Kaiser and Radu have been thrown together due to their coincidental contraction of Feline Calicivirus (FCV) and their need for foster care. Radu comes from a large litter of abandoned kittens, while Kaiser has been alone in his cage. Meeting another kitten is a bit of a shock to Kaiser. However, this is a shared adventure for them and they will have to bond to survive – there’s safety in numbers.
At two and half months old, this is early enough for kittens to bond and accept each other quite easily. They are far from the stage where they are fighting fellow cat strangers for territory, food and mates. They also need other cats or kittens to learn how to fight, keep clean and importantly how hard to bite without causing harm.
In Kaiser and Radu’s case, they get used to each other quickly. Kaiser is mainly hiding in difficult to reach places so Radu joins him between bouts of playing and getting cuddles with me.
Once Kaiser develops the confidence to come out, he and Radu play roughly and with a lot of energy. They chase each other across the room, over and under the furniture, switching frequently between who is the hunter and who is the hunted. They pounce, bite and kick in what looks like it surely hurts. But they are fine – no injuries! If one of them goes too far, bites too hard, the other will get serious and do a cute kitten growl, and they call time out.
Kaiser often goes for Radu, biting onto his ear and shaking his head vigorously while simultaneously using both legs to kick Radu’s head. Claws are kept in and neither kitten are hurt.
Radu is nimble and contorts himself free and starts his counter attack, aiming for a bite to the neck.
At the end of their energetic outbursts they eat some food and curl up together in their basket or on their cushion, giving each other a bit of a clean before settling down for a nap.
