In my case, I have two social Beta boys who are two (RJ) and twelve (James Bond.) I could have a wider range of choices if I had even one spare room that could be set up for a new cat; but I don’t. Mr WayofCats has a chronic illness that makes him need access to different rooms at unpredictable times, and our doors, except for the bathroom, are old and don’t shut well. So my best choice for smooth meetings would be a young Beta.
Which is what I picked out, a three month old girl, a Norwegian Forest Cat mix, with a few nutritional challenges which I hope to resolve in a month or so.
When I got home from the shelter, all was quiet. So I was able to whip into the bathroom, take Olwyn from her carrier, and see what sort of mood she was in. She was alert, and hungry.
So I sneaked her into the kitchen, started her feeding program to get her thriving again, and waited for the activity to lure The Boys into the doorway.
This was a crucial evaluation step. I had a small litter box standing by if my two other cats showed signs of distress or hostility. I could set up something for Olwyn in the bathroom and let them get used to her gradually. But they were showing the best possible reaction: puzzlement and curiosity.
Olwyn noticed them immediately, but approached slowly. She was clearly signaling benign interest with her tail up and her body at full height. She went nose to nose with RJ right away, holding the pose for several seconds until she backed off again.
RJ looked utterly baffled, but he still threw her a cat kiss before looking up at me for guidance. I happily whispered, “She likes you! She’s going to be your friend!”
I knew RJ had already fallen for her; even if he didn’t know it yet.
Mr. Bond was just as restrained, but he is even bigger than RJ, and is slower to make friends. Something about his body language made Olwyn guarded; she reacted to him with a sideways, arched back posture and a puffed out tail. But she didn’t hiss.
With a hurt look at me, Mr. Bond retreated to think things over. It’s not like we haven’t been warning them there’s going to be a new kitten. It’s good practice; if we are excited, they will be excited.
But all cats react to new cats with two main worries. How will this change my life? and What are the new cat’s intentions?
Since the two boys had left the kitchen to mull over this new development, I let Olwyn chow down and then explore the little litter box I had set up in case she had trouble with the step on the Litter Robot. She used it neatly, and she didn’t seem sick. This was something I would monitor closely as she recovered from her previous digestive difficulties.
So now she was ready to meet Mr WayofCats, who was in the computer room, so deep in a project he hadn’t really noticed my presence yet. Now, noting my lack of greeting, he asked what was keeping his kiss from appearing.
When I appeared holding Olwyn, he had his answer. This was the easiest introduction of all; a broad smile spread across his face. She was transferred to his hands with the same ease with which she had greeted me. When she was hugged to his chest, she started purring.
Olwyn charm is powerful; she had another fan.
We let Olwyn play in the kitchen for a few minutes; the mouse was her favorite, another Beta sign. The boys lurked in the doorway, content to watch her. Then we put her on the bed for a nap, watched over by Mr WayofCats, and we settled on her official name, though during the car ride she had already picked up the nickname of “Punkin. ” I finally greeted the boys in the usual way, with hugs. They were very interested in my shirt by this time.
That first night, RJ stayed openly fascinated, but is somewhat puzzled by what she might be. She looks like a cat, but she’s awfully small, we can hear him thinking. They have frequent quick encounters, but Olwyn doesn’t pounce on him. RJ openly restrains himself from pouncing on her.
I encourage their friendliness with praise and happiness.
The whole of the first evening, Mr. Bond sulks in his favorite chair. He appears periodically to remind us he is sulking in his favorite chair. If you need me, and want to pet me so I can smell Olwyn’s scent on your hand, I’ll be sulking in my favorite chair.
This stage lasted less than twenty four hours; he’s still puzzled, but he’s not sulking. Sulking interferes with dinnertime, which appears at the usual hour. (Having a kitten doesn’t change anything for you, boys!)
Now, when I walk into a room Olwyn isn’t in, I find both the Cat Boys sitting and staring at each other, discussing, in catspeak, What It All Means.
Mr. Bond has far less of a play drive, and what little he has is adequately filled with RJ. He doesn’t have the same motivation that is driving RJ to watch her every move. His main concern is how this will affect our relationship. I fuss over Mr. Bond, carry him to his food dish, and otherwise show that he is still My Special Bundle.
Ironically, it was Mr. Bond’s caution, adult style, that prompted Olwyn’s cautious response, baby kitten style. Their friendship, free of pressure on either side, is already a good one, in terms of conflict. Namely, there is none.
Mr. Bond does show he is miffed when he shows up for my lap; and there’s a kitten on my chest. I show him that my lap is free; but he’s not ready to commit to that yet. He will reappear when I am alone. But it’s his choice; I have taken pains to keep my lap available for those times I know he wants it.
RJ hissed a couple of times when he got close enough to smell the shelter on her, but once we explained, “She was rescued from the shelter, just like you were!” it seemed to help. She’s been happily grooming, another good sign, so that problem will fix itself.
RJ seems quite happy to watch her play, occasionally stretching his front paws out towards her, and trying to make eye contact.
She continually dances up to him, brings her nose close, and dances away again.
Whatever public face The Boys try to put on about the new family member, the truth was revealed the next night after her arrival. Mr WayofCats had just seen her asleep on her blanket. So when the phone rang, he leaned forward to answer it, and let his chair roll back… just a bit.
But he had not reckoned with the power of kitten teleportation; in that tiny space of time, Olwyn had managed to suddenly move into a position where a bit of fur got pinched as the chair rolled. She squealed.
After some checking and soothing, she was fine. After some hours of self-recrimination, Mr WayofCats was fine. Then we were finally able to savor what had happened next.
It was both of the Cat Boys charging into the computer room to see what was bothering Their New Kitten.
As Mr WayofCats likes to say to Mr. Bond in such situations: You are so busted.
The Boys have obviously decided that, whatever her intentions, they must be good ones.
This post was about how I introduced our new kitten to fit into a family of two humans, and two Beta boys of widely varying age. Next up, developing relationships. See all my Olwyn posts.
There’s more help at The Way of Cats than the article you are reading now. See my BEST WAY CAT INTRODUCTIONS.
