Acclimating
a New Cat in your Home:
Tips
for introducing another cat into a home with other cat(s)
Adding
another cat to your home may not be the Happy Homecoming you envisioned. Cats already in the home, even if for a short
time, may have objections to their new roommate. Some felines may feel some “child jealousy”
and fear being left out. Others may be insecure
about sharing space and “parental” love with another. These feelings may even turn
your indoor cat a bit crazy. Ragging sessions with hissing, scratching, and
chasing is normal, but you need to take charge before it’s becomes “survival of
the fittest”. Getting your cats to sign a peace treaty can take time, patience and
tactfulness on your side. It might take up to several weeks before your cats
become comfortable with each other. Taking it slow is not a bad idea, but here
are a few steps to pave the way for
multi-cat co-habitation:
·
Keep the new cat in a safe in a separate
room
Initial
separation may bring a final happy union. Give your new cat a safe, secured, and
confined room to stay in. The new cat needs this isolation to get adjusted to their
new atmosphere. Make sure you keep a litter box, food, water, toys, and a
scratching post in the room. It’s really very tempting to watch the immediate
interactions between the two cats, but hold on! Isolate the new cat for a
period of one week. During this time your
new cat may experience some stress symptoms such as eye or nose discharge or
diarrhea. This is normal. But, if conditions such as inappropriate
elimination occur, consult your vet immediately.
·
Introduce your cats to each other's smell
Smells are a
significant part of a cat’s life.
Felines determine emotions, physical condition and hierarchy based on
smell. During the one week isolation of the new cat,
start an introduction through smell by sharing the same grooming brush on your
cats. You can also rub a towel over the
new cat and have your existing cat smell it. Consider
offering the cats a special treat with the brush or towel so that they can
associate each other’s smell with something positive.
·
Offer treats from the other side of
the door.
Offering treats under the door from
the other side also introduces a positive element to an uncertain
situation. Both cats will be receive reassurance
that that something good lies on the other side of the barrier between them.
· Introduce Cats in a Safe Manner
Your cats first meeting should be through a controlled
introduction via a cat carrier. You
may need to repeat this exercise a few times to ensure that your cats are safe and
that there are no displays of aggressive behavior. If there are no acts of aggression, take
turns between which cat is in the carrier and which is out. Keep the personality of your cats in mind, and
socialize the cats at a pace which is
suitable for both.
·
Try again if the first trial was a
failure
Stability
might come at the cost of several trials. If negative interaction persists,
then you may need to keep the new cat back into its safe room and start the
introduction process again. Such
reactions are normal and all you need to do this time is to allow more time at
each step.
Don’t worry
if you are not able to establish true love between your cats. You can at least
work to develop a peaceful chemistry by allowing each other some space and
respecting each other’s freedom.
Cats might
appear to be creatures who love to be on their own. That’s true, but only
partially. Humans, just like cats require personal time even though we love to
spend quality time with our near and dear ones.
Cats crave human love and attention. Spend time with them, play with
them, give them fresh food and water daily, and keep their litter box clean
(with ScoopFree self-cleaning litter boxes, of course!). It only takes your time and interest to keep your
cats happy. Whether your cats can share a true bond or not you will always be
showered with their love and affection.
