Introducing a new cat into the household

Introducing a new cat into the household

Thinking of bringing a new feline friend into your home? Afraid they won’t get along with their new furry friends? Here are some tips to help make the transition a little easier for the whole family.

First prepare your home, especially with new kittens. Count the amount of litter boxes per cat in the house, typically there should be 1 litter box per cat plus 1. Clean up any piles of clothes on the floor to avoid been soiled on. Also cover exposed cords or anything you don’t wish to be possibly damaged.

A helpful tool to use prior to adopting a new cat, is a product called Feliway. Feliway is a plug-in diffuser or spray that releases pheromones, these would be normally released from a nursing mother cat. These are happy messages that promote calming effects. This helps to avoid fighting between new friends as well as marking or scratching behavior. Please allow approximately 7 days to see noticeable results.

Once you have acquired your new cat, introduce to your resident cat slowly. Keep your new cat in a separate room for at least a week if possible. This way they can smell each other through the doors, and get used to each other’s scents. Next have your new cat to explore each room of the house, but one at a time to not be overwhelmed. Finally allow your cats to meet, these interactions should be short intervals where your new cat is able return to the separate room. This is to avoid feeling anxious or threatened by your resident cat.

It will take time and patience, but most cats will end up becoming good friends. Or at the very least tolerate one another without any fighting. Every cat is different, find out what your cats both enjoy. I personally have adopted a new cat, which I found both my cats really enjoy the Da Bird wand toy. Through their shared love of a toy, they have begun to interact in a positive way. And, have even begun to play together! Don’t get discouraged if they don’t play right away, it is completely worth it in the end!

Mallory VT