Mary Allen
If you want to get two cats used to each other, sensitivity and a lot of patience are required. The fur noses usually feel more comfortable with a conspecific than alone. However, it is stressful for them when they are confronted with a new roommate. When bringing them together, you should therefore follow important basic rules so that your velvet paws can get to know each other in peace.
For a house cat, the home is their personal retreat. Here she feels safe and secure, can move freely, and eat and sleep in peace. If you bring a new cat into the house and immediately let it run around everywhere, the first cat will consider it an intruder. It sees her territory threatened and wants to defend it. The second cat, on the other hand, senses that it is on unfamiliar territory and is not wanted there. This is pure stress for both animals.
Best Way For Your Two Cats To Get Used To Each Other
Do not exercise coercion when socializing two cats. The animals have to get used to each other carefully. Make sure that both velvet paws feel safe at all times and can make their own decisions. This means that you shouldn’t just lock house tigers in a room together until they’ve battled out the hierarchy and hierarchy. Always give both fur noses the opportunity to hide or withdraw if they want to be left alone. In addition, all cats need their own litter box, their own sleeping places, and their own drinking and food bowls.
How long it takes you to get the cats used to each other varies greatly. It is best to set aside a few days if you plan to give your regular cat a playmate. Prepare a separate, separate room for the second cat, where it can spend the first few days. Go step by step with the acclimatization and orientate yourself on the senses of the cats.
Use a Sense of Hearing
In the beginning, it is best if the two animals can only hear each other at first. In this way, they get to know the voice of their new roommate. You will notice that there is another conspecific in the apartment, but that it does not pose a threat.
Combine Smell & Taste
Even more important is the sense of smell in cats. There are several tricks to familiarize the two cats with the scent of their new roommate. And without them having to meet. For example, your old cat can sniff the transport box in which your newcomer arrived. You can also wipe your new kitty’s cheeks with a clean rag and leave your old kitty’s piece of cloth to sniff – and vice versa.
Make sure that your fur noses associate the smell of the other cat with something positive. What would be better suited than food? Still houses the cats in separate rooms, but keeps their food bowls about a meter away from the closed room door. The house tigers smell each other and their food and notice that the other animal is not a threat to their resources.
Include Visual Sense & Body Language
The cats are then allowed to see their new roommate. Open the door between the rooms a little or put a dividing grille in the open door. The animals are then already familiar with the scent of the other cat and can use body language to “talk”.
The advantage: Both animals still have their own kingdom. You can feel safe and view and assess your new roommate from a distance. Continue feeding and playing with your cats near the “boundary”.
Sense of Touch For the First Encounter
Now comes the last step: the first real encounter. You can now remove the barrier in the door and introduce the cats to each other without a barrier. Be sure to supervise the first few encounters, however, so you can intervene if the cats start fighting seriously and threaten to hurt each other. However, a little hissing is okay when two cats are just getting used to each other. Also light slaps to keep the other cat at a distance.
When Two Cats are Compatible
If possible, the characters of the old and new cats should harmonize so that the reunion is reasonably peaceful. In the animal shelter and with the breeder you should describe the personality of your cat so that you get a kitty with the right character. Do you have an older cat that mainly needs rest? Then you shouldn’t take the little tomcat from the animal shelter that wants to play and romp around a lot. Even shy cats don’t think much of daring new roommates.
If your velvet paw’s beloved partner has recently passed away, let them process the loss before you bring in a new cat. If the cats have lived together for a long time, the bereaved will almost certainly grieve and withdraw for a time. Wait until your long-time cat is feeling better before bringing a new companion into your home.