What is the best way to integrate a new kitten with other cats?

Answer 1

The simple answer: Slowly. Introducing a new animal is always a stressful time, for the kitten and the resident cats.

First, you need to let the kitten settle into its new home, but away from the other cats, as they will most likely hiss and spit and bully the young one as they will think it is invading their territory.

The best thing to do is do place him or her in a quiet room, away from noisy or busy parts of the household so she/he can recover from the move and begin to get used to a new place.

It is probably best to keep the kitten in that one room for a week or so, until she is completely settled in and used to your company. Spend lots of time with the kitten, but be sure to spend equal, if not more time with your other cats so they do not feel jealous. Make sure you provide a bed for her to sleep in, a litter tray, toys, and food and water bowls. You may even want to give her a place to hide, such as a cat carrier lined with soft towels or blankets. Being in a new place is scary!

Don't worry if she has an upset tummy for the first few days - stress will cause a kitten to have loose stools. This should clear up quickly.

After a while, let her explore the house and other members of the household gradually. Doing this too quick will scare her. Introduce her to different rooms one by one, possibly letting her explore a different room each week.

As for the resident cats, they will show great interest in the room where the new kitten is in. It would be advisable to keep them away from the room for the first week (keep the door closed at all times), and allow them to sniff at each other through the closed door on the second week. For the following weeks you can allow the cats to see and interact with the kitten, but only for a few minutes at a time so not to overwhelm the kitten or let things escalate if the atmosphere turns bad. You could do this by putting the kitten in her carrier and letting one cat at a time to have a look and a sniff. Remove the cat(s) when and if they misbehave, and praise each cat and the kitten when they behave.

Another thing that will help get the kitten and cats used to each other is to "switch scents" - take a blanket that that cats use (or rub a towel over the cats so it has their scent on them), and place it with the kitten, possibly in her bed or carrier, and vice versa. This will help mingle scents and might help limit any aggressive behaviour and help speed up the process.

This may take several weeks or several months to get the cats and kitten used to each other, but remember to take things slowly and steadily and they will eventually learn to tolerate each other.