Those with cats....

It takes time really. When u bring the new fluffy one home keep it in the carrier to let ur older one get used to the smell and initially confine it to the one room until ur sure it will be ok exploring. My older cat velvet wasn't impressed when we got Maia, she still gives her a clip round the ear bid n then. Hopefully they will get on. 2 female cats are usually a problem (like mine) but if u get a cat of the opposite sex then I'm sure it will be ok

These two pages look quite good:

http://www.thepurrcompany.com/cat-articles/index.php?id=49

https://www.purina.co.uk/Home/All+About+Cats/Your+New+Pet+Cat/Settling+In+Cat/Introducing+Cats+to+Cats.htm

I would love another cat but I don't think our boy would take kindly to another one!

Good luck!

Thanks for those links Ronda - the bit about getting blankets ready incase they fight scares me though!

I should've just got two at the same time...

It will take a while for them to get used to each other- we have had the kittens for 6 months and Harry is still not keen on them but they have learnt to tolerate each other.

I had a boy and introduced a little girl, they HATED each other for the first 6 months, well he hated her, she was oblivious and just wanted to play and try to climb all over him.

After that they kind of got on, occasional fight and occasional hug mostly they were just indifferent.

We had huge problems. Our cat was three years old when we got a kitten, and she is a funny thing very temperamental, and didnt like him at all for about a year! Saying that they dont love each other now after 2 years but we are so glad we got the second cat, they are both so different but so lovable in their own different ways. I could easily have another...but think two pets in enough...or we'd be known as wierd cat people?

I started off with one cat and then took on two kittens around a year later. At the time, my first cat was an indoors cat so none of them went out until we moved house around a year or so later.

She took really well to the kittens, she used to think she was their mum and she was very protective over them, she still is really. For the first few weeks I just kept them in seperate rooms when we left the house just to keep my mind at rest but they had no problems getting along.

I got my first and then decided to get him a friend when he was 12 weeks, a got another male of the same age. They had a scrap to establish pecking order and within 48 hours were happily sleeping and playing together.

Last year I bought home a female kitten (with the boys being about 1 1/2) one boy took to her after around a week and we are still having problems with the second male accepting her. It is 100% better than when we first got her but it was an absolute nightmare. He hardly came home, started urinating on my curtains and hissed/growled constantly. It was very stressful! 5 months on, things are better. He still doesn't like her, and will hiss if she gets too close, but she has learned to respect his space and they often sleep on the same bed (apart). He has realised she's here to stay and comes in and goes about his day like he used to and she has learned that he doesn't want to be her friend.

I'd say make sure you do your research and expect some stressful times. Feliway has been a life saver as well as implementing other techniques that we learned along the way. Don't let it put you off though, but the truth is, you just won't know how she will take to a new addition until you bring him/her home. My kitten and the boy who accepted her get on so well that when I see them together, it makes it all worth while. They sleep together, groom, play and she adores him.
Quite often, like HatTrick, it's better to get two kittens as they are more occupied with each other, so that might be something to consider.

Good luck ?

Being the mad cat lady that I am, I decided two cats weren't enough so got a 3rd little gorgeous ginger thing. After a few weeks of them being awful to him and me having to trap him in a different room to stop him being eaten (He was so very ickle!) my Sister suggested him live at her house and that is where he has been ever since. Now I don't know how long it would have been before they accepted the new boy but a year or so later, when both my boys had been 'done', an ex and I moved in together, he had another neutered male and it took a good few weeks for our boys to all tolerate each other enough to be in the same room (Albeit usually opposite ends!) There was a lot of growling, hissing, hiding and swiping before the leader was sought out. They were the best of friends after a couple of months and actually all curled up together for the first time, very cute!

Good luck, I don't envy you one bit!

Ha! You and me both BB!

I also found that lavishing attention on my older boy Harry worked well, when the kittens turned up they were only 6 weeks and very very cute- I diddnt want him to feel pushed out so made sure that we spent time just fussing him and we let him sleep on our bed now and then too which is something we never let the kittens do, hopefully he knows he is "special" in that way.

As I type all 3 of them are vying for my attention- must be feeding time at the zoo!

Last July we took on 2 female kittens (aged about 3 months) for what was meant to be 3 weeks whilst friends found somewhere to live. We still have them.

For the 1st week Meg (aged 3) spent most of her time outside, & would hiss & run upstairs when she came in. At this time we were keeping a close eye on them & gave the kittens their own room with food, water, litter tray, toys & bed, which we shut them in overnight so Meg had the run of the house. Meg then gradually came in more during the day, but it took about 3 more weeks of her avoiding them before we noticed she was letting them smell her. After that it wasn't long before they were sleeping together & playing.

Good luck!

You've given me lots to think about, maybe I should bring them together in the Summer holidays when I am at home. I am worried I'd have to get rid of one of them.

Thank you ladies!

Go on the temperament of your cat, I had a ginger Tom aged a year when I decided I wanted a friend for him, as we were out at work etc through the day.

Did my reading spoke to vet and told opposite sex is better as they aren't as threatened.

My ginger is such a character, really affectionate, playful but still a bugger, he's never wandered from the garden/street and whenever another male cat came in the garden he would come straight back in. So I knew he wasn't going to be nasty to another cat.

We got the female kitten, and we let Charlie out before she came in let her wander and then Charlie came in , firstly sniffling everywhere because he couldn't spot her. When she spotted him she was the one who hissed and spat, which Charlie just looked shocked as hell as. For the first two weeks we wouldnt let her sit in his favourite places and we locked her in the living room on a night so that Charlie still had full reins of the house and could sleep on the landing as per. After 2 weeks they became inseparable, constantly licking, kissing, playing and they still do now 11months later, the female is only interested in the male, would rather have affection from him than us lol.

Charlie was done and I think this affects them a lot, I've grown up with a lot of cats, my dads house was one where people would turn up with abandoned kittens and we would take them in. I also had that week off so could settle her in. I do think you learn what your cats like so you kinda know how they would be around others.

Xx