Introducing New Furry Family Members

 Introducing a new cat(s) to your existing furry family members can be a hair-raising experience. The best way to do this is slow, gradual and with a lot of patience. A peaceful relationship between new and existing feline and/or canine roommates takes time and some work - but you can do it! Let’s get started and remember if you have any questions, you can always call or email us!

Isolate the New Cat in a Separate, Small “Safe Room” (Base Camp)

Keep this room closed off from the other animals of your household. If you don’t have a spare room, you can purchase a kitty tent and cover it with a blanket. This will make the cat feel safe while he/she adjusts to his/her new home. Provide everything kitty needs: food, water, litter box, scratching post and some toys. This lets everyone get used to the smells of each other, without actually seeing each other. It’s ok if they play footsies under the door.

Cats Do Not Like Change

Most resident cats will hiss and growl when they figure out that there is a new kid in town. This is absolutely NORMAL and, in most cases, it will lessen or even completely disappear over time. Your existing animals will likely act differently than they normally do when a new cat is introduced. Don’t fret, it’s usually only temporary.

Ok — You’re Ready - Here’s How to Make Your Transition Smooth

The new cat and your resident cat(s) should have no face-t0-face interaction for the first week. This allows the new kitty time to get comfortable with the new environment and the family.

After the first week, start introducing smells to each other. You can do this by brushing all the cats with the same brush. You may want to do this while giving the kitties some yummy treats so that they associate each other with good things! If your cat doesn’t like to be brushed, you can exchange bedding so that the new cat and resident cats can safely get used to the scent of each other BEFORE they see each other. You can also rub the new cat with a towel and then rub your resident cat with the same towel to transfer the scent.

After a few days of getting used to the scent of each other, you can try putting the new cat into a carrier and let your resident cats have a sniff around the new cat’s safe room (base camp). While your resident cat(s) is in the new cat’s room, let the new cat explore the rest of the house. Do this for a few days in arrow so that your resident cat(s) get used to the idea of a new kitty.

When you’re ready for the first face-to-face interaction, put the new cat into a carrier in the safe room and allow the resident cat(s) to come in. Be prepared for hissing; it’s a cat’s way of saying “who the heck are you?” (Imagine if someone dropped an adult human into your house without your knowledge — you’d hiss too!). If the interaction seems smooth and there is no hissing or aggressive behavior, you could try opening the door to the carrier. It is really important that you do not rush this process. We all want everyone to get along immediately, but with cats it is rare to see this happen. Go slow for the best results.

Monitor the interactions closely during these first few weeks and do not leave all the cats unsupervised if there are any signs of aggression. Your new cat should always be able to go to the safe room.

If the interaction deteriorates at any point, you can start over again with the new cat in the safe room - it’s not too late! Most of the time, even if they don’t Leo each other, they learn to peacefully co-exist - much of it determined by how you start the introductions.

If you need more information, please visit Jackson Galaxy’s page on Introducing Cats.