Will my cat accept the new kitten?

by Julija
(UK)

I have a 6-year-old cat, Smokey, and we adopted an 8-week-old kitten, Freya. The first day, I kept Freya in a separate room so she could get used to the new environment.


I let Smokey see the kitten and he hissed at her, so I took him back to his room. The rest of the day the kitten was with me in a separate room and my boyfriend was with Smokey.

The next day Freya was doing good, and I let her explore Smokey's room and Smokey went to Freya's room. The same day, I let them meet again. Smokey was sitting and staring at her while my boyfriend played with Freya.

After about 5 minutes, the cats started smelling each other's noses. Freya was hissing sometimes, but Smokey looked more curious and not aggressive.

Now the kitten looks very confident and not scared of Smokey unless she is cornered, but my cat is avoiding her. If she comes too close, he will just smell her nose and then go into the other room.

Will my cat ever get used to the kitten or will he be avoiding her all the time? Is there anything I can do to help my cat?

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starstarstarstarstar 		Thank you!
by: Julija

Thank you for the advise. I kept the cats separate again for a day. I came home and my cat Smokey was scratching the door where the kitten is (that's him saying let me in). I assumed that my cat wants to see her again. The kitten ran to him, they sniffed again and Smokey stayed in the room. They were chasing each other and as i think playing (no hissing or growling involved) they were using heir paws. My cat seems to be more relaxed, he was even resting next to her. Thank again for the advise.
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starstarstarstarstar 		Slow things down a bit
by: Kurt (Admin)

I would go more slowly. I've described how to introduce two cats before, so I won't go into detail, but I like to keep the new cat isolated for a few days.

It's best if they can't see each other at first and only go by scent and sound. Do some territory and scent swapping before you let them see each other and meet.

Congratulations on your new kitten!

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