Introducing Your New Cat to Your Current Pet

By Maria Kuzmiak

Cats are territorial animals, but they can learn to get along and inhabit the same space. If you have a cat and are thinking of getting another one, you will need to be sure to introduce them properly so that there are no serious fights between them.

Be sure to set up a room for the new cat that is completely separate from your current cat. This is only temporary, but it is an important part of the adjustment process. Your current cat is likely to be angry that someone new is coming into her home. Let her know that the house is still hers. Put everything the new cat will need - litter, food and water, toys - in the separated area. At first, you should only allow the cats to see each other's paws under the door. They will pick up each other's scents and eventually get used to the idea of another cat in their territory. You may see some aggression on the part of your current cat. This is natural and is nothing to worry about unless it persists.

Keep the cats separated for a least a week before you allow them to meet face to face. During that time, don't neglect your current cat. It's natural to be excited by the new addition, but be sure to spend as much or more time with the original cat as well to allay jealousy. If the new cat seems to have adjusted to his room after a week, allow the cats to meet. Before you do this, you might want to introduce them to each other scents by giving them each other's toys or brushing them with the same brush. Introduce them by putting the new cat inside a carrier and bringing her into the same room as your current cat. Next, put the new cat in her carrier and leave her in her room so your current cat can go in and visit. Finally, you can allow them face to face contact. Do this only when neither of them seems upset by the other. Be sure to stay with them when they are together at first until you are absolutely sure they will get along. In the majority of cases, cats become friends within a month.

Maria Kuzmiak is a freelance writer who lives in New Jersey with her husband and their three cats. She teaches people all about cats online. See her website for information on how to bring a new cat into your home and more.