Got A New Cat But Have To Leave Town Unexpectedly

[bootsm]

so we have one resident cat and we got a new cat about 2 weeks ago. We started off getting them used to each other’s scents and then started introducing them to each other by letting the new cat out and supervising them for about an hour. This weekend we have left the door open so they aren’t closed off. Resident cat seems more herself with the door open but still is hissing at the new cat. But they don’t seem to want to fight. Also new cat is a little territorial of the bedroom but isn’t hissing or anything.

Anyway, we’ve had a family member pass away and need to leave town. I’m wondering whether we should keep them separated or let them interact on their own?

 

[daftcat75]

Are you going to have someone checking in on them? I don’t know much about cat introductions so take my advice with a grain of salt. It would seem easier to me to keep them separated with supervised mingling when your person checks in on them than to have unsupervised mingling on top of the stress of you not being there. I think it would be easier to postpone the introductions than to redo them if things were to go badly with you gone.

 

[bootsm]

Yes we will have a cat sitter coming by twice a day for 30 min.

 

[bootsm]

It’s just that resident cat seems at lot more at ease having access to her usual spots in the bedroom. By the way, we have a small manhattan apartment

 

[FeebysOwner]

Hi. Sorry about your family member. I agree with daftcat75 about holding up with full access between them until you return. Hopefully, who ever is watching them will be able to stay a little longer than just 30 minutes, in order to give the cats time to eat and have some supervised interactions. But, if 30 minutes is all they've got to offer, so be it. I also hope that cats have had some previous exposure to whom ever is taking care of them as that will help with the whole process while you are gone.

How are you separating them now - with the new cat in your bedroom, where the resident cat would prefer to be? Maybe, your cat sitter could swap their places between visits? If your resident cat likes the bedroom at night, maybe let her have it during the night??

 

[rubysmama]

Condolences on the loss of your family member. About your cats, I agree with keeping them completely separated while you're away, and restarting the introductions on your return. With the cat sitter only stopping by twice a day, that is way too much time for your cats to have a "disagreement" and get into a serious fight with no one around to break it up.

 

[daftcat75]

It’s just that resident cat seems at lot more at ease having access to her usual spots in the bedroom. By the way, we have a small manhattan apartment

I get this. But this is only temporary. Bad introductions can cause lasting stress greater than losing access to a favorite spot for a few days or a week.

 

[rubysmama]

It’s just that resident cat seems at lot more at ease having access to her usual spots in the bedroom. By the way, we have a small manhattan apartment

Could you board the new cat while you're out of town?