How to Introduce Your Kitten to Your Cat

Warning: This can be stressful!

Two cats

Congrats on your new kitten - what an exciting time! It may just become a bit stressful as you start to intergrate your new family member to your cat but we've got tips to help you make it as relaxed as possible! This is how you can introduce your kitten to your cat. Tip 1: Create a "basecamp" for your kitten. This basically means to create a safe space for your kitten to explore and you can do that by placing their food, toys, beds and cat litter all in one room (one that your other cat can't disturb!). We recommend leaving them in that room for a couple of days while they adjust to you and their surroundings.

Tip 2: After that, begin to mix scents - swap your favourite cat's blanket with your kitten's so they start to get used to each other without it being intense. Do that for a couple of days and you can even start switching places: let the kitten explore the whole house while your cat explores the kitten's "basecamp". Tip 3: Depending on their reaction to each other's scents and noises, if no signs of aggression and axiety, begin feeding them next to each other with the closed door in between. It will help them to associate food and happiness with the other.

Tip 4: After a week of these, you can begin to let them explore the same room with guided play or treats. You are trying to prevent the stare down which is where they freeze and lock into a stare. You can do these by playing with the kitten and feeding the treats to the cat. We recommend doing this several times a day and the return the kitten to "basecamp" to give the other cat a break.

Tip 5: Depending on your other cat's engagement, you begin to just play with the kitten and let the other cat just watch and suss them out. They may interact and the other cat might swipe out or hiss but redirect the kitten again.

Tip 6: After another week, you can begin to let them interact and it can become stressful as the other cat expresses boundaires and kitten explores these boundaries, aka, it means a few more swipes and hisses as this goes on. Always stay nearby to regulate what's going on. If the kitten is being too much, pick up your other cat and put them somewhere in peace - WE CAN SAY NOW THIS IS NOT AN ENJOYABLE TIME.

Tip 7: This will continue for a while but it does get easier. Then one day, it just clicks. If it hasn't improved by a couple of months, we would recommend speaking to behaviourist or the vets to see what they suggest. You can also get the calming diffuser spray to see if that works. Alternatively, you might be gifted with a wonderful pairing!