Sphynx Kitten Lucy Settles In

One of the questions asked by new Sphynx kitten owners is how to introduce the new kitten in with the minimum of fuss. The photo below was taken a mere  seven days after we picked Lucy up from the airport.  What did I do to make this happy scene? Nothing!

From the moment Lucy came into the house she was allowed free reign. No slow introductions, no locking away in a room till she was feeling safe in her environment. It was quite clear that Lucy was fine with new environments and was lively and curious.

After a 5 hours travel, she was also ravenous. After showing her where the litter trays are the next stop were the food bowls where Sphynx cats Pierre and Luna were having their dinner. Little miss Lucy showed a complete lack of manners (or regard for social standing) and shouldered the two cats out of the way and quickly gobbled all of their food down. Both cats looked at her with astonishment, and then walked away. They accepted her as a member of the family.

Lucy still had to figure out what cat likes to wrestle (Pierre) and what cat likes to snuggle up under the doona (Luna).  Trying to play with Luna bought an angry snort or two in Lucy’s direction, and the lesson was learned.

I am not recommending that you should just throw your kitten in the deep end and see if they swim, but if you know your current cats well and your kitten has a strong personality then try immediate introductions. Let them figure it out while you sit back and watch, and if anything gets too heavy remove the kitten and let everyone calm down and try again the next day. Your results may be as good as this pair snoozing after a big day of rough housing.