Bringing a new cat home is a wonderful and exciting time, but it can be a bit stressful for any current feline tenants. Prior to bringing home your new cat, you’ll want to do some prep work in advance. Start by creating a personal space for your new cat to enjoy that your current cat can’t get to. This can be anything from a spare bedroom to even a bathroom!
Next, you’ll want to make sure you have a second set of feeding dishes and two extra litter boxes. We all know how challenging sharing can be and your current kitty may not want to share toilet space with his new buddy. Once you bring your new cat home, place them straight away into the isolation area. Bring the carrier back out after your new cat is settled and let your resident cat investigate the new smells.
Once both cats no longer seem stressed by the scent of each other, it’s time for the cats to start to get used to each other’s presence. While keeping them separated, trying feeding them on opposite sides of the door that they are on. As they grow more comfortable with this, you can let them see each other through a baby gate. Spend a lot of time with both cats so they both feel reassured by your comfort. Keep the interactions between both cats very limited for at least two weeks and only advance to the next step if your residing cat seems ready.
When you think they are both comfortable meeting, let them both go into the same area. Be sure to allow many “escape routes,” like a cat tower they could jump up on or furniture they could hide behind, and bring a towel along to toss on top of the cats if the meeting doesn’t go well. Sometimes, meetings need to take place several times until both cats are totally comfortable. Until they reach this point, only allow them to interact with one another while you are able to supervise. Once the cats seem entirely content with each other, you can leave them alone together all the time! Hopefully, they’ll end up being best of friends!
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