How to Keep the Fur from Flying When Introducing a Kitten to an Older Pet
The Personality of Your Older Pet
Even if your older dog or cat has lived peacefully with other animals in the house, there is no guarantee that he will welcome a new kitten with joy, or even tolerance!
Some benign older animals will readily accept any pet brought into the home. Usually, however, even the calmest dog or cat will be concerned at the appearance of a new kitten.
When you bring a new kitten into the home, your older dog or cat will need lots of extra attention. He needs to know that you still love him and that the newcomer is not a threat to his position in your household.
Your New Kitten
When you first bring your new kitten home, it is important to isolate her. Choose a room in neutral territory (not where your older pet likes to sleep). This will give you time to reassure the older pet, and will also protect the youngster from possible aggression.
A Place for Kitty
Equip the kitten’s room with a bed, scratching post, litter pan, food and water dishes, and toys. Put the kitten in the room and let her explore a bit while you are still with her. Then leave her alone for a short time so she can become comfortable in the new surroundings.
At first, the kitten may hide. Try to coax her out to comfort her. Don’t try to push too fast, though. She will gradually become less timid with you.
First Introductions
Animals get to know each other by smell. Your older pet will spend a lot of time sniffing at the bottom of the door to kitty’s room. The kitten will do the same on the other side.
After a day or two, you should be able to determine the older pet’s reaction to the kitten. A dog anxious to meet the kitten will scratch at the door and wag his tail, while a cat will purr and generally act curious or friendly. However, if your dog growls or barks at the door and your cat hisses and seems upset, it would be best to wait a few more days before attempting further interaction.
Take It Slowly!
When your older pet seems ready, introduce the pets by opening the door just wide enough so they can see and smell each other. Be certain that you stand close by to supervise. Depending on their reactions, gradually open the door wider for short periods of time until they become adjusted to looking at each other without becoming upset. This procedure may take several days, but it is usually successful.
The first time the two pets meet face to face should be short and, hopefully, calm. If the older pet is a dog, proper restraint, such as a leash will prevent him from chasing and scaring the kitten.
Don’t force the issue. Let the animals go as close, or stay as far away, as they want. Repeat short introductions as often as necessary, until the animals are able to stay comfortably in the same room, with supervision. Don’t expect instant friendship – that takes time.
Making a Place for Everyone
Your older pet needs to be reassured that the newcomer will not take over his territory. If he has a favorite sleeping place, don’t let the kitten sleep there. Provide the youngster with her own toys.
Animals are often possessive of their food and feeding dishes. Ideally, since the kitten should be eating her own kitten food, have her feeding dishes in a different room or area as long as possible.
Monitor mealtimes to prevent either animal from pushing the other away from its plate. Since kitten food is best for her first 12 months, it may be a good idea to continue feeding your kitten in a closed room for a while.
Although a premium-quality food formulated for All Life Stages will provide complete and balanced nutrition for both animals, if your adult cat tends to be overweight, she does not need the extra calories that a kitten food provides. In fact, if your cat is already eating a diet intended for weight loss or weight control, the kitten will not receive all the extra nutrition she requires for her growing body if they are sharing food bowls.
It is best to feed the pets the food formulated for their specific life stage.
Litter Pans
Two or more cats in a household often do share a litter pan, but many adult cats do not appreciate sharing with a kitten, at least until they are better adjusted.
Providing two litter pans should help prevent your adult cat from starting to soil in inappropriate areas as an act of rebellion.
Friends, Friendly Enemies or Foes?
It may take a year or more for your older pet and the kitten to become totally comfortable with each other. They may never become friends, but simply learn to tolerate each other.
Even if they remain standoffish, most pets appreciate another warm body in the house when their owners are not there. But usually over time, the majority of pets find a workable relationship, even if they are not best friends!
Before You Bring a Kitten Home
- Have the kitten examined by your veterinarian to be sure that she is healthy and free of parasites.
- Make certain that all your pets’ vaccinations are current.
- Aggression is diminished if both animals are neutered or spayed (the kitten at an appropriate age).
After You Bring a Kitten Home
- Isolate the kitten when you first bring her home.
- Introduce the adult and kitten gradually.
- Protect the older pet’s “territory” and rights.
- Provide separate food dishes, water bowls, toys and litter pans.
Lion Kings & Queens: Territorial Behaviors of Cats
Felines instinctively lay claim to their jungle. So what’s an owner to do when territorial behaviors disrupt harmony at home?
Kim Ghobrial of Tualatin, Oregon, fretted when her 1-year-old Burmilla cat, Aidan, began spraying all over her home, marking his territory. Behavior such as this, although natural to cats, just wasn’t acceptable. Ghobrial also feared that Aidan’s marking would set off her other felines who shared the space.
Instinctively, cats spray to mark their territory, especially if they feel threatened by other cats. Neutering or spaying usually solves the problem. And it worked for Aidan, too.
X Marks the Spot
Territorial marking exhibits itself in various forms.
“Cats have scent glands all over their bodies – on their tails, on the sides of their bodies, even on their chins,” says Kate Gamble, a cat behaviorist in Auburn, California. “It’s natural for them to want to use those scent glands to mark their perceived area.” If a cat feels threatened or stressed, she communicates by marking something, even if that means spraying a favorite leather couch.
Mikel Delgado, a cat behavior specialist at the San Francisco SPCA, says, “Spraying is a way for a cat to react in response to stress.” Causes for spraying may be simple (introducing a new pet, rearranging the furniture, moving the litter box or changing your work schedule) or more complex (relocating to a new home or scolding your cat for inappropriate behavior).
“Cats are methodical creatures,” Gamble says. “If things change, that throws their world into chaos.”
Cats don’t mark their territory only when they’re stressed or upset. The act of methodically rubbing objects – furniture, people, doorways – is a cat’s way of proclaiming, “This is mine.” Kneading – pushing and pulling her paws in and out on a soft surface – is a marking behavior, too. Like rubbing, it shows the cat is happy and relaxed.
Turf Wars
“Competitiveness nearly always happens when a new cat is added to the household,” Gamble says. “For example, the cat will think, ‘I’d better eat up all this food before the other cat gets it.’” In other words, because cats may not know how to deal with a new cat, they can respond by refusing to share their space, a food dish or the litter box.
“In many cases, territorial behavior reflects how well socialized the cat was to other cats when she was growing up,” Delgado says. A competitive cat also may have had negative experiences with cats or had to fight for food in the past.
If there is no new cat, look outside to see if any neighborhood cats are staring in the windows. This is another common cause of spraying.
It’s Your Move
The key to correcting inappropriate territorial behaviors is to find out what’s triggering them.
“There is a reason for every cat behavior,” Gamble says. “The worst thing you can do is to punish a cat without trying to identify the reason behind the action.”
In most cases, if you punish your cat, you’ll just make the problem worse. Because undesirable territorial behaviors often are caused by stress, being punished will only make your cat more unruly.
“If more people understood that marking is something cats do to communicate that they are stressed, not a deliberate act of spite, they would have more patience to work with the problem,” Delgado says.
Once you’ve identified the problem, work to remove or lessen the stress so you and your cat can live a happier, more harmonious life.
Making the Kitty Connection:
Introduce a New Pet Gradually
Mikel Delgado offers these stress-saving tips for adding a cat to your menagerie:
- Begin slowly. Isolate the new kitty in a safe room for two weeks to three months.
- Monitor first visits. Supervise visits until the felines are cordial to one another.
- Keep good things handy. Offer treats, food, toys and praise so the cats will come to associate meeting each other with positive experiences.
- Have plenty of litter boxes. One box per cat plus one more works well.
- Ease dog defenses. When the new pet is a dog, be sure your cat’s nails are clipped before introducing them, and keep a cat tree handy so she can escape if needed.
Why is your cat on the prowl?
Whether chasing dinner or diving for dust bunnies, cats love the game of pursuit. Big cats, like cougars, lions and cheetahs, learn to prowl for their prey in the same way that little cats do: They practice. They master the basics of stalking, chasing, pouncing and shredding through daily play.
“All play behavior ultimately leads to some skill that is required for successful living,” says Raymond Van Lienden, DVM, of Clifton, Virginia. “And there’s little difference between a tiger, lion or cheetah and the little gray domestic short-haired cat next door; they all use the same skills they develop and sharpen by play.”
From the time a kitten rears up on her wobbly hind legs to gain the advantage over one of her fellow playmates, until well into adulthood, cats never seem to lose their keen fascination with movement, light and shadow, and the element of surprise.
Sixty Percent Success
Although cats have the reputation as the ultimate predator, statistically cats don’t always catch what they chase. The most successful of these exotic big cats, the cheetah – running at 60 miles an hour – catches his prey only about 60 percent of the time.
The lion succeeds only 30 percent of the time. So it’s a good thing that wild cats enjoy practicing their skills – indeed their livelihood depends on it.
Practicing Being Stealthy
As surprising as it sounds, cats actually have to practice stealth as well. In the wild, cats often lose out on a meal because their prey can run faster and farther than they can. These cats’ only other alternative is to rely on their instinctive feline ability to blend into their surroundings and remain perfectly still until an unwary target happens by.
Cats have many astounding talents that develop with age. A mature cat’s eye captures three times more light than a human eye does. They hear five times better than we do, too. In fact, a cat’s hearing is three times more acute – especially when it comes to high-pitched sounds – than even the most sensitive dog.
Cats can even move and listen with their ears independent of each other. This goes a long way in explaining how Fluffy can be between your feet the minute you open the refrigerator door, when just seconds ago you saw her sacked out on the couch with no signs of movement.
Chase, Catch and Claw
Though they have no need to catch a meal, domestic cats enjoy prowling as a form of play. Just like practicing a sport helps keep people feeling more alive and alert, playing keeps cats of all ages healthy and in good physical condition. It also does much in helping prevent boredom, which oftentimes leads to mischief.
Cat owners should provide their pets with plenty of opportunities to play, and make sure there are ample toys available to maintain their cat’s physical motivation, says James Isaacs, DVM, of Encino, California. “Without this outlet, cats may be prone to destructive behavior, or even worse – complete lethargy,” he says.
So the next time your cat cues you to clear out the toy box and play, go ahead and have a ball. After all, little cats, like big cats, need the stimulation of play to be at their very best.
Keeping your cat calm while you move~
When you’re planning a move, your “to do” list seems endless-change
schools, adjust to a new neighborhood, find new doctors, etc. Keep in
mind how the relocation will impact all your family members, including
the felines. Cats are creatures of habit and aren’t particularly crazy
about change, to put it mildly.
It will take planning, patience and lots of love, to make the upheaval
less frightening for her, and easier for you.
BEFORE YOU GO
Bear in mind that your cat’s emotions are equivalent to those of a
two-year-old child’s. She’ll be confused and frightened by all the
activity. Pack gradually, beginning with the least-used room first.
After you’ve cleared out the room, you can use it as a safe place for
her while you pack up the rest of your house. Move her dishes, litter
box, blanket, bed and toys in with her. Play with her and give her
more attention than usual during this time.
For the trip, buy a well-ventilated carrier she can comfortably sit,
turn around and lie down in; let her become familiar with it in
advance. Pack her things last so you can unpack them first. Finally,
have a copy of her medical records ready for the new vet and check out
licensing requirements if you’re moving to a different state.
READY TO GO
It’s moving day. Put your cat in her safe room or consider boarding
her for the day. Post a sign on the door to make the room off-limits
to movers and friends who are helping out. Check on her frequently to
reassure her and feed her a small meal before you take off. If travel
upsets her, use medication from the vet to calm her nerves. Don’t
forget to pack her food, water and litter box for the trip. (When
nervous, cats tend to “go” more than usual.) Be sure she’s wearing a
collar or is micro-chipped with your new information.
MILES TO GO
You’re off! Make sure your kitty’s carrier contains her favorite
blanket and is securely fastened with a seatbelt. Keep car windows
closed at all times and never leave her alone in the car, even if the
windows are cracked. The temperature rises quickly and could cause
heatstroke or even death. Monitor her water intake; stressed-out cats
often drink and eat less. Make sure she gets some water, at least,
throughout the trip and have her litter box easily accessible. If
possible, bring water from your previous home so she’s familiar with
its taste and scent.
HOME AT LAST
Again, put her in an empty safe room along with her old, familiar bed
or blanket, food and water bowls, toys and litter box. Add some of
your unwashed personal items, like sheets. Visit her often to pet and
reassure her, and give her some treats while you’re there. When all
the unpacking is done, open the door of the safe room so that she can
explore at her own pace. It could take some time but her natural
curiosity will get the better of her. Stick to her regular meal
schedule and gradually move her bowls, litter box and bed to where
they were in the old house. Most importantly, try to relax. She will
too.
Itching for Attention
Here are some tips to help keep your cat healthy and itch-free.
John McCoy of East Petersburg, Pennsylvania, turned to a professional groomer at Salty Dog Salon when he saw his cat, Charlie, scratching and licking himself bald in spots. Now, at age 10, Charlie gets relief with the help of an anti-itch shampoo bath every eight weeks.
A main cause of cats’ skin and coat problems is allergies – reactions to flea saliva or inhaled, ingested or contact irritants. But because inflamed skin and hair loss can also be signs of other conditions, it’s important to have your cat checked out by your veterinarian.
“Any cat who doesn’t feel well will stop grooming, and his coat may become dry, dull and dandruffy,” says William Miller, Jr., VDM, dermatologist and medical director of the Companion Animal Hospital at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York. Irritated skin is also a common sign of bacterial or fungal infections, he says.
The itch response arises when mast cells, most prevalent in the skin, including the lining of the ears and nasal passages, become irritated. This itching may be a histamine response triggered by allergens or inflammatory agents, causing further inflammation and itching.
“We’ve learned that many different diseases can cause the same skin lesions in the cat,” Dr. Miller says, “including flea allergy, ringworm, bacterial infection and autoimmune skin disease.”
A humidifier can remedy dry environments, which sometimes aggravate the itch response. Avoiding specific allergens or giving your cat allergy shots can work well when the allergy source is known.
But the basic treatments for itchy skin in an otherwise healthy cat are steroids, antihistamines, antibiotics and dietary changes. “Cats have higher protein (and) fatty acid requirements than other animals,” Dr. Miller says. A protein deficiency, for example, could cause dry, brittle hair and flaky skin.
As most cat owners know, some scratching is normal. But if it seems excessive, it’s always best to consult your veterinarian.
- Brush your cat one to three times weekly (once daily for longhaireds) to remove dead skin, hair, dirt and pollen. It’s a great way to bond with your cat.
- Watch for trouble signs such as sores, rashes, lumps, dark bumps or a thinning coat. “If you find something strange, take your cat to the veterinarian,” says Charlotte Reed, columnist and owner of Two Dogs & A Goat Inc., a pet care company in New York City.
- Get the right tools – small, slicker brushes and wide-tooth combs for long hairs; soft-bristle brushes or grooming gloves for cats with shorter coats.
- Bathe your cat every two to four months. A veterinarian may recommend an anti-itch or bacterial shampoo.
- Give special attention to older or arthritic cats, checking them often for trouble signs in their skin or on their coat.
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