New Kitten Day.

[MWB]

I'm off to the SPCA today to get a kitten. I'm going to watch them all for a while & pick each one up for a cuddle to see which one to pick. Then I'm going to have to introduce the new furry to my other 3 furries, which can be stressful for all concerned.
Any ideas how to make it less stressful?

[Kleiber]

Hi, MWB - I see mine is the first answer - obviously none of us have got any useful tips on making life less stressful when introducing a kitten to older cats!! I've done it several times and, basically, I just let them get on with it! They'll sort themselves out in the end. I introduced a very small, disabled (3 legs) and scared (had been ill-treated) kitten to the "pride" (4 older females) last summer - one of the old girls sort of adopted her and protected her for the first few weeks, but now she's best pals with my 3yr old - they play all the time! She's settled in beautifully, so just persevere and get ready for the fur to fly for a bit!! Good luck (I'm sure the baby will be fine, in the end!) K x

[LottieAnne]

I have always left the newcomer in the basket for about half an hour and let the older ones see and smell him. Then I let him out in a room on his own and let him explore it thoroughly. If he is tiny it would be safer to confine him to one room for a day or two and at night for a while and also if you are going out for any lenght of time. When you let him join the others supervise them the first few times. Good luck.