Cat Tip #6: Integrating The New Kitty by Darlene Arden
by Darlene Arden
Shout out to Muggie – Out Impact reader and supporter, Kd’s cat!
With Spring approaching there’s no doubt that there will be more and more kittens being born. If you’re thinking about bringing home another feline, kitten or adult, you’re going to have to learn a few new tricks in order to integrate the new kitty into your home.
Before bringing the newcomer into your home, understand that this is your first cat’s territory and she may not want an interloper because life as she knows it has been going along quite nicely. Even if you’ve lost another cat with whom she was bonded, it doesn’t mean that she wants to accept a total stranger.
Set up a separate room for the new kitty. Be sure you have a litterbox, food, water, scratching post, toys, etc. in there. The new kitty should be able to put her own scent on these items. Show her the literbox right away. And be prepared for the entire integration process to take a full month.
New kitty only needs one room – too much space would be frightening for the newcomer. And your resident cat needs time to adjust to having a new family member. Be sure you spend quality time in the room with your new kitty as well as quality time with your resident cat. Each should have playtime with interactive toys, games, petting, grooming sessions daily. If your newcomer has chosen to hide under the furniture when you walk into the room, sit down and quietly read. Talk softly to her so she’ll get used to your voice. And you may want to bring her a little treat. Give her time. As long as she’s eating, drinking and using the litterbox she will begin to adjust in due course. Some new cats adjust to a new home in very little time; others take longer. Adjusting to another cat is a different matter.
Your resident cat is going to smell and hear the newcomer. They may begin by stretching a paw under the door. Slow and easy does it. Don’t rush this process or it will end up taking even longer.
After a couple of weeks let each one sleep with a towel, or rub the towel on the cat, then after a day with the towel, exchange the towels so each cat will have the towel with the other cat’s smell on it. This should continue for about a week. Let them sniff each other under the door.
When you finally arrange for them to meet, after a month has passed, do it slowly. The newcomer may integrate quickly or not. Expect some hissing. Be prepared to supervise, to play interactive games while they’re together. And always have at least once cat tree available and other high areas so the cats have a place where they can go up if feeling threatened.
And the rule of thumb for litterboxes is to have one for each cat and one for the house. The boxes should be open so the cat who is using it will have an escape route if the other one comes along and wants to use it at the same time.
If your older cat is a senior and you’ve brought in a kitten, she may not want to be pestered by a lively kitty who wants to play.
Be aware that if your older cat is lying in a certain area, she or he may be guarding that area from the newcomer. That might be where you can consider plugging in a cat pheromone dispenser, which should help to keep them calm. Another trick to use, especially useful if one has gone to the veterinarian and come home smelling “different” is to put a dab of vanilla extract at the base of each cat’s tail so they will smell the same to each other.
The extra effort of introducing the two slowly will pay off in the end so relax and enjoy your cats while they, hopefully, learn to enjoy each other.
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Darlene Arden is a Certified Animal Behavior Consultant, a member of The International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants, The American Association of Human-Animal Bond Veterinarians (even though she is not a veterinarian), a World Canine Freestyle Organization Judge, Referee and Executive Advisory Board Member, as well as a member of the Dog Writer’s Association of America, Inc., and the World Dog Press Association, Cat Writers Association and Boston Authors Club. She is a learning facilitator at Kutztown University’s Canine Training & Management Program. An internationally recognized expert on behavior, training, and the wellness of dogs. She is the author of Rover, Get Off Her Leg!, The Angell Memorial Animal Hospital Book of Wellness and Preventive Care for Dogs, The Irrepressible Toy Dog, and Small Dogs, Big Hearts. You can find her on the web at: http://www.darlenearden.com.
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