4 Tips for Introducing a New Cat to Your Current Pets

4 Tips for Introducing a New Cat to Your Current Pets

Bringing a new cat home for the first time is always an exciting event. However, if you already have other pets, the process may not be as simple as you might expect. Your animals at home could become territorial and defensive in the face of a perceived threat, and your new cat could become hostile or reclusive out of fear of its new roommates.

Acclimating your new cat to a house with other pets has its challenges, but it’s certainly not impossible and can often lead to meaningful companionships between your pets. If you’re feeling unsure about bringing your new cat home to meet your other pets, here are four tips for success.

Introduce scents before meeting face-to-face. When animals encounter each other for the first time, particularly mammals with strong noses like cats and dogs, the mutually unfamiliar scent can cause fearful or aggressive behavior. If you’re able, take some used bedding from your new cat and put it somewhere your other animals will interact with it (and vice versa). Do this over a period of a few days and when your animals finally meet, at least their scents won’t come as a shock.

Take it slow. Your new cat and your other animals may take a liking to each other at the first meeting—lucky you! However, if one or more animals are acting hostile or confused, take them back to isolation and then try again in small doses. Over time, the animals will get more and more used to each other until they’re able to be friends (or at least tolerate each other).

Make sure your animals each have their own safe space. With a new cat in the house, your other animals may feel that their safety has been jeopardized. Make sure that all of your pets, both old and new, have a place in your house where they can be away from other animals and calm their nerves.

Keep your pets’ food together in one area. Regardless of species, one thing all of your pets will have in common is mealtime. After a few sessions of slowly introducing the animals to one another, try keeping their food and water bowls near each other. This way all of your animals will have to get comfortable with each other through sheer necessity. This may take some trial and error, but as they get more and more comfortable, try moving the bowls closer and closer together for maximum bonding.