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My cat is hissing at the new kitten. How do I introduce them safely?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Cat | Mixed Breed | Female | spayed | 10 lbs

When I brought in my cat lily I already had two other adult cats she was an adult when I bought her but as soon as I brought her in she showed everyone who's boss that never changed the other two cats have since gained their wings and I recently brought in a little kitten thinking a maternal instinct would come out in her but she's going after this kitten and hissing at it any suggestions aside from taking the kitten back that I can try to see if this would work out

3 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Angel Alvarado, LVT

Licensed Veterinary Technician

Published on August 7th, 2017

Separate Lilly from the kitten for a few days. Gradually reintroduce them. Start with a closed door between them so they can hear and smell each other. Progress to seeing each other but without physical contact. Once they are acclimated, try short periods of supervised contact. Use a pheromone prodcut such as Feliway Spray or the plug in diffuser to decrease any anxiety or aggression.

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    Answered By Dr. Elizabeth

    Veterinarian

    Published on March 8th, 2019

    This is normal behavior and does not mean that they may not eventually become friends. Make sure to continue to give your adult cat quiet time away from the kitten. Try to exercise the kitten before putting them together so he will be less inclined to harass her. Make sure the cats don’t bully each other. Also don’t force them to be together. It may take a couple weeks before they work it all out. Make sure to have separate food/water/litterbox areas for now. I hope this is helpful and please feel free to post any additional questions.

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    1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

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    Answered By Daniel Fonza, DVM

    Veterinarian

    Published on March 19th, 2018

    Hopefully this is a short term behavioral problem that will resolve with time. Princess needs to get used to the kitten to get over this. You can begin by introducing the kitten's bedding or toys that the kitten plays in / with and see if the scent of the kitten on the objects helps Princess acclimate to a new kitten in the house. I would also recommend using the Feliway products, which can be easily found online, to see if these calming pheremones help. I hope this helps! Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further.

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    1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

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