introducing cats: how do i know when they are getting along?

[Katharine K]

i have an 11 month old girl cat and i've recently adopted a new 4 month old boy kitten. I kept them seperated for a few days, interchanging where they stayed so they could smell eachother. i let them see one another a couple times but kept their distance, now today i'm finally letting them be in a room together with me watching, but trying not to interfere.
They keep chasing after one another, and I cant really tell if its playing or fighting. I mean, I'm pretty sure its playing because the little guy keeps coming back for more, but sometimes even when they're just withing a few feet of eachother the older cat will start groweling. The little guy doesnt seem to mind all that much. But how do I know that this "playing" isnt just my older cat failing at trying to hurt the little one? And how long should I let them play for before they can be unsupervised? will they ever cuddle, they are both very affectionate and love to lick things/themselves

 

[sissy]

ive seen them fight for weeks..lol but they should be ok all cats are like that

 

[Jr. is angry]

"But how do I know that this "playing" isnt just my older cat failing at trying to hurt the little one?"

cats do not fail at hurting. if she wanted to kill the kitten, she would have.

the only difference between playing and fighting is, in fighting they rip out fur and draw blood. cats play very rough and make the same sounds as when fighting. plus, your cat has to teach the kitten to fight and hunt and teach him that she, being the bigger cat, is in charge. cats are very social and have order to their groups.

you are doing everything right so far, but it is always best, when ever possible, to adopt more then one kitten at a time. kittens beat each other up all day long, with out a sparring buddy, they beat on the adult cat and sooner or later the adult has enough and belts the kitten.
if possible, adopt another kitten.
if not, leave as lot of things on the floor for him, like shoe laces, yarn tied to door knobs, boxes and bags to climb in.

 

[Rapid Fire]

When there is no more blood spatter on the walls or tufts of fur and skin floating through the air they are getting along.

Right now your cats are at the stage where they are determining 'limits'.

 

[dobermann lover]

well if they purr at each other then they are definitely getting along because purring is a sign of appreciation and love. even if one of them purrs at you then that is a sign of them getting along

watching how they act together can also be good. if they sit or lie next to each other then they feel comfortable, where as if they don't look at one another then they obviously feel uncomfy.

 

[friendlyadvice]

Pet one cat, then the other. Go back and forth, petting both cats, so you exchange their scents back and forth. That will make them more acceptable to each other. The older cat is growling to warn the younger one to leave her alone.

If your older cat wanted to hurt the little one, she would have already done so. She's much bigger and more powerful than him. He needs to learn to leave her alone when she wants to be left alone. Only time will tell if they want to cuddle with one another. They need time to get to know each other.

I have three cats, two boys and a girl, from the same litter. One of the boys and the girl get along fine. The girl does not like the other boy. She hisses at him all the time. They sometimes fight, but it's all hair pulling and growling and they don't do any damage to one another. After a 10 to 30 second fight, they go their separate ways.