Letting Baxter and Meeko meet

[Nibbles_NZ]

I posted a thread about our new 12 week old kitten. He is very sweet, loving and playful. I sat him down in the kitchen for a second to see what Baxters reaction would be. Baxter hopped away quickly (not running) into his box to hide. He seemed very nervous but not very scared. He does the same thing when I give him a new toy. He will hide and then explore it when I was away. Meeko just sat there and looked at Baxter. Yesterday and last night I would go into the kitchen to love on Baxter after I pet Meeko bacause I wanted Baxter to smell his scent. It didn’t seem to bother Baxter at all. He just sniffed me a lot and went about his business. He is not nervous having the new kitty in the house but the kitty has only been close to him once. I want them to meet. I don’t expect them to be the best of friends and they will not live together by any means. I just don’t want either to be affraid of eachother of hurt one another. Any ideas??

[mocha200]

Just keep letting them meet like you did before and make sure you don’t leave them alone together.

[Nibbles_NZ]

I let them meet today and they were so curious about each other. I was cute. I let Meeko in the kitchen. Of course I was right there to make sure they were both safe and not too stressed. Baxter just sniffed him a lot and backed away a few times. Meeko is very intimidated by Baxter now that Baxter is sniffing him more. He ran off a few times when Baxter approached him. The good thing is that there was no thumping, grunting, lashing or growling at all. They were both just curious. At this point I would be more worried about Baxter hurting Meeko than the other way around. I did trim Meeko’s nails down a lot and filed them so they don’t hurt at all. He is playful but not at all rough. He is a dainty little thing and a little cautious. I will definitely keep letting them meet under supervision but next time I think I am going to choose the living room rather than the kitchen. The kitchen is Baxter’s territory and I wouldn’t want him to box Meeko if he came too close to his main living space.

[Beka27]

It’s very important you try and work with them. Dogs/rabbits can be kept separated a little bit easier than cats/rabbits I think. Cats can get anywhere. Is Baxter caged? If not, he might need to be until you can trust them in each other’s space.

[Nibbles_NZ]

Baxter isn’t caged. He is in the kitchen. I would block of that room completely before caging him. He would be so mad at me Meeko doesn’t go into the kitchen because he is too intimidated by Baxter at this point. I block off the baby gate so Meeko can’t squeeze through it. I am home most of the time and keep a good eye on them. Meeko is usually in my girls bedroom or under the furniture. At night I put Meeko in my craft room and lock the door so one of my girls don’t get up and let him out. I am being very careful as I am worried that Baxter may hurt the kitty. He is a giant compared to Meeko. lol I have also clipped and filed the kittens nails so it doesn’t hurt when he accidentally scratches.

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