If you’re reading this, you’ve probably taken an exciting step and adopted a new cat to join your family – and that’s great! But, as you may already know, introducing a new kitty to a home where another feline already resides can be a delicate process that requires a little planning and care. So, we’ll focus on sharing with you some tips on how to make a cat-to-cat introduction.
First of all, you should know that cats are very territorial animals, so they have well-defined favourite areas for eating, playing or resting, and any radical changes in this environment can cause them strong peaks of stress. For this reason, it is very important that this whole process is done gradually, respecting the time of both cats and taking special care with your first cat to avoid them feeling this process (and the new cat) as a threat to their territory and peace of mind.
How to make a presentation between cats?
- Advance preparation
First of all, it is essential to prepare the environment to ensure a good introduction between cats. Therefore, set aside a separate room for the new cat, where you can find everything necessary for its comfort and well-being: beds, litter boxes, food and water bowls, toys and scratching posts. This area should be quiet and safe, allowing the new cat to gradually adapt to its new environment without feeling overwhelmed by the resident cat.
In addition, it is very important to schedule a veterinary visit for the new cat to ensure that it is in good health and up to date with all vaccinations.
- Gradual introduction by scent
After a few days, and before allowing the cats to meet face to face, a gradual introduction through scent exchange is recommended. To do this, you can start by exchanging objects between the two rooms to allow the cats to get used to each other’s smells. You can also rub a towel or blanket over each of the cats and exchange them to promote familiarity with each other’s scent.
Another option, which should be done over a short period of time, is to let them expore each other’s space. When the new cat has acclimatised to the new environment, is eating properly and using its litter box, place your resident cat in another room and allow the new cat to explore the house. This makes it easier for the newcomer to become familiar with its new surroundings and the scent of the cat already living there before direct contact between the two. You can then reverse this process, placing your new cat in another room and allowing your resident cat to explore the room where the new cat is.
- Supervised and controlled encounters
Once you have checked that your cats have responded well to the previous step and have become accustomed to each other’s smells, you can begin supervised encounters in short periods of time in a neutral space.
It is advisable to keep the cats physically separated (with doors or barriers) but allow them to observe each other and smell each other without risk of direct confrontation.
During these encounters, it is crucial to observe your cats’ body language. With this, you should be aware that it is normal for them to show some initial fearful or aggressive behaviour such as cowering, snorting or pinning back their ears.
If there are signs of strong aggression, you should intervene, separate them and try again later, or even go back to the previous step and continue the introduction by scent.
Never introduce with the cats in your arms as they will become overwhelmed as they feel they have no escape and, if they react badly, may scratch or bite you.
In the event of a fight, it is important to distract them to separate them. To do this, you can throw a towel over them or make a loud noise to separate them. Then take the new cat back to its room (avoid picking it up if it is still excited) and allow a few days for it to calm down before trying again.
- Encourage positive interactions
Once past this, and to encourage a positive association between cats, it is helpful to provide them with pleasurable experiences while they are near each other. This may include simultaneous feeding on opposite sides of a room, playing with interactive toys near each other, or giving snacks and petting when they are together to reinforce positive association with the presence of the other cat.
- Patience and time for a good introduction between cats
It is important to remember that introduction between two cats can take time so you will need to be patient. Each cat has its own pace of adaptation and it is essential to respect their comfort and well-being during this process. So, as an estimate, if you are dealing with a new kitten and a resident adult, the process can take between 2-4 weeks and, if you are dealing with two adults, between 4-6 weeks.
In any case, the key to successful introduction between cats is to avoid rushing interactions and allow them to establish their own pace of familiarisation.
Also, ‘success’ does not always mean that your cats become best friends. Some cats may bond, while others may choose to avoid contact with each other. It is important to be prepared for either of these two possibilities.
This process is also greatly influenced by the personalities of both cats. A cat that has already lived with another feline is likely to get used to it sooner than one that has never done so. That is why it is very important that you adapt this process of introduction by thinking about how both cats are in order to achieve the best adaptation.
What is clear is that they are social animals, and after this process of introduction between cats, it is very likely that both will feel less bored, in company, will be more active and will create a unique bond, substantially improving their quality of life.
