add together a young cat to your house is a very exciting time , but you ’ll need to be a little patient . Rushing the introduction process can lead to behavior job with your new and resident kat . CT need time to acclimatize to each other and learn to tolerate ( and hopefully uprise to delight ! ) each other ’s company . Success lies in laying the foundation for their relationship before you convey your unexampled khat home and taking your time to exercise at their comfort level .
Matching Your Cats' Needs & Energy
Before you bring a young kat home , it ’s best to consider what kind of cat might do best with your resident kitty-cat .
Adult Cat vs. Kitten
Many adult cat will accept a kitten of the opposite gender a little more easy than another grownup . However , introducing a lowly kitty to an adult cat will require extra thrifty monitoring to keep the slight one secure at the beginning due to the size of it difference . Make indisputable both have relief valve itinerary when graduating to the fount - to - grimace introduction tone , and never rush to push your cats to this period .
Lazy vs. Playful Cats
Personality can have an impact , too . Katenna Jones , Associate certify Applied Animal Behaviorist , notes that , " A boisterous and playful senior African tea would do better with a rambunctious and playful kitty than a faineant cat of the same age . "
Unspayed/Unneutered Cats
Never insert an unneutered manly CT and an unspayed distaff cat , no matter their long time , because you could easy end up with an unplanned pregnancy .
6 Tips to Make Cat Introductions Better
Once you ’ve choose your novel cat or kitten , it ’s authoritative to keep a few thing in mind before you even start up the summons . The tips below should be used from the import your cat comes home and through to after they ’re to the full bring in to help your guy get along as well as possible . big cat are sensitive to change , specially when that alteration call for meeting new cats .
1. Use Scent
hombre interact with the world and hear about their environs through their highly develop sense of smell . Providing your cat with items that smell like the other kat before they meet can be a way of " introducing " them without the focus of a aspect - to - fount meeting .
Use scent by placing a towel in the layer of each guy or scratch it against them so it break up up their scent , then post that towel in the other African tea ’s bedding . you could do this with toys as well .
2. Use Enrichment
Cats can become very accented when meeting strange cats , so providing them with lots of mental and physical enrichment can aid to ease their anxiousness . This type of enrichment depends on your cat and their personality . It can be more windowpane perches to look at birds and squirrels , different type of bozo toys , a new deluxe scratching post , or breakfast or dinner in foraging toys . Clicker trainingthem to do different behaviour and tricks is also an excellent mental enrichment bodily process .
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3. Use Vertical Space
check that there ’s plenty of vertical space that all the cats can access , ascats love climbing . take in a smorgasbord of cat tree diagram and shelf for the cats can give them more places to retreat to when they do n’t want to interact , and this reduces the chance of fighting .
Being high up and having a bird ’s eye perspective of the way can make cats feel safe when they ’re nervous .
4. Use Positive Reinforcement
You always desire toreinforce any behaviorthat you want and direct the cats away from conduct that you do n’t . you could positively reinforce the computed axial tomography using whatever each one really enjoys , which can be brush , puss treat , play with a toy , or " happy talk " and cuddling .
Never use any type of punishment , such as yelling if the cats take off to siss at each other or spray bottleful , as this can make the problem bad . If the cat are already stressed at meeting each other , switch in penalisation will convert them that their negative feelings about the other cat are free .
5. Go at Your Cats' Pace
Be prepared for your institution unconscious process to take quite some time . This could be a few days , a few week , or potentially more . Never rush the operation , and go at the step at which all of the cat involved are easy . Too much too soon can be counterproductive and increase stress levels , which can lead to fighting .
6. Read Their Body Language
memorise all that you could aboutcat consistency languageso you could stop school term from becoming too much for the cats . If you ’re familiar with their foretoken of stress , you may notice when one or more cats is feeling anxious , threatened , or aggressive and take out them from the situation before those behaviors escalate .
With a little bit of cognition about Caterpillar behavior , there are a few way that you’re able to make introductions go politic .
How to Introduce Cats: Step-by-Step
1. Keep Them Separated
You ’ll need to keep the cats physically separated in the first . you’re able to achieve this by keep your cats in separate rooms behind a closed door . You will want to turn out the cats into this room , so that the Modern cat gets some time to stray around the orotund house region while the occupier cat(s ) is restrict , and then change .
ensure the cats have everything they require in their locations , such as litter box , food for thought and weewee roll , a comfortable bed , toys , strike C. W. Post , and anything else they enjoy . You may also need to purchase a door order of payment stopper and have it on hand in display case the cats commence to hassle each other under the doors .
2. Let Them Meet Via Scent
By now you should have started exchanging the towel with the cat . Each cat should have the other ’s scent on a towel or blanket that you put near their bedding . say Jones , " I recommend putting the perfumed items near the bedding , not on it so the true cat does n’t feel threatened or displace by scent of the other cat . "
3. Feed Them On Either Side of the Door
To take up really introducing the cats , you need to have them feel each other through the crack at the bottom of a door . To do this , " take a limited meal they get every day and really love , such as dismiss food or special treats . "
Move Food Bowls Toward the Shared Door
You desire to step by step move the bowls from their current location toward the doorway , separating them until their solid food peach are right on each side of the door . permit them draw close their dinner party on their own metre and let them eat as slowly as they like .
Move the bowls a few inches to a foot until the CT are eat commonly for several meal in a row before moving the bowl again . Jones advises , " Some guy may take a couple of hours , others may take months to get the sports stadium to the door . "
Stick With a Feeding Schedule
reduplicate these feedings at scheduled times so the big cat develop a pattern . Jones has cat owners do this , " As many sentence per twenty-four hour period as potential , for model , you may break breakfast into three modest breakfasts , and so on . "
Monitor the Cats for Stressed Body Language
If you notice one or both catsshowing nerve-racking body languagelike growl , sibilate , or ears back , move the bowls further away from the threshold until they are calm .
you’re able to try out making the food extra enticing with some cut - up boiled chicken or some wet cat food and reprise the eating , but this time at a further length .
Gradually Get Closer
easy move the bowls nearer to the door so long as everyone is unagitated .
Remove the Draft Stopper
If the cats have been eat on their various sides without any issues , back the bowling ball up several foot and then move out the draft stopper . Then , duplicate the dance step above .
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4. Allow the Cats to See Each Other
If the khat seem generally serene and relaxed after a few mean solar day of feed on either side of the door , you could now attempt to let them see each other while eating their meals .
Place a Tall Baby Gate in the Doorway
Put a improbable baby gate or stack two or three gate in the doorway that was antecedently split up them so that the cats can see each other but still not touch . You want to check that the logic gate is gamy enough that they ca n’t leap out over .
Move Their Food Bowls Toward the Gate
During multiplication when they are not eat , and you are not work with them , keep the door close down .
Try Short Sessions With the Gate
In addition to feeding them their repast this way , you may also have small sessions where they see each other without meals . This work best if you have two people , with one person each sitting with a kat .
Each person will give some extra delicious treats to the cats while they see each other , or they can diddle with the cat with a wand toy dog or brush them . Whatever it is , the activity with the cat should be something that individual cat love .
Create a Positive Experience Around Seeing the New Cat
If you ’re by yourself , sit against the baby logic gate so you could easily contact both computed axial tomography to pass on or toss them treats or handle a sportfishing wand toy .
The thought is to geminate something the kat hump with see this unexampled strange cat . carry on doing this in minor increments of sentence of no more than 5 to 10 minutes a few multiplication a day .
Increase Their Face-to-Face Time
If the quat are doing well , then you’re able to do this for longer increments of sentence , and you’re able to move about the house . You still desire to supervise so you could run in and end the door if penury be , but you do not need to sit around there with the cats . The musical theme is to get them used to each other without your presence .
Remove the Baby Gate During Meal Times
Gradually increase the amount of time that you are not supervising closely and exit the doorway only when you ’re aside or deceased . If all is give out well and there are no incidents , absent the baby gate during repast times and put it back when they are done eating .
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5. Finally: The Cats Meet!
If everything has travel well and the CAT appear generally relaxed , it ’s meter to move forward . mark that it ’s not abnormal to see some mansion of displeasure , such as hissingor backing away at first .
If you do see sibilate or backing away , this think of you are give way too fast ! Go back one footprint and repeat that step until everyone seems ok , and then move to the next .
Repeat Introduction Without Baby Gate
Repeat the step above in Section Four , but absent the sister gates . Allow the computed axial tomography to come up to each other and keep a keen optic out for their body language and signs of stress .
Use Positive Reinforcement
Continue providing them with treats and utter to them both in a felicitous but calm feel of voice . Do these sitting for no more than 10 min a few times a day for a few days .
Extend Their Face-to-Face Time
If these sessions are going well , then seek to extend the amount of time until the cats can be hunky-dory exploring the house on their own while tolerating each other ’s presence .
6. Don’t Leave New Cats Unsupervised
Even if the cats are do not bad , you should not leave them alone unsupervised in the commencement until you ’re amply confident the computerized axial tomography will be fine . However , you do n’t have to part them with a unopen door . rather , use the marvelous or heap baby gates so they can still have the welfare of seeing each other , but they wo n’t be able to get into a scuffle if they have a disagreement .
Introducing a New Kitten to an Older Cat
It is very normal for adult cats to be worried about the addition of a new darling into the menage . TheHumane Society of the United Statesoffers these tips to help your current cat and the newcomer .
Get a Head Start
One of the best way to still the transition of bring a new bozo into your home is to familiarize each cat with the other ’s scent beforehand . If you ’re able-bodied to , bespeak a blanket from your kitten ’s foster parent or rescue that the kitty ’s been sleeping on , and give the foster a blanket your CT has been sleep on . Let each guy sleep on the novel blanket with the other cat ’s smell for about a week .
A Room of Their Own
Like with adults , keep the computerized axial tomography and kitten completely separated from one another for the first week after the new kitten arrives . Spend time playing with the kitty in their room , but be certain your resident computed tomography still gets the aid they ’re used to .
Swap Spaces
After the initial week of breakup , detain your nonmigratory cat to the kitten ’s way while the kitten explores the rest of the house . you could do this several time a day , but only when you ’re there to supervise . This further expose each cat to the other ’s scent . Repeat the physical process over several days .
Using a Crate for Introductions
If you do n’t have a disjoined way to house your kitten , feline welfare organization International Cat Care offer some mesmerism for using a cat crateful to help the cat and young kitten move from initial visual contact to interact freely .
You ’ll only want to do this if the kitten already feels safe and comfortable in their crateful . According to International Cat Care , “ Never introduce a computerized axial tomography or kitten by confine one or both to a cat aircraft carrier – they do not provide an chance for retreat . ”
provide your resident computed tomography into the room to sniff around and see the kitten through the mesh of the coop . Make indisputable a circumstances of the crateful is covered , so the kitten can hide there if they get overwhelmed . The next step is to enter the coop door and grant the kitty to venture out . look out your other cat ’s chemical reaction closely and if they show any sign of aggression , forthwith put the kitten back in the cage .
Be Patient
Your goal in the beginning is simply to have the cats be in the same room without one aggress the other or too much hushing and yowling going on . They do n’t have to be best friends at first . You simply want them to cohabitate without any major problems . Once you get through this initial phase angle , the cat will likely learn to love one another and reside in concord .
Handling Expectations With Cat Introductions
While it would be much easier for cats to get along right away , meet a raw big cat can be trying for a nonmigratory cat . Jones say it ’s common for computerized tomography introduction to lead to , " fear , accent , anxiety that worsens other issues like litter box avoidance , and fights that cause injury or are non - discontinue . " This is why it ’s essential to take the time to follow the step for insertion that minimise stress , even if it does seem like a farsighted process . If you ’re having problem , Jones recommends seeking help from abehavior professionalwho can work with you through the process . Your cats will thank you for it !
