As you may have noticed the Notorious Kittens are still quite small particularly compared to Finnegan. We got the kittens when they were 2 months old and Finnegan was a little over 1 year. Fin clearly wanted friends from the way he interacted with Fake Kitty but still needed a proper introduction.
Closed door
We started with keeping the kittens in a closed room. Partially for them to acclimate to a new space but mostly for Fin, who hissed under the door.
This allowed Fin to smell them. I even brought out one of their blankets and put it by the door. He needed to understand his space was invaded, but they weren’t a threat.
He would run to the door hiss. Run away.
Luckily for us, within a day and a half, they were playing under the door together, so we moved to the next step!
Note: This could take weeks depending on the cats and always go as slow as the one acclimating the slowest.
Baby Gate
We set up a baby gate high enough that no one could jump over. In actuality, it was 2 baby gates stacked. This allowed them to safely say hello or in our case everyone but Bael to hiss.
They took about a half a day before they were playing through the gate which was incredibly fast and I was impressed. Fin still had some reservations though. Occasionally he would play then 180 and start hissing, exhibiting signs of confused behavior (wanting to play, wanting to dislike the kittens).
First, everyone got a nail trim! Then, to temper Fin’s behavior, we dropped one baby gate, allowing him and out but not the kittens. He waltzed right in, then ran away like a big baby when the first kitten got his tail.
It took us another day to get Fin comfortable and not hissing, but he managed. He is just a big baby about change with a little anxiety. Even good change.
Freedom
We set the kittens free! During the day they had free range for a whole week. During the night, they were locked back up to give Fin some more adjustment time. We started on a weekend so we would be home.
It went well. Fin was panting he was playing so hard! They groomed each other. Though sometimes fin got left out he eventually learned how to initiate play too. After that week the kittens were free to roam.
Other Things To Try
If for some reason the closed door isn’t working, try switching rooms. Take the new cat (out of eye site of the old one) to a new room. Then let the old cat explore the room the cat has been staying in. The smells, the litter, the water, and the fact that nothing jumps out at them will help them acclimate.
If the baby gate is failing, like I did with Fin you may be able to allow one way access but that really only works for kittens.
Sometimes, cats need to fight it out. First, make sure all claws are trimmed and before any interaction. These guys may never be “groom each other buddies”, but they may be “I tolerate you roommates”. Just make sure to split up the fight if it goes on too long.
Note: Always watch new interactions with cats! They can go bad. If they don’t separate after a few minutes or there is blood, intervene.