October 22, 2004

Ask the Animal Behavorist

How to introduce a new cat to the current one

By Maureen Strenfel
Special to the Times

Q: I just got a new cat and want to introduce him to my current cat. What’s the best way to go about this?

A: Cats by nature are solitary creatures. Although they are very territorial, they can learn to enjoy another cat not of their immediate family group. To achieve this acceptance, it is important to take some precautionary measures.

Step One: Confine the new cat to its own small room. Put a litter box, bed, food, water, scratching post and toys in the new cat’s room and keep him there for at least 10 days. This decreases the chances of spreading any diseases to your old cat and gives your new cat a chance to get used to the smells, sounds and you, without having to confront a hostile greeting party (your existing cat).

Step Two: Use scented feeding dishes. After your new cat has been confined for several days, take a small washcloth, rub it on your new cat, and then place it under your old cat’s food dish just before feeding time. Do the opposite for the new cat. Repeat at each feeding (always reviving the scent by rubbing on the opposite cat) until each cat eats calmly with no hesitation, hissing or growling.

Step Three: Use close feedings. After the successful completion of step two, place each cat’s dish in the other cat’s room. Repeat this process until both cats are acting normally.

Step Four: Play the switch game. Confine your old cat to a comfortable room with a litter box and some of his favorite food. Let the new cat out to explore for several hours under supervision. Put him back in his confined room and let your old cat out. Your existing cat may walk around the house sniffing, hissing or growling, as he can now smell that “intruder” in all parts of his house. This is okay. Repeat the switch game daily until both cats are acting normally and are relaxed.

Step Five: Limited contact. Stack two 36-inch high-tension gates (baby gates) in the newcomer’s doorway, but with a little space at the bottom. (Enough to get a paw under but not a head). Encourage the cats to play through the door by using a cat aerobics toy put through the opening. Continue the feeding ritual from step four but with each cat still on his respective side of the gate. Hissing, growling, posturing should be virtually non-existent before you continue on to step six.

Step Six: Let them meet casually. Start by first heavily exercising each cat separately. Just before feeding time, leave the new cat’s door open or take down the baby gates. Let the cats casually find each other and then feed them a meal, so they are eating about one foot away from each other. Some cats may hide; there may be some initial hissing. This is okay. Let them work it out as long as no one is launching a full physical attack on the other.

Final comments: Do not let one cat become a bully. If one cat always seems to be the aggressor, supervise any cat interaction. Be ready with a squirt bottle set on a straight stream to break up any catfights. For more information on cat-to-cat introductions, visit www.hssv.org and click on behavior.