New Kitty have a few questions

by Michelle
(BC)

I just got a new kitten today :) She is 7 weeks old and has no vaccinations. I am planning on taking her in within the next week to get her first set of shots as well as her first de-worming. Here are my questions;

1) I currently have a 4 yr old female indoor/outdoor cat, I've had her since she was 8 weeks old and love her to death! I've read a lot about introducing the new member and have put her in a seperate room with her kitten food/water and her litter box. I am not planning on fully (while gradually) introducing them until the kitten has had her shots and is a bit more comfortable in the house. Is there anything else you would recommed?

Answer
Hi No the best way to introduce them is to use the safe method described on these pages
https://www.our-happy-cat.com/introducing-cats.html. Also spreading the scent of the kitten around the house during the weeks before hand also helps the older cat get used to them without fear or conflict.

2) As I said above, the kitten does not have any shots/vaccinations yet... am I ok to be touching her? What if I pet my older cat then the kitten (of coarse may be over a period of time)? Is she more at risk if I pet her without any vaccinations :(

answer
No dont worry your kitten will be fine.

3) Is the fact that both my cats are female a bad thing? I read there may be a bit of an issue with same gender cats?

Answer
yes there may be a few more issues with both cats being female but this is not to say that they wont get along. just make sure that when she gets to around 4 months old that you have her spayed to prevent any territorial issues developing.

Thanks in advance for any help!!

I have some pages about kitten care which you may find of further interest here

https://www.our-happy-cat.com/kitten-care.html

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