Introducing a new cat or kitten to an existing cat

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1 Introducing a new cat or kitten to an existing cat

2 This guide is for people who: Would like to introduce a new cat or kitten to an existing cat/s Would like to adopt two or more cats that haven t ever lived together Introduction Although the number of multi-cat households has increased significantly over recent years, what most people don t realise it is not necessarily in a cat s nature to tolerate other unrelated felines. Deciding whether to introduce a cat or a kitten to your home should be considered carefully. In the first instance you need to make an informed decision about whether a new addition to the home is right for the resident cat. Ask yourself why you want to get another cat. Is it really what your cat would want if they could talk? If you are in any doubt have a chat with our staff. Generally, the younger the cat the more adaptable they are likely to be, but it is really important to remember that cats are naturally solitary creatures and it is not natural for unrelated cats to live together. Key factors to consider are the age and temperament of the resident cat(s) in comparison to the one you want to introduce. For example, is a nine year old cat really a compatible companion for an exuberant kitten? If you do choose to go ahead with introducing a new cat to your home be prepared for the settling in period to take anything from one week to several months. You need a lot of patience and to get to grips with understanding cat psychology and behaviour and how to meet their needs. Step 1: The Start When you bring your new cat or kitten home it is important that you confine them to a room of their own that the existing cat cannot access. Ensure the room is prepared with toys, an interesting scratching post, places to hide and places to sit up

3 on high. You will also need a couple of litter trays (ideally one that is covered) and feeding and water bowls. NB. The litter trays must be sited on the opposite side of the room from each other and away from the feeding station. TIP: It s important that your new kitten/cat has lots of human company during this period, otherwise they will get bored and possibly even distressed. The purpose of giving your new arrival a room of its own from the beginning is twofold: it will create a safe haven for the new cat to retreat to in the future that they will consider their own territory, and it will provide both cats with the opportunity to become familiar with each other s scent in a safe and controlled manner. During this separation period the resident cat(s) will be well aware that there is a new arrival in the home and will likely show lots of interest by sniffing and hissing along the door outside the new arrival s room. The resident cat needs the chance to patrol outside the room and adjust to the presence of the new cat in their primary territory. It may take some time for your cat to come to terms with the intrusion so do not make introductions until s/he seems accepting of the situation. TIP: For an adult cat aim to confine for seven days before making introductions and for a kitten two to three days. Step 2: Supervised Meeting Once both cats appear to have accepted the presence of one another leave the door to your new cat s room open. Allow the new cat to venture outside the room and allow your existing cat to venture inside the room. Let them both explore on their own terms but supervise at all times. This will likely initiate contact between them; anticipate hissing and heckles raised but make sure no actual harmful contact takes place. Sniffing around each other is normal and so is the odd swipe of a paw, but don t allow the interaction to escalate to injury. Intervention is necessary if they get into a physical spat, especially with a kitten as it will be very vulnerable given its size. Try not to intervene if they are just making a lot of noise, they are communicating with one another and trying to work things out. Initial unfriendliness is normal but should reduce the more time they spend with each other.

4 During the first couple of weeks you must supervise the cats at all times and separate them at bedtime, when you got to work, go shopping etc. Make sure that at all times the cats can access rooms that are of importance to them should they need to retreat. E.g. don t allow the resident cat(s) to monopolise the new cat s room. Step 3: Encouraging Acceptance Once the cats are in contact with each other and tolerant of each other s presence you can help their relationship develop with the following ideas: Encourage your new arrival to join in playtime with you and your resident cat; throw ping-pong balls for them, trail a piece of string around for them to chase etc. Hopefully their natural instinct to play will have them interacting with each another without realising it. Feeding treats is always a good bonding exercise; get the cats to come to you for their favourite snacks. Hopefully, with their focus on the treats they may not realise their close proximity to each other and in time may learn that it isn t so bad being in close contact. In fact, they may even learn it is rewarding! Most cats enjoy a good groom, so make this a bonding exercise. Sit and brush the both of them, using the same brush to transfer smells etc. Make sure you give them the time they need to communicate naturally with each other and establish their own ground. Give them plenty of space and places to hide away so they can avoid each other if they want to. TIP: At the end of the day the goal is to achieve tolerance of one another and if anything more happens then consider this an added bonus!

5 Step 4: Long Term Living Arrangements It is inevitable that there will be hostility between both parties, but it is important to ensure that the existing cat(s) does not feel threatened in his/her home. In multi-cat households you need to make sure that all the cats can freely access essential resources such as food, water and litter trays without the fear of bumping into another cat. These resources can often be seen as a battleground, so it s up you to make sure this does not occur by implementing the following: Always ensure there is one litter tray per cat and that they are not placed next to each other. They need to be in different locations in the house and ideally covered to allow for privacy. You can use a cardboard box with a hole cut out to cover a litter tray, or invest in hooded litter trays. Ensure there is at least one feeding station per cat and that they are located apart from one another and away from other essential resources such as litter trays and cat flaps. Make sure there is more than one bed/radiator bed per cat. Make sure there are plenty of hiding places, including some up high, so each cat can have a place they can retreat to should they feel the need. TIP: If significant tension occurs, you could consider the use of a microchip activated cat flap within your home to provide a safe zone for any cat that is feeling overly stressed. E.g. so only the stressed cat can access a particular room. You can now also buy microchip activated feeding stations to help reduce food guarding, over-eating or to help feed cats in a multi cat household that need to be on specialist diets. Things to Remember Don t rush introductions allow ample time for the cats to adjust to the smell of each other before they meet. Gradual introductions give the best chance of success.

6 During the early days supervise all interactions and make sure you keep them apart when you are not around. Encourage acceptance but don t force it your cats may never be the best of friends. Try to maintain the resident cat s routine as much as possible. Cats like privacy make sure important resources are a safe distance apart to allow each cat access without confrontation. Keep a close eye on the cats whilst they get to know each other check that both are eating normally and are not showing signs of stress, e.g. hiding away, over grooming, toileting away from the litter tray, straining to urinate/frequent urination etc. Keep an eye on the resident cat to make sure they are not spending more time out of the house than normal. If they are it could be indication they are unhappy with the presence of another cat in their primary territory. TIP: You can buy plug-in diffusers called Feliway that mimic cat pheromones. They help cats to relax in their home. The plug-ins need to be located in the centre of the home, upstairs and downstairs, for maximum effect, e.g. hall and landing. Timescales It is impossible to give strict timescales about how long it will take cats to become tolerant of one another, as this will depend on the individual temperaments of the cats in question. You will have to use your own judgement and commonsense in deciding when to move on to each new stage in the process. If you are in any doubt about whether or not to move on then it is probably best to err on the side of caution, just to be on the safe side. Above all the resident cat s wellbeing must come first. If your cat is not happy with the new living arrangements consider what is best for them and talk to us about what to do.