Can I count on my male cat to make the new female kitten acceptable to the lady cat of the house?

Question

I recently fostered two cats in my two cat ( male and female) home and one of them was a female kitten that my female cat would swat and hiss at, but my male cat would just lick. Maybe after two days of my male cat licking the new kitten, my female cat played with the kitten without hissing but aggressively. But I think the aggression was more obvious because the kitten was much smaller and would attack and retreat. Anyway they got along fine, and the kitten took to me as well. Now, I'm thinking of getting a new female kitten 4 or 5 months old this time ( my cats are just over a year old) and I was wondering if I should really isolate them for a very long time or just count on my male cat to be the peace maker again. Has anyone had a similar experience?

Update:

Both of my cats are fixed but my female cat is very aggressive. The thing that I'm worried about is the age difference between the cat I fostered and the new cat. The cat I fostered was no older than a month old and the new girl will be about 5 months old.

kattaddorra · Accepted Answer

The best way to introduce a new kitten or a cat to the resident cats is to keep them apart for around a week. Put the kitten in one room and let the cats have the rest of the house, then after a while bring the kitten out and let the cats go in and read her scents.Close the door while the kitten has a look around and leaves her scents around the house.Then swap them back.If you can do this a few times a day so they know each others scents well before they come face to face, it should be OK.
The first day you let them meet, make it when they are due for a meal, feed them close but not side by side. Once they've all eaten together like that, things are going well.
Just keep an eye on them after that to make sure the kitten has been accepted.If she hasn't been spayed she will need to go soon, you could have some hissing when she comes home from the vets and may have to seperate them again for a few days.
We've introduced both kittens and adult cats in our home this way for 35 years now and it's always worked out well.
Good luck.

chibs · Answer

Are they all neutered? From the way you describe your male cat's behaviour towards the kitten I assume at least he's neutered. If the female isn't, it might explain her territorial behaviour towards the new cat. Neutering (as in removing all internal reproduction organs, not just cutting the tubes) might help her calm down a little bit, too.

Isolating the cats doesn't always work. Usually it just means you postpone the getting-to-know-each-other business. Female cats tend to be territorial, especially towards other females (with cats, it's usually a fertile female who's the one in charge, sort of like "do as I say, or you ain't getting any!") and can sometimes be more aggressive than male cats. 

If you're worried that your female cat will be a problem, you could try buying some Feliway. It emits calming pheromones that help keep cats and dogs from being aggressive -- it exists either as a spray or as a thing you put in an electrical socket that continually releases a trickle (and lasts for about a month).

Nicola K · Answer

A little tip is to apply some vanilla essence to each of the cats tails (tip) including the new kitten.  That way when they sniff each other they will all smell the same.
Regarding the Feliway, it is expensive and not worth the money.  I would give it a miss if I were you.

Brian J · Answer

I wouldn't count on the male cat being the same way, though it is possible.  I certainly would give it a shot and introduce your new kitten and the male cat first.

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Can I count on my male cat to make the new female kitten acceptable to the lady cat of the house?

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