# Introducing my 7 month old kitten to 8 week old kitten



## rubyrobot

Helloo!

I'm after a bit of advice. We have a lovely 7 month old male kitten (Sebastian), who was neutered a week ago. We were after a companion for him, and ended up buying a lovely 8 week old female kitten today.

We are trying to introduce them slowly, but when they first sniffed, he firstly swipped his paw at her, then climbed over her from behind - not sure if it was just the way he was standing because she is so small, or whether or not he was trying to mount her? We are keeping them apart at the moment, and are going to show them to each other every now and again. We are also keeping a towel next to him with her scent on, to get him used to her smell.

I thought it would be better to get a female so that our older male kitten wouldn't get dominant - is this right?

My main question is, when we do let them with each other, will he try to mate with her even though he is neutered? We will watch them, but if he was to be left with her, and he did try to mate with her, would it cause her a great deal of harm? She is so tiny, i'm scared of her getting hurt and he is so naughty. Loving, but if in the mood, he bites a lot.

Thanks!


----------



## jill3

Keep her in another room for about 5 days.
Every now and again you could bring her in the same room has he is in but keep her in a pet carrier. Leave her there for about 10 minutes and then take her back to her room. Do this for a few days.
Then after about 3 or 4 days when you bring her into the room in her carrier open the door to the carrier and let her out for about 20 minutes. so they can sniff and get to know each other.
You could then start to play with both of them. so they are more interested in the toy. After doing this you could then start to feed them together in the same room. Each day bringing the bowls nearer to one another. 
For the next couple of weeks i would put them to bed in different rooms just in case of any problems that might happen while you are asleep.
This is what i did when i introduced an 11 month old cat to 2 15 year olds.
It worked and they are all best of friends.
Hope this helps.
I think it is best to take things slowly.


----------



## lady_r0gue

Wow, lucky Sebastian, what a lovely present!
I doubt very much whether he'd try to mate her, especially at 8 weeks!!! but I'm sure he'll love her! I take it he was just standing over her... if he was trying to mate her he'd be pinning her down hard by her neck with his mouth - and to be honest they'll probably be doing that anyway when she's a bit bigger so don't even worry about it. I know of dogs that managed to perform or at least got interested after neutering but only with a bitch on heat! I've NEVER heard of a neutered cat mounting anything besides an armchair. 
When we introduced our kittens to the dog we would bring them in every day and offer him their upturned belly and bum to sniff, in this way they couldn't be seen to be a threat and he could really check them out without confrontation. 
I'm sure they'll be fine, she'll probably put him right in his place as soon as she's found her feet!


----------



## lady_r0gue

How are they getting on? x


----------



## rubyrobot

I'm introducing them around twice a day - bringing her into the living room in her cage, and letting them see each other. He circles the cage, and they swat at each other though the bars. It *seems* quite innocent like maybe they are playing, but then sometimes he'll try to bite her so I will take her back into my room.

I did take her out at one point and hold her on my lap, and let him sniff her. She started walking closer to him on my lap, and he practically did a back flip he was so scared, and ran off, then stared at her from across the room. He has never hissed, but he has never done that anyway.

It's sooo frustrating! I just don't know when the time will be when I can let her into the living room properly. I'm terrified that I will think it's safe, and he will suddenly attack her and kill her with one bite! 

x


----------



## jill3

I have just read your last thread and i think it's going well.
When you let her out of the pet carrier tonight you could try playing with them both. You could get some string with something tied on the end of it and they both might play together. Or try and encourage them to play.
If you put her on your lap he could get a little jelous.
Also don't worry about him attacking and killing her. This won't happen.
They just need time to get to know each other.
It's all down to the pecking order. Once that's been sorted they will be fine. 
I did all this last year and taking it slowly like you are doing is best.
At the week end you could let them have more free time together while you are at home. 
You will only need to intervene if the play gets too rough. By that i mean squeals.
Sometimes it looks rough when it's not.
Don't worry before long they will be best buddies


----------



## lady_r0gue

yes what Jill said! He won't eat her, don't worry! playing with scrunched up paper is a good one as you can make a few bits for them - don't worry about every little jump, hiss, meow or even swatting, they will sort out the pecking order (and no doubt this will eventually be HER ...
and HIM...) 
and they will be fine. He might feel a bit jumpy but he'll soon realise that he is faster and can probably escape to places she can't follow just yet. At least this will give him the upper hand until she matches him in size more closely! 
My kits sister moved in with a relatively dominant, large neutered long-haired 5 year old male and while he is a funny soul who is quite aloof, and bites your fingers - despite the owners initial worries his heart obviously melted after about 10 days and he now adores his lil sister - he pins her down to wash her, plays with her and even snuckles up with her! 
As I said try holding her on her back, bum forward every now and then for him to get a good safe sniff without the confrontation he might be nervous of - bet he'll start washing her!
Assuming she's just come straight from a litter she's probably a lot less nervous of him than he is of her so I think this is a good trick with a new littlun, it presents them in a non threatening position x


----------



## rubyrobot

Well, tonight was ok I think! I let her out in the living room with him, and tried to play with them both with a fishing rod thingy. She loved it, and was chasing it around everywhere but he just sat there looking all tense, eyes firmly locked on her. 

They started playing / fighting, swatting each other but he seemed to give the odd swat then run away scared. Every now and again he would pin her down and bite her, and she would squeel so i'd spray him with a water bottle and he'd leg it.

They even ate next to each other - she helped herself to his wet food, and he started eating his crunchy food, still staring at her. Then she started trying her luck and trying to eat the food he was eating, every time he was like 'sod off!' and swiped her haha. She then tried her luck even more, and did a massive poo in his litter tray lol.

After a while he started chasing her and getting a bit too excited, pinning her and biting her every time he caught her and making her squeel so now i've put her in the bedroom, think it's enough for tonight.

I think it seems to be going well so far, it definitely has a bit of time to go though. I'm just worried he will always bite her even when they get on one day, because he always bites us :\

xx


----------



## lady_r0gue

Well done! you;re getting there then!
I'm not a fan of water sprayers myself - what if big man associates littlun with getting sprayed - he may learn to resent her for it? but you know what works with your own cats I guess - personally if need to quickly admonish a cat I'll blow in their face, works a treat as I think theitr whiskers tell them to draw back as there's something near their face but it's not like punishment x 
I'm sure she'll learn to deal with the biting just fine - our harry is halo's litter twin but is bigger and while he's a lot stronger and more capable in some ways, she's fast and nippy. sometimes I used to worry as he sat on her head and chewed her leg that he was bullying her - I'd separate them only for her to take a running jump and ambush him, using her speed and element of surprise to own him right back! 
She won't be as little as she is for very long, too - he'll teach her how to stand up for herself as well so if she ever goes outside she'll be a tougher, cleverer lil cat for any scrapping they do now


----------



## rubyrobot

I tried again tonight. I sat in the hall with them because in the other rooms there are too many places for him to chase her where I can't intervene if it gets too rough. 

Let her out, and tried to play with them both. Same as before, she played with the toy and no matter how much I willed him to play, he just sat there all stiff and rigid, huge pupils fixated on her, making the odd weird noise.

Every now and again, he'd attempt to attack her. I always stopped him when I saw him going with his teeth blasing! If he wasn't doing that, he'd just sit and stare at her whatever she was doing, and just couldn't relax at all.

I think she was starting to get really annoyed with him - at first she looked like she really wanted to play, but after all his aggression, she stayed away and if he went near her, she'd hiss. Then she decided to claw her way up my leg to sit on my chest. That's when I thought enough is enough for tonight!

Seems like he will neverrrrr relax! I suppose it hasn't even been a week yet, just gotta stay patient


----------



## rubyrobot

Ok guys everything is awful right now with the 2 kittens 

Sebastian HATES her!!! I have been doing everything I have read about, introducing slowly, spraying with water, nothing is working.

Everytime I let them be in the same room, he literally goes for her! Grabs her and bites her really hard, as though he is trying to rip her apart. He doesn't stop, even when she really cries out. I am constantly having to intervene. The thing is, she really wants to play with him so will keep running at him. 

I really don't know what to do. I'm fed up of having to leave her in my room by herself, it's so unfair


----------



## lady_r0gue

Aw I'm sorry you're having such a hard time! I don't really know what else to suggest except perhaps a feliway diffuser, I've not used one myself but maybe have a chat with your vet or have a look online - desperate times call for desperate measures and with any luck it might calm Sebastian down a bit!

As well if it makes you see it from another point of view, I obviously haven't seen your cats in action and I appreciate she's the "baby", but I know with my two (who of course are pretty evenly matched) they will circle each other in a predatory fashion, looking furious, tear up and down the stairs after each other, stalk each other commando style then absolutely pounce, bite each other til they squeal and kick each other repeatedly in the head - several times I've thought "poor little Halo" (she's a little smaller) but as soon as I'd "rescued" her she'll be straight back for more, ambushing Harry from a great height and meowling - sometimes he just has to sit on her head and bite her bum until she calms down and then they'll wash other off and pretend like it never happened. All that is totally natural. 

I do wonder whether the spraying water helps or hinders to be honest, it's not a tactic I would use - I don't think cats respond particularly well to "punishment" at all and as I just realised I've said already - he could well just associate the horror of getting sprayed with his new sister and hate her more for it. Might be fine for getting stray cats out of your garden - but not to make the cats treat each other nicer. In my opinion x

To be honest by this stage I'd be tempted to give them a lot more freedom - It's a common rule of thumb I think to keep a new pet in one room for 3 weeks, you're now coming to the stage where hopefully she will be able to have as much freedom inside your house as Sebastian has. I do also wonder whether when you try and introduce them it's a bit like when other dog owners bring their dog to "meet" mine while they are both on leads - it often results in snarls and aggression as two dogs are almost thrust together - wheras if the dogs are both off the lead they are far more likely to establish boundaries and hierarchy between themselves and come to a mutual acceptance.

Is Sebastian allowed outside?


----------



## Winnie32

Hi there, I know this is an old thread but how did u get on in the end? Because am going though the same thing now. X


----------



## LapsedGrace

Hey Winnie, 

may I ask what problems you are having? Might be able to help as I've just introduced a kitten to a cat. 

LG


----------



## Winnie32

Hey there LapsedGrace ,
Thank you for being interested .what it's is I got my female kitten 4weeks on Tuesday,she is 14 weeks now. and everytime I lefted her she'd cry! A lot of ppl told me to get a second kitty to keep her company. So I got my male kitten a week gone on Wednesday.he is now 20 weeks.. The thing is when I put them together their fine at first but when they start to play he pounces on her an shes underneath him, then she starts to growl,spit and crys. If he gets off her or I split them up she puffs herself out to look big then she runs bk for more! Then it's starts all over again... When I put him in my daughters room ( that were he sleeps an stays wen I can't supervise them). She runs round like a mad woman and won't come near me an puff her sel out to me for about an hour.. I hope you can give me some advice because am getting very stress about it all .ps i got him neutered on Tuesday so he can't be round her for a few days now xx


----------



## LapsedGrace

Hi Winnie, I wouldn't be too worried just yet as it has only been a week. Have you done proper inrtroductions? Or did you just let them meet straight off? 

I've just introduced a 4 month girl to my 1 year old male. It will be two weeks on Saturday. Marston was pouncing and biting Freya all the time at first. She would squeal and I would break it up every time. So I came on here for advice and someone (Can't remember who) told me to just let them get on with it as they are just setting boundaries and probably playing. Well after 2 days leaving them to it they now clean each other and snuggle in bed.

I'm not saying that your two will turn out like this but it should settle down after a bit. I'd only stop it if there is blood or fur flying. Marston still pounces on Freya sometimes but like your girl she always runs back for more. Are you sure they aren't playing? It can look a bit ruff. 

I think her running around is just her being a kitten and getting her energy out. Freya has a mad couple of hours also.


----------



## Winnie32

Thank you for replying Hun . Dd ur little girl spite and growl? . He is only playing but with him being bigger then her I think it gets too much . I've ordered some feliway so I hope that might calm things down abit... I feel bad in the little guy tho wid him up stairs has I don't think it's right!.. I have aren't year old labour in my front room. My female kitten in the back room an my male kitten in the bedroom. I wud love it if they cud all get on lol xx


----------



## Winnie32

Sorry ten year old lab x


----------



## LapsedGrace

She doesn't growl and only hisses (rarely) if Marston gets a bit too much. Marston is triple the size of her. I would just let hem get on with it and see how they get on. Its only been a week and sometimes it can take months. I've never used Feliway so can't comment on that, though I've heard its good. 

You have to remember also they are only kittens so they have lots and lots of energy they need to release! Also if you didn't do a proper intro then I would maybe suggest doing that. I kept Freya in her own room for 3 days just to get them used to each others sent before they met. Also last night was the first time they got out all night together which went well. 

Just give it time and I'm sure they will get along, especially being so close in age. Let me know how you get on.


----------



## LapsedGrace

Oh forgot to ask. How do the cats get on with the dog? And vice versa?


----------

