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!!
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!!