To say that cats do not like change is often an understatement. And hence introducing a new cat into your home and to your existing cat can be difficult, dependent on the personality of the cats and the approach taken. Below are some top tips to help this introduction go as smoothly and stress-free as possible for both cats involved (not to mention you and your family!).
The given
The introduction of a new cat will almost definitely make the existing cat feel threatened and uncomfortable; put simply the existing cat will not want to share their special friends (eg. you and the family) with the new addition.
Prepare
Good idea to have your existing cat checked over by your local vet before introducing another cat - just to make sure there is nothing contagious and your existing cat is healthy.
Introduce slowly
Collect your new cat in a pet carrier and introduce your new cat to the house whilst still in his/her carrier. Let your existing cat investigate this new addition. Ignore the hissing etc. this is normal.
Separate for a while
Let the new cat out in his own room, away from the existing cat. Provide litter and water/food (not near the litter however); eventually on a day you can observer, leave the new cat’s room door open and let the existing cat come in and investigate. Again do not force any introductions, just observe. Once again, hissing and glaring is all normal so let them be. Leave the new cat in the room however an continue to feed the cats separately
Start to play and feed
Encourage the two cats to play together and slowly start to feed them together at the same time. This is usually the final step.
And finally
Remember that most cats - even the most stubborn - will eventually get along with another cat and happily live together; it just often takes some time. Having two cats that do get along is a great experience - playing together, grooming each other and sleeping curled up together is all possible and a delight to see.
Popularity: 9% [?]
If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!
