Introducing Your New Cat

Introducing Your New Cat 

Cats are temperamental and territorial little critters. It would so much easier if you were able to bring home a new cat and look at your cat and dog and tell them, "This is Snowball and she's your new sister so you have to love her. Snowball, this Fluffy, your new cat sister, and Spike, your new dog brother. Love them. Everyone get along and no fighting." Let's face it, that's not reality and we can't force our pets to like another animal. With that being said, it may make it easier for your current pets to get along with a new cat that has a similar personality as their own. Bringing home a kitten for your geriatric pets to "play" with may not be the best idea as the older pets may not appreciate the younger cat's playfulness. 

How to Introduce a New Cat

There's a lot to take into consideration if you're set on bringing home a new cat. It can be a long process for cats to get acquainted, so if you're prepared to put the work it, continue reading.

1.Be patient. This is important. Cats don't like to share and are territorial. They also don't like change. When a newcomer "invades" your cat's space, he may show his displeasure by hissing, fighting, and marking territory. 

2. Consider the type of cat you have and the cat you're bringing home. If you have a cat that has never been around other animals, she may never want to share her territory. The same is true if you're bringing home a cat that's never had to share their space. This is where you're going to need that patience. It's going to take a lot longer for them to be introduced and get used to one another. 

3. Go slow. A new cat needs to have a place of their own. This means they have an area of the house that is "their territory", so to speak. They need to stay in that room for several days, without your other cat. Leave them with a litter box, toys, food and water bowls, scratching posts, blankets, beds, and whatever else they may need. You also want to leave them with stuff that smells like you and things they can leave their scent on. When you feed your cats, place the food bowls on either side of the closed door so they can get used to one another and start associating the other cat as not a threat. 

4. Have your cats get used to one another's scent as much as possible. For animals, scent is far more important then what the other animal looks like. After they've gotten used to eating "side-by-side" on opposite sides of the door, trade places with them. Let your new cat explore the rest of the house and let your other cat explore the room the new cat has been in. This will let them get used to each other's scents. Then return them back to their respective areas of the house. Only now, instead of closing the door completely, use a couple of door stops to keep the door propped open just enough for the cats to see each other but not get out or into the other rooms. Do this several times a day for several days to a couple of weeks. Once they see one another, they may hiss, paw at each other, or just walk away. Try dangling a toy in front of them to see if they will play together. They may not even realize they're playing together. 

5. After a couple weeks of leaving the door propped open and the cats getting use to one another, you can open the door and let your cats explore for themselves. 

6. Don't forget to spend time with both of your cats during this time period. They both need to have some bonding time with you. 

Don't get discouraged or frustrated should you have to do this process a few times. If your cats get stressed or start fighting, take your new cat back "his room" and start the process over. It may not take as long as the initial introduction, but it will help both cats to calm down.