As we all know, cats are individuals. They have their own personalities, likes, and dislikes. Some prefer the company of other feline companions, while others like to be the only feline child. As a result, when thinking about adding a new feline friend to the home, take your cat's preferences into consideration. Cats can be quite territorial, and it can sometimes take months for them to adjust to a new cat on their home turf.
I've put together some steps to follow when introducing a new cat to your home. The key points are to gradually introduce the cats and to have patience. We will focus on what to do before the new cat arrives, the introduction phase, and the integration phrase. There is no set timeline for these steps; it is all up to the cats. Some may take to each other immediately while others may take some time to acclimate to the change.
The same process applies to a household that currently has multiple cats. You need to gauge each cat's stress level along the way and take turns during the introduction process. Each cat needs equal affection and attention during this time to help with the transition.
STEPS PRIOR TO BRINGING YOUR NEW CAT HOME
Step one is setting up a "safe room" for the new cat. A great place for this is a spare bedroom. You want to make sure that this room is not a favorite place for your current cat; we don't want the new cat encroaching on the current cat's turf, so to speak. The room should also have a solid door to prohibit any unwanted visitors.
The new cat needs adequate space to move around and explore and you need room for a cat bed, litter box, food station, water station, scratching post, and toys. Bonus if you can fit a cat tree in this area since cats find comfort in raised enclosures. And don't forget that you need to be able to fit comfortably as well so you can bond with your new cat.
A Feliway diffuser is a helpful tool in creating this safe space. Feliway is a calming pheromone that can really help a cat feel a little more at ease in its new environment. Depending on the size of the safe room, I would include a Feliway Classic plug-in diffuser within the safe room. Outside of the room, I would place a Feliway Multicat plug-in diffuser. This will help both the new cat and the current cat adapt to a shared space. I prefer diffusers over the sprays or wipes so that you have continuous presence of the pheromone.
WELCOMING THE NEW ARRIVAL
When first bringing your new cat home, you do not want the cats to have any contact. This is important so that the new cat can get used to its new environment and so you have time to bring your new cat to the vet for a health check prior to introducing them. If your new cat hasn't been spayed or neutered and is old enough, this is a good time to have the procedure done; the cat can recover in a quiet environment and you don't need to try to separate the cats after they've been integrated.
Bring the new cat in its carrier directly into the safe room. Do not let your current cat into this room and securely close the door. I like to play classical or jazz music on low (or a cat music channel; yup, they exist) for just a little bit of background noise. Gently place the carrier on the floor and open the door. If the cat does not want to come out of the carrier, that's ok; don't force it. If the cat arrived with any other supplies (blankets, toys, etc), make sure to bring those into the room with you. You can sit quietly with the cat and see if they will come out to explore. If they are too nervous, give them some alone time and check on them periodically. Make sure they have fresh food and water and the litter box is easily accessible. You can encourage them to come out with some tasty treats or food. Make sure to leave the carrier open in the room since it smells like them and may be their current source of safety.
Once the cat has come out and is comfortable with you, you can rub some of your dirty laundry on the cat daily to transfer some of your smell onto them. If this stresses the cat out, then you don't need to do it. Make sure to spend time with your new cat multiple times a day so you can form a bond and earn its trust. This will help with the integration.
It is natural for your current cat to come to the outside of the door and investigate the new smells and sounds. You may even hear your cat hiss even though it can't see the new cat. This is a natural reaction to identifying someone in their territory. Do not yell at or punish your cat for this behavior. It will likely decrease over time. To make the area less threatening, you can leave treats outside the door or sit with your cat outside the door and pet it or play with it.
THE GRADUAL INTRODUCTION
The first part of introducing cats involves smells and sounds, as I mentioned. Once each cat begins to recognize the other's smell and realize there is no threat, tensions will decrease, and introduction should go more smoothly. To help with this, we need to do something called "scent swapping." This takes place after the new cat has been to the vet to make sure there are no health concerns.
Begin by taking beds and blankets from the new cat's room and bringing them out to the current cat's favorite areas. At the same time, take your current cat's beds and blankets and bring them into the safe room for the new cat to smell. If this is difficult to do, then use towels to gently rub around each cat's head (where the scent glands are) and place those towels in the different areas. You can also let the cats smell your hands after petting sessions. Some cats will hiss or growl at the other cat's belongings at first; again, this is a normal behavior.
Once this is going well, you can try feeding the cats at the same time on opposite sides of the door (start several feet from the door at first and gradually come closer). They will hear each other and smell the food but have the security of the door between them to prevent any competition. Once they are eating together close to the door, you can move on to the next step.
INITIATING VISUAL CONTACT
Now that the cats are used to each other's smells and sounds, it's time to allow them to see each other. You want to crack the door open just a little bit at first (about an inch or so, but not wide enough to let one of the cats get through). Let them investigate each other for a few minutes, rewarding them with treats to make it a positive experience.
A small amount of hissing initially is okay. If there is growling, lunging, or other aggressive behaviors, that can indicate that the cat is too uncomfortable, and you will stop the door session at that time. Continue doing this several times a day until the cats are comfortable seeing each other.
If you have a clear barrier like a baby gate, you can use this next to increase visualization. Just make sure the cats don't try to jump over the gate or try to sneak through openings in the gate. Continue as you did with the door cracked open.
THE CAT SWAP
The next step is the "territory swap." Without letting the cats contact one another, you will bring the new cat outside of the room and put your current cat inside of the room. Let them investigate for a bit with treats and encouragement, then bring them back to their original locations. Do this several times so they get used to each other's spaces. If it is not easy to put one of the cats in a carrier for swapping, you can put your current cat in a bathroom or other room while the new cat is brought out of the room. Then bring your current cat into the safe room. As long as the cats are not stressed, you can allow them to investigate for about 15 minutes at a time.
THE ONE ON ONE
When everyone is ready for official introductions, do so on neutral territory; this means an area in the house that is not a "favorite" for your current cat. Keep the cats separated and on opposite sides of the room at first, feeding them high value treats or food or playing separately with toys. If this introduction goes well, bring the cats closer and closer together over the next few days. If there is any aggressive or stressful behavior, stop the introduction for that session.
If you are concerned about the cats getting out of your control, you can begin this step by keeping the new cat in a larger crate and letting your current cat gradually get closer to the crate. It is not a good idea to physically hold the cats during this stage; if a cat gets spooked, they can accidentally hurt you while trying to get away. If there is any intercat fighting, do NOT reach your hand in to separate them. Try to make a loud noise and use something long like a broom and thick blankets to break up the fight.
TWO CATS ON ONE TURF
Once you've reached this stage of integration, the cats are comfortable in each other's presence. At this time, you can begin letting them out together for 15 minute periods initially, then increasing time based on how they do. You don't want to leave the cats unsupervised at this time and do not have one of these sessions if you are expecting guests or other interruptions to your regular household routine. The goal is to minimize as much stress as possible for the cats.
During these times, feed the cats on opposite sides of a room and gradually bring the bowls closer over time. Make sure there are enough litter boxes in easy reach (remember the n+1 rule) and several water stations so there is no competition for resources. You can play with the cats separately (one human per cat is ideal) but make sure there is not one toy that both would want to go after at the same time.
THE GRANDE FINALE
Once everyone is cohabitating peacefully, you can do a trial run where you leave them out for long periods of time (while home). If all goes well, it is time to resume your normal routine. If there are any setbacks along the way, back up one step for a few days and then proceed.
Remember that there is no perfect science when it comes to introducing cats. Everything depends on how the cats react to one another. Some introductions are quite quick while others take more time. Be patient with your cats. If you have concerns, reach out to your veterinarian.
PS - for those of you who are wondering, a group of cats is called a clowder! A litter of kittens is called a kindle.
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