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Feline Introductions ::
Introducing a new cat(s) to a resident cat(s)...
The following is only attended to be a guide and may or may not apply to your particular situation.
Many cat owners make the eventual decision to take on another cat. This page will outline some helpful tactics to help you provide an environment that will establish and sustain the relationship between your cats and you.
This page does not emphasize the obvious about health risks and issues, it is instead directed towards the behavioral aspects surrounding introductions and cat socialization in general. If you suspect a potential health issue, do not hesitate to contact your local vet. When adopting new cats into your home, ideally the new cat should be immediately examined by your vet prior to direct exposure to your resident cat(s). A health exam, testing for FELV/FIV, deworming, and vaccinating accordingly are necessary for the new cat before exposure to your resident cat(s). Likewise, your resident cat(s) should be up-to-date on their vaccinations, healthy and recieving yearly health exams by your vet.
The following tips for introductions are based mostly from our own experience as well as our users' experiences with their own cats. These steps are best used as a starting point in determining what options you have at making your own introductions a more pleasant and safe experience for your cat family.
Some Notes
Feline introductions are a long process with typical cats, only a select few are able to manage the welcoming or adjustment of a new feline with little or no human intervention in a calm manner. All cat owners attempting introductions should prepare themselves and their family for the ordeal you will endure. If you (and your family) are patient and stick to the rules mentioned among this page, the end result will be cats who not only live with each other but will respect the fact that areas of their home are shared and are not territorially guarded. However, when you become frustrated and lose patience this will quickly have effects on your introduction tactics and the cats will respond accordingly.
The process of moving on to new stages should be done slowly, this means you should continue some aspects of the previous stage as you begin to move on to the next. You can also return to previous stages if you feel the cats have been moved along too quickly.
First Stage (Lasts 2 - 3 weeks)
Never anticipate a scene where the cats can physically touch or see each other at this point. It is best to remember that the resident cat will need to have the most room right now, this cat does not need the added stress (in addition to a new cat on the block) of losing much of their valuable real estate. Instead, you should confine the new cat to small quarters (a single bedroom or office is ideal) and provide them with their own water/food/litter containers.
It's perfectly acceptable (and expected) that the two cats will hiss, growl and even scratch a bit at the door when they are both up against it (from either side of course). This is part of the introduction that you need to allow, the cats need time to get acquainted in their own way as you need time to do so in your own way.
The resident cat will be giving up only a small portion (be sure it's not the favorite room) of the house and will remain king (or queen) of the castle. The new cat will be in a confined and safe room where the necessities are provided generously and the attention from owners are frequent and pleasant. While this is going on, the cats are beginning to learn the scents and sounds of each other. This somewhat indirect form of introduction is very helpful for when they finally meet physically (they will already know each other; familiarity is their friend).
This stage is over when the new cat becomes very familiar and content with their new environment and the resident cat is beginning to lessen the frequency and veracity of encounters at the door separating them.
Second Stage (Lasts 1 - 2 weeks)
At this point the cats have begun to adjust to many things, the main parts of which are each others' scent and sound as well as the new cat adjusting to the new home (or at least the room they have been in) along with the human family members.
As long as someone will be inside the house, you can begin to reverse the living quarters for only periods of time during the day. This means that the resident cat will be placed in the confined room that the new cat has lived in during Stage 1 and the new cat will be allowed to roam in the areas outside this room. You must maintain the switch of litter boxes (and food if it's different) when they switch areas, you do not want to have either cat refusing a litter box or having to change foods; this can have health implications so please follow this carefully.
You can switch them 1-3 times a day for about 2-3 hours at a time. When you are done with a day of switching, be sure the resident is left in the larger roaming area for the rest of the day and also there to sleep.
This stage will familiarize the resident cat very well with the scent of the new cat. The confined room will have a great deal of scent left in there and will provide the resident cat with a non-confronting environment in which to take in this new scent. The new cat will do the same in addition to peacefully searching out the rest of the house and looking for areas of rest and taking note of the food/water/litter container locations that you will expect them to use.
This stage should last at least 1 week. You should begin to move on to the next stage if after a week the resident cat is showing signs of increased stress due to being confined during the day.
Third Stage (Lasts 1 - 3 weeks)
Now that the scents have been established and also the new cat has been able to enjoy a safe period of time where the entire living area has been discovered, it's time for them to finally meet in a positive and controlled situation.
Continue the rotation method from above but add in a "treat time" when the actual rotation is made. I have had great success using white tuna (from the can in water, not oil) for this particular treat time. Take a small amount (one or two chunks) and break it up on a small paper plate for each cat. Using the confinement room as the treat area, place both plates down approximately 8-10 feet apart and (using a helper) place both cats facing each other in front their own plate. You may need to add a small amount to one and reduce the other such that they finish at near the same time. When they are done, allow them to take more notice of each other and simply continue with the rotation. Depending on the cats, you may need to stay close by to encourage the treat a little. They will probably hiss and growl but will surely stop to devour the treat.
This treat will provide a positive time for them to see each other and they will (after doing this for a while) begin to enjoy looking forward to seeing each other since they get their treat. If they seem gregarious and positive enough to sniff each other close up, allow it but only if treat time has been repeated a couple times. Keep in mind that even one real bad incident between them can add weeks or months to the whole introduction time table in order to reverse.
Begin to move the plates closer by about a foot or so every other day; the idea is to have them about 1-2 feet apart but needs to be done slowly (you are building their trust in each other). If it seems the hissing and growling increases at some point, simply move the plates further back and as soon as they are done eating, you end the treat time and continue the rotation.
This should continue until they are able to be free (no rotation) longer and longer without a major incident.
Fourth Stage (Lasts 2 - 6 months)
This final stage could be a bit rough at first since at this point you end the rotation. They are now able to be together and should be allowed to smell, hiss and growl a bit without your intervention. If they begin to hit or scratch then you fall back to Stage Three by placing the one who hit/scratched in the confined room first.
The water and food bowls can be placed near each other but maintain both litter boxes with the new cat's litter box in the desired litter box location and the resident cat's litter box in the confined room. Keep the doors open so they can use either.
Final Thoughts
In each stage outlined here are the possibilities of certain things not working for your cat. You probably won't know if a certain behavioral strategy will work or not unless you try it out a few times and be observant to slight changes. It is very possible that your cats will appear to move along these stages quicker than I have generalized and it is also possible that it will take longer. You need to be observant and intuitive about this if you want it to succeed. Many cat owners will give up with difficult cases (or at least it appears difficult) and the end result is a kitty without a home, the final result is sometimes quite sad.
Often, various other tactics are advised which include placing scents on each of the cats as to provide a mediatory scent that is pleasant for both. By this, we are referring to SAFE measures, NOT chemicals nor unsafe topical applications. One example is simply using a tiny amount of cornstarch (just a pinch), brushed through the fur. Another example is using a dry cloth or towel and gently wiping the fur, and then wiping the other cat's fur with the same cloth, hence they each have each other's scent. The practical consensus on this is that cats are not that easily tricked. The idea behind cat introductions is not only to get them from scratching each others' eyes out, but to also establish a safe and healthy environment for all of them to live together in without closed doors.
There will be times after you have finished all of these stages that the occasional time-outs are needed, perhaps one of the cats is overly stimulated and is being too rough with another. A 30 minute time-out in the bathroom with adequate water and litter is an easy way to teach them boundaries. It is important to place the aggressive/disobedient cat in this time-out as quickly as possible, it can be confusing to a cat when you discipline them for something they did a while ago.
There is no getting around it, introductions can be quite a nuisance at times since your two (or more) darlings are fighting with each other and all you want is a happy family. It can work but it does take work. If you feel you are having difficulty and need more assistance with this, don't hesitate to post a question on our forums and you will be sure to hear directly from many other cat owners about how they made their own cat introductions work.
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