🐾 How to Introduce a New Cat Without the Drama! 😺, by Kitty Cuddles on YouTube. 1 min 8 s.
- Video length
- 1 min 8 s
- Time to do it
- 2 to 4 weeks
- Difficulty
- Medium
- Steps
- 9
What you need
Steps
Set up a safe room for the new cat before you bring it home. Add a litter box, food and water bowls, a scratching post, a bed and somewhere to hide. Keep the door closed at all times.
Let the new cat settle alone for a day or two. Sit in the room and talk quietly, and offer treats from your hand so it learns your smell and voice.
Swap scents before any meeting. Rub a clean cloth on each cat's cheeks and leave it near the other cat's food bowl or bed. Repeat daily.
Feed both cats on opposite sides of the closed door. Start about a metre back, then move the bowls closer each day while both cats keep eating calmly.
Swap rooms for short spells so each cat explores the other's space and scent. Put the resident cat somewhere safe first, then let the new cat out to look around.
Open the door a couple of centimetres, or fit a tall pet gate, for the first look. Keep sessions to a few minutes and give treats. Close the door if either cat hisses and stays tense.
Hold the first real meeting in the resident cat's territory with a toy and treats nearby. Keep it short, end it while things are calm, and never hold the cats face to face.
Add more time together each day, starting with ten to fifteen minutes. Separate them again whenever you cannot watch them, and only leave them alone once they eat and rest calmly in the same room.
Spread out the basics so there is nothing to guard. Give each cat its own food station, litter box and high perch, ideally in different rooms.
Tips and common mistakes
Hissing, growling and a swat are normal in the first weeks and are not a sign to give up.
Slow down and go back a step if either cat hides, stops eating or refuses to use the litter box.
Reward calm behaviour with treats and play so both cats link each other with good things.
Never carry one cat into the other's face, and never punish a cat for hissing.
Questions
How long does it take for two cats to get along?
Some pairs settle in a week, others need a month or more. Go at the cats' pace rather than a calendar, and keep the door closed for longer if either cat stays tense.
Is it normal for the resident cat to hiss at the new cat?
Yes. Hissing and growling are how cats set boundaries and say they are unsure. Offer treats, keep sessions short, and separate them if the tension does not ease.
What if they fight during the first meeting?
End the meeting straight away and separate them without shouting. Go back to scent swapping and door feeding for a week, then try a short meeting again.
This guide was drafted from the video's details and general task knowledge. It has not been checked against the full video. Check the video and relevant product instructions before following a procedure. Report a correction.
