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We adopted a kitten two weeks ago. He will be 12 weeks old tomorrow.
We are considering adopting another male kitten. He will be 9 weeks old this weekend. They are not of the same litter.
Obviously, if we get the second kitten, he would go straight to the vet before coming home. My question is what steps do I need to take to integrate them when the new male comes home?
I've seen the advice on this website: Integrating Kittens with Cats but I'm hoping that I won't have to go through all that since both are kittens.
Since they're both kittens, I don't think you'll have any problem here, they'll probably be excited to play with each other.
I would definitely supervise interactions for the first few days, just to be sure everything's okay, but you might very well have two best friends zipping about and getting into mischief together after only a few hours .
Then comes the fun part of figuring out who's responsible for what damage...they will both get off the hook because they'll both act like it was a foreign intruder and not them .
Team work, LOL !
You won't have really the territorial issues to deal with since both are new comers to the the home. I think things will go pretty smooth. Maybe some bumps the first day or so as they figure out each other and the second one adjusts to the new people and home. You should really be fine. Nothing like having an established adult cat and a kitten coming in
Best of luck Having babies together is so much fun - you won't regret having them to play together. Enjoy
Best of luck Having babies together is so much fun - you won't regret having them to play together. Enjoy
I agree, they're so much better in pairs !
They'll bond strongly at such a young age, and we'll be looking forward to lots of adorable photos of them curled up in each others' arms...(hint )!
Location: the wrong side of the tracks Richmond, VA
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I just threw my two boy kittens in together and they have been BFFs since. I did not segregate the second kitten and they took to each other within hours. They were a little older than yours - I think Kitten #1 was at least 5 months old and kitten #2 was maybe 6 months but I think the shelter was off when they guessed his age. Either way, they did great together from day 1. Kitten #2 is still trouble but Kitten #1 did settle down when he got a brother to play with.
I got a pic of them curled up on each other the first night. They even use the litter box together now (one goes, one buries it).
The shelter assured me kitten #2 loved other cats and that's true. He was a great match for the first kitten - I think that's key in situations like this. You can't force them to get along - I lucked out and others have made it work but be wary that these kittens might not get along. My boys just worked out because they balanced each other.
Mine obviously wanted someone to play with. They still do not quite a year later. It's beyond entertaining. Just try to take into account the temperament of your first kitten with the second and try to make a good match.
Thank you all very much for your replies. I feel somewhat better. There's a bit more to what's going on, but right now I just want to focus on the kitten I have. I am supposed to go see the other kitten tomorrow. Nothing is set. I have not met him yet.
As for the kitten I have, had I gone to the Kitty Gods and described exactly the kind of kitten I wanted, they would have handed me my little boy. He is so full of love! He purrs when I pick him up. He sleeps with me--at first across my chest, now next to me--and loves and appreciates his toys. He's a Siamese mix, but he's not high-strung or anything. He's laid back, mellow, but inquisitive. He does talk to me. I am amazed at how much I love him already.
Now, having told you about this perfect kitten, maybe you can understand why I don't want to make a mistake. On the one hand, I don't want him to be an "only." He likes, and cries for, attention. Occasionally, I will have to go out of town. Heck, I even might go to the movies one night! I can't imagine him being alone. I do believe in adopting cats in pairs. I thought I had another cat for him, but I don't. (Again, I don't want to go into all that now as it's extremely painful).
On the other hand, I don't want to bring another kitten home and have my boy freak out. killabunnies brought out my worry when she said, " be wary that these kittens might not get along" and spoke of having another kitten be a good match for mine.
You'd think I'd never had cats before, but I've had them since I was in my 20s and I'm in my 50s now. Previously, I'd always adopted litter mates. That just wasn't possible this time.
Go with your gut...you've had cats for a long time, your intuition will be strong and won't lead you astray.
I think as soon as you meet the new kitty, you'll either get a "yes" or a "no" vibe...trust it!
My female cat Harley, now 16, is probably THE most territorial, bratty and vengeful kitty I've ever met (LOL!), but when she was a couple of months old, I decided to adopt a 2nd kitten, a male I named Humphrey, and despite her natural tendency toward territorial behavior, she loved him like no tomorrow, and they were virtually inseparable until he passed away in 2008. Humphrey had an incredibly passive, sweet, and gentle personality while Harley was always my little wild cat, so maybe that made it an even better pairing, the fact that one was content to sit back while the other wanted to be in the center of everything all the time (and still does ). I tend toward looking for that gentle, quiet type cat personality when looking to bring in a new kitty, in fact my current male, Hagrid, is exactly that...a gentle giant who lets Queen Harley rule the roost, and allows her to keep him "in-check" even though he's about 3x the size of her, LOL! She's small, but she can be scary .
I don't know what happened before, but whatever it is, my heart goes out to you because clearly it was something sad and painful...(((HUGS)))...if you ever do feel like you want to talk about it down the road, this is a safe and supportive place to do so. These folks have been there for me and my cats for quite a while now, and they are truly a blessing I'm grateful for!
Our latest additions are male and female, and are two weeks apart in age. They were fostered together. We were going to get only the girl, but the shelter had a two-fur-one special and I was mesmerized by the true-blue tabby boy.
It was the best decision we ever made. They are now 2 years old and are the best of friends. The boy is now more than 50% larger than the girl and they still wrestle like kittens. Two distinct personalities that blend so well together.
We've had mother/daughter pairs and a set of triplets, but we have never seen the love and affection that these two have toward each other.
luvmycat, I took your advice and went with my gut. Thank you. I got the second little fella. I had to take him directly to my vet as he had never been!!! He had some fleas--not a lot--but I guess one or two is still a big problem. The vet weighed him--1.9 pounds!--and treated for the fleas (also gave me flea treatment for Kitten #1 which has been applied already), did the first set of shots, did the first deworming, did the blood test for all the bad diseases, and generally checked him over and gave him the all clear. Little baby is very frightened and shivering. So, I just wanted to come on quickly and report in.
The vet and the wonderful lady who has been there 27 years and knows everything there is to know about kitties and doggies talked to me for a long time. Re integrating the kittens, both she and the vet said to keep the new fella in his carrier (I have a big dog cage even though I've never had a dog) and so I set him up in that. They said leave him there for a few days (in between holding him and loving on him) and let Kitten #1 come out to see him. They said to expect some hisses, but they both felt the kittens would be okay together by Monday. Fingers crossed and prayers said.
The knowledgeable lady also gave me some hope and good info on my painful situation, so I feel a tiny bit bit better about that kitty.
I am now going to look around on the web and see what I'm supposed to do if, despite treatment, I get fleas in the house.
Miss NM, thank you for sharing your story, too. I really appreciate it. And I laughed at "two-fur-one special."
I don't know how to post pics. I will try at some point. I'm so tired right now and new little fella is crying so I better go.
I'm so excited for you...you're going to have so much FUN!!!
Fingers and paws are crossed here that all goes smoothly and that there will be no flea issues...!!!
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He had some fleas--not a lot--but I guess one or two is still a big problem. The vet weighed him--1.9 pounds!--and treated for the fleas (also gave me flea treatment for Kitten #1 which has been applied already), did the first set of shots, did the first deworming, did the blood test for all the bad diseases, and generally checked him over and gave him the all clear. Little baby is very frightened and shivering. So, I just wanted to come on quickly and report in. 
