Smooth Introduction of New Pets to Resident Cats

A new pet should be brought into the home only after a veterinary check-up in order to make sure no parasites are coming along for the ride. As well, the vet will test incoming cats for slow virus diseases such as Feline Leukemia Virus or Feline Immunodeficiency Virus, and make sure that the newcomer is in general good health. In spite of the clean bill of health at the new pet check-up, the new cat should be isolated from the resident cat for at least one week since the stress of moving can trigger activation of infections. Vaccines and worming treatments should also be brought up to date as recommended by the veterinary hospital.

A new kitten may be more easily accepted than a second mature cat. Whether the cats are male or female is less important than the personalities of the cats. Note that some newcomers never quite fit in, and may be ignored for a period of time, or even permanently. Ongoing or serious aggression is unusual and requires that you seek professional advice from your veterinarian. Most times, the new cat will gain gradual acceptance, or may in fact quickly become the resident cat’s newest “bestest” friend! It might be wise to keep a special private spot in the environment if you have a resident geriatric cat and have brought home a young, exuberant kitten. This will allow the senior a quiet safe spot to rest in between kitten’s boisterous live action!

During this isolation week, your new kitten or cat will need food and water dishes, some toys, and one or two litter boxes placed in with them in a separate room. Gradually introduce items from each cat’s environment into the others’ at the end of that time. Toys may be switched, sleeping blankets switched. A chamois that has been used to rub down the cats for grooming (especially around the muzzle and whiskers) can be placed in the other’s room. This allows each cat a non-threatening environment to check out the new smells. During the isolation period, the new cat will also take on more of the “homey smells” that each home imparts to a resident. This will make the scent of the incoming cat more familiar to the long term resident cat. Sniffing under the door will occur and should be encouraged. As a next step before they meet unrestrained face-to-face, place one cat in a carrier, and let the other cat approach and sniff the carrier.

Short supervised visits should be the first step to introduce the cats. A commercial face pheromone analog )Feliway®) can be sprayed in the home at cat level on objects during the introduction phase. This helps to settle both the cats. If the cats are curious and do not become aggressive, these visit times may be gradually extended. Note that a bit of initial hissing and posturing is quite normal! If it occurs, it does not mean that they are in a state of serious threat. When the cats are together and not exhibiting any signs of stress, praise them both, and consider giving a few treats! They should then be OK on their own. The odd spat may occur, but generally, once they have had a chance to check each other out, they are all set.

Dogs should be gradually introduced to a resident cat, but much of this fine tuning described above does not apply to incoming dogs.

Dogs should be leashed during the initial introduction. Healthy ones do not require an isolation period if no resident dogs are present. They should also be given a check-up, and worming and vaccines brought up to date as a matter of course before coming home. It does help to provide some switching of cat items and dog items for sniffing purposes before the face-to-face. Again, praising the cat and dog for civil behavior is helpful. Initially, supervised sessions should occur. Some breeds of dogs are bred to hunt, and may see a cat as prey. Be very cautious in this circumstance because serious injury has been known to occur if the chase reflex activates. This is more frequently a problem with the small mammal introductions (rabbit, rat, mouse, gerbil etc) but if an unfamiliar kitten runs off, a dog may set chase!

A geriatric cat will again need a private safe area to hide, especially if it is a bouncy puppy coming into the home! Puppy restriction to one room should occur for the first while (especially until they are housetrained!). Make sure the litter box is not located in an area where the newcomer puppy can corner the resident cat. An open box may need to be covered and placed away out of reach if the puppy is typical and wants to steal cat poop. Cat doors placed at the box entry area may be used to restrict access to the box. Making this a “cat only” zone may be necessary if this problem persists.

Disclaimer: This website is not intended to replace professional consultation, diagnosis, or treatment by a licensed veterinarian. If you require any veterinary related advice, contact your veterinarian promptly. Information at Cathealth.com is exclusively of a general reference nature. Do not disregard veterinary advice or delay treatment as a result of accessing information at this site.

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Aggression Bringing Home Kitten Normal Feline Behavior Cats and Kids Monitoring Your Cat