Thread: How to integrate a second kitten

Originally Posted by FreyjaRoMaine

Hi all, we've dried our house as best we can and look almost back to normal now - we're waiting for loss adjusters etc before the house gets rid of that lovely damp smell but we've now got dry carpets everywhere except one room. So I decided to collect Wicca and bring her home yesterday afternoon, and although my breeder warned me that Freyja would hiss and growl at Wicca - and at me - I wasn't prepared for Freyja to isolate herself the way she has. I've got Feliway plugged in downstairs in the kitchen, which is also where food bowls and litter trays live, but Freyja will not venture down there and Wicca will not venture up. I brought little Wicca up stairs into the middle floor last night, so Freyja locked herself away on the top floor. I ended up taking bowls of food and water into our bedroom, plus Freyja's litter tray, because it became apparent that she'll not venture downstairs to the kitchen.

Every time Freyja hears Wicca call out from the kitchen, she freezes and hisses. Every time I talk to Freyja, she hisses and growls at me. She's just jumped up on my desk whilst I'm typing this, gave me a head bump and let me fuss her, then jumped on her Tower and curled up to watch me - so I went to give her a head rump and got a hiss and a growl for my trouble.

No idea what to do for the best. Wicca now - technically - has free run of the entire house (even though she won't leave the dining room) and Freyja has limited herself to just one floor. Not what I intended at all.

Should I put Wicca's food/water bowls and litter tray in our bedroom so that Freyja can have the rest of the house to herself again? I didn't do that yesterday as Freyja loves sleeping in our room with us when we go to bed.

Any thoughts??

There are many ways to integrate a new kitten though I always advise my new owners to let the new baby be alone for a week or so.. in a room with either you and or on her own with you paying lots of visits, moving to new homes is the biggest stress some kitties can have and if they are hiding anything nasty then it comes out round about now!!

But I will take it that all is okay health wise..

I would suggest little introductions slowly, NEVER rush them...

I have a big pen I use and I put the newbie in there for a while to give the established kitty's time to smell out the newcomer... then slowly open the door and take it easy!
Moving litter trays, food bowl, water not a good idea confusion all the way around and one of the main causes of dirty kitties.. even kitty's that have been clean before can become dirty..

Never force the introduction, there is no rush!

Growling and spitting even at you is par for the course...

Take time talking to them in that soft silly voice we all use with our cats, talking to them both, using their names.. and let them do it at their own pace!

I have just brought in an Abyssinian from a well trusted breeder, he has already lived on his own for some time, so no stress about nastys... he spends all the time here walking around growling and spitting even at us.. My own cats just look at him... he is desperate to play... you can see it.. after 1 week he is still walking around grumbling to him self but he has just started to play!!

The somali kitty I bought at the same time.. Well he has lived here all his life... nothing phases him and nothing luckily phases my cats cause he is a real loon!!


It takes time.. it can be a matter of days it can sometimes be weeks.. and never presume always they will be best buddies sometimes that can happen.. THEY tolerate one another... lol But in most case the owner gets stressed and this rubs off on the kitty's Chill!!