Advice on introducing two cats

[CHL]

Hello all,

I'm curious to know what methods you have found to be the most effective in introducing two cats. Here's the scenario:

- Cat #1 is an indoor only cat who lives in a roomy 2-bedroom apartment. He is 4 years old, very friendly and curious, declawed and doesn't have any health or behavior problems. He does seem a bit lonely when everyone is gone at work during the day or away for the weekend, so we're thinking about introducing...

- Cat #2. Would also be an adult, less than 5 years old, indoors-only cat. We'd be looking for something that is also friendly, in good health, and not known to be aggressive with other cats.

I know some people start out with one cat in one room, one in the other and then switch them after a day or two to let them get used to each other's scent and then move on from there. Here's a link to the process I'm talking about:
http://www.hsus.org/pets/pet_care/ou...a_new_cat.html

My question is what method have you found to be most effective for your own cats? My hope is that Cat #1 and Cat #2 would eventually become good buddies.

[snwflk]

I did it with the room thingy but mine was a week , since I had a tiny kitten I didnt want getting lost- the two got along fine after that. But you may want to make sure that the cats are opposites- ( I dont know much about male cats, as I only have females ) but I can tell you- to get 2 litter boxes as sometimes older cats that have been alone for a while DO NOT want to share- ANd it could get YUCKY hehehe- I would do the room thingy that way they cant do any harm for a while- I give them at least 4 days to get used to each other-

[seerfarm]

I have usually always not made a big deal about the new introductions of cats on cats or dogs or both.

I always make sure that I introduce when I am there to make sure that there is not any agressive behavior. I make sure that those that have been ruling the roost feel as special and wanted as the new inductee.

If Cat#2 will have claws it would be my only concern if they got into a swatting match. There may be a hiss or swat or two but, if they have there own food bowls, litter boxes and are given space to investigate and get to know one another usually things work out quite well.

They do have to figure things out on there own terms and the less we interfere with the balance of nature the better.

I only seperate if there seems to be an ongoing issue.

[breburtch]

Whats worked for me is having the new cat in a cage so it and the original house cat can sniff eachother talk etc through the cage at eachother and get used to eachother over the course of 3-8 days(depends on the cats etc)then slowly start letting the new cat out of the cage for small periods throughout the day and keep and eye on them.
Some cats take one introduction through the cage and one intro out of the cage till they know eachother and form a bond and others can take longer.

Has your cat ever been with other cats before? and did he get along with them?Also is your boy nuetured?

You would want to make sure the new cat is fixed, healthy etc, also maybe another declawed cat would be a good idea as would be unfair for your guy if they did have a little scrap as he has no claws.

[Horse_Orderly]

This is a perfect thread as I was going to ask the same thing. However, cat #1 has been living with me and is now back in the house and cat #2 is the reason she came out with me. He beat her up really badly and is very aggressive towards anything other than humans! He tried to attack my cousin's Papillion once! Both are indoor cats.

[HorseMomToSage]

We introduced my baby girl(four weeks old) to our boy who was six months old and the first few days were turbulent. He kept touching her and she kept screaming like his paws were a hot poker. I watched and made sure that he wasn't really hurting her (she was feral so I think she really did think he was going to hurt her) I like the idea about a crate introduction-we did this with my mini schnauzer and our oldest cat until she learned that we don't gnaw on our kitty. I think they will work it out.

[snwflk]

"she learned that we don't gnaw on our kitty.

No knawin' on the KITTEH!

that made me laugh!!

Good luck w/ the kitties-

They should be fine- just extra litter box and dishes and it will all work out HOPEFULLY!

Mine was in another room just cuz she was soooooooooooooooo tiny- we didnt want her to get lost or stepped on .. but they are good buddies now! 5 years later-

[CHL]

Originally Posted by breburtch

Has your cat ever been with other cats before? and did he get along with them?Also is your boy nuetured?

I'm not sure if Cat #1 has had much contact with other cats. He came from a shelter and we don't know much about his first two years of life. He did meet a friend's 5 month old kitten once and puffed up a bit, but didn't hiss or behave in an aggressive manner. My guess would be that he would be just fine, hard to know for sure though!!!

He is neutered.

[Bandit]

The new cat should be confined to a bathroom or other room for about 2 weeks to make sure there are no URIs or anything that he is bringing in. This will protect your current cat from disease and is THE most important thing.

I'm assuming both will be neutered?

After the 2 weeks, make sure all claws are trimmed and let them run the house together with supervision. I have never made introductions be a big deal and over the 6-7 years of running a cattery and helping out the rescue, I've never really had any issues. Ignore growling and such as it will happen and they have to work it out between the two of them. I do keep a squirt bottle and a pair of leather gloves near me during the very first initial introduction incase they ball up. The gloves is a "better safe than sorry" measure because if a cat does nail you with a bite you could end up in the hospital. I've only had to use them once, though and most introductions go pretty smoothly other than some initial growling and hissing.

[Lady_MCSE]

I've been through this process twice, and used the room quarantine method each time.

I would put the newbie in his own room while the other one (or two) would be out in the rest of the house, ruling the rest of their roost during the quarantine period, but knowing full well there was a stranger.

In both cases with my adoptions, I had gone to a shelter, and in both cases the kitties I adopted ended with some general "crud" that needed to be cleared up. They seemed healthy at the shelter, but ended up sneezy, snotty, and eye-runny after getting them home. Maybe it was the stress of the whole thing, I don't know.

So at any rate, I felt lucky that I had done the quarantine method and each time left the newbies locked up until they were healthy. On 'release' day, I did swap everyone but only for about an hour. Old guys into newbie's room, and newbie gets to explore the rest of the house.

Seemed to work well for me.

Of course it took Boxer and Tigger over a year to get over the introduction of Pluma, but eventually they decided they could deal with it.

[DappleGrayMyWay]

I've always had cats. Usually I have more than two at a time...it's lonely when it's down to the two I have currently

There are a lot of options.

What works best is when the established cat is older and the new one is much younger, a kitten even. The older one will develop a family sense and be more tolerant. This is fine with either gender.

Next best is neutered males. Their urge to fight for territory is largely gone.

Third, established neutered male, add spayed female. However be aware the female is highly likely to take over the dominant position.

Least favorable, established spayed female add new spayed female. Unless the new one's a baby, it's a recipe for trouble.

Becoming buddies is just something that the cats will choose to do, or not, on their own. I have two boys that are about the same age. One came as a baby, the other was a stray that adopted me and was outside for his teenhood, didn't come inside til he was fixed and full grown. They're "only" cats who just happen to be roommates with another cat. I swear, they barely even notice each other. They don't fight, they just don't care.

One trick with introductions is to rub a towel all over the newcomer and let the old one smell it. Then overdose them on catnip. They'll both get totally stoned and when they come out of it there will be less tension.

I do highly recommend one litter box per cat. The food and water dish isn't quite as much a problem, as they'll eat and drink when they need to, but they will find other places to pee and poo especially if they're mad or insecure.

Be aware that even a neutered male might spray his area if he feels threatened or upset.

Also, make sure you're not introducing any diseases to the home. Cats can be born with feline leukemia and not be sick, just be carriers, and the older cat could suffer. Same with fleas and other things. Just be careful.

[Horse_Orderly]

I have a spayed female and my mom's cat is a neutered male. He still seems to want to eat her! They saw each other yesterday through the glass door to the porch. She stopped hissing at him but his hair was standing on end. I don't see this meeting coming.