I am moving in with my wonderful boyfriend. Everything is perfect - apart from one thing. I have a 17 year old cat. She is a healthy and very loving little town cat. She is not used to going outside or to being with other cats. Actually she is quite frightend when she faces changed in her life.
My boyfriend has a really great house in the countryside and he has three/four cats. They are nice cats but one is of course dominant. He used to my cat until a year ago, but he and my little female cat didn't hit it off. She is terrified of him.
How do I introduce my little female cat to these other cats? And how do I create an environment where there is room for everybody?
2006-12-22 00:27:21 · 8 answers · asked by Great Dane 4 in Pets ➔ Cats
First of all, if she's not used to going outside there's no reason she needs to go outside now.
Just because you're moving to the country doesn't mean the cat has to now start going outside,
If she's an indoor only cat now, please don't change that after 17 years it's not fair to her.
On the introduction thing...I've been through this several times...in fact just got done introducing a new cat less then 2 months ago.
Find a room where your cat can be by herself.
Give her plenty of toys, food, water and a litter box...and if she's used to sleeping in a cat bed but that in there too.
Just remember to keep the food, water and bed as far away from the litter box as possible.
If you can leave a radio on to a talk station or classical music station that helps too.
Make sure you go in frequently during the day to play with her.
Everday let her out into the house with the other cats for short periods of time...maybe start out with an hour then everyday add more time to her interaction with the other cats.
I usually add an hour a day...but keep an eye on them just to be sure.
Something else that helps while she's out with the other cats is put a drop of vanilla on the back of each cats neck and right at the base of their tails...my Vet told me this trick...that way they all smell alike!
Also rubbing a towel over your cat and then letting his cats smell it will help...do the same for your cat, rub a towel on his cats and let her smell it.
Once she's out full time with the other cats then comes the task of getting the litter box out of that room and into the room you want to keep in it.
Move the box about 5 feet everyday...another tip from my Vet and it works like a charm, I've never had any accidents.
Good luck I hope all the kitties get along great!
2006-12-22 01:26:36 · answer #1 · answered by gracieandlizzie 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Be very patient. There will be some hissing and maybe fighting and it can go on for weeks. Cats are very territorial.
Put the cats in separate rooms first, if necessary for a week and be very careful that your cat does not escape (you are moving in with the boyfriend?). Do NOT let your cat outside. Rub each cat with a towel and bring the towel to the other cats. After you allow the cats in one space, make sure that all cats have spaces where they can retreat to, a high cat tree or suitable furniture. Put 4 drops of Bachflower Rescue Remedy in the water. Try not to interfere unless you see very severe fighting. Most of the time the cats will figure it out themselves. All the best.
2006-12-22 10:43:34 · answer #2 · answered by Sinka 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
How do you successfully introduce a new cat into your household if you already have other pets? As cats can be territorial creatures, bringing a new kitty home to meet Fido or Fluffy can be a hair-raising experience for not only the owner but also the resident pets—if not handled correctly. A peaceful relationship between new and existing feline or canine housemates requires time, patience and work. The introduction process generally takes a few weeks before the pets are all cohabitating peacefully. At times, though, it can take several weeks. The trick is to do it slowly and cautiously…and follow the guidelines below.
Isolate the new cat in a separate “Safe Room”. That is closed off from the other pets (make sure the door is securely shut and doesn’t open easily). This smaller, confined area will help the new cat to feel safe and adjust more quickly to his new home. Provide a litter box, scratching post, toys, food, and water in the new cat’s room. This separation will also give your current pets time to get used to the new cat’s smell and the idea of having a new occupant in the house. During the first week, the only interaction that your new cat and resident cats should have is playing paws under the door.
Remember. cats like routine, not change Your resident cats’ behavior may initially change when you first bring the new cat home. Most common is hissing, growling, hiding or fighting among resident pets. Your current cats may even act differently toward you by displaying aggression or ignoring you all together. With your new cat in his “safe room,” the new and resident cats will all have the opportunity to become familiar with each others’ scents while safely separated by a door. As they begin to acclimate to each other, the cats will feel less threatened and, with time, the negative behavior should dissipate.
Always introduce a new cat to the resident cats before introducing him to the resident dog(s). In most cases, the cat to cat introductions will be more harried, with the cat to dog introductions being somewhat easier.
Introducing Cats
The new cat and resident cats should have no face-to-face interaction for the first week. This will allow the new cat time to get comfortable with his new environment and family. The stress of a new environment can cause a cat to show signs of an upper respiratory infection (watch for sneezing, eye or nose discharge) or diarrhea. Watch to make sure that the new cat is eating well, drinking and using the litter box. In almost every case, a cat that does not use his litter box is suffering from a medical condition. Any instance of inappropriate elimination (outside of the litter box) should be followed up with a visit to the vet.
After keeping the new cat in a room of his own for the first week, start introducing the smells of each cat to the other. You can do this by brushing all of the cats with the same brush to get their scents on each other. Also, try feeding them each a special treat on either side of the door. Doing so will help each cat to associate the smell of the other cat with the positive experience of eating the treat (usually wet food works best). You may want to have your resident cats go into the new cat’s room (and visa versa) when he is not there to help them get acclimated to his scent.
After introducing smells for a few days, when you are ready for the first face-to-face introduction, put the new cat in his carrier and let the resident cats come into the “safe room.” This will give you an opportunity to observe the interaction among the cats while the new cat is protected in his carrier.
Usually with this initial meeting there will be some hissing and/or posturing. If the interaction seems as though it could lead to aggression, you will need to do this controlled introduction using the carrier a few more times before removing the barriers and allowing the cats to meet face-to-face. If the cats all appear to be curious or simply wary with no outward signs of aggression, then you can open the carrier door and let the new cat walk out into the territory of the resident cats. Do not rush this process. It is very important to the long term harmony of their relationship that the introduction process proceed at a pace comfortable for each of the cats.
Monitor all interactions closely during the first weeks. Do not leave the cats alone unsupervised until you are comfortable that there will not be aggressive behavior displayed by any of the cats. During the first few weeks, the new cat should stay in his “safe room” when no one is home to supervise.
If interaction among the cats deteriorates instead of improving, return the new cat to his “safe room.” At this point you will need to start the introduction process again, this time, taking more time at each stage.
GOOD LUCK!
2006-12-22 08:35:05 · answer #3 · answered by petprincess@sbcglobal.net 2 · 2⤊ 0⤋
well i heard that when you introduce cats you put them in seperate rooms but where they will be able to smell each under the door, and keep that up for a few days. then introduce them after a few days. i wouldnt introduce all five cats at once tho that could get pretty messy imagine the hair flying...gosh. but dont let your cat outside for like a week or it will run away, just give her heaps of attention and slowly introduce her to the house so she gets familiar with her surroundings. good luck.
2006-12-22 08:32:52 · answer #4 · answered by danz_vb 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Sorry, but unless you have a way to keep them apart, they will continue to be cats. Last I checked, cats do their own thing and there is little you can do to change how they react to one another.
Chances are that they will go through an adjustment period and things will work out over time.
2006-12-22 08:38:14 · answer #5 · answered by Daniel 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
she may have to have a private room, a little place to get away from the bully cat, since she is old, she needs to be pampered more than the others, the other cats like to pick on the older cat, because they can get away with it, give her lots of love and comfort her
2006-12-22 08:36:01 · answer #6 · answered by kat_luvr2003 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
first spray all the cats with the scent they always interact better when they smell the same just like a cat family
2006-12-25 10:09:27 · answer #7 · answered by newyorkgirl_92 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Can you section off an area that is just for your cat?
2006-12-22 08:29:44 · answer #8 · answered by jabbergirl 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋