Canadian Hairless

How to move one cat into a house with another cat?

I'm moving into my sisters house and she just got a kitten (I think 1 year old now ) and its an indoor cat. Well I have an indoor cat too and its moving in with us. I really don't know how my cat will take the move, he hasnt seen a different cat in so long im worried. I'm sure my sister's cat will do just fine tho. Anyways, does anyone have any tips to move my cat into the new house and for him to be calm and adapt safely and relaxed?

Public Comments

1. Before you move in, take something with your cat's scent (like a towel or blanket it likes to sleep on) over to your sister's house, and bring back something with the other cat's scent on it. That'll give the cats a chance to get used to each other's scent before they actually meet. Once you move in, set up one room to keep your cat in for a few days. Set up a litter box and food and water dishes, and make sure it has some nice places to curl up in and (if possible) a nice window to look out of. While your cat's in there, coax your sister's cat over to the door and give it some treats. If you can have someone on the other side of the door giving your cat treats at the same time, that would be great. After a day or so, try cracking the door open to let them sniff at each other but be ready to separate them if either seems to be getting upset. If that all goes well, you can try introducing them. Put your cat in a carrier and bring it into the main part of the house and let your sister's cat sniff at it through the carrier. If they seem to be okay, open the carrier and let your cat out. Be ready to separate them if you need to! It's perfectly normal for cats to spit and hiss and growl and swat each other when they meet; but if they seem to be seriously trying to fight, separate them and put your cat back in the room and try again the next day to introduce them. This almost always works - even if the cats don't become close friends, they'll be able to live together and put up with each other.
2. I am a at expert, i have 16 at the moment so anything i say you can trust. =] Is your cat older? Older cats sometimes take a little longer to get used to a new cat in your home, and will be scared for a while until he/she gets used to the home. Sometimes cats tend to act out, like peeing on things, even if they are spayed/ neutered. they want to teach the other cat a lesson, kinda saying that they are the one to listen to. but that is usually with the cat that has lived in the house for a while, so the kitten you are moving in with may act like that. there is really nothing you can do, just let nature take its course. your cat will get used to the kitten, and they will end up becoming friends. cats don't take too long to get used to a home, he/she will be fine. Don't worry about it, you cat will be ok and there is a good chance that he/she will adapt faster than what you think. A good idea is to create a safe, separate space for the new cat, where there is water, a litter box and toys. when introducing a new cat, the cats need time to get familiar by smelling one another without coming face to face. Also, its a good idea to give a towel to each cat to lay on, and then switching the towels, so they smell eachother and get used to the scent. Once the cats have had time to get acquainted with one another's smell, begin feeding them on opposite sides of the closed door that separates them. They will soon make a positive association between feeding time and the scent of the other cat. Once the cats appear to have accepted each other's scent and are eating comfortably at the door, introduce visual contact for short periods of time, gradually building up to cohabitation.Litter boxes are one example of the essential issue at the heart of any shared living space, whether it's pets or people: territory. Give your cats their own toys, their own beds, and their own food and water dishes. Make sure they have options for some "alone" time too, because sometimes, just like us, they just need a little space. I really hope this helps, and good luck moving! xoxo ~Katelyn
3. Here's how we introduce new comers to our gang, perhaps you can use the same method in this instance. Cats need to be introduced very slowly. First of all, we do not allow a new cat to have any contact with our other cats until a vet has given the new cat a clean bill of health. This includes tests for such things as FIP and Feline Leukemia. Cats can be successfully introduced to each other regardless of their ages. We have successfully added adult cats to your family containing both young and old cats as well as introducing very young kittens to the other cats. It has to be done slowly. If you simply put them together, you will fail the vast majority of the time. The new cat has to be given time to get used to you and the new environment. The existing cat has to get used to the smell of the new cat. We introduce cats by keeping the new cat in the back room for up to a month. My office is there as is my wife's sewing table. There is a sofa and bookshelves. We spend a lot of time with the new cat to get them used to us, the new environment and the new smells. After they accept us with no problems, we put a screen door on the back room door frame and let everyone see each other for a week or so. It may take a lot less time than a month to get to this point but we just take it slow and easy. Once we judge it safe to do so, we let the new cats out into the house and chaperon the first encounters. We've only ever had one problem introducing cats like this and that problem was resolved in a couple of weeks. We've had 25 cats over the past 22 years and many of them were adults - 12 and older - when they joined our family. We've also introduced several kittens, ranging from ages of 7 weeks to 4 or 5 months, to the rest of the crew with no problems. You have to take it slow. If you can't put up a screen door, perhaps two baby gates, stacked one on top of the other, will close off the door but still allow the cats to see each other. If you can't use a screen door or baby gates, try letting the existing cat into the room with the new cat for a few minutes while you chaperon. If things get bad, take the cat out of the room. You just have to introduce cats slowly There are cats who could be thrown together and become pals but they are few and far between.