When you get a new cat, your new pet may not immediately jump into the arms of everyone in the family. In fact, it can be a bit tough to introduce a new feline friend to everyone. One thing that you should never do is just plop your new friend in the lap of anyone. Instead, you’re going to need to slowly introduce them. This becomes extremely important for homes that already have pets, including other cats. This process of an introduction should be taken with a few tips in mind, because you don’t want to upset the balance of things by just throwing them into a new arena.
For Homes With A Cat Already In Place
If you already have a cat, or multiple cats, introducing a new one is going to be tough. In most cases, new cats are not welcome in a home. Cats that have already lived in a place for some time will hiss, and not immediately embrace newcomers. They see it as an intrusion from a stranger, and they don’t just jovially come over and find them pleasant.
In order to ease this, you’re going to need to put your new cat in a separate room for some time. Make sure that they have food, water, and a litter box. You’ll want to spend some time with them in there, playing, and just being alone. Don’t worry if they cry, or meow, it’s normal.
Take no less than a week for this process. After this process, you will be able to open up the door of the room and allow your pet to go and explore. There is a chance that they will hiss at the other cats, and your other cats will hiss back. They will not want anything to do with one another, but that’s ok.
Over time, they will be best friends, or at least tolerate one another. The key here is to slow down the process of introduction and separate things for a time. In the case of kittens, small kittens, you may be surprised by the paternal instincts that some shelter cats will show. In this case, you don’t need separation, but you need to know your cat very well for this to happen.
Slow and Steady Every Time With A New Cat
No matter how you procure a cat, make sure that you take time to introduce them to the rest of the family. This is very important because they are most likely going to be scared. This goes double for cats that are older and have been rescued from a shelter. You don’t want to throw a cat into a new environment without a bit of thought ahead of time. You want to do this slow and steady.
If you don’t have pets already in the home, then let your new cat explore. Show them where the litter box is first, then show them where the food bowl and water is at. If you have an automatic litter box, introduce them to that as well, it’ll help in the long run. Give them a little wet food as a treat, and let them roam. They’ll find their new surroundings grand, and will love you forever.
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