Back to list

From Newcomer to Pack Member

While the red cats were relaxing, Odin and I were in the bathroom with Jonatan. It was a great opportunity to get to know the new kitten better without distractions from the other cats.
We had fun with typical cat toys like balls and wand toys – they are always a success!

It’s good that Odin gets some time alone with the kitten and that Jonatan gets to meet a dog. After all, he has never been around one before.
Odin is a dog full of energy, constantly jumping and bouncing, and he finds it hard to stay calm. It really bothers his teenage soul to have to sit still. His ears are like turn signals – sometimes they work, sometimes they don’t!
He is absolutely thrilled to have his very own kitten, one that neither hisses nor swats at him.

Luckily, Odin doesn’t have a long tail wagging wildly in excitement, which in dog language means happiness but in cat language means irritation. If he did, it would probably spin like a propeller from sheer joy! Instead, little brother Odin has just a small stump, which we call a wand toy. Jonatan has already tried to catch it twice and has ended up hanging onto Odin’s backside!

Jonatan really liked the ball. He ran off with it, Odin fetched it, chewed on it a little, tossed it with his snout – and Jonatan kept playing.

Jonatan has also eaten his food and had some water, which is a good sign that he’s already starting to feel at home.

All the playing in the bathroom made the red cats curious, and soon Jesper came and lay down outside the gate.

Jonatan is now 15 weeks old and far from an inexperienced kitten when it comes to cat language. The extra weeks with his mother have given him a suitcase full of useful cat communication skills.
In the video, you can hear growling – that’s just Jonatan. He has already figured out that the red cats are not his flock, and he finds it a little scary when they come too close. Jesper picks up on this and lies down flat on his stomach with his paws relaxed, making sure not to appear big or threatening.

When you see how confident and well-adjusted Jonatan is, it becomes clear how important it is for kittens to stay with their litter for a few extra weeks before moving to a new home. Many people don’t understand this, but perhaps more cats would have fewer behavioral problems if people waited until kittens were at least 14 weeks old. The benefits are many, and the drawbacks are few when kittens stay with their litter beyond the general 12-week recommendation. Absolutely.

Jonatan and the red cats communicate well. Jonatan uses sounds and body language – he stands sideways with his head low and his body big. The red cats understand his signals and respond with calming behaviors: they lie down relaxed, yawn, keep their distance, and blink softly.

It’s clear that Jonatan comes from a “well-furnished home”!
He is definitely done exploring the bathroom and wants to check out the other rooms. Jesper keeps pushing at the gate, wanting to come in, so I compromise and move the gate to the hallway. But it doesn’t last long before Kasper arrives and wants the gate gone altogether.

Again and again, he tries to invite Jonatan into the rest of the house. He walks to the gate, turns around, makes a soft murmuring sound, shakes his tail, and heads toward the living room.

That’s when I knew Jonatan had officially become a full-fledged member of the red cat gang, so I removed the gate.

Out in the living room, both red cats sat patiently, waiting for little Jonatan to join them.
Little brother Odin had found a wand toy – but I think he was mostly excited about having managed to steal it in an unguarded moment!

Within an hour, the introduction was complete. No scratching, no hissing, no sour moods.

This went so smoothly because:

• The red cat gang is well-socialized.

• We found a breeder who did an excellent job raising the kitten.

• We chose a breed and an individual with a personality suited to our group.

• We had visited the kitten several times, so he was already somewhat familiar with us.

• The kitten is 15 weeks old, giving him more confidence and stability.

• And most importantly: We took the time to prepare, plan, and introduce scents before the kitten arrived.

Most of the work happens between the time the kitten is born and the day it moves to a new home.