How to make cats like the new kitten?

[Pusheen]

I own a pair of cats who are brother and sister, so of course I never had problems with them liking each other. They are a lil more than a year old.
Today, we adopted a 2 months blind in one eye kitten, very playful and sweet. My cats are very angry about this of course. They hiss and growl at him, but they haven't attacked him at any time since we make sure to be around them at all time.

I was wondering if anyone here had this experience before and if they have any tips to share with me
on how to help them get used to each other?

[Cath]

It usually depends on the temperament of your cat if it will get used to it or not!
By experience, I owned a one year old cat when I adopted a new kitten and at first, my older cat sure didn't seem pleased about it. He hissed and growled a lot at the beginning, but after a week or two together, he got used to it little by little. Now they don't mind each other and often clean each other too.

If I were you, I'd start by separating them (the new kitten + your 2 cats) so the new cat can get itself comfortable in its new home! The cat must be stressed already because of the new environment, so I'd keep them separated for a few days. When your new kitty seems used to the whole environment, I'd slowly put him/her in contact with your two other cats while watching them and staying close in case something goes wrong. It's normal for your 2 cats to be annoyed since they feel like there is some kind of intruder on their territory. They will most likely get used to it, but the best way to go through it is not to rush things!


(I would love to see a picture of the new kitten if you have any + What did you name him/her?)

[Pusheen]

@(you need an account to see links)
Is true, one of my cats (female, Cinnamon) is very angry at us and doesn't even want to sleep or get pets from us... it will be harder for her.
While, my male cat (Safron) seems to be more curious than angry. They seem to snif each other, look at the kitten a lot, and be around :o

We already named him he's Curry (we named our cats with species so it was only normal to do the same with him haha)

This is him:




And playing with Saffron:




I'm kind of anxious to see what will happen tonight though, since we put the cats to sleep inside the room where they have all their things (litter box, food, beds, toys, etc) so they can do their things and don't go crazy at 3am and wake us all haha. That will be the definitive test for Curry :c

[Cath]

@(you need an account to see links) Curry looks so cute! I really hope everything turns out fine for your cats! It sure takes some time for the adaptation, but be patient! I'm sure they will get along well in the end. It's a good sign imo if one of your cat seems more curious than angry at the new kitten! Maybe once Safron gets used to it, it will make it easier for Cinnamon to go along with it!

[raithi]

Rub all of the cats together so they all smell the same? I bet a communal group scent would go along way in curbing the feline aggression.

[Pusheen]

Rub all of the cats together so they all smell the same? I bet a communal group scent would go along way in curbing the feline aggression.

They'll get his last healthy eye out if I try that hahaha

[Umbreon]

I've had multiple cats for a really long time now and each time we get a new kitten, we pretty much do this.

Usually we keep the kitten inside, usually in my room (only because my mom always hated having the cats inside ahah), so the kitten would get accustom to me and I'd leave it be. Usually we rescued kittens, so they weren't always the best with people and would stay away from us for a day or two. So I'd leave the kitten to it's devices and let it explore my room until it was comfortable with the environment and me, and then I'd let it start exploring the whole house. And since it'd be comfortable with me by that point, it would actually explore and not just hide somewhere. So we'd keep the kitten inside and let it get comfortable and build its confidence around us for about a week or so, and our other cats we would usually keep outside, or away from the kitten while they were all inside. After a week or two, we'd usually introduce the kitten to the other cats inside, and then let them all back outside. (My mom didn't like the cats being inside again, so this isn't the best example :/ ideally I wanted to keep all of my cats inside all the time.) Usually after a week or two, we'd find the older cats cuddling with the kitten.

This happened with my previously new kitten, Mouse. My other two cats, Fox and Birdie, hated Mouse at first. They would do what your cats did - they would hiss and growl, but they never attacked Mouse. Once Mouse was comfortable and we were able to put him outside without him dashing off, he just kinda minded his own business. They would sit within like ten feet of each other, but not much more than that. Then one day, we looked outside, and Mouse and Fox were cuddling in a chair together, and they've been inseparable since. (': Birdie isn't the biggest fan of either Fox or Mouse, but she tolerates them. She kinda hates everyone, though.

I would also suggest feeding them close to each other, in their own bowls, also. That way they associate being around each other with good things, such as food. Playing with them at the same time/in the same room helps too, for the same reason!

[Cybun]

The first thing our adult female cat did when we brought in a new kitten was give him a slap to the face, she would be very wary around him at first and sometimes knock him down to discipline him if he did something she didn't approve of, we tried making them eat together, first in the same room but in opposite sides, then every day we'd put the food bowls a little bit closer, this way she got used to him in just a week or two, they're super best friends now and he even saved her from an aggressive stray cat a couple years ago.
It can be a little hard at first, but maybe if the kitten becomes friends with your male cat, the female will eventually come check him out?

[Pusheen]

The first thing our adult female cat did when we brought in a new kitten was give him a slap to the face, she would be very wary around him at first and sometimes knock him down to discipline him if he did something she didn't approve of, we tried making them eat together, first in the same room but in opposite sides, then every day we'd put the food bowls a little bit closer, this way she got used to him in just a week or two, they're super best friends now and he even saved her from an aggressive stray cat a couple years ago.
It can be a little hard at first, but maybe if the kitten becomes friends with your male cat, the female will eventually come check him out?

Ohh that's a good idea, I'll try it as well! None of them have hit Curry yet, but Cinnamon (F cat) wanders around in slowmo kind of like tiger-like and when she gets close enough she hisses and growls constantly. I guess she sees herself as the alfa of the house lol but yeah, hopefully she can relax soon :'(