Introducing another cat?? 21 May 2017 at 12:46PM in Pets & Pet Care 5 replies 2.6K views

Livelongandprosper

Our rescue has been with us 7 months now and is about 10 months old. He's a very independent cat,certainly not a lap cat. He will sit on the sofa behind my head and sleep on the bed, that's as close as he get, oh unless he's sat on my book staring at me when I'm trying to read

He has a cat flap now and loves the outside. Follows DH around like a puppy watching his every move. He brings up so much joy

So I've seen another wee cat needing a home. A two year old who's been abandoned:(. She looks so scared in the cattery photos, I'd love to give her a home


Is it easy to introduce another cat ? Is it better to get same sex, or different ( both neutered as rescues) ?

I don't have a clue if it's a good idea or not. My last dog was a single as he hated other dogs. My hens fight when we introduce new ones, it not nice and can be bloody, so we introduce 4/5 at a time to give safety in numbers ( it works)

How do you know if a cat is going to accept another into the home?

ljonski

Both cats might get on, both may not. Who knows!Its better to introduce another cat when they are reasonably young as yours are.

Mojisola

Give both cats their own space in the house - that reduces stress and makes it more likely they will get on.

The things tried on a recent TV programme were putting the cats' beds and litter trays in separate areas, feeding them in different areas and using pheromones. For the most part, the first two worked best - the pheromones may have helped in a couple of cases.

NeilCr

Over the years I've introduced quite a number of cats. Generally, keeping them separate for a while, introducing them to each other gently (and definitely supervised) etc. It's mostly worked fine - in some cases it's taken a time - in one instance it needed cat A to give cat B a cuff round the ear. As long as you have a reasonable amount of space cats will find their own territory. In recent times I had an upstairs cat and a downstairs cat

As has been said, though, you can't predict how any individual cat will react. Current moggie a big ex stray Tom is a case in point. He just doesn't handle another cat well. He isn't aggressive - in fact, the opposite. I took on another stray at short notice and he just stayed out the way. She sat on my lap, on the bed and he looked on from afar, miserably

So when she, very sadly, died I decided not to have another one (even though I like having two). He's been much better - sits on my lap, by me on the bed. He's definitely a one person one cat type of cat!

I did read somewhere that an adult cat will tolerate a new kitten better than another adult

Good luck with your decision. I know how hard it is. A friend of mine volunteers at a cat rescue and every time she sends me a picture I want that cat!

SensibleSarah

As has been mentioned, there is no real way of knowing until you give it a try. I would agree with those who have suggested separating for a while and doing some swapping of beds, soft furnishings etc to give both cats time to get used to the others' scent. I've only introduced kittens to my bunch and they all strop about it for a while but get over it within a couple of weeks.
My 4 adult cats (all unrelated but all brought in as rescue kittens at different times) don't particularly love each other but they don't fight or anything. A couple of them go out of their way to avoid each other most of the time. 3 of them are lap cats so they pretty much have a rota systems so they all get knee time

petsforall

Throwing two cats into one environment without proper consideration of their positions is just asking for trouble. But, with a carefully planned introduction, cats can ease into accepting one another and may just become life long pals. First step keeps your cats separated. Second slowly let the cats see each other finally make the face-to-face introduction. It may take time and a bit of patience, but your efforts have a good chance of being rewarded in the long run when your cats become content companions in your home for life.