Introducing Your New Persian Kitten to Your Older Cat

Cats love attention. Even if they pretend like they do not care about your absence or presence, the truth is that they actually love being pampered and petted by you. So if you decide to bring another cat home, your older cat’s perfect life will clearly get affected a little. If you will be bringing home a Persian kitten in a few days, and already have a cat/kitten at home, you must ensure that both the cats accept each other’s presence in the house. It may take a while for both of them to get friendly with each other, but fights must necessarily be avoided. Here is how you can go about the process.

 

Make them familiar with each other’s scents

 

Keep the transition process slow – before bringing the kitten home, let its scent reach your cat. Ask the breeder/seller for a blanket used by the kitten. Expose both the cats to each other’s blankets to help them get used to their respective scents. So when the new kitten comes home, both of them will recognize each other through their distinct smell, making the transition easier.

 

Make them both believe that there is no ‘danger’ involved

 

Cats love sticking to their routine and do not appreciate any changes in it. An addition of a new cat in the house can cause stress to your old cat, and may come in the way of his/her routine. Having another cat may not make much difference to you – you may just have to look into some extra arrangements and supplies, but it may mean a lot more in the cat world. Your existing cat may even consider the new Persian kitty to be a danger or a threat, someone here to steal his/her food and occupy his/her territory.

 

Small steps, one room at a time

 

Once the Persian kitten comes home, don’t allow it to explore the whole house on the same day. You can keep the kitten in a small room, with provision for its food and litter needs. You can slowly increase the area of access, but you must always be around when both the cats are near each other. You can expect some hissing and growling initially, and the big cat may even attempt to attack the small one. So it is vital to supervise their interaction. If you stay out of the house for long hours, keep both the cats in separate rooms.

 

It is recommended that the first face off between the cats involves the kitten being in a carrier. Your existing cat should not have a way to harm or attack it.

 

Do not expect the cats to turn into friends immediately or in just a few days. The transition process may take weeks together. Initially, your goal should only be to prevent fights between your existing cat and your new Persian kitten. Once both of them seem comfortable in each other’s presence, you can allow them to interact further. When it comes to food, give each one food separately in different areas of the house. You don’t want your old cat to feel like its food is being shared, or it is getting a lesser portion of food.