Will My Cat Get Along With Other Felines in a New Home?

Introducing a new cat into a home with resident felines can be a tricky proposition. Cats have individual personalities, and their interaction may be based on their histories, their ages and their temperaments. There are steps you can take, however, to aid in the introduction and make the integration as smooth as possible.

  1. New Cat, New Stuff

    • Before you bring a new cat into your home, make sure you're prepared with an extra litter box, scratching post, bowls and bedding. You don't want to ask your resident cats to share with the newcomer right away, and providing your new cat with his own things will help reduce problems with territorial behavior.

    Solitary and Separated, Temporarily

    • Don't just drop a new cat into the mix of other cats in your household. Instead, bring the new kitty home in a pet carrier and isolate him in a single room of your home with his own belongings. Give the new cat free roam of the room and spend quality time interacting with him so you can bond on a personal level. The cats will get accustomed to smelling each other through the door before they have an opportunity to meet face-to-face.

    Share a Meal

    • Help your resident cats associate the new cat with good things, like their favorite foods. Feed your resident cats on one side of the door while feeding the newcomer on the other side. The cats will be able to smell one another while they're eating and associate the smells of the other cats with their meal. They may also investigate one another by sniffing under the door or doing some light playing. You may slide a long string or ribbon under the door to encourage back-and-forth interaction.

    Switch Territory

    • After a few days of sniffing and shared mealtime, put your resident cats in the newcomer̵7;s room and allow the newcomer to explore other areas of the house. This allows for further exploration and integration and begins to mingle scents and territories. After a day, put the newcomer back in his room inside his carrying case and allow the resident cats access to the room.

    Face-to-Face Meeting

    • As long as you haven̵7;t seen any type of aggressive behavior after the initial introduction of cats, allow your newcomer to meet the resident cats face-to-face. Monitor the interaction and provide treats or a play activity, such as chasing a feather wand. If all goes well, separate the cats again and gradually lengthen the amount of time they spend together under your supervision. If there is aggression at any point in the process, backtrack and repeat earlier introduction steps until the newcomer is fully integrated into the household.