One Cat, Two Cat, Three Cat, Four

When I was about nine, we tried bringing in a third cat to our home. We already had two feisty females inside, but we had fallen in love with the golden tabby. However, the females weren’t too pleased with this, and ganged up on the poor tabby. Needless to say we had to give him up, and the grouchy girls got their way and run of the house again. However, introducing a new feline friend can be done, just not in a spontaneous furry frenzy.

Take some time and consideration when deciding whether or not to introduce a new friend for your beloved kitty cat. Make sure you have the time, patience and energy required to make the transition from one to multiple as smooth as possible. If you don’t have much time already for your beloved cat, chances are you won’t have the time needed to ensure a harmonious transition for it.

Take note initially of your cat’s behaviour. If they are rather feisty, outgoing and energetic, chances are they will warm up to the new addition to the family. If they shy away from human strangers or even get scared of changes with the furniture, chances are they will not adjust kindly to an incoming kitty. If they have been well socialized since kitten-hood, by being exposed to humans and other pets even, they should have no problems adjusting to the addition.

Once you’ve decided to go ahead with the new cat, take care of your residential cat and their insecurities. Cats are a territorial creature by nature, and although they back down from confrontation, they will not take kindly to the invasion of their territory. Pay extra attention to your residential cat to ensure they are not being replaced by the newcomer.

Here are some tips to ensuring an easy transition:

1.    Match the new cat to your cat’s personality. Sometimes opposite sexed kitty’s will get along best, and usually opposite ages will be more friendly than similar aged cats. Make sure your cats are spayed and neutered if they are different sexes. If you have an older cat, chances are a young, spunky kitten will only annoy your cat and make the transition harder. If you choose an older, mellow cat your cat should adjust easier to their new friend.

2.    Keep the cats separated at first. Introduce your new kitty in a carrier and allow your cat to smell their new friend. If they have a cautious curiosity of the creature, then chances are they will get along. If your cat tries to attack the new kitty, chances are they will have a foul relationship permanently. Once at home, keep the new kitty in a separate room are area. This will help the newcomer get used to your house, and create its own safe area from the resident cat.  This will also allow time for you and your new cat to bond with each other, and personal time with your old cat to make sure they know you aren’t replacing them.

3.    Introduce the scents of each cat to the one another. This will help both cat’s adjust to each other, and learn to accept the other. This can be done by switching beds, toys, or even rubbing a towel on one and then rubbing the other cat with that towel. If both cats are kept in carriers, switch the carriers so they can get used to the other one. When they appear to be used to the other’s scent, you can begin to allow them to access each other.

4.    Do not rush encounters! Allow the cat’s to investigate each other on their own terms. Initial hostilities may occur: hissing, spitting and arching their back. This is only natural for the cats, and as long as they do not attack one another they will be okay. They may retreat into hiding for several days, but this is their own way of dealing with the change. Never force encounters, they will eventually warm up to one another. However, if the hostilities grow into fights, separate them immediately. Reward friendly behaviour between both cats. If they continue to fight after several months, it is a sure sign the new cat will not be welcomed. Their personalities may clash, or your cat may simply not be able to handle another cat.

5.    Stay patient with your cats. If they have similar personalities, and do not fight one another, chances are safe that over time they will become buddies. Shower them with adoration, and give them adequate space for each other. Allow them time to get used to the idea, and in time there should be no problems between your furry friends.

Good luck with your new addition! Make sure you have the time and energy to commit to the process of introduction. Don’t push your cat, if their personalities don’t mix and fighting doesn’t cease, you may have to get used to the idea of only have one cat. If this happens, don’t worry about your cat being lonely. Cats are solitary creatures by nature; although they can be quite friendly and social, your cat will not be heartbroken and may in fact revel in the idea of being the “only child”.

If your cats get along, congratulations! Enjoy your growing family and the excitement it will surely bring to your life! I hope your addition fares better then dear Sunny did in our family.