Cats are territorial so you should not just toss two cats in a room and expect them to work it out. Sometimes they do, but it causes unnecessary stress. How big is the territory of a cat? It varies and indoor cats do have smaller territories than feral cats. However, the fact remains that cats enjoy their space. In feral populations, the groups they choose to live in consist mainly of females as males compete for mating rights. How many are in the group depends on the available food.
Cats mark their territory with their scent. They also mark other cats as family with their scent. They do this by rubbing against objects/cats or scratching objects. Within their territory, cats have a main area where they can feel secure. This home-base is something you can set up in your home for your existing cat/s (if you don’t already have one) and one for your new cat. Then your cats have neutral areas in which they can interact peacefully.
So step one would be to set up home-base for your cat/s. When you have a new cat coming in, try to set up a space with something that smells familiar from where the cat came from. Give them food, toys, a litter box, and things to scratch in this space. Make sure your other cat has a similar space.
My step two is find a way to introduce the smell of one another and associate it positively. So you might swap beds/blankets or feed on opposite sides of a door. Jackson Galaxy mentions Proactive Catification in his blog post. This makes sense as a step two – you want to kitty proof your area. Galaxy also says you should have territorial diversity which means giving the cats spaces to be out of the way of one another. Cats like to be up high, so the ceiling is the limit. You can put shelves up high or add more cat trees. They might also enjoy places to hide lower to the ground.
So once you start scent swapping, the cats are getting used to the way they smell and the scents are rubbing off on one another. This is really important because sometimes when a cat comes back from the vet or from boarding for some reason, the cat/s may not recognize the other cat and will treat them as a newcomer! You’d then need to do this process to reintegrate everyone. The next step is let the cats see each other without letting them interact yet. I like to use a glass door because my sunroom is my foster room. I also use a baby gate when my office is the home base of different foster group. After they’re seeing one another and they’ve had scents swapped, you can open up.
The last step is giving them short interactions that end positively. You can use treats, toys, food, etc. What works for one may not work for another so go with your gut. If you’ve got a cat who is really intense about their food, maybe don’t use food. If your cat is really possessive over a certain toy, don’t use that toy! After you’ve done this daily for a few days, let them loose together and just keep an eye on them. Return to base and try again if it doesn’t go very well.
My full guide in a printable version:
Just like dogs - there's a 3-3-3 rule for newly adopted cats!
Jackson Galaxy – Mistakes We Make with Cats:
Jackson Galaxy – How to Introduce Cats
Jackson Galaxy – How to Introduce Your Cat to a New Kitten
There are several other videos on this topic from Jackson Galaxy.
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