[Port-Antonio]

we got our daughter a cat for christmas after much begging and pleading with my husband, who swore up and down that he wasn't a cat person. well it turns out that after a few weeks...he is VERY much a cat person lol. the two have become quite close friends. if im in his computer chair the cat will sit on the keyboard and meow at me until i move or sit on the back of the chair and do the same thing. i guess cause she thinks its his spot? anyways he brought up getting another cat. we live in an apartment and according to the lease the cat needs to be altered and declawed. i refuse to put a cat through being declawed, so we plan on going to a shelter and adopting a cat that has been declawed by their previous owner. my question is how do i best introduce the two cats to each other?

 

[spectrum42]

Are you able to keep them in separate rooms? I had good luck by keeping the cats separated for a few days. They would sniff under the door and sometimes hiss. After a couple of days, I took a towel and a blanket that each cat had been sleeping on and swapped them. When we did introduce the cats, they were already familiar with each others scents. There was some growling and hissing for a few days, but no cat fights!

Good luck!

 

[meatless]

WTF, they REQUIRE declawing? Declawing is actually ILLEGAL in some countries!!

OK, that aside....

We kept our new cats (two different occasions) in a separate room for two weeks, before introducing. I guess it depends on your comfort level. We did it that long partly because the new arrivals had colds.

 

[greenheart]

I've had more than one cat before, and aside from what's already been recommended, I also rigged up a window screen (it was winter at the time so I wasn't using them in my windows) in the doorway of the room I was keeping the new cat in. This particular screen was tall enough that neither cat attempted to hurdle it, but it allowed them both to see each other and get used to each other without physical interaction. The screen was attached on one side of the doorway, so I could still shut the door from the other side, to give the kitties a break from each other. At times, this method wasn't totally convenient, because it meant that I needed to use a step ladder to climb over the screen to have access to the room to feed kitty and change the litterbox, but I think it was worth it to get them used to each other.

 

[grimble]

We had an old cat and got a rescue litter of 4 kittens (thrown in the Thames in a bag would you believe!). Anyhow, we just let them get on with it, to a point. Our old cat was top dog (escuse the pun), and made sure he was ok. But let nature take its couse as long as no cat/kitten was hurt. They have a way of figuring things out for themselves.

 

[veggiewriter]

I've had more than one cat before, and aside from what's already been recommended, I also rigged up a window screen (it was winter at the time so I wasn't using them in my windows) in the doorway of the room I was keeping the new cat in.

I think rigging a screen is the BEST way, totally. It IS inconvenient for the peoples of the house, but the kitties get to interact without the potential of a physical altercation. I know some people do find that just dumping the cats together works fine for them (in fact, I've done it myself), but depending on the cats, that's not always the safest or most compassionate way to introduce 'em. I say try the screen for a week, just to break the ice between felines.

 

[hollywoodveg]

Quote:

Originally Posted by spectrum42

Are you able to keep them in separate rooms? I had good luck by keeping the cats separated for a few days. They would sniff under the door and sometimes hiss. After a couple of days, I took a towel and a blanket that each cat had been sleeping on and swapped them. When we did introduce the cats, they were already familiar with each others scents. There was some growling and hissing for a few days, but no cat fights!

Good luck!

In my experience this is the best way to do it.

 

[queenfluff]

The best way is to keep the new cat in a separate room when you first get it. The other cat will know it is there by the smell and sound. After a few days, put the old cat in a room by itself and let the new cat out to explore around your apartment - you can do this for just a few hours. The new cat will leave its scent around and will pick your old cats scent. Cats are very big on marking things.

You can also add blankets like spectrum said with the cats scents on them to rooms.

Put the new cat back in its room and let your old cat out again. Old cat will smell the scents all around that the new cat has left.

The next day ( or pick a day when you can be around and supervise and have time). Open the door to the room that the new cat is in and watch the cats - let them discover each other (don't pick the cats up and plop them right in front of each other). There will be probably be some hissing and maybe some batting. If things aren't going well after a while, you can put the new cat back in its room to give both kitties a break. If things seem to be going OK, you gave leave the new cat out but be sure to stay around to supervise.

You can try again maybe the next day or a later that day. One thing to make sure you do is to not show either cat more attention than the other - don't punish either cat for hissing or whatever. Another good thing to do, once the cats are a little used to each other, is to play with them together. Don't single a cat out and play with one and not the other. The playing together will be good bonding for the kitties and with your family.

Remember that some cats will hit it off immediately and some will take longer - so don't give up hope.

I have three cats and two of them are more bonded than the other - The other one is more just tolerated by the other two and they still get a bit hissy when getting too close to one another -even after 9 years. But as long as they don't tear each other apart, everything should be fine.

When you go and adopt your new cat, ask about a cat that the adopters know get along with other cats well. Some cats are better if they are the only kitty in the house.

Good Luck! Let us know how it goes (post some pictures of your kitties too!)

 

[Thalia]

The book Cat vs. Cat and Think like a cat both give detailed instructions similar to those above. The author stresses giving the cats a reason to like each other. Reward them when they are together with play and treats and food. If they start giving each other evil eyes, distract them with play. I highly recommend one or both of these books.

Here is one nice list of recommendations.

How old is the present cat and how old will the new comer be? I had two 6 month olds who fought and hissed at first but were playing within 24 hours. Older cats won't do that!

 

[Port-Antonio]

trinity is about 2 1/2. i want to adopt a cat atleast that old, if not older

 

[spectrum42]

Quote:

Originally Posted by greenheart

I've had more than one cat before, and aside from what's already been recommended, I also rigged up a window screen (it was winter at the time so I wasn't using them in my windows) in the doorway of the room I was keeping the new cat in.

I wish I'd thought of this or had an extra screen. I'm definitely saving one of the old screens when we get new windows!

 

[kpickell]

Here's what I did, which worked well: http://www.veggieboards.com/boards/s...ad.php?t=60052

The book Cat Vs Cat helped quite a bit.

 

[Lyra]

When I got my kitten, we put her in my bedroom and put a mesh baby gate in the doorway. Then I put treats on both sides and let my seven-year-old get used to seeing her. The next day I let my kitten out ((with supervision)) and they got along great.

 

[gas4]

In my experience there are some cats that get on really well with any other cats, and some that are serious loners. If you get (or already have) a loner then the best you can hope for is a kind of strained peace, which is ok. I'd definately ask about it when you go to get your new kitty, as already mentioned.