The New Kitten Arrives! How To prepare your cats for the new arrival.

One of the best parts of Pawbly is helping people looking to find a way to provide better care to their pets.

I started Pawbly for this reason. When I think about all of the questions that I am asked I realized that I often get asked the same question multiple times..SO wouldn't it be a great idea to put all of those questions and answers in a place where everyone could access, utilize and add to them?

Hence, Pawbly!

Here's one of the more common questions:

"Bringing Home The New Kitty"

Question Number 1;

Hi Dr. Magnifico,

Recently a new kitten found me. I took her to JVC last week. She was given a distemper shot. She had fleas. Per her fecal, she was parasite free.

When may I introduce her to my other kitties?

Thanks for your help!

My Answer;

Congratulations on your new kitten! And how wonderful to hear that you are going to keep and care for her.

One of the wonderful things about cats (and kittens) is that they all have their own personality, likes, and dislikes. I love and respect a cat for their independent unapologetic spirit. But it is hard to give concrete advice on this question because every kitten and every cat household is different.

Let your new kitten acclimate to her new home before asking her to be buddies with your other kitties. I usually suggest leaving the new cat in a large carrier with a litter box, and a hidey box so that she can retreat into a safe place. At some point she will be unafraid to come out of the box and meet the other cats (or vice versa). Kittens can be a frenzied fury of activity and sometimes the older/other cats are playful and curious and receptive to a new play partner. Sometimes they aren't. Your kitten will quickly figure out which cat is which.

Be a quiet, calm, patient parent and see how the kids get along...although I do think that a very gradual calm introduction is the best way to achieve long term success..

Best of luck, and enjoy your new kitten!

I hope this helps.

Question Number 2;

We just brought a male kitten into our home that already had a spayed female kitten both are approx. the same age (6 mos). The male kitten is apparently terrified of the female. The female exhibits a playful posture (no hissing or bristling, laying on her back). Is there something we can do to promote interaction and make the male less fearful?

My Answer;

Let your new kitten settle in and get comfortable in your home before asking him to become friends with the other residents. Leaving the new cat in a large carrier with a litter box, a bed, food, and a hidey box so that he can retreat into a safe place, and avoid the other cat(s) intially. This is easiest done by putting the cat and their carrier in a room by themselves. After a few days he should be feeling more comfortable with the smells of your new house. Open the door to the cage and let him explore at his own pace. The resident cat(s) will be at the door and they can exchange smells and sounds without being face to face or being able to hurt each other. After a few days of this you can start to gradually allow the cats to socialize. If there is hissing and growling he can retreat to his house and let him be alone in his safe carrier.

At some point he will be unafraid to come out of the box and try to start to play with your cat.

Imagine if someone scooped you up and dropped you in a foreign land with some pesky female? Most of us would probably be a little afraid, and a little reluctant to jump in and play with the natives.

With cats the secret is to be calm, patient, and accepting..They steer their own course and determine their own destiny.

It doesn't always work out in to a happy loving couple, but in most cases they do learn to just accept each other.

I hope this helps.

Be patient and gentle and your kitten will come around.

Question Number 3;
How do I get my older cats to accept (and love) the two new kittens we adopted five months ago?


My Answer;

The beauty of cats is their independent nature.  Nothing can ever be forced. They have to learn gradually and over time.

And even with gentle patience sometimes a cat will never fully embrace a change, or another pet. Sometimes the best that we can hope for is that they don't yell and scream at each other at every moment of every day. Sometimes a peaceful passive acceptance of the fact that the other person/pet will not go away willingly is the best we can ask..(Oh, goodness sounds like a bad marriage). 

In general, a kitten very quickly learns to avoid  the old cranky resident cat.They go on playing by themselves or with the other cats who will play with them. If that is happening at your house then I would suggest that you just accept this as the best you are going to do for now.

If you have fighting, anxiety, or aggression then it is time to step in and start to figure out ways to diffuse the situation.

I hope that this helps..let me know if you have any other questions.

So, you see..there are many people out there looking for advice, help, and assistance..And I would bet that many of you have been through these situations yourself. What did you learn? What great advice did you get? Please join us in helping other pet people. You can find these questions, and many others at Pawbly.com. Pawbly is free to use and open to everyone who cares about pets.

I can also be found at the clinic, Jarrettsville Vet, in Jarrettsville Maryland, or on Twitter @FreePetAdvice.

Finding the Right Kitten

Adopting a kitten is quite an undertaking and absolutely one of the greatest joys imaginable. Nothing brings a smile to your heart and joy to your soul faster than a bouncing ball of fur popping up and rolling over. To be able to share the pure joy of that spirit is one of the most endearing qualities of pet ownership. That bubbly spirit and those inquisitive curious stares bind our hearts to their adorableness and are the foundation to the many years of love and companionship to come.

There is nothing more precious than the round face, those big soft eyes and the whiskers and fluff of a tiny body full of energy.

With all of the chaos that a kitten can bring into your life there will come the responsibility of a life that may live for another 20 years. Those twenty years will be full of love, affection, purring, companionship, but also potential illness, disease, behavioral conditions, moves to other homes, additional members of the family, and some twists and turns in the road of life. To be prepared for all of them at the time of adoption is inconceivable, but to have a plan and basic understanding of the path ahead is the best way to make a solid decision for everyone involved.

Most kittens are adopted. Many of these are from shelters, some from friends with unexpected litters, but a few are purchased from breeders.

There are many breeds of cats. They, like dogs, have breed specific personalities, characteristics and even diseases and medical afflictions. Also, like purebred dogs, there is an over representation of some diseases due to their purebred status. Most veterinarians agree that the ‘muttier’ mixed pets seem to live longer healthier lives and not need veterinary intervention as often. If you decide to purchase a pure bred cat ask the breeder very specific questions based on the research done online, with your veterinarian, and with the breeder.

There are many helpful hints to picking the perfect kitten for your home.

The best place to start is making sure that this addition to your home is what everyone in the household wants. Don’t get a pet as a gift for a child without adult parental approval, and don’t make this decision without a thorough understanding of the ups and downs and costs associated with this lifelong decision. Do you have a safe and appropriate environment for a new kitten? Is there room to run, play, eat and be safe from any other members of the household that might be scary to a new kitten?

Here is the challenging part of adopting a new kitten? With the kaleidoscope of colors playing in front of you how do you know which kitten is right for you?

It is best to decide first what pet will fit best into your life. (see our how to pick the right pet guide).

Once you have decided a kitten is the best fit for you and your family then the task of trying to decide which kitten to choose from arises? If you are adopting from a shelter or rescue ask the adoption center staff to help you. Ask about which kittens are best for you based on the personality qualities you are looking for. Also ask about the kittens and cats that they recommend? Maybe a kitten that is already spayed, neutered, and vetted is a better fit for you than a 6 week old rambunctious baby who still needs multiple vet visits ahead of them?

A good tip for deciding which kitten to choose from a group is to stand back and just observe them for a while, at least 10 to 20 minutes. Observe which kitten is the ring leader, which is the most vocal, the most outgoing, the shy one, the bubbly one, in essence which kitten will be the most like your household, or the most comfortable fit for your environment. We humans each have our own unique personality and the same goes for each feline. If you are looking for a lap cat then pick up each cat or kitten and see if they settle into your arms gently and calmly. If you are looking for calm and reserved then perhaps the kitten that is quietly playing in the corner is a better choice than the kittens climbing the walls?

As a veterinarian I think that for many of my clients debating adopting a kitten I also discuss the advantages of adopting two. They don’t have to be siblings, or even the same age, but having two kittens, or cats, or about the same age or activity level tends to be easier than one. I know this might sounds crazy, but think about how much time you have to spend with your cats. If you want a companion to lie on your lap for much of the day, well then you probably need a cat, an older cat. If you are adopting a kitten to have a fun-loving addition to your already busy life then maybe having a kitten to keep your kitten tired at night so you can sleep, and entertained so they don’t attack your feet with every step you take is a good idea? I see far fewer behavioral problems and frustrated families with two happily co-existing kittens keeping each other company than with the one kitten households. After all, we all need companions don’t we?

After practicing veterinary medicine for many years, and having many cats of my own, I have figured out which kitten works well in my home. I love the sweet cuddliness of a warm purring cat or kitten in my arms. So when it came time to bring a new cat into my home that’s what I looked for. The bright, happy, cat that turned into a puddle of purring when picked up. I also took great time in making sure that the original family members got along with the new family members. It is imperative that every member of the house feel safe, and happy.

If you find a timid reluctant kitten and fall in love, don’t dismay. Kittens, like all other living beings, have the ability to learn and adapt. But there will be a longer, more challenging road ahead. Time, patience, and determination are sometimes all that is needed to turn a shy kitten into a trusting loving member of a new family.

Ask many questions, seek lots of advice, and make a sound decision for a happy long lifetime together.