Reptile & Amphibian Forums

what are the steps to properly go about a smooth introduction?

We have let them sniff and paw thru a 1" gap between the french doors, and our older 2 year old Bailey will paw and hiss and growl at the new kitty... Heidi a 13 week old kitten.

the kitty has one of Baileys cat furniture scratchers and a blanket for Baileys scent and Bailey has one of the kittys mats for her scent...

When i hold the new kitty and Bailey sees her he meows strange and growls sometims and once has sniffed her back when she was looking the other way... and that is it so far

when can we feel comfortable to let them meet face to face with out the 1" gap thru the doors?

Just looking for that next step to help us along the way with our first cat/kitten introduction

to see them go to: www.wtronix.com/meowtime

Jennifer

Sounds like you are doing everything right. How long have you had the kitten? It may take a couple of weeks of sniffing each other under the door before face to face introductions can be made.
I have heard that Feliway Comfort Zone plugins for cats make introductions go smoother. Though I have never used one. They cost about 30 dollars.
For now I would keep doing what your doing until the growling stops.
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Jaime owned by
Mya the dog
and the cats:Crash, Moxie, Gabby and sometimes Tucker

I think Jaimie has given some excellent advice here. They should be kept separated. However you might try putting one in a carrier and then placing the carrier into the other cat's territory and let some sniffing go on. You can also reverse the proceedure.

Let the cats switch areas for a day or so if convienient for you. This will also help them get used to each other's presence.
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Smile, it will make them wonder what you are up to!

We have put the new kitty in her carrier and our 2 year old ragdoll will go up to it grawling and making strange meow noises and then run away and then he gets the courage to go check her out again and well the same thing happens over and over for about 6 times and then we take the kitty back up to her room to relax.

Now with one kitty on one side of the door and the 2 year old ragdoll on the other side, they both swat at the mouse and swat at eachothers paws sometimes using claws and some without the claws, but the 2 year old ragdoll is hissing, meowing strange and growling and somewhat strange especially when he is laying on his back or side or sitting content with his paws tucked underneath him... Also when he makes contact with the kittys eyes he will make those strange and funny sounding meows and sometimes growl.. .

lmk what you think.

The older cat is still a bit hostile, although he seems to be interested in the new kitten. Give it another week and then try feeding them in the same room with the dishes far apart of course.

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Smile, it will make them wonder what you are up to!

when is it time to let them be in the same room like our family room to run around without one of us holding the new kitten? and what should we expect?

>>when is it time to let them be in the same room like our family room to run around without one of us holding the new kitten? and what should we expect?

If the older cat is still hissing, I'd wait another week before letting go of the kitten entirely. Try the carrier a bit more. Also see if you can feed them far apart in the same room with the kitten in fast grabbing distance. If this works try letting the kitten go and see if you can get them both playing with some sort of cat wand.
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Smile, it will make them wonder what you are up to!

Our Bailey is now hissing and growling at anyone who has held the kitty infront of him and if you go near him with the kitty he gets louder and then swats at you even when you put the kitty in her room and go downstairs to see bailey he will sniff your hand and growl and somtimes swat at you. he also hopped over to someone holding the kitty while sitting in a chair horizontally... so it seems discouraging... and the new kitty is growing soon she will look a bit bigger than when we first brought her home at 12 weeks which was on October 28th... any suggestions? or keep doing the same things?

>>Our Bailey is now hissing and growling at anyone who has held the kitty infront of him and if you go near him with the kitty he gets louder and then swats at you even when you put the kitty in her room and go downstairs to see bailey he will sniff your hand and growl and somtimes swat at you. he also hopped over to someone holding the kitty while sitting in a chair horizontally... so it seems discouraging... and the new kitty is growing soon she will look a bit bigger than when we first brought her home at 12 weeks which was on October 28th... any suggestions? or keep doing the same things?

It sounds like Bailey is really anxious about this. He is showing some re-directed aggression which is not really good. You might want to discuss some anti-anxiety meds with the vet at this point. These are often helpful and when the cat "learns" to be unafraid, they can be tapered off and discontinued.

In the meantime, I would recommend going back to ground zero on the introduction. Isolate the kitten totally and don't let Bailey see it or see you handling it. I know it has been a long time, but keep trying. Good luck to you!
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Smile, it will make them wonder what you are up to!

We had a great Breakthru today Our Bailey and the kitty played for about 25 minutes throughout the house, chasing eachother and pawing at balls and rattle mice, and my husband finally talked me into this type of play, i figured now that the new kitty weighs 5lbs it was time... and they both did great and then i put the kitty in her room to rest and eat. When i went downstairs bailey jumped up to me on the couch and let me pet him without acting upset and several times after that. So we couldnt be happier... i will keep you all updated on the progress

Thanks!

>>We had a great Breakthru today Our Bailey and the kitty played for about 25 minutes throughout the house, chasing eachother and pawing at balls and rattle mice, and my husband finally talked me into this type of play, i figured now that the new kitty weighs 5lbs it was time... and they both did great and then i put the kitty in her room to rest and eat. When i went downstairs bailey jumped up to me on the couch and let me pet him without acting upset and several times after that. So we couldnt be happier... i will keep you all updated on the progress
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>>Thanks!

What wonderful news! If they are playing together then Bailey is going to be just fine! There will be some hissing as they work things out, but I think you can breathe a sigh of relief!
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Smile, it will make them wonder what you are up to!

:O) they are getting along just great, playing chase and more chase, and sleeping within a few feet of eachother, bailey is not growling much anymore, no more hissing, its great to see them get along... thanks so much for your help

Meowtime - Bailey & Kitties web pages

Here you see them laying as close as they have... and the kitty is not chewing a wire but the strap to my purse, and i had to just get this picture

Those two are going to be great buds! Thanks for sharing those precious photos.
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Smile, it will make them wonder what you are up to!

Hello! I noticed by the topic of your post that you have ragdolls! Congratulations on your new kitten! I'm interested in getting a ragdoll and I have some questions that I hope ALL the ragdoll owners can answer! In general do(es) your ragdoll(s) fit the general cuddly laid back nature common of ragdolls? Would you consider ragdolls less/more work than other cats? What are ragdolls like as kittens, and what kinds of mischief do they get in to (examples from your kitten(s) would be great!)? Are your ragdolls healthy cats? Do YOU think that ragdolls would be a good match for someone with a pet bird (due to they're laid back nature, compared to more active cats)? Anything else that you think that would be helpful would be greatly appreciated! Also, is there any books/websites/ragdoll forums that you'd reccommend for me? Thanks so much! And Happy Holidays!

SpookyScales

Hi there, sorry it took me a little while to post... Baily fits all things i have read and have been told by ragdoll breeders about their size, temperment, and overall wellbeing. he is a little over 2 years and weighs around 20lbs and he doesnt really show it because when he walks or plays he reminds me of a lean leopard that you see at the zoo but wiht longer hair
He is always near me usually in the same room as i am or when my husband is home he is always around one of us. I would say that our ragdoll is easy care, he doesnt scratch any of our furniture most of it is leather with a few clothed chairs, nor the rugs... You dont have to brush them as much as other cats, but Bailey loves to be brushed... so i brush him abou 20-30 minutes a day usually in the evening... We feed him premium cat food without animal by products... he loves his water to be in a stainless steel dish as the dish keeps the water cooler than other types. He is healthy as can be, he has never needed extra medical help other than the normal yearly shots. As a kitty they are completely cuddly.. lap kittys, full of playful ness and they are smart cats and i think that they understand what no means and why you are telling them no... He doesnt bother our big Christmas tree in the family room, although we trust him to sleep under it, and he doesnt bother the fiber optic tree on the coffee table He is a good boy. We got the new kitty ragdoll from a purebred cat rescue in Wisconsin she is great and has every quality that i have mentioned about Bailey. And today they are getting along just great I also have: 1 Cinnamon Green Cheek Conure, 1 Parakeet, 2 Female Ferrets. They dont bother any of hte birds, or the ferrets. I dont let the cats be in the same room when my birds are out on their playstands... just because i would not be able to live with myself if something happened. email me for links because i have tons upon tons of them for ragdolls and a few good message boards as well... If you have any other questions please feel free to ask... Good luck researching their breed.

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Hello! I noticed by the topic of your post that you have ragdolls! Congratulations on your new kitten! I'm interested in getting a ragdoll and I have some questions that I hope ALL the ragdoll owners can answer! In general do(es) your ragdoll(s) fit the general cuddly laid back nature common of ragdolls? Would you consider ragdolls less/more work than other cats? What are ragdolls like as kittens, and what kinds of mischief do they get in to (examples from your kitten(s) would be great!)? Are your ragdolls healthy cats? Do YOU think that ragdolls would be a good match for someone with a pet bird (due to they're laid back nature, compared to more active cats)? Anything else that you think that would be helpful would be greatly appreciated! Also, is there any books/websites/ragdoll forums that you'd reccommend for me? Thanks so much! And Happy Holidays!

SpookyScales