Introducing a New Cat into your Household

Familiarity

Cats thrive on the comfort, security, and familiarity of their environment. When introduced to a new environment, it is important to gradually let your cat explore every nook and cranny. This basic research provides your cat with valuable information about her surroundings and enables him to feel secure. Cats are aware of even the smallest change in your household. Feeding, litter box, cleaning, grooming, playtime, and bedtime are all familiar events which your cat will anticipate if they occur at the approximately the same time and place each day. Cats can change; they just don’t like it to happen abruptly. To reduce your cat’s stress during this transitional period, you will want to do the following:

Plan Ahead – Give yourself enough time to make the change slowly.
Start Small – Don’t make a big change too suddenly or too many changes at once. Incorporate familiar things as much as possible.
Gradual Change – Take small steps and give your cat a lot of positive attention and praise.
Watch for signs of stress – This would include lose of appetite, over grooming, or a change in litter box habits.

Households with an Existing Cat

They key to cat to cat introductions is to introduce the new cat in a systematic and gradual way utilizing the principles of desensitizing and positive reinforcement.

Keep them separated for a week or so– when you bring your new cat home, have a separate space set up for her with a litter box, toys, water, bed and a scratching post. A spare bedroom or bathroom would be perfect.
Introduce the smell first – To a cat, a sniff is worth a thousand words. To get your current cat used to the smell of the new cat, rub a towel or washcloth gently over the new cat. Let your current cat smell the towel; don’t be surprised if he or she hisses. Hissing and growling are normal reactions. Do the same for the new cat. This way the cats get used to each other’s smell.
Encourage interaction through the door – Place your new cat’s food near the door of her room so she stays near the door. Your existing cat will smell and hear her through the door. Give your existing cat treats near the door of the new cat’s room so that she associates it with good things.
Let her roam alone – Put your existing cat in the bedroom, and let the new cat roam around the house. This lets her explore and get exercise. Then put the new cat back in her room and let the existing cat walk around and smell her without having to see the new cat. This is a great way to get them used to each other’s scent.
Open the door a crack – After a few days, carefully open the door just a crack so the cats can see each other but cannot stick their heads out. Be prepared for some hissing and growling, but if one tries to smack the other, close the door. Do this fairly often.
Let them out – Bringing in a new cat into the house is not unlike introducing a new baby to an older brother or sister. Jealousy is a normal reaction. Don’t forget about the faithful cat that has been your companion until now. Don’t yell, scold or punish her for hissing at the newcomer. When it is time to let the new cat out, be sure to monitor their interactions closely. Reassure your existing cat verbally and pet her if you can. When she is nice or at least non-threatening to the new cat, praise her and give him treats. If fighting does break out or one of the cats is highly stressed, separate them for a few more days. Letting them hiss it out is fine, but if real biting is occurring, break it up quickly with a spray from a water bottle. Do not yell at them, instead, spend time reassuring them.
Do not expect true love – We all wish our cats would become best buddies and curl up together. This does not always happen. They may not want to “hang out” together, but they will eventually respect each other’s space and stop hissing. If your cats are never best friends, don’t worry because they will still keep other company and they will both love you.

The key to successfully having a multi-cat household is to eliminate competition. Make sure you have multiple litter boxes, food, and water set up in different areas, or at least with distance between them. This will ensure both cats have options. Also, make sure you continue to provide love and attention to the existing cat. Never scold or use harsh tones when they are together or they will associate unpleasantness with being near each other. Give special attention to the resident cat as it is her territory that is being invaded and he is going to need reassurance. Until they become friends, give the new cat loving attention only when the resident cat is not around.

Households with a Dog

Proper dog training is the key to a successful introduction. Once your cat is confident that the dog does not pose a threat, then the opportunity for a wonderful friendship can begin. Here is a how you should introduce them:

Keep them separated for a week or so– when you bring your new cat home, have a separate space set up for her with a litter box, toys, water, bed and a scratching post. A spare bedroom would be perfect.
As with cat to cat introductions, scent is the all-important factor in cat to dog introductions. Before letting the pets have visual contact with each other, let them smell each other’s bedding.
Encourage interaction through the door – Place your new cat’s food near the door of her room so she stays near the door. Your dog will smell and hear her through the door. Give your dog treats near the door of the new cat’s room so that he associates it with good things.
Let her roam alone – Put your dog in the bedroom, and let the new cat roam around the house. This lets her explore and get exercise. Then put the cat back in her room and let the dog walk around and smell her without having to see the new cat. This is a great way to get them used to each other’s scent.
The dog should know and follow the basic commands of sit, come, down, stay and no. Reward obedience with his favorite treat. His motivation to obey for the treat will outweigh the distraction of having a cat in the room.
Now it is time for the introduction. Make sure your dog is wearing a collar and leash. Have another family member bring in your cat and have them sit down with your cat on their lap at an opposite end of the room. Repeat this step several times until both the cat and the dog are tolerating each other without signs of fear or aggression.
Next move the animals closer with the dog still on the leash and the cat gently held in a lap. If the cat does not like to be held use a crate or carrier. If the cat becomes frightened, increase the distance between the animals and progress more slowly.
Initially, the dog should be wearing a collar and a leash when the cat is present so that any attempt to bark at or chase can be stopped instantly. Praise and treats should be lavished on the dog when he is calm and obedient in the cat’s presence.

Keep the dog and cat separated when you are not home until you are certain they are safe together. Be sure the cat does not have to pass through or by the dog’s area to get to her food, water, or litter box. If your dog enjoys raiding the litter box, place a gate across the entrance of the room where the litter box is kept to allow the cat to pass through but not the dog.

Households with Children

From the start, children should be taught how to properly hold and pet a cat. The child should also be taught some basic cat body language so that they will know to leave the cat alone when her ears are back, her tail is twitching, or she is growling/hissing. A kitten (over 4 months) or young cat would be great with children under 7. They can better withstand the young child’s quick movements and noise. The key to a harmonious household is to supervise the interactions between the cat and the young child. Children can share in the responsibility of caring for your cat as long as an adult is ultimately in charge of making sure that the cat is properly cared for.

Households with Senior Citizens

Cats make great companions for senior citizens. The most important thing for senior citizens is not to get scratched or nipped. Senior citizens should be taught how to properly hold and pet a cat if the senior citizen has never been taught before. Seniors should also be taught to recognize some basic cat body language so that they will know to leave the cat alone when her ears are back, her tail is twitching, or he is growling/hissing. Cats and senior citizens are a wonderful combination and can become the best of friends.

Allergies

The allergens your pet carries are associated with its skin, hair follicles, and saliva. Dander, a naturally occurring combination of skin cells and saliva, is most often the cause of pet allergies. Dander is shed from your cat and embeds itself in carpeting, furniture, and draperies and stays in the environment for a long time causing allergic reactions. It is the protein in this dander that causes the reactions. Some cats shed more of this dander then others, making them less tolerable then other cats. In general, male cats produce more allergens than females.

The problem of allergies can be solved by making some minor adjustments to your environment. People who have allergies are rarely allergic to just one particular thing. Allergens are usually cumulative. Since the allergic person is sensitive to more than one thing, it is the “Total Allergen Level” that causes a reaction. Whether or not a person has symptoms depends on how many allergens are in the environment. An individual who is allergic to animals may exhibit no noticeable symptoms when the total exposure is below his allergy threshold level. The goal should be to minimize exposure to airborne allergens that exceed your tolerance threshold and trigger attacks. Air purifiers, vacuums with air filters, and keeping your environment clean and free of dust and hair are important in controlling your allergies. If you have allergies, you might want to consider not letting your cat sleep on your pillows or bed. Wiping your pets down with distilled water can help too. Feeding a high quality diet greatly reduces dander production due to the cat’s skin being healthier.

Talk to your physician about medications that are available to help with allergies.

Cat Proof Your House

Make sure your house does not have any items that are harmful to your cats. This can include poisonous plants, shopping bags, plastic bags, ribbon, string, twine, yarn and chemical cleaners. Make sure you check the labels or all products that your cat could potentially get into. Avoid any products that contain Phenols. The ASPCA Poison Control Hotline (888.426.4435) can provide pet owners with additional and valuable information about household chemicals and plants that can be harmful to your pets.

In Case of Emergency

Make sure you have the following phone numbers in an easily visible and accessible place:

The name, number and address of your vet – If you are on vacation, call before you leave to authorize treatment and payment in case something happens while you are gone.
The name, number and address of the closest emergency vet (24 hour).
Important medical information – Diabetic, Heart Murmur, Cat Leukemia, etc.
The person’s information (name, number) of who to call in case something happens to you.