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need tips on introducing two kittens to each other
i recently brought home a new kitten (chloe, female) so that our 3 month old kitten (sully, male) could have a housemate when we're gone. sully did not react in a threatened or defensive way; i think this is because he was a pet store kitten and therefore was around many kittens all the time. chloe is instead the defensive one, preferring to sit away and growl if sully comes near to play. i think these two can eventually get along but it's very difficult with their differing energy levels. sully is a constant whirlwind of energy while chloe is very mellow so it's easy for her to feel intimidated by him. their encounters usually end up in chloe having a hissing fit while sully is too friendly to understand he needs to back off and let her adjust to a new home. what can i do to help them make friends, or at least co-exist peacefully? i know initial separation is key and so far that is what i've done but what more does this process entail?
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Member 1040960
on Aug 12th 2011
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You don't say how recently your added Chloe to your family, but it does take a while for even kittens to co-exist. Try engaging them both in playtime together with you. This will serve 2 purposes, to tire Sully out and get them to work together at something, even only chasing a toy on a string. Sully should not be allowed to intimtidate Chloe and you may need to remove him and isolate him for a few minutes until he calms down. I would not suggest spraying him or using a noisemaker of any kind since it would also scare Chloe. You can also let Chloe set her own ground rules with Sully. After a while, he will realize that she wants to be left alone and go on to more mischief.
Izadore (Izzie)
answered on 8/12/11.
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