Mini & Mighty — Can They Be Friends?

Описание: GB can be standoffish with new kittens. For some reason, he was not happy about meeting Billy Bob from the very beginning. It was actually the first time he ever hissed at a kitten face to face. We had to do some counter-conditioning to help GB feel more comfortable around Billy.

Billy, on the other hand, wanted to be friends—but he had to be patient. This was an unusual situation because I usually have multiple kittens who can play together, but Billy was a singleton, and all of his focus was on GB. This is a great example of how challenging it can be to introduce a wild kitten into a home with an older cat who needs more quiet time and space.

Adult cats can sometimes tolerate—and even enjoy—the company of a young kitten for a little while, but it can quickly become too much. I had to make sure GB always had his personal space when he needed it, and that Billy had enough entertainment without relying solely on GB. This is one of the reasons why adopting two kittens is often easier on everyone than adopting just one. Of course, there are exceptions—some kittens, like Peaches, are very independent and can entertain themselves, and sometimes adult cats actually enjoy a young kitten’s energy.

Anyway, it took GB more time to warm up to Billy Bob. We were getting ready for a mini vacation after the Fruits were adopted, and we didn’t want to leave Billy Bob with a babysitter by himself. So we decided to take him with us. We weren’t sure how it would go, but we packed gates, pens, and all kinds of setups to make it work.

Billy settled in quickly—no fear, no stress in the new environment. Everyone was happy, including GB. And that night, something magical happened. GB opened up to Billy… wide open. The boys played and played, bouncing and crab puffing. It ended up being one of the highlights of the trip and honestly almost brought me to tears.

When I have time, I’ll share more from our little ranch trip—Billy Bob’s first adventure.