Introducing a Feral Kitten to Adult Cats

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Hello again, and welcome to the third post at My Two Cats. I didn't begin with two cats as my blog name suggests. When I rescued Mitsy I already had two seniors. That leads me to the topic of this article. I wasn't sure if the adults would instantly accept her, if they would physically attack, or if they would hide in fear of this fluffy little invader. Turns out none of the above happened. 

Why I Didn't Immediately Allow Contact 

The initial introduction went better than expected, but it wasn't without challenges. As I said in my second post, I waited to introduce the feral kitten. She could have had anything from worms to feline leukemia, and I waited because I wanted to protect my indoor cats until after a thorough veterinary exam. 

How the Older Cats and a Dog Reacted to a Feral Kitten

The two older ones did lots of hissing but didn't attack or run off in fear. Mitsy was clearly put off by their not-so-welcoming reactions, but the hissing and lunging lessened each day. 

As previously mentioned I also had an older shih-tzu, Zeus, but he couldn’t care less. By his expression and behavior, he thought it was just another cat. He was used to them, and I often wondered if he thought that he was a cat!

My Dog Didn't Mind the New Kitten

They never bonded to the point of grooming each other or sleeping with fur touching. God forbid! That never happened, but my adult male cat Panda Bear fully accepted Mitsy and became her mentor. I'll explain how he helped her in a future post. It is helpful to have a fully domestic older cat when adopting a feral. 

Baby, on the other hand, my husband's adult female cat only tolerated Mitsy, and barely at that. Her personality was that of a crotchety old woman in a gray fur coat, and she hissed in disgust every chance she had. She swatted Mitsy now and then but only to make her realize her place in the house. She made it clear that she wasn't going to put up with any shenanigans, at least not within her reach. 

Feeding a Kitten with Older Cats

Mitsy wasn't tempted by adult cat food unless it was wet. Her little teeth couldn't penetrate the hard kibble, but she eagerly enjoyed her kitten food. Unfortunately, the adult cats also loved it too! Baby the crotchety female would have gladly switched from her regular chow to milk-flavored powder-covered morsels, but I did my best to stop her. Without timed personal feeders or separation during feeding time it's not easy to control. 

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Length of Time for Acceptance

It took about a week for the ugly hissing to cease and for Mitsy to become more comfortable in her new home, but she has never allowed herself to become completely relaxed. I'll also discuss that subject in a future article. 

My sweet Panda Bear, Baby, and more recently my dog have passed away, but they were Mitsy's first four-legged family members. Baby was known as 'Aunt Baby', and Panda was considered her big brother. They helped her in immeasurable ways, and they will never be forgotten. 

Until later, 

Kim


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