#cat introduction

Pluto, born Summer 13, Year 4. They helped build the colony with Dove, and eventually became their partner.

Meet Lady:

She's our only girl! She has one single solitary black spot, located on her left hip. She's extremely independent. She's the first of the kittens to find a sunbeam. She can hold her own in a wrestling match. If the other two are wrestling, she's usually off on her own adventure. I have found her under the couch more times than I can count. When we all cuddle on the couch, she will tend to tuck herself right next to a person and fall asleep.

Meet Zip:

This little guy needs cuddles and attention all the time. He was the hardest to convince to eat from a bowl and the last to wean off of the bottle. If he wants attention, he will scream the song of his people until you pick him up. He's a massive purr machine afterwards. He's not a huge fan of wrestling with his siblings: preferring to play with pom poms and fake mice instead.

Meet Ruckus:

This little boy was the first baby we found. He was small enough to fit in Hubs's shirt pocket. He is the runt of the litter, but is quickly catching up. He would give the loudest, deepest screams when they were newly found. This dude got his name honestly. He's the most feisty out of the three. He enjoys biting, wrestling, and trying to climb your leg when you're going to the bathroom. He's the cat version of hyperactive adhd. He will chase toys across a room. He's the first to start jumping down from higher places.

Brushing one cat and then the other is usually my top suggestion for a more aggressive scent-swapping. But if neither cat will tolerate brushing, you can use a clean sock on your hand to pet one cat, and then pet the other cat with the same sock. Try switching the beds they lay on, the toys they play with. Anything they interact with and leave their smell on? Swap it out! You want to intermingle those scents and get them used to the combined scent of them both. Another favorite is space-swapping. Where you bring one cat into the other cat's space while that space's resident cat is safely elsewhere (usually temporarily in a bathroom or something - given lots of treats and affection as payment). Just let the cat check out the room where the other cat usually lives. Play with them in that space too! Get them used to the scent without the presence of the other cat. Sometimes trying to get them to play at the same time while in the same room can help grease the wheels, too! But I say this with the caveat that sometimes play-aggressive cats react negatively to this, so it depends on the individual cat.

I’m introducing my cats because they are very important to me 💕

This is unfortunate because I have a very playful and friendly one year old cat and I only got a second cat for him. But now I've named the kitten (I did so hoping it would make me feel more attached to him) and the woman who adopted him out to me so thrilled about it it's like what am I going to do, return him?

So anyway, this baby will not play with Mac. Has no interest, no energy, no desire. Admittedly Mac is pretty rough, I'm going to have to research how to teach him to regulate his play I guess. He grew up with his brothers so I don't get it but I think it's mostly the massive size difference. Mac is big for a cat, Fitz is small for his age so it's even more exaggerated. They have been introduced and are fine to the point that they eat side by side out of the same bowl if I don't feed them fast enough. Fitz just doesn't want to play.

The trick I discovered today though is that Fitz does like toys and McElroy is fucking obsessed with balls. So if I introduce a ball into the area with both of them they will play together with the ball. Which is heartwarmingly adorable and makes for good positive interaction. McElroy's energy isn't directed at the kitten so Fitz feels safer. So we're trying that. Also got the kitten a largish teddy bear hoping that wrestling with that will help him gain some confidence and lead to future play with Mac.

Fun fact, when we first brought Kickstand home, she and crowbar HATED each other. And now, they're inseperable! It does take some time and patience, but most cats can get along with each other. I'll tell you our process and hopefully it'll work well for you too!

1. SCENT. Cats are heavily scent reliant. They've got really good noses and are always leaving their smell all over their home. Your older cat is troubled because the kittens are in his territory that is covered in his scent. To make him more comfortable, you need to introduce their individual smells into his space, so they can mix.

2. SPACE. Don't let them go near each other for a while! If you can, keep the kittens in a specific place in the house that's away from your older cat. Keep a door between them and give both groups plenty of toys, blankets, etc. so they can make their own individual scents. Make sure to give both parties plenty of love! You can spread their smells to each other too! After a day, switch the toys between the groups and involve yourself in their playtimes (or with blankets/beds, CUDDLE TIMES). This will help the cats get used to each other's scents and also condition them that the other cat is a good thing!

3. FOOD. Nothing conditions a cat better than food! Remember how I said to keep the cats separated by a door? Place food dishes a couple feet from the door that separates them. If you have feeding times set for your cats, that's going to condition them faster! Feed both groups simultaneously on each side of the door. This will help them associate food, a positive thing, with the other cats, who they still aren't sure about. Over the next several feeding times, slowly scoot the food bowls closer to the door. This will, again, reinforce the scents of the cats.

4. SWITCH. After a day of the cats being in separate rooms, swap their places! Put the kittens where your adult cat was and put your adult cat in the kitten room! Encourage them to explore and sniff the new smells. Treats can also help associate the smell with something positive. Alternate the cats between rooms every day for at least a week.

5. INTRODUCTIONS. After following the previous instructions, feed the cats at the same time, but this time, leave the door open. Make sure to give them a few feet of space to eat, so nobody gets antsy about the other cat's food. Let them watch each other. If hissing or growling occurs, close the door and try again in a day. If the cats aren't immediately angry with each other, let them mingle with each other. If your older cat starts to get stressed or hisses/growls after prolonged exposure, separate them again for a few hours. Feed the cats treats near each other! Reward good behavior! And most importantly, give all the cats a lot of love and attention!

If you followed all the steps, THIS SHOULD WORK. You can repeat the steps as many times as necessary to get the cats comfortable with each other.

Dove, born Autumn 4, Year 10. They were one of the not-cats that originally settled the shoreline, and the leader of the colony.