Expert: Ali - 3/15/2009

Question
Hi :o) This is kinda long, so thanks for your patience! I'm cat-sitting a female cat and her 3 kittens (approx 4 weeks old) until they're weaned and can go to their respective homes. I also own a 13 yr old male cat (neutered). The short of it is should I try to integrate them? The lengthy version is that since mama and babies arrived almost a week ago, I've kept them in my room and my cat out. However, mama is getting more and more bored and curious, as are the kittens. She's tried to get out a couple times and has encountered my cat, which went as expected...hissing, growling, etc. Actually, my cat turned tail and ran the first time! They haven't come close enough to attack or have even tried, til this morning when my cat sat outside my door crying (I think he misses me and his (my) bed. I cracked my door to let them sniff at each other and my cat seemed more curious (especially about the kittens who were nearby and seemed oblivious to my cat), and less aggressive, but the mama cat was still hissing and at one point went to swat at him, but I hadn't cracked the door wide enough. I imagine she's feeling protective. I closed the door after that and my cat continued to cry for about another 5 minutes. My cat has been introduced to others before and after the first few days seems "over" them, won't bother them unless they bother him and generally ignores them. Considering the family of 4 will be here upwards of another 2 weeks, I feel like something needs to be done. The kittens will eventually want to explore more, mom needs some space, and I don't want my cat to start feeling shut out (pardon the pun). But I'm not sure how to go about it. To bring the mama cat out leaves me with little control over things due to the open space and I don't think it'd be a good idea to bring my cat right into my room where the kittens are. I could move the kittens into my daughters room long enough for a brief introduction when the time is right, but I don't know when that is or if it NEVER is and I should just leave things the way they are until my "house guests" leave. Thanks for any help!

Answer
Rachel,

You could try introducing the kittens and their mother, but it comes down to a few things. First of all young kittens are more susceptible to viral and bacterial infections, especially if their mother wasn't properly vaccinated or if your own cat is allowed access to other cats. I understand that these babies are curious, but since you aren't planning to make them permanent parts of your household it may be more stressful to the older resident cat to introduce them at all. Essentially it will probably take 2-3 weeks for everything to settle down and each of the kittens and their mother to figure out their hierarchy amongst themselves. You also have to question whether or not you'd be willing to adopt a kitten if your resident cat takes a shine to one. The bottom line really comes down to two issues: 1) Is it worth the stress and turmoil an introduction would cause for all of the cats involved? and 2) Is it okay with the guardians of mom and babies to expose them to the slight risk of viral and bacterial infections which could prove fatal at such a young age? If so who is to take responsibility for the potentially considerable veterinary expenses incurred in the event that one or more of the guest cats becomes ill? In your position I'd probably recommend trying every other option but introducing the new family to your household simply due to the fact that these kittens are so young and vulnerable and you may not know enough about the health history of mom to know how vulnerable she'd be to infection at this stage, but that's just one take on it. I see no reason why your daughter and any other children couldn't be involved in socializing the new kittens - in fact a move into your child's room provided that the child is old enough and mature enough to fully understand that this family needs time to eat, play, bond, sleep and care for each other could be very beneficial for the kittens as it will allow them to be more confident in new situations and be socialized with children. I don't recommend moving the family into your daughter's room if she's under the age of 12 or so simply because although she may intellectually understand the needs of the family she may be more emotionally inclined to sneak one or more kittens into her bed at night risking potential injuries/deaths of kittens that are rolled over onto and preventing them from getting necessary feeding and bonding time in with their mom. You know your daughter best and you know what she's able to understand and mature enough to respect. The choice about moving the kittens is ultimately up to you. As for helping your resident cat to feel a bit happier about the invasion to his territory and changes to his routine some extra special treats, special attention and doing things he likes will help to smooth things over and this is a temporary, short term issue in the grand scheme of things, he will get over the disruption to his world.