How do I introduce a new cat to my existing cat?

Steps to take before bringing a new cat home

Consider your cat’s personality

The first step to introducing a new cat to the family is understanding your cat’s personality. If your cat is a playful social butterfly, then a new furry friend may be just what they need to help fill their social meter. 

However, if your cat is timid or fearful, you should spend additional time with your potential new cat to ensure their personalities align. These essential first steps won’t guarantee a perfect match but will help increase the chances of a smooth transition from one cat to two or three cats!

Prepare your home

When adding another cat to your household, preparing a safe space for your new cat is essential. A proper space could be a bedroom or a spare room, but it needs to be an area where the cats cannot see or come in contact with one another. This separate space should have the following:

• A litter box
• Free access to fresh water
• Space to place a bowl for meals
• A scratching post
• A safe spot for the cat to sleep or hide
• Cat toys
• A high point such as a cat shelf or tree
• Consider installing Feliway® diffusers 

Properly preparing your home beforehand will help with a smooth introduction and provide each cat with a safe area to eat, sleep, and drink undisturbed. 

Prepare yourself and your family

Consider taking a few days off of work or clearing your schedule when you plan to bring a new cat home. This will allow you to ensure each cat’s safety and monitor their behavior more closely. 

If other people live in the home, it is essential to ensure everyone is aware of the process. Review the following steps for introducing a new cat with each household member.

How to safely introduce a new cat

You are finally bringing your new cat home! This is an exciting time, but it’s important not to rush the process. Adding a new furry feline to the household is a significant change for each cat, and giving them the time they need for a smooth and successful introduction is essential.

Keep your cat in a safe room

That safe separate space we talked about earlier? This room will be your new cat’s home for the first few days. Here, your new furry friend can adjust to their new environment’s sights, smells, and noises. 

Your new furry friend’s first few days in their safe space is the perfect opportunity for you to bond with your new cat. Spend as much time as you can sitting, playing, and petting your new feline companion. The more comfortable your new cat is with your presence, the smoother the introduction to your other cat (or cats) will be. 

Introduce your cat’s scent first

It is a good idea to introduce the cats’ scents before allowing them to see or sniff one another. How do you do this, exactly? 

• Exchange the cat’s bedding.
• Switch the rooms they are in (without allowing them to see or come into contact with another).
• Play, pet, or cuddle your cat, and then go and sit with or pat your new cat. 

These actions will transfer the cat’s scent back and forth, allowing them to become familiar with each other. 

Allow controlled visual contact

After a few days of letting your new cat settle in and introducing each cat’s scent to one another, it’s time to allow for some visual contact. It’s important to start small and not rush this step. 

Allow your cat to sniff under the new cat’s safe room door. There are bound to be some signs of aggression during this introduction. Waiting for the aggression to subside before allowing the cats to see each other is essential.

Once the cats can sniff each other under the door without becoming aggressive, then you can allow visual contact by:

• Opening the door just enough for the cats to see each other
• Install a temporary door gate or screen 
• Place one or both cats in a crate a few feet away from one another (only consider this if the cat (or cats) is comfortable being crated)

Time for a full introduction

This is the moment you have been waiting for! If everything has gone well until now, it’s time to allow a complete introduction. Open the door to your new cat’s safe room and closely supervise them. If either cat exhibits aggression, it’s time to separate them again and take a few more days of controlled visual contact.

If their first official meet and greet goes well, you can allow them to spend more time together. Throw in a few toys and feed them treats to help them engage with each other and make it a positive experience. 

Keep up with regular “meet and greets” for the next few days. It’s essential only to let the cats roam free together when you are there to supervise. 

Time to leave them alone

The exact timeframe from bringing a new cat home to allowing unsupervised interactions between cats depends on how well they do through each step of the process. Once they can coexist without aggression during supervised play times, you can start leaving them alone for short periods.

Always allow your new cat access to their safe room. Each cat should have their own litter box, bed, hiding spot, and food and water bowls. Multiple scratching posts and vertical areas will allow each cat to fulfill their enrichment needs without feeling crowded. 

Having multiple cats live in harmony takes time and patience, but is a rewarding experience. Following the above steps will help ensure a positive experience when introducing a new cat to your household. If any concerns arise, you can always contact your veterinarian for guidance.