It’s about that time. You’ve had a cat for awhile now and you think they need a new friend to play with. But you start wondering, “Will they get along?” or “What if they don’t like each other?”. So, how exactly do you introduce a new cat into your home, you wonder.
There are right ways to introduce cats to each other and then there are the wrong ways to do it. Do it wrong and it will make it so much harder for your cats to like each other, not to mention a lot more time.
Here are a few tried and tested tips to be sure that you are introducing a new feline companion into the home properly.
Table of Contents
Keep Them Separated
In the beginning, you want to take the meeting process slowly. Introducing them too quickly may do more damage than it will good. Cats are very territorial and just flat out putting them in the same room might end up in a bloody battle between the two.
Start by first putting the new cat in a separate room. It’s very important to not skip this step and also don’t put your “older” cat in there instead as this could cause jealousy issues.
Remember that your old cat is used to being the “king” or “queen” of their domain. It’s important to let it stay this way for now until the introductions are complete.
Let the Cats Smell Each Other
The next thing you want to do is allow each cat’s scents to intermingle. You can do this easily by simply petting one cat and letting your other cat smell your hand. Do this a few times just to make sure.
Another way to do this is by exchanging cat toys, blankets, or beds with one another. Each time, the opposite cat will likely do a once over on whatever object that you used. You should also do this a few times just so they can start getting used to one another’s smell.
Let the Cats Meet Each Other
After you’ve had some success with the two tactics above, the next thing you’re going to want to do is finally let them meet each other. You should do this step very slowly as well.
For example, you can put the “new” cat into a pet carrier and allow the “older” cat to smell, look, and explore the contents of the carrier. Just make sure that you latch the door to the carrier as to avoid a cat brawl from happening.
You may want to do this for a few days so they can get used to each other before the real introduction takes place.
And finally, when you think it’s time for the final intro, make sure you have some type of long item or anything else that can be used to separate them should they end up in a fight once they finally do meet.
This usually won’t happen, though, as long as you’ve been thoroughly patient with the whole introduction process.
Final Thoughts
Introducing two cats to each other does not have to be hard by any means. Just make sure that you are exercising patience and caution, especially if both cats are adults.
And if you live in a multi-cat household, this process may take a bit longer because there are obviously more cats to introduce to each other. However, the process will essentially be the same.
Here’s to your happy multi-cat home.
