It’s essential to invest some time to correctly introduce your kitten to your family members and other pets to ensure they’re properly socialised and there is a smooth transition into home life.
Having a new kitten should be a fun and rewarding experience, but if you don’t take the time to introduce your pet properly to your family and other pets, it might not end up being the experience you had in mind. Young children and other pets can become unsettled with the change and it’s important to let them know that they’re just as important to you as they have always been. If you take the time to interact with your children, pets, and your new kitten they’ll learn to accept each other more readily.
Introducing Your Kitten to Your Cat
While you may be tempted to let your kitten play with your older cat right away, you need to introduce your kitten to your cat carefully and gradually so they can form a comfortable relationship.
1. Start by keeping them in separate rooms. Your kitten will need a safe and secure space with a cosy bed, toys, a litter box, food, and water in order to settle in and feel at home. The two cats will be aware of each other, but they won’t interact just yet.
2. Slowly introduce your kitten and cat to each other’s territory so they can get used to the new smell, but they’re still not ready to meet just yet. Switch up the locations that each animal is allowed to roam in so that they become familiar with each other’s scent. At this point you can let them see each other, but do so in a controlled manner and don’t allow full interaction.
3. Now it’s time to actually introduce your kitten and cat and allow them some limited physical interaction, as long as it’s supervised. Continue with this limited interaction for a few weeks, or at least until they’re comfortable with each other. Once they can remain calm in each other’s presence and don’t react negatively every time the other one enters the room, you’ll know it’s time to allow them greater interaction.
Introducing Your Kitten to Your Dog
If you already have another cat and dog, it’s best to introduce your new kitten to the cat first. Once they are okay with each other, you can then concentrate on introducing your kitten to your dog. In much the same way as we discussed above, start off slowly.
1. Allow your kitten and dog into rooms that the other has been in so they can get used to each other’s scent.
2. After a while you can introduce your kitten to your dog and allow them to interact as long as you’re supervising them. It’s best to keep the dog on a leash or held for the first little while until they become comfortable with each other.
3. One sure way to tell that your kitten is uncomfortable with the relationship is a twitching tail. Cats don’t wag their tails like happy dogs do, they actually twitch them when they’re annoyed with something.
4. The next step is to allow interaction without the leash. Finally, once you’re satisfied that they’re getting along well, you can allow them to interact with each other unsupervised.
Introducing Your Kitten to Your Family
A new kitten will no doubt put a smile on your child’s face, but it’s essential that everyone in the family is aware of the how to best care for your pet. Prepare your children for the arrival of your kitten well in advance. Involve the children in picking the cat’s name, but also make sure you set the ground rules firmly. They must understand that a kitten is a living and breathing animal, not a toy. Introduce them to each other slowly and always supervise interaction at all times. You can allow your children to play with the kitten, but don’t let them force the issue, especially if the cat is napping.
Conclusion
Bringing a new kitten into your home is something you should look forward to, and as long as you take the time to acclimatise your other pets and family members to your new arrival, it should be a fun experience. The most important takeaway is that you should introduce your kitten to your other pets and family slowly and in stages. While it may seem like a lot of effort, this is necessary if you want a peaceful home. Follow these helpful tips and your kitten will enjoy their new home for many years to come. For advice on how to introduce your individual pets, or if you have any trouble during this initial period, book a behavioural consultation with your local Greencross Vets.
