Bringing a cat into a house that already has a cat

[charlie and algernon]

In a little less than a month from now I'll be moving to a new house. I already have a 7 yr old female cat, so when my current apartment situation collapsed and I needed to find a new place, finding a place that accepts cats became a key, if not THE key, criteria.

So I have found a place, owned by a girl, let's call her Jane, who already has a cat. Her current roommate, who's leaving in a couple weeks, also had a cat. Those cats didn't get along. The roommate's cat fought constantly with Jane's cat. They managed to work out a situation of keeping the cats seperate all the time by keeping one of them in a room while the other had free range of the house and then would switch off.

So what's the best way to introduce MY cat to Jane's cat and avoiding the situation Jane had with her last roommate's cat? A month from now, when I move in and bring my cat, do I immediately lock my cat in my bedroom for a few days and make the introductions gradual? Or, with my cat still in the carrier, put it on the floor and allow Jane's cat to come near?

My cat is fairly even tempered. She came from a shelter where they let the cats roam free and she had no problem with all the other cats, though she didn't really play with the other cats. At home now, she's the only cat and I have noticed that when she sees another cat outside, she gets all puffed up and will growl and hiss until the outside cat leaves. So it's kind of a big mystery how she will react to going into another cat's territory.

What's the best way to introduce her to this new environment?

Thanks!

[david13]

1. I think the answer is gradually. I just did this. My existing cat is 20

and has been with me for 19 years.
The new one is tiny. I just brought him in. The older one hisses and growls, but doesn't do anything else. Slowly he is getting used to it and hissing and growling less.
But he seems unhappy.
But he was unhappy as his other cat of 18 years died.
So I think he will adjust and hopefully end up enjoying the companion.
In your situation, I think you have to go gradually, keep them separate when no one is there, and let them out when someone can intervene if necessary.
dc

[badgerpup]

2. I've always done it wrong...

...but it seems to work out pretty well.
The noob has always been a kitten, which may have something to do with it.

Bring the kid into the house, give him a bath to get the bad smells (smoke, pee, 'scared kitty') off of him. When he's dry, I show him where the food and litter box are.

Then I tell the other cats that "This kid (usually hasn't told me his name yet) is the new member of the family. Sort it out. You have two weeks. I don't want to see any bloodshed."
Then I leave them alone to do so. Takes about two weeks...

So far, it's worked well- they all get along nicely (except for when Wimsey's anal glands get cloggy...then he and Riktor might mix it up).

Both Wimsey and Riktor showed up, approved the place and chose to live here...I didn't have any say in the matter.

I just work here. :crazy:

[hamsterjill]

3. Large crate

If you have access to a large dog crate (some shelters will lend them out, even), the best way to introduce a new cat into an existing cat's territory is to have the new cat in the crate for a while so that they can get used to one another's scents. With cats - it is ALL about smells!

Start out with the crate covered by a sheet and put it in a corner somewhere. The cat in the crate should be made comfortable (water, food, bedding AND attention! You can take it out of the crate and play with it behind a closed bedroom door, but put it back into the crate when you are not directly interacting with it). Gradually over about a two week period, move the crate to a more central area of the home. When the cats act like they don't even notice one another, then it is time to start letting the new cat out into the household. Slowly at first for short periods, then for longer periods as they acclimate.

I know this sounds like a real pain, but it has worked very well for me in the past.

I wish you the best of luck!

[Warpy]

4. The best way I've found so far

Is crating one cat at a time in a carrier or larger crate while the other cat has the run of the place. You just alternate cats. Eventually they get used to the idea that there is an overlapping territory of cat smells.

When I finally introduced the last two to each other face to face (long after they'd stopped hissing through the window of the carrier), I did it in the kitchen, fully armed with a broom, a blanket, and a glass of water. I used all three. The first meeting was not a fun one.

Within a week, they'd do the posture and growl when they met each other. Within a month, they'd sleep on opposite ends of my bed during the day. By the next year, they tolerated each other, just occasionally taking half hearted swipes when they'd pass each other but nothing more, and shortly after that, they became playmates.

It takes a long time and strong nerves, but it can be done. Just realize that loud growls and puffed up fur is pretty normal, that actual fights are what need to be avoided and that most cats will actually avoid them, preferring the show of resentment to combat.

The tomcat died 4 years ago at the age of 17, and the girl kitty still meows at closed doors, looking for him.

In other words, don't worry if that first meeting doesn't go well.

[charlie and algernon]

5. oh geez, I hope it doesn't take a year

it's only a year lease I'm doing. No idea if I'll stay past next August. I HOPE the cats aren't at each other's throats the entire year, haha!

[Warpy]

7. They might hiss, growl and posture

and take the odd swipe that doesn't connect. That's really what you want. You might get parallel play under those conditions, each cat chasing something in turn. My two would grab the string du jour and drag it around for the other cat to chase and swap back and forth, it was hilarious.

As long as there aren't fights that cause fur to fly, they're getting along in cat terms, just posturing to defend their right to a patch of territory at a specific time of day. That's what they do outdoors, too, as cat territories have been found to overlap by a considerable amount.

Don't worry about it if they continue to cuss each other out. They're just being cats. Real fights causing injury are something else and will result in needing to keep them separated permanently. Fortunately, that rarely happens.

[Political Tiger]

6. Best way is to keep them separated at first

You should do as you said.....Keep your cat in your bedroom with the door closed so the cat that already lives there can get used to a new cat being in the house. They'll sniff each other under the door and there'll probably but some hissing and growling but that's only natural.

Maybe after a few days open your door a couple of times a day, just a wee bit, so they can smell each other directly and again, there might be some hissing and growling, but that's what cats do.

After about a week I think it should be safe to let your cat out and roam the place and everything should be okay, although don't get alarmed if they get into a couple of cat fights (unless they are tearing each other apart) because the cat that already lives there has to set the ground rules to the new cat and that's how they do it.

At least that way has always worked for me.