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By Alyce Collins
Senior Reporter
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When this cat owner brought home a new kitten to keep her one-year-old cat company, she was so worried about how they would react to each other. But the two cats couldn't have dispelled her fears any sooner, as they instantly became buddies.
Sarah, who doesn't wish to disclose her last name, has had Evie for a year and became increasingly concerned about how lonely she seemed. She explained to Newsweek that she was "really worried" about introducing another cat into the home, as Evie "was used to being by herself."
After months of deliberating, Sarah finally took the leap when she got Teddy on June 3 and brought him back to her home in Hamburg, Germany. She felt tense about their early exchanges in case either of the cats lashed out or hissed, but they couldn't have been more loving to one another.
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Sarah said: "Originally, I wanted to get two cats from the beginning, but Evie was the last one and I couldn't leave without her. Then I was thinking about it all the time, but I was a little scared about Evie not getting along with another cat.
"I was so relieved that Evie seemed interested and wasn't hissing or anything like that. Teddy seemed quite confident and walked out of the bag right away, so I was pleased by their early interactions."
Sarah admitted that Evie did follow Teddy around the house at first, seeming curious about this new four-legged intruder in their home. Evie did hiss at Teddy a few times early on, only when he "got too close," but that early tension quickly dissipated.
The Humane Society of the United States highlights the importance of early interactions between cats, since the resident cat will perceive a new kitten as a threat at first. It should be a very slow process to integrate a new kitten into the home, allowing both cats to take as much time as they need to feel comfortable.
Both cats should be kept in separate rooms initially and be given the chance to learn each other's scents by swapping their bedding around early on. Once the cats seem calm enough to meet, owners can give each cat their favorite treat in the presence of each other, giving them positive associations with each other.
All of their early interactions should be supervised in case either cat becomes distressed or uncomfortable, but over time they should grow to accept one another.
Sarah certainly wasn't expecting her two cats to form such a strong bond so early on, and Evie has even taken on a maternal role over Teddy, which is adorable to observe.
"They are getting along really well, Evie seems a lot happier, and they play together a lot," Sarah told Newsweek.
"Sometimes Evie gets annoyed with Teddy because he is still a kitten and he doesn't know when to stop. But Teddy loves it when Evie grooms him and he always walks up to her to push his head against her chin. I'm really glad I did it, and it was way easier than I thought it would be."
On June 9, Sarah posted a video from the moment when Evie and Teddy first met on her account, @eviesteddybear, and the clip has generated over 83,000 views on TikTok already. Sarah explained in the caption of the post that "Evie was lonely and needed a little furry friend," so she brought Teddy home.
She even joked that Teddy is just for Evie, writing: "I got my cat a kitten."
The video has received over 2,600 likes and many comments from adoring TikTok users who loved seeing how the cats reacted to each other.
One person commented: "This is super cute, best decision ever to get her a little companion."
Another user wrote: "aww look how she is caring for him."
Do you have funny and adorable videos or pictures of your pet you want to share? Send them to life@newsweek.com with some details about your best friend and they could appear in our Pet of the Week lineup.
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