Bringing a cat into a house with a resident cat or dog needs to be done carefully. Clare Hemington takes you through it.
Whether or not to add another cat to your existing cat or dog family is something that requires very careful consideration. The last thing you want is to end up with an unhappy pet and a worried human household. Of course, cats can and do get along with both cat and dog species, but there are a lot of elements that have to be right in order to make the relationships work.
INTRODUCING CATS
Imagine you’re enjoying a settled home life, when without warning a complete stranger moves in and everything is turned upside down. Your home is no longer your own, you’re resentful, not to mention whether or not you’ll actually get along with the newcomer.
This is how your cat is likely to feel when a new cat comes to share his territory. And as for your new cat, he’s just been uprooted and plonked in the middle of goodness knows where into a territory already ‘owned’ by another of his kind.
Introducing a new cat to one already at home can be fraught with difficulties, and there is never any guarantee they’ll become buddies, or even like each other, especially if in the excitement of bringing home your new furry family member you allow the two to meet straight away. Cats don’t care for surprises, so this experience is unlikely to be positive and thereafter all meetings between the two will likely be sullied.
THE KEY IS TO ALLOW THE TWO TO MEET GRADUALLY IN THE FOLLOWING WAY:
● On arrival, put your new cat into a dedicated room with all his resources. The room should be one in which your resident cat doesn’t spend much time. Learning how to introduce cats includes giving your new cat enough time to get comfortable with you and his new surroundings, and for the resident cat to adjust to the unfamiliar feline scent behind the closed door before allowing them to make eye contact. This can take anywhere between a few days and a few weeks.
● In this time, you can start scent swapping. Using a clean natural-fibre cloth for each cat, stroke them around the cheeks, chin, and forehead. This will collect small amounts of pheromones. Each cat’s cloth can then be rubbed against doorways and furniture in the other’s areas, allowing them to explore the scent of the other without direct contact. You might also like to swap bedding and toys.
● Only when there is no negative reaction from the cats to the other’s scent should visual introductions be attempted in the form of daily scheduled sessions. A pet
