Introducing Cats to One Another – It is important to note that if you are introducing new cats to each other, there are several possible outcomes. The cats may become best of friends, they may exist with mutual tolerance, they may actively avoid one another with occasional skirmishes, or the cats may be so intolerant of one another that fights may occur. Introductions cannot progress too slowly. It is always better to error on the side of caution and assume that the cats may require as much as several months before they can freely be in each other’s presence. Many introductions take less time, but be careful not to rush things

The resident cat(s)’ routine should stay the same by keeping feeding, play, and sleeping times and locations the same as before the new cat arrived. At first, the cats should only be allowed to smell and hear each other, not see or touch one another. This can be done by confining the new cat to a small section or one room of the house with all the necessities (litter box, food, water, toys, bed, etc.). Place towels with the scent of the other cat underneath each cat’s food dish and on resting places. Rub the cat toys with the scent of the new cat. The goal is to have this scent be associated with “good things”. After the new cat is comfortable in her room (anywhere from several hours to several days), confine the resident cat in this area and allow the new animal to explore the house, under supervision. This allows each cat to become more familiar with each other’s scent. Switch the two cats back and forth for short periods of time over several days or weeks. Feed, or offer both cats treats close to the door to this room (one on each side). This helps each to associate “good things” with the other’s presence. Use “to die for” treats, such as small pieces of tuna, chicken or salmon. Try slipping one end of a toy underneath the door to encourage the cats to paw at it, or each other, in a playful way. Repeat these procedures until there are no aggressive or fearful responses and both cats begin to show some curiosity about the cat who is on the other side of the door. Next, wedge the door open about an inch and put doorstops on either side. This allows the cats to peek at each other but not have complete access to one another if things go wrong. Do not progress past this step until the cats can see each other without fearful or aggressive responses. If the cats are acting aggressive or fearful offer the treats at a greater distance from the door, where both cats can be calm. Continue to use toys, food and petting for positive feedback. Next, continue to wedge the door open a little further, but not so much that the cats can get to one another. An ideal next step is to give the cats full view of one another behind a screen or glass door. At this point if things continue to go well then the cats can be introduced to one another face to face.

When the cats are first together, keep the sessions brief and continue to offer enjoyable things like food, toys and petting.

Do not move the introduction along too quickly. The cats should be tolerating each other well at each step before progressing to the next. One bout of fighting may set the introduction back for months.

During initial time together, if any hissing or conflicts occur, try to distract the cats into another activity. Try dangling a toy or get the resident cat into the kitchen with the sound of food preparations, etc. If these reactions continue, back up a few steps in the introduction process. This is an important concept for successful introductions or re-introductions; remember if fearful or aggressive behavior starts at any step, back up to the previous step that the cats were comfortable at and work slowly forward from there.

Supervise interactions at home and do not allow the cats to be alone together until they are consistently demonstrating friendly behaviors with each other for at least a week.

Punishment is not helpful with cat introductions as it is counter productive. The idea is to create the association of “good things” with each other’s presence. It’s important that no “bad” things happen when the other cat is present.

If a fight does occur, try a loud noise such as clapping your hands or a water spray bottle to break it up before either cat is injured. You can also throw a towel, pillow, or blanket between them. This should be used to interrupt the current interaction, not as a repeated procedure. Don’t try to pull the cats apart physically as this may result in injury to you and the cats may even become fearful of you.

If interactions consistently result in fearful, threatening or aggressive behavior, please let us know and more help may be needed at this point.

Eliminate Competition – There are a number of important considerations when it comes to meeting the behavioral needs of a multiple cat household that can help minimize stress and help cats live peacefully together. The environment needs to be structured to decrease competition among the cats. No cat should have to face harassment and threats from another cat while attempting to meet his basic physical needs. There should be multiple locations for all the important things in life. Multiple feeding stations should be provided, so that the cats don’t have to jockey for position at one food bowl. Lining up several food bowls right next to each other is not sufficient for many cats. Place food and water bowls at several different locations in your home. Food and water stations may need to be in different rooms or on different floors of the house. Similarly, multiple litter boxes should be provided. A goods rule of thumb is one litter box per cat plus one additional. These litter boxes should be in different rooms and even different floors in a multi-level house. Multiple objects for scratching are also important. Each cat may have individual preferences as to the location and texture of the object she likes to scratch. Scratching objects need to be easily accessible and in areas where cats prefer to scratch. Locating one in the corner of the basement is probably not going to be helpful. It is important to provide multiple cat perches, which allow the cats to use the vertical space to their advantage. Multiple resting places at different heights in various locations should be provided in numbers relevant to the number of cats in the household. Cats also need hiding places. Some are provided naturally, such as under the bed, but some rooms may lack them. Putting an upside down cardboard box with one side cut away behind the couch, a small decorative cat screen across the corner of a room, are examples of ways to create hiding places in rooms which have few or none.

Re-Introducing Cats and Transferred Aggression – The rules are similar if you have to re-introduce cats that suddenly stopped getting along because of something stressful that happened between them. This can sometimes be caused by a trip to the veterinarians office, where one cat comes back smelling differently and the cat that was left at home suddenly starts hissing or attacking the supposed “newcomer”. It can also be caused by re-directed aggression. This is where cat ‘A’ sees something outside a window like another cat or something frightening happens like a box falls nearby. Cat ‘B’ is standing innocently by and is attacked by cat ‘A’ who re-directs his frustration and confusion towards his housemate. It is never a good idea to just put cats together and “let them fight it out” because of their lack of submissive behavior, flexible social systems, long arousal times, territorial nature and great individual variation in sociability. Such a strategy presents serious initial risks for injury and sets the stage for prolonged, if not permanent social conflicts among the cats. First impressions are extremely important for cats, and an overly ambitious introduction can sometimes require months of behavior modification to recover from.