New kitten with older cat

Question
Hi,

 I'm curious to get your opinion. I have a 13 yr. old orange tabby who is very emotionally needy. Now that my other cat has died (last year) and I have gone back to working full time, he is alone most of the day and is upset by this. He is lonely, so my boyfriend suggested that we get a kitten to keep him company. Although my cat gets along really well with other animals and has a heart of gold, I am afraid that a new kitten would only make him jealous and that he is too old to have to deal with a new cat and all of the heirarchical issues that come along with a new cat in the house. Even though it would be a kitten, so my older cat would still be "the boss" I'm afraid of jealousy and just upsetting him, not to mention the behavior and turf issues that may play out when the kitten grows up.  What do you think?  My cat is such a sweetheart and may very well love a kitten and bond with it, but at his age I don't think that I should take the chance.
          Thanks!

Answer
Melina,

The truth is that there are no gurantees!

However, if you were to try a companion with your thirteen year old, a kitten would be best!  I would also suggest making sure the kitten is at least 4 months of age (but no more than 6 months), is housebroken, has had all its shots, and should be socialized to people.

I will give you a method we have used to introduce a new cat/kitten to a household with established cats:


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 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 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 cat treats and extra attention after the new cat or 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. And, on rare occasions, just like people, they may end up taking a dislike to each other!  There are no gurantees.

Best regards... Norm.