Introducing Senior Cat To New Home & New Cat

[domani]

My BF and I are in the process of moving into our first home together. I have a 17 year old cat & we have a young cat (2 years) at his mom's house.

My senior cat, Cammie, has been flying solo for the last 5-6 years. When she did have a cat mate, she was fine with her. But, it's been awhile, so I don't know what to expect. She does LOVE attention, so I wonder if a cat mate would be good for her. FWIW, she's in GREAT health for her age. The only major decline I've noticed is her hearing.

The 2 year old cat, Clementine, is currently in a house with 2 dogs and another (male) cat. She doesn't seem to mind other cats at all, but I don't know if the gender makes a difference. I'm not worried about her adjusting to a new home.

Anyway - I'm struggling with how to introduce Cammie to a new home AND a new cat. I know the introduction to the house should be slow, but Cammie won't like being locked in a room, so I don't think I'm going that route. The house is open concept, so I'm hoping that'll limit her confusion. I figure I'll show her where the food/litter box is & then let her be. It sucks that I won't be able to call her if she gets lost (she won't be able to hear me)

The bigger issue is that I don't know how much time I should give between moving her in & moving Clementine in. I'm off for a week during Christmas, so I was thinking of moving in Cammie then & Clementine at another date - but I floated that idea today and my BF was not happy that it'd be that long before Clementine was in the house (that cat is his heart and soul..it's precious, lol), so I said I'd ask for some tips..Any advice would be a huge help!!

 

[Furballsmom]

Hi! Congratulations!!

My thinking is to try and introduce the two cats now, as soon as you can and let them be together up to and through the move. This way your older kitty won't have so much to deal with regarding a completely new house.

First have both cats sleep on one of your and your BFs tshirts, then in a day or so swap those. Then do an actual introduction.

How To Successfully Introduce Cats: The Ultimate Guide

In addition, I think you'll want to hang on to those tshirts and use them in the new house for your older kitty - in other words, give her as many things as possible that smell like her in that new location.

You might try and have some calming products on hand (there are treats and sprays as well as diffusers).

 

[FeebysOwner]

Hi. Sounds like you need to cater to whatever you think will work best for Cammie, as you don't seem to think Clementine is going to be as affected. Cammie is older, and unless she is extraordinarily laid back, these changes are probably going to affect her the most.

I know your BF will not like my suggestion, but I would think you would want to let Cammie get used to the new house first. And, then later introduce Clementine. And, then of course, it would be Clementine that would need confined, if at all.

Along the lines of what Furballsmom suggested - You could also try some 'before move' introductions - perhaps, bringing Clementine over for a controlled visit, just to see how the two react to each other? That could give you a clue about what to expect when they are in the same house full time. With any luck, Cammie might be amenable to a new friend! If there isn't an immediate 'acceptance' between the two, it just doesn't sound like you are talking about enough time to accomplish a full introduction with the two cats before the actual move.

 

[domani]

Unfortunately we don't have the means of introducing them prior to the move. We each are coming from our parents' house.

What makes it more difficult is the lack of time I'd have to be at the house during the adjustments. If I move Cammie in during Christmas when I'm off, I don't know when I'd move in Clementine. I'd want to be around for that, too.

I was toying with the idea of moving Clem in first & then moving Cammie in during Christmas week, so I have that whole week to get her acclimated to the home & to Clem.

I forgot about using scent prior to introducing them. I will start doing that. I imagine I've come home smelling like Clem & Cammie never has had a reaction to it, so I hope that's a good sign.

Of all the things that are stressful about moving, this is what I've been nervous about the most

 

[Furballsmom]

Oh, I see the complications here...

Of all the things that are stressful about moving, this is what I've been nervous about the most

I think your idea is great, and you'll be fine, and the kitties will be ok however this works out. Scent swapping should help quite a bit especially if you can have articles of clothing with yours and your BF's scent to swap back and forth.

Plus, as I mentioned as well, there are a lot of calming products on the market now that can make things a little easier if you need, along with music

Not to stress, - and you could brew up some chamomile tea for yourself as this goes along