Bringing home a brand new cat might be equally thrilling and scary for each resident pets and the brand new feline member of the family, particularly if friction arises between the animals.
To rigorously introduce new cats to the household in a approach that encourages a peaceable coexistence, Paula Plummer, a veterinary technician on the Texas A&M School of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences, presents homeowners step-by-step steerage that may assist guarantee all pets are snug each step of the best way.
Creating a protected area with privateness
There are typically three steps for introducing cats to pre-existing pets. The first step is to supply an area away from different animals that enables the brand new cat to grow to be aware of the brand new home and new folks.
Owners ought to place their new cat in an remoted protected zone, similar to a bed room or workplace, the place all of their requirements — meals, water, litter field, toys, mattress, and so forth. — are available solely to them.
“Cats need their own private areas so that they can adjust to their new environment in their own time, but they should also have lots of positive interactions with anyone living in the home to know humans are safe,” Plummer defined. “How long it takes for a cat to adjust is dependent on each cat, and signs that a cat hasn’t adjusted to their safe zone because they are scared, anxious, or stressed include hiding, putting distance between what they are scared of and themselves, or trying to escape from their environment.”
Plummer encourages homeowners to inventory the cat’s protected zone with hiding locations, heights, toys, and gadgets that present heat, similar to new bedding or blankets.
“Cats naturally want to be elevated to watch over their area, which is why they love cat trees,” Plummer mentioned. “If they are not able to do these things, it can be challenging for them to adjust. Additionally, cats can feel threatened by another animal’s scent, so their belongings should be brand new and not hand-me-downs or items that belonged to another pet.”
Introducing housemates
Once cats have adjusted to their remoted surroundings, as evident by them resting, sleeping, and constantly interacting with people, homeowners ought to share gadgets between the brand new and present animals.
“Allowing new cats to smell items of other animals — either a favorite toy, towel, or bed — gives them time to adjust to the scent of the other animal before meeting,” Plummer mentioned. “For the same reason, owners will need to give their existing animals items belonging to the new cat.”
Cats who’re relaxed round one other animal’s belongings can transition into the second step — supervised face-to-face conferences with different resident pets. Since most cats usually are not leash- or harness-trained, Plummer suggests inserting cats in a service when introducing them to different animals.
“New cats should be in a carrier so that the cat is still in a safe, protected zone,” Plummer mentioned. “People may want to hold the new animal in their arms but that can be dangerous if the introduction doesn’t go well; they could get scratched or bitten, or the cat may attack the other animal. If the interaction goes positively, owners should increase the amount of time the animals are around each other while keeping the cat in the carrier.”
Signs that the brand new cat is reacting negatively to present pets embody urgent themselves to the again of the service, making an attempt to hunker down and conceal, or avoiding eye contact with the opposite animal.
Transitioning to cohabitation
When the animals appear snug with one another after a number of conferences, homeowners can begin the third step by letting pets unfastened collectively in an open surroundings throughout supervised visits. Plummer emphasizes that homeowners have to be cautious and targeted throughout this stage of interplay to stop pet accidents, particularly in households that embody dogs.
“Depending on the size of the dog, the dog can be much bigger than the cat and can cause harm or injury very quickly,” Plummer defined. “Cats can cause harm to other cats as well, so owners should be very cautious and attentive to what is going on in the introduction phase. If they have to step away to attend to something else, owners should separate the pets, revisiting introductory time later.”
After a brand new cat has left their remoted area and joined the remainder of the family, it’s essential to pay attention to the world they determine as their new protected zone in order that their belongings might be moved there.
“Cats eventually choose their own private space,” Plummer mentioned. “If owners put bedding in one place but always find their cat sleeping and resting somewhere else, then that’s where the cat has chosen their space to be instead. Just be sure that the same space hasn’t been chosen by another animal so that there is no competition over items, like a bed, litter box, or food bowl.”
Cats may additionally begin to discover and take a look at boundaries as they grow to be extra snug of their new home and round different animals, which is why homeowners ought to contemplate further precautions to maintain their cat protected.
“When preparing their home for a cat, especially if this is their first cat, owners should look at their house plants, making sure that they’re cat-friendly and not toxic,” Plummer mentioned. “It’s also important to ‘cat-proof’ your home by ensuring cabinet doors are not easy to open and keeping cleaning supplies out of reach because cats can figure out how to open cabinet doors.”
Every cat is exclusive, so how they regulate to a brand new home and the time they take to take action can range. But by slowly introducing new cats to different pets, homeowners can be sure that their furry members of the family foster optimistic relationships with one another that may final for a lot of years to return.
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