brothers seperated

Question
i have had 2 male kitten from the same litter for almost 2 years one of them got hit by a car yesterday. both cats have not been outside but a few times. should i get another kitten so my cat will have a playmate when I'm away cause that what he is used to or will her think i took his brother and be mean to the new kitten? please tell me what you would do. thank you

Answer
Jen,

Cats do not think this way!  Once the separation anxiety is over (about 2 weeks), it would make sense to entertain getting a new kitten as a playmate.  Of course, like people, there is no guarantee that they will like each other.  The relationship would not be the same as between the two brothers, but generally a new addition to the household works out.

The important thing is how you introduce the kitten!

Here is a way we have used in the past with pretty good success:

Start out your new kitten in one room with a litter pan and water dish. Ideally, the one room should be a bedroom with yourself or another human resident. This accomplishes a couple of things. Your new kitten will not be overwhelmed by its new surroundings and get "lost", and thusly will have no problem finding the litter pan (often kittens or rescues have been confined and are somewhat daunted by wide open spaces!). You will feed the new kitten in this room and keep the established cat out. It allows the new kitten to bond with you or another human being and also build up some self assurance in its new surroundings since it will not have to compete for food or
attention right away. Finally, it allows the new kitten and the established cat to sniff each other under the door and get familiar with each others' scents.

After 3-5 days of being in its one room, it is time to let them meet each other. Be prepared for some posturing, some spitting and hissing, and the like. IGNORE IT! After a while, they should begin chasing each other about and still have the occasional hiss or spit as they get accustomed to each other. Cats tend to make a whole lot of noise and even loosen up some fur. Rarely will two cats hurt each other.

Once they are introduced, there are a couple of things you must remember. Do not separate them again, they will get along! Do not interfere in their "discussions" as they need to sort it out amongst themselves!

It does not hurt to give the established cat treats and extra attention after the new kitten is introduced (yes, cats do get jealous!).

A couple of things you may have to do are to feed them on separate dishes. Provide more than one litter pan in different areas of the household (as cats can be very territorial about litter pans).

All, in all, this method seems to have had great success in the past and makes for a fairly smooth introduction. Please remember that they may make up immediately, or it may take a few weeks.


Best regards... Norm.