![\"\"](\"http:\/\/zeezoey.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/Kizmet-on-floor.jpg\" "\\"Kizmet-on-floor\\"")
<\/a>Since I had not anticipated leaving Pet Supermarket with a kitten, I was unprepared for Kizmet's arrival. Here he is in my office where he is spending his time until he can meet the other cats. You will quickly note I did not have time to vacuum the rug.<\/p><\/div>\n
When you make the very serious decision to adopt a new pet, in this case, a kitten, you envision all sorts of playful hi-jinks and shenanigans with your existing cat (in my case, seven) who will welcome the new feline mate with open paws and it is so tempting to want them to meet right away. What you normally get is a long and sometimes traumatic period of anger issues, territorial issues, jealousy issues \u2013 in a nutshell \u2013 a lot of hissing, fur flying, growling, territory marking, and a host of other behavioral issues from your residing felines who are typically NOT HAPPY<\/strong> at all that you have invaded their delicate social dynamic just because your eyes bonded and you fell head over heels in love with your newest furry bundle of joy.<\/p>\n So, first and foremost, it is extremely important for the well-being of all, including the sanity of any residing humans, that the introduction is done gradually and that you don\u2019t led a kitten to a lion\u2019s den, so to speak. Kizmet is extremely well adjusted and bold in the office where we are keeping him, but just imagine seven gargantuan\u00a0Goliath’s to one tiny and innocent little David. Hardly a fair fight! The cats are already on edge \u2013 poking at the office door and jumping several feet in the air when Kizmet\u2019s paw pokes out from underneath and when they finally meet face to face, it is bound to be unsettling for all.<\/p>\n This is Kizmet at the vet's office for his first checkup. He was such a good boy and everyone fell in love with him!<\/p><\/div>\n It is also imperative that you ensure the physical health of all involved. In my case, even though Kizmet came with papers documenting all of his shots and boosters and\u00a0was neutered and micro chipped, that does not necessarily mean he has a clean bill of health. ALWAYS<\/strong>, no matter what the circumstances, regardless of the cat or kitten\u2019s age, regardless of whether you found him on the streets, got him from a breeder, a shelter, or pet adoption center, or even if you are not bringing him into an existing cat household, please bring the cat to the vet for a checkup. Cats in a shelter environment, in particular,\u00a0are quite prone to many contagious viruses, typically upper respiratory in nature, and you certainly do not want to infect your other cats.<\/p>\n I tried to make Kizmet's stay in the office as enjoyable as possible. Here he is getting some fresh air with the window open. I am also getting him on the Ellen bandwagon early so that maybe he can help get me on her show!<\/p><\/div>\n Despite the temptation, even if your new kitty seems to look fine, it is recommended you keep the kitten in sequester for two weeks to make certain all is well. Make sure you have a separate litter box and food dish that the other cats are not sharing and wash your hands any time after handling your new kitty so as to avoid any potential germs being passed to your other cats. I have even changed my clothing the first week after handling Kizmet before I interacted with my other cats just to be extra cautious. Kizmet did go to the vet the day after I got him and the good news \u2013 his stool sample came back negative. He did have a respiratory infection which he is taking medication for and undue stress can aggravate the virus, so it is best to let it run its full course.\u00a0<\/p>\n Once you feel safe with the health issues, you need to slowly introduce the cats to one another and I do not plan on having all seven cats meet Kizmet at once. I will first rub a towel on Kizmet to let the other cats smell to get accustomed to his scent so that it is more familiar to them. I will then put them into a spare bedroom and let Kizmet explore a larger area of the house without fear of the other cats attacking him. When the other cats do get introduced to him, I will try to do it slowly, letting him meet one or two at a time so he is not bullied and overwhelmed. This process will take quite a while and once I feel confident that he can defend himself and is comfortable, the integration process will be complete.<\/p>\n<\/a><\/a>