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Introducing you cat or kitten to others animals in the
home:
Your new cat or kitten will probably be the center of attention
when you first bring it home, but do not exclude any existing pets from
the attention as this will make them very jealous of the new intruder and
may prolong the settling process. Make sure that both animals get the same
amount of attention.
If you already own an adult cat and want to introduce another, it can take
quite some time to get them to settle down together. The resident cat will
not appreciate the newcomer at first and, if you are not careful, there
will be a lot of caterwauling and fur flying. Introductions must be done
gradually.
Smell is important to cats, so take a blanket or piece of fabric from your
home and put it in the carrier you collect your new cat in. It will smell,
not only of your house, but of resident animals, and will give the cat a
chance to sniff out the family before it gets home. It helps if the
newcomer smells familiar to, if use use perfume of cologne, rub a very
small amount on the new cat before you bring it into your home, and
it will seem at less of a threat to the resident felines.
Food is another good way to get cats to accept each other, feed them in
the same room, from separate bowls. As the cats become engrossed in their
meals, gradually move the bowls nearer together. When the meals are
finished, the cats will start to wash; the nearer together the are, the
more likely the are to indulge in social grooming, a sure sign of feline
acceptance. If you have a kitten pen, use it during the settling period.
With one cat in the pen and the other free to wander around the room, they
will be able to look at each other, but if they decide to have a
confrontation, will not actually get close enough to cause harm.
Introducing your cat or kitten to the family dog should be treated
with caution. If the kitten has grown up with a dog, and your dog is used
to cats, there should be few problems. If not, tread very carefully. Some
breeds of dogs, such as many of the terrier varieties, are instinctive
'ratters' and may react to a kitten as a rabbit. Again, if you have one,
use a kitten pen so that the dog and cat can see and smell each other
without the risk of being hurt. If there is a fight, it is most likely
that the dog will come off worst: cats are extremely agile, move quickly,
can jump and have sharp claws.
Whichever animals you are introducing - cats, kittens or dogs - it is most
important that they are not left unsupervised until you are
completely satisfied that they have integrated. In the meantime put them
in separated rooms and shut the door when you have to leave the house.
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Milo
Zoe