putting 4 bowls of food down meant that there was always a spare bowl to go to if one of them decided they preferred what someone else was eating. In addition they got 2 pouches between the three of them each meal time and it was far easier to divide 2 pouches between 4 bowls than than to divide them between 3 bowls, which is just me being lazy. It may not be something you need to do, some cats are happy just eating out of the bowl put in front of them, others, like mine will want to try a mouthful from every bowl there is.

[Mollycat]

Ruth you remind me of one peculiar morning when both Bobby and Molly were hanging around their food bowls and looking at me one minute forlorn the next expectant. It took me a while to realise I had put their bowls down the wrong way around, and to cap it all they are microchip feeders. Molly eventually figured out hers was in Boo's spot, but poor dopey Ragdoll Boo went hungry until I swapped them over.

A friend of mine had 4 cats and they were fed in two double feeders, on pink and one silver. If those were put down the wrong way around none of the four cats would touch a mouthful of anything.

[Grinchy]

Hi Mollycat.

You'd be impressed with me... I have five bowls!

Buffy has her bowl of wet food.

The kittens have a bowl each of wet and dry.

[Grinchy]

Hi Ruth,

Thank you for replying and your encouraging words.

There are usually six bowls, each kitty has a wet and dry bowl. But for the sake of mutual feeding, I have five bowls out and keep Buffy's dry food elsewhere.

Buffy was a stray for the first six months of her life and needs food reassurance. So whenever she comes in from outside, she goes straight to her dry food bowl to check it's there and has a nibble. So I keep that well away from the kittens.

But I'm so very pleased with Buffy and made a huge fuss over her afterwards. She's such a good, amazing girl.

[Mollycat]

If Buffy has a little food anxiety I'll mention this now in case you ever get in a sticky situation later - microchip feeders are just brilliant. Molly was also very food anxious and we had weight problems and everything, I was tearing my hair out over it. Since she figured out that Boo couldn't get into her feeder, she calmed down so much and health issues aside her weight is now much better, down from over 6kg at one time to around 5 or so. Even if you only invest on one for Buffy, as they are not cheap, it may be a big help when the kittens grow up and can reach all the places she can.

[Grinchy]

Hi Mollycat,

Thank you for that tip.

I will look into that and I do think it's an issue that might present itself when the kittens have the run of the house.

Thank you for that excellent tip. I hadn't even considered that the little chompers might go for her biscuits - which Buffy only eats for a reassurance nibble.

I'm actually in a very relaxed place. I feel that you've been right about taking it slow and allow them to set the pace and make their own progress in their own time.

Thank you to you both for your reassurance and advice. I really appreciate it.

[Grinchy]

5pm feed. The gate was open half way. Buffy went completely into the kitten room to eat Ferius' food. I put more kitten food in it and she took her time to chomp it whilst I played with red dot with the other two.

All was well. Buffy ate, walked off, hung around. Walked into my room. Ferius dashed for it into my room. Buffy hissed. Ferius went into submissive posture Buffy ran to hide under the bed.

So apart from Ferius running at Buffy, all went well.

[Grinchy]

Another Buffy update!

The kittens were playing in the sitting room and Buffy was asleep in the conservatory.

One of them ran into the French doors and woke Buffy up! I got the toy out and starting playing with them while Buffy watched.

She sat at the doors as if she wanted to come in. So I let her in!

She kept her distance, sniffed a bit, sat low to look at Ferius under the sofa.

Then she went to the exit of the sitting room and sat there for ages as I played with the kittens

My housemate gave her some treats and really praised her

When the kittens were done, I ended their playtime. Took them up.

Buffy was sniffing around the sitting room. We played with the toy then finished with treats.

I can't believe that Buffy wanted to come in and watch them for ages!!

No hissing or aggressive behaviour from any of the cats.

[Ruth B]

That is brilliant.

I can believe that she would sit and watch them play, she is intelligent and watching them means she is learning about them, seeing that they are just kittens and not a threat to her. The unknown is always the biggest threat which is why when two new cats meet for the first time things can go wrong as they don't know how the other will react, they assume the worst and that can be what they end up with, particularly in a confined space. She has learnt a lot about them already from their scent and from being near them when eating, so watching them play, in my mind was really the next step in her getting to know them.

Hopefully she will enjoy watching many more playtimes, and get plenty of treats and fuss for being good, which will help her realise that she isn't being pushed out and the house, and you, still belongs to her.

[Grinchy]

Hi all,

Hope you are all well and having a good weekend.

A Buffy and kitten update...

We are now at the point where they can all eat in the same room or play in the same room or the kittens can play and Buffy watches them.

The problem now is the kittens... They don't respect Buffy's boundaries.

For example, two days ago, they were eating at opposite sides of the sitting room. Kellen crossed the sitting room to approach Buffy and her bowl. Buffy gave a warning hiss when Kellen backed off. Ten minutes later, she grabs Buffy's tail! Buffy hisses and swipes.

Today, Buffy was eating in their room and I was playing with them. Suddenly I heard Buffy hiss. Looked down and Ferius had come close to watch her. A few minutes later after Buffy had gone downstairs, the kittens went downstairs and Ferius ran at her. Hiss and swipe from Buffy.

So I'm not sure what can be done. They want to play with her and be friends, but not getting the first warning hiss.

[Ruth B]

Unfortunately I think this is a stage they have to go through, testing where the lines are and what they can get away with. Hissing and a few swipes isn't a problem, particularly if Buffy keeps her claws in, it is just reinforcing the hiss, in a way telling them 'I meant what I said'. Saturn, my young lad, frequently got a paw to the ear from my elderly cat when they were introduced, but she never broke the skin on him.

I think for the time being keeping their interaction in the kittens room as much as possible will mean that Buffy knows she can retreat downstairs to get away from them, if they follow her down then it is probably worth relocating them back to their room when you get a chance. Watch Buffy closely and you should be able to tell when it is just an older cat reprimanding a young kitten, and if she starts to be come more defensive, then is the time to intervene and try and distract the kitten away from her with a toy, once Buffy has settled down give her a few treats and some fuss as well. Be careful not to approach her too soon if she is too worked up as it might mean she inadvertently turns her her aggression on you, which is the last thing you want.

All in all I feel that everything is still going very well, you may have read on how to make the introductions but no cat or kitten has and each will chose to do it in their own way and their own time. If you feel it might be best to take a step back and separate them a bit more at feeding time again or after they have eaten, then do so, there is nothing wrong with that.

[Grinchy]

Hi,

Thanks for your advice. Buffy has upped her pace today.

I have a phenomenal update!

During the 6am feed, I led Kellen the excitable kitten away. Buffy came to their bowls to eat. She was eating six inches from Ferius!!

After Ferius are, she walked past Buffy and groomed with her back to Buffy. Buffy was totally chilled.

Silly Kellen went up to Buffy, two inches from her nose to eat from her bowl. Buffy hissed and Kellen backed off.

Ferius then jumped over the food bowls to go into my room, and Buffy didn't care. Then Ferius ran to the stairs. Buffy charged past Ferius and stayed at the bottom of the stairs. This made me realise that Buffy doesn't want to attack them or likes them when they're too quick. This gave me the confidence to try something....


After breakfast, Buffy was sleeping in her hammock in the sitting room. We brought Ferius in and quietly played with her on the shelves at the other side of the room.

Buffy got up and responded well to treats and playing. No dramas and it was good for Buffy and Ferius to observe each other.

Then around 4pm, both kittens were sleeping in the sitting room, at top of the cat tree and shelves. We allowed Buffy in. She did a little exploring then settled to sleep in her chair in the conservatory.

We did the 5pm feed in the sitting room, since they were all there already. We removed Kellen when she had finished and started showing signs of curiosity with Buffy's food bowl.

Buffy approached their food bowls when Ferius walked away.

I'm so impressed with Buffy's progress today. This weekend I've learnt:

- They can coexist at different levels in the same room
- Buffy does not want to injure the kittens
- If we carefully manage Kellen, we can enable Ferius to be the social bridge

Thanks for all of your advice and support.
-

[Grinchy]

Hi,

Hope all is well. I have a weird update.

Feedings have been going well. There hasn't been much interaction because I'm on my own in the week, so I've played with Ferius on the shelves whilst throwing Buffy treats or playing with Buffy on the ground whilst Ferius plays with a toy.

Today, Buffy darted in from outdoors and came in. Saw Ferius in the sitting room and Kellen on the stairs.

She ran towards Kellen but not aggressively. I scooped Kellen up and Buffy shot past to go into their room and eat their biscuits.

I took the two kittens and put them in the shelves in their room whilst Buffy ate. Buffy ignored them. I removed Kellen because she kept trying to walk to Buffy

I played with Ferius and Ferius jumped on the ground to play. Buffy not bothered and left when she finished.

Later, the kittens are around the house and Buffy is with me in my room. As I leave for a bit, Buffy darts out. She meets Kellen in the hallway and gets angry!! Hisses, swipes then runs away.

Kellen is uninjured and tries to walk towards Buffy. Buffy goes to the French doors and wants to leave so I let her out to decompress.

I'm at a loss at her reaction to Kellen tonight. It really shocked me to see her so aggressive on a kitten.

Do I need to focus the introductions on Kellen now?

[Ruth B]

It still sounds like things are going well and there will always be a hic cup or two along the way. It sounds like Buffy was more startled than really angry or aggressive, had something suddenly woken her up, or was there a loud noise outside that could have startled her. Redirected aggression is a very real phenomena and that is what it sounds like, it can also be hard to understand what caused it.

I do thing concentrating a bit more on Buffy and Kellen to make sure that it doesn't leave any lasting impression on either of them is a good idea, but at the same time make sure you keep up the work with Ferius and her, you don't want that to deteriorate as it has come so far.

If Buffy and Kellen continue to have issues then you might have to go back a step in the introductions, hopefully that won't be needed but it is worth remembering and know that if you do it isn't a sign of failure, just the way the three of them are.

Hopefully by now Buffy is back inside and settled down, give her a good fuss and let her know she did nothing wrong.