David;

It usually takes a few weeks but bear in mind that there is no guarantee
they will be  buds.  They'll need to establish a pecking order during that
time and it's best that you don't interfere.

When we got Isabella, our little calico kitten, Ernie (3 y/o Siamese) took
to her right away but Lucky(12 y/o b & w) merely tolerates her. Lucky was
not too fond of Ernie when we got him and still hasn't really warmed up to
him or Isabella.

It depends on the cat. I think you'll be just fine!

Take Care!
~Marie~

anything special I should do/ not do to make the adjustment better?

It's a kitten, so it won;t take long. Perhaps a week or two, depanding in
how close quorters they live in. The closer the quicker. As Marie said, they
need to establish the pack order, and Bella will set the little one straight
in no time. Try not to interfiere, no matter how ruff it seems to you, as
cats will never really harm the young, just put them in place. That can
include hissing, growling, biting and a good smacking. From the cat that is
not from you :)

Most importantly, I hope you had the little one checked at the vets, for any
possible transmitible deseases to your older cats, such as FIV/FELV, fleas
worms etc.

Next, as it is a kitten, with mine 3 newby kittens, I just dropped them in
it, pretty much. Older ones were not overly amused, behaved like your Bella,
and poor QT and Tigger got some serious beatings from Shadow, that scared
the you know what out of me. But QT and Tigger took it as a fun game and
kept bugging Shadow untill she finally accepted them 4 with QT and 7 days
later with Tigger. The older ones never went out in that time. I needed to
make sure they know this is still their territory, regardless of a newby on
the block.

The relationship they establish could be really anything from just putting
up with a flatmate, to a deep soulmate relationship Shadow and QT shared.
Just like with humans, you just don;t know who are you going to hit it off
with. But mostly, as it is a kitten, it will be a decent relationship
minimum. Older cats are harder to adjust.Charlie came as an adult, and a
year later, Shadow still beats the crap out of him if he comes too near her

her like plague :)

If you'd like to help along, make them smell the same. Cats work on smells
as you know, so the main problem with the kitten is that it smells
different. Make smell like other cats: you could, if you dare :) give them
all a bath with same cat shampoo. Or easier, poor some tuna brine all over
their coats, especially on the kitten. Not only this will make them(and the
house) smell the same, but hopefully will make Bella clean up the youngster,
and have some fun while doing it. Both of these otions bonded mine.

Finally, you could help along by creating positive association. When kitten
is around, Bella gets her favorite treat. So what if she gets more then
usual for a few days, it's na unusual situation. Also make sure you give her
plenty more reassurance that her position in the pack is in no way
threatened, or her territory disputed. You must give Bella more love now
then ever.NEVER under any circumstence yell or God forbid hurt her becuase
she hisses/punches the kitten. Just a gentle NO will do.

Gee, Tiara, Shadow, Tigger and Charlie
with QT in our hearts