introducing new kittens to the

Question
Hi,
Just wondering if you can help out with this one.

I've had my 'resident'two female cats (neutered and 5 years old) since they were 10 weeks old.

I've VERY recently rescued two 9 week old kittens(brother and sister)who seem to be settling in not too bad.

What i'm not certain of is how to introduce them ALL to each other without TOO much conflict.
Obviously,they all know things smell and seem a little different.
i have tried to keep things as 'normal' as possible for the elder two.
But to also care for the new little ones as well.
i most certainly don't want my eldest to think they're not welcome anymore,
far from it!they are a huge part of my life and family,
and how do i go about reassuring them they are loved as much today as they were 2 months or even 2 years ago?
any advice on this would be more than welcome.

thanks!!
ilonaburke@hotmail.co.uk

p.s,i think i've had some invaluable advice from you in the past,thank you for that!

Answer
Ilona,

I am going to give you our standard regimin for introducing new cats or kittnes to a home with established pets.  The good news, in your case, is that adult cats are very tolerant of young kittens.  Also, keep in mind that the dynamic in the household will change (maybe for the better, maybe for the worse), but this is unpredictable.

Like people cats will take instant likes and/or dislikes to other cats.  The dislikes part is fairly rare, but can happen.  So you must be prepare that there may be some trouble in paradise for a couple of weeks (at least).

Anyway, here is how we introduce a new cat/kitten to a household with already established pets:


Start out your new kittens 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 kittens will not be overwhelmed by its new surroundings and get "lost", and thusly will have no problem finding the litter pan (often kittens or rescue cats have been confined and are somewhat daunted by wide open spaces!). You will feed the new kittens in this room and keep the established cats out. It allows the new kittens to bond with you or another human being and also build up some self assurance in their new surroundings since they will not have to compete for food or attention right away. Finally, it allows the new kittens and the established cats to sniff each other under the door and get familiar with each others' scents.

After 3-5 days of being in their one room, it is time to let everyone 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 acustomed 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 cats treats and extra attention after the new kittens are 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.



Good luck & best regards... Norm.