Two kittens. I adopted one kitten who wanted so badly to play with two old lady cats. It didn’t go well. Fast forward years: that one kitten is now 8.5 years and an only cat. I adopted two kittens (having learned my lesson). My older cat enjoys watching them play rough & tumble and joins in when he wants. It works well.
I heard adopt a kitten of an opposite sex also. It should have worked all those years ago and didn’t. This time I have a male and female kitten (same litter) and my two boys - old and young - adore each other. It almost looks like my boy kitten thinks the old one is his mother - except he’s male. Anyway, the boy will throw himself down in front of my old man and get groomed and an occasional playmate when he wants. The girl gets along with the older one also but seems overall disinterested.
Another vote for two kittens. They will be preoccupied with playing with each other and will mostly leave the old lady alone. Plus, when the time comes to say goodbye to the elegant tabby, you will not be looking for a companion for your remaining cats for a while…
My kids will SO appreciate your advice! Two kittens, one of each, is what they have fixed on, and the two younger ones have already picked out what furs they should have (silver grey and ginger tabbies) and what we should name them. I’m like um…whoa there…but who listens to me?!
D1 and her DH recently lost both of their cats within weeks of each other. Several weeks ago, they adopted two litter mates, both boys. Those two kittens are VERY bonded, just joined at the hip,. They sleep with their arms wrapped around each other. They are partners in crime, going everywhere together, exploring together, playing together. It’s just so cute. Hopefully this will last.
I wish they could stay kittens forever. Those perky ears too big for their heads and the big curious eyes are just too much.
I volunteer at our local animal shelter. I tell people all the time that 2 kittens is easier than one. Gender is not a huge issue when introducing them into your house (assuming everyone is spayed and neutered). Personality is more important. Usually, it doesn’t matter if the kittens are litter mates or if they have never met. Most kittens are easily adaptable. Talk to the staff and volunteers at the local shelter and tell them about your existing cat and your preferences. They should be able to guide you in the right direction.
I’ve been struggling with having gotten a female kitten when I have a 10 YO female cat. Our 15 YO male cat died in December, and we had the opportunity, so we went for it.
We were really worried about our older cat hurting the kitten. She’s done some hissing, growling and an occasionally swat, but the now almost 5 month old kitten actually “tortures” the older cat all the time. We actually gave our older cat a supplement for anxiety (we call them doggie downers), but we stopped giving it to her because she needs to stand up for herself.
Both of these cats are Bengals, and male Bengals get very large, so we did not want a male, thus 2 females. However, I have read it’s best to get the opposite sex for the kitten.
When I was talking to our vet about the trouble I was having, he said yeah, he got 2 kittens to try and avoid that problem, and both the kittens would go after the older cat, until one day (after MONTHS, I believe), they just stopped, and now they can coexist peacefully.
We’ve had the kitten about 7 weeks I think, and she is calming down some, but she still wants nothing more than for our older cat to “play” with her.
So, I have no concrete suggestion, other than make sure your older cat gets lots of attention whether you get 1 or 2 new cats. If you read some of the posts from early May you will see some on new cat introductions. They were helpful to me.
I vote two kittens! While my son has been looking he found several fosters that had a requirement that you take two kittens!
Well, S17 did find another kitten! He brought her home last Thursday. Athena is 10 (well now 11 weeks old) and weighs 2 pounds. She was rescued with her litter mates from under an a/c unit. They said she was the most feral of all the kittens at first but over about 3 weeks she came around and became a sweet kitty. She loves to play. S has turned the basement he is living in into a cat heaven. There are balls, mice, wands, litter boxes (two), scratching toys, a tunnel and other toys galore. She also has a ramp to help her climb up on the bed.
He has sent me pictures of her sleeping in his lap, standing on his head, and playing with all the toys. She is going to be one spoiled kitten. He said if they get quarantined again he won’t be lonely!
The rescue called all his references (the vet he works for, his fraternity advisor, and his gf’s dad (big in state education). They did a virtual home visit too! They did have to wave their requirement about being in state because he is a vet student. We were happy with that! Kitty will have a wonderful caring home.
I did read through the introductions posts. Very helpful. We will be careful with our old lady. But now, oh dear, where will be put all those litter boxes!
If my adorable little kitten could leave my older lady alone, she’d be just about perfect. Hopefully she will outgrow it, as opposed to getting more and more aggressive. She’s 5 months old today.
We have decided to wait until after summer vacation because we want to go away for a bit. Also, there are currently no little ones at the shelter at the right age for being rehomed. They told us to just call when we are ready, which will be late August or early September. I’ll provide updates then!
Ahhhh, I was bitten by my beloved cat!! I’ve had her for 18 years!
My wound hurts but my feeling is hurting more.
But it was my fault.
She looked so content being petted, I moved my hand and rubbed her tummy where I never really have touched before.
I have had dogs and all my dogs allowed me to pet their bellies so I overestimated cat’s trust in me!
She bit me and for a second I thought it was a friendly bite. But NOOOO. The fangs sank in further and I felt my skin punctured.
24 hours later, my wrist is red and swollen. I went to walk-in clinic and they gave me a hip injection because the infection is spreading. My first hip injection in my life! I have to go get the oral antibiotics also.
I should have known better not to touch her belly. Booooo.
We were fostering four kittens that came from a litter born to a cat that was dropped off on my father in law’s farm. The mother had decided she didn’t want anything to do with them so my son was bottle feeding them. One got sick and we ended up bringing them all to our house. My mother took one in, another went to a very sweet couple that my nephew knows (they passed my son’s rigorous interview process). We had decided to keep the sick kitten because it will need some extra care for awhile. All of the kittens are boys so we have had a hard time placing the last one despite having gotten it wormed and first shots taken care of. People would message me asking if we had girls because they did not want a male. I prefer a male cat (I’ve lived with a cat in heat and even one time is too much to deal with). Anyway, my husband has taken a liking to the last one we have to give away and just this morning said we might as well keep him too. They are cute to watch playing together and this is actually the second set of two kittens we have had since we have been married.
We already have a 4 year old male (neutered of course, as these will be as soon as possible). He was not so thrilled for the company (especially when there was four of them) but has now settled in to tolerance and possible affection lol. He regularly lets them eat from his bowl or use the litter box before he does. It’s funny to watch him patiently waiting for either of these things. My dog (a German Shepherd) loves cats. She will lick them and cuddle them like they are her own. The biggest danger she poses is when they are laying under her head and she forgets and flops her giant head down on top of them or when they run to her feet while she is walking and does not see them. It has definitely made life a lot more interesting although I do not look forward to cleaning the litter box for 3 grown cats again. We used to have a self cleaning box but it was more hassle than it was worth in my opinion.
Help!!!
I’m debating about using a squirt gun on my “kitten.” She’s 5 months old, and she is constantly “attacking” my older cat.
She is so fast I can’t catch her when she’s doing it, and the older cat is getting pretty cranky about it. I don’t want a serious cat fight, or a series of them.
I’ve read about using squirt guns, but wasn’t fond of the idea.
Anyone have suggestions?
Do you think she’ll grow out of this soon, or is it just going to get worse?
At this point I think the older cat would “win” if she put her heart into a fight, but I don’t want that to happen, and the kitten is growing so fast she might really hurt the older one soon.
I tried that and it didn’t work for me. For one thing, I had a hard time catching Toby in the act. For another, I had squirt gun water in places I didn’t want it and then had to clean up. Maybe others have had better luck.
I didn’t have time last night to add more than the above. Your kitten probably just wants to play. If you had two kittens, you’d notice that more often than not their “play” revolves around attack and chase. Tails thump on the floor, ears back before one jumps the other. Not really an attack though.
Toby was five months when we got him and we had two old lady cats at the time. Life was pretty much as you describe - hence, my water bottle experiences. Eventually things worked out with one of the two older ones, the other one not so much. I’d venture that the solution lies with the older cat. The one that never adjusted ran from Toby whenever he was near, so he chased. He also took great pleasure in jumping her when he could. No one was ever hurt, but I wish it would have been less unpleasant. Hopefully your older cat will draw the line and things will settle down.
You might try “time out” for the kitten. It attacks and it gets put in a separate room.
Just follow the kitten till she runs in a room and then close the door on her. I could never catch Toby either. But he knew I wasn’t happy and did end up in time-out.
A true story: My friend had the same problem with young cat/old cat and used the time-out method. The young one would “attack” the older one and then walk to the time-out room himself. I guess he considered the punishment worth the act.
@ignatius, that made me laugh out loud. I can see this girl doing that.
She seems pretty darned smart.
I suspect as she gets a little older things will improve. She never seems to want to “hurt” the older cat, but it must be felt as aggression.
We lock the kitten in a bedroom to sleep. The older cat will cry outside the bedroom sometimes. No idea what that’s about… I think MAYBE she feels a little maternal towards the kitten, but I could be totally wrong about that.
My poor “old” kitty. She’s 10ish, and has taken to drinking a lot, and now peeing, or at least leaking, outside of her litter box. There’s lots in the litter box also. So far she’s gotten at least both of our sofas and a carpet.
Seems our vet is having difficulty right now, but eventually they agreed to work her in this morning. Fingers crossed it’s something easy to fix, but I’m worried it’s her kidneys.
In related news, my husband tried to “help” by cleaning our leather sofa with something not good for it. It may be ruined now (the texture is wrong, in addition to it having a big spot on it). I am trying leather conditioner, but this could be expensive all around.
your post.