Introducing cats into your home can be a rewarding experience, but it’s important to remember that cats are complex creatures and require a lot of patience and understanding.
From selecting the right breed for your lifestyle to providing them with the proper nutrition and care, it is no small task to learn how to introduce cats.
But with the right knowledge and preparation, you can ensure that both you and your new feline friend have a positive experience.
So let’s find out how to introduce cats together, learning about their needs, personalities, and behaviors, so that you can provide them with the best possible life.
How To Introduce Cats To Each Other
Introducing a cat to another cat is not so different than introduce a cat to a dog.
However, there is something you must keep in mind.
Cats have a strong territorial instinct and don’t like to share. So, they might never be best friends with one another.
1. Choose the right cat
As much as you’d like to bring any cat home, you have to consider the personality of your cat:
- Is it neutered? If it’s not, it’s better to do it before you get another cat. Unneutered males can be quite dangerous to kittens and other male cats.
- Does your cat like to play? Then it probably won’t mind a playful companion. But if it doesn’t a kitten might not be the best choice for you.
- Has the cat ever lived with another cat? A cat who has been an only child will get used to a new kitten quite hard.
2. Prepare a Territory
The new cat needs its space and territory. So, decide where you’re going to keep the new cat for the first weeks.
You have to furnish the place with all the necessary cat stiff and make sure that Kat doesn’t have access to it.
When you bring Kitty home, you should allow her to get comfortable with her “territory.”
In time, Kitty will show you that she is ready to explore the rest of the house.
Then you swap your cats’ places. You bring Kat into Kitty’s territory and Kitty’s into Kat’s.
Allow each cat to get familiar with the stranger’s smell and then bring them back to their original territory.
3. Create Positive Connotation
Just like when you’re introducing a cat to a dog, place the food bowls on either side of a closed door.
In this way, you’re allowing the kitties to get familiar with each other without visual.
At first, you might have to place the bowls a little farther from the door, if the cats seem afraid or reluctant.
4. Face-To-Face Introduction
Once you deem that both cats are ready, open the door, but place a barrier between the two.
In this way, they can see each other, but they can’t attack or hurt the other. What’s more, each cat can retreat to her territory.”
You can use a pet gate or a screen door.
The cats might sniff each other and hiss or growl. That’s normal.
Continue to feed them in the same way until they seem comfortable or at least resilient with the other feline’s presence.
5. Together At Last
Finally, when you see that both cats seem calm around each other you can bring them together in one room.
The trick here is to keep them both occupied so that they don’t turn attacking each other.
You might want a second person’s help because you will find it hard to keep the attention of two curious felines all by yourself.
In time, the cats will get used to this routine and hopefully, accepts each other’s presence in the house.
But don’t be surprised if it takes you a few months until your fur babies start to get along.
Wrap-Up
If you’re a cat owner, you know that cats can be quite the handful. They require attention and care, and it can take some time to get them to acclimate to their new home.
Introducing new cats to another cat takes time and patience.
Most cats are shy around other cats and it may take them 8-12 months before they feel comfortable enough to become friends.
Olfa knows how to get things done and has a keen business sense that others admire. She’s always on the go, coming up with new ideas! Her ability to anticipate the needs of her readers and deliver information that they want is what makes CatVills such a success. She loves cuddling her cat Picaciu. He is her inspiration.
