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My kittens hiss at new ones. What steps help them integrate?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Cat | Mixed Breed | Female | unspayed

Hi i have 2 kittens Male and Female 4 months old, I introduced them to eachother about a month ago and they did not hiss or growl and have been friends every since. I rescued 2 4 month old female kittens yesterday and done some scent swapping, all 4 kittens are in the same room just now, but when the new kittens come close to the original ones - they hiss and growl but walk away. Will this get better and is there any further steps to take? Will i keep them together

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2 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Megan, DVM, CVA

Veterinarian

Published on December 3rd, 2017

This is very normal behavior. Make sure you provide plenty of litter boxes and food and water bowls to decrease the stress and competition of the kittens. Also, you can put some feliway diffusers in their room to help calm them. Feliway is a cat pheromone to help calm them but it doesn’t work on everyone. Give them some time and hopefully they will start to warm up to each other. I hope this helps!

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    Answered By Sara Farmer, DVM

    Veterinarian

    Published on April 28th, 2019

    It can take a long time for cats to get used to a new animal in the house, and you should plan for a very slow introduction. It is very normal behavior for an older cat to be hissing and growling at a new kitten even if the kitten is not paying much attention to the other cat. It also sounds like Bella is redirecting some of her stress related aggression towards her brother. I would recommend keeping the new kittens separate for at least a few days and up to a week, and then following the guidelines in the link below. Feliway pheromone spray or diffusers can help reduce stress as well. https://www.americanhumane.org/fact-sheet/introducing-cats-to-cats/

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