New Cat Introduction And How It Worked Out

[CommonCatOwner]

It wasn't too long ago, roughly May, that I posted about introducing a new cat into my home and the brief negative experience I had with her meeting the resident cat. It has actually worked out and I wanted to share a few pictures of them together. I was unable to create a long transition period and the meeting process had to be sped up but what ultimately united them was play time. In fact they seemed to come together rather quickly over the impossible conquest of catching the red dot of a laser pointer. Things can seem uneasy at times because one will sometimes want to play when the other wants to rest but other than that things are fine.

The new cat (Missy) at the top of the cat tree.


The new cat (Missy) roaring to assert her new dominance over a scratching post while the resident cat (Pixy) shudders in fear.



Missy putting her arm around Pixy while they look out the door during the night.


I read a lot of helpful advice on this site and am thankful for such a community to exist. It looks like things will work out for these two. Just thought I would share some photos of the new cat and resident cat, both residents now, living together.

 

[Mamanyt1953]

What a wonderful end to your story! Thank you for sharing those pictures.

 

[duncanmac]

I'm glad it worked out but surprised that playing with them worked. When I play with my two boys, one of them watches and the other plays. They will switch off here and there, but both of them don't really play with me at the same time.

Cat introductions simply aren't "by the book." Sometimes you have to take it slower because of the cats and sometimes you have to rush it because, well, you have a life to live.

 

[susanm9006]

You just never know how intros are going to go. Personality, age of the cats, past history etc all make a difference. I have had two cats become best friends the moment they saw one another and others that lived together for years and never grew to even tolerate one another. It is great when it goes so well. Congrats on the new addition

 

[CommonCatOwner]

I'm glad it worked out but surprised that playing with them worked. When I play with my two boys, one of them watches and the other plays. They will switch off here and there, but both of them don't really play with me at the same time.

Cat introductions simply aren't "by the book." Sometimes you have to take it slower because of the cats and sometimes you have to rush it because, well, you have a life to live.

They don't so much as play together but are somewhat united under a common cause. It is much more like taking turns as you described and when introducing them it seemed to alleviate the tension.

 

[2furbabies]

Hello, how long did it take for them to get to this point? Did they ever fight initially? I'm struggling with introducing a new cat (well it's been 2 months now), to a resident cat and so far things are progressing very slowly, if at all... sigh

 

[catlover73]

How long it takes for cats to adjust to each other is different for each household and each cat. I am going to post some articles on cat introduction for you to look at.

The Multi-cat Household
Bringing Home A New Cat - The Complete Guide
How To Fix An Unsuccessful Cat Introduction
How To Successfully Introduce Cats: The Ultimate Guide

 

[CommonCatOwner]

It was only about a week or so before they started hanging out together. It could have been sooner but I was very weary about them not liking one another. The room I had setup for the new cat was very hot, even with the AC on and a fan moving air around. I wanted to have a slower transition but had no choice but to open the room up. The resident cat is not really aggressive nor is the new cat however they did fight a bit at first. There was never any fight to the death type engagement but claws were out on a few occasions. "They are definitely not playing" was said more than once. But I think me playing with them, using the laser pointer along with other toys helped them understand neither was a threat to each other. I believe this really helped out and sped up the process of introduction. They are the same age, different breeds, from different situations.