Question for those with Cats

[Devils'Advocate]

I have no suggestions whatsoever. My cats started out hating each other. I figured with time and patience they would eventually learn to tolerate each other. It's been 10 years and they still fight like, well, cats and dogs?

[Flamesguy_SJ]

Something I've heard similar to the bath idea is to take a dry facecloth and pet the new cat with it, and then when you have your old cat alone, pet them with the same cloth and let them get used to the smell and not associate it with bad things.

[Roof-Daddy]

My wife does work for a local pet rescue organization. We have fostered many, many, many cats while trying to find them a good home while also owning cats of our own.

Most of the ones we've fostered were kittens so as you can imagine we got pretty attached to a bunch of them and now have six total. Yep, that's right.....six. Four males and two females. (We also have two big dogs)

Anyways, whenever we brought in a new one, it would always start out in it's own room seperate from the rest. It would eat on it's own, have it's own litter box and sleep in there as well. We'd bring it out from time to time, let it run around a little bit and let the new kitten and the other cats check eachother out a little at a time.

Over the course of a few weeks it would eventually get to the point where it only went to it's own room to eat.

Slow integration is my only real advice. That, and make sure you have as many litter boxes as you have cats, and clean them daily. Like I said, we have six, and none of them ever takes a dump or piss anywhere but in their litter boxes and they all pretty much get along fine too.

[IliketoPuck]

Our cat is very friendly, but he's also full of energy and can be particular like any cat. What I'm getting from all of the advice is to segregate the new cat, and slowly work it into the life of our current cat.

Either that or feed our current orange tabby a strict diet of lasagna and snark and see where it takes us

Oh and he is fixed, so I doubt he would get overly territorial and start spraying.

[Old Yeller]

Stolen from the somethingawful pet forums (there are quite a few vets and lab techs that frequent that forum and the regulars usually know what they're talking about):

Introducing a new cat to your other cats

When you bring a new cat into your household, both it and your other cats will probably be upset. You would be too if someone thrust a roommate on you. You can minimize the stress by making the introduction gradually.

Stage 0: Acceptance of terms
There will be lots of hissing. This does not mean you are doomed.

Stage 1: Seclusion
Keep the new cat separate from the other cat(s). Make sure it has all the necessities- food, water, litter, attention. Choose somewhere you can hang out with new cat and get to know it, but not your other cat's favorite hangout, either. The cats will all know the others are there, but this stage allows them to get comfortable with there being other scents around. Try switching out each cat's bedding so they can sniff at it. You might also try giving them their meals on either side of a closed door, so they associate food with the new cat's smell. You can switch the cats out to explore each other's areas and get used to scents & places that way, too.

This stage can last a couple of hours to a week or so. You will have to use your judgment on when to advance. If both cats seem comfortable and curious, rather than totally anxious, continue on.

Stage 2: Supervised introductions
Pretty much what it says. Let the cats meet. There will almost certainly be hissing and maybe even some swatting. It's okay to laugh when their tails puff up. You can let these introductions last as long as you like, depending on how the cats interact. The rule of thumb is not to separate them unless (a) you can't be present to supervise anymore or (b) violence erupts.

Violence is not swatting and hissing and puffing up, or even growling and yowling, necessarily. If blood is drawn or the yowls seem to indicate pain rather than aggression, then it's absolutely time to separate them and return to stage 1 for a while.

This stage might last as little as one or two meetings, or it could go on for weeks. If it drags beyond a week please ask and see if we can make some suggestions to make things go more smoothly.

Stage 3: Kitten piles
As the introductions go better and last longer without incident, you will feel comfortable leaving the cats alone, and from there they'll probably soon reach a level of toleration, if not immediate kitten piles. Kitten piles may never happen, honestly, and that's not your fault. If they do, great!

[MRCboicgy]

One thing is they may never give you the satisfaction they have become friends, but next thing you know, you find them snuggled up together. :P They would deny this

[MrMastodonFarm]

Originally Posted by MRCboicgy

One thing is they may never give you the satisfaction they have become friends, but next thing you know, you find them snuggled up together. :P They would deny this

Disclaimer - MRCboicgy knows nothing about .

[MRCboicgy]

Originally Posted by MrMastodonFarm

Disclaimer - MRCboicgy knows nothing about .

but she does

Edit: there was a picture of Mrs Slocombe here

[Hack&Lube]

Originally Posted by MRCboicgy

but she does

I didn't know you swung that way

[Roast Beef]

Originally Posted by Old Yeller

Stolen from the somethingawful pet forums (there are quite a few vets and lab techs that frequent that forum and the regulars usually know what they're talking about):

This.

It is pretty much a blow by blow recreation of how our currents cats met.

It will not be all roses at first and you will have to let the cats settle some things themselves. Just be ready to step in if it looks like the kitten is getting killed. They will get used to each other.

[jeremywilhelm]

Kitten Piles, haha. Sounds dirty.

[Muta]

If I had a cat, I'd introduce it to other cats by making it wear great big bifocals, a red bowtie and a Batman utility belt.

This way, he's dressed to impress and will only see success.

[Russic]

Originally Posted by JiriHrdina

A big concern will be if either cat (particularly the male) decide to start spraying to make their territory. It can ruin your carpet quite quickly and turn your place into "that house that smells like pee".

Not fun.

I find it smells a bit more like a 35 year old fat man who hasn't showered in weeks. It's like a really intense B.O. Cat spray is nothing to screw with.

[IliketoPuck]

This is the little lady we are thinking of adopting. For not being a cat person before getting our first cat, wow does she pull at the heart strings.

[CaptainCrunch]

Buy a 30 foot Python. I hear they get along great with Kittens.

[IliketoPuck]

Do you think you could go out into the Amazon solo and pick one up for me? It would save me alot of hassle.

[Pinner]

Don't get too attached at first, not all cats are keepers... You might have to,.. get rid of it

[MRCboicgy]

Originally Posted by IliketoPuck

This is the little lady we are thinking of adopting. For not being a cat person before getting our first cat, wow does she pull at the heart strings.

Omg she's so cute. Hopefully she has a great personality too

[Huntingwhale]

2 females=bad news. Believe me l know.

2 males=good times. They will eventually get along.

1 male, 1 female=Sexy time.

[Rathji]

As long as the older cat is that much older it should be fine.

We got another cat shortly after my wife and I got married. Her 2 cats were 11 and 13 years old and threw a fit every time they came into contact with the new cat. It got so bad that once the new cat was big enough to fend for itself, it would set up shop near the food and it would stop the older ones from eating and drinking or using the litter box

It took me 2 weeks to figure out that 2 cats were using something other than the littler box to do their business. We got rid of the younger cat about a year ago now, and I still am combating the others pissing under my office desk.