New Cat

[LMo]

We brought our new family member Cleo home 5 days ago and she is a very nervous timid cat. This being said, she has gotten very comfortable around us but the noises, etc. still scare her from time to time. We also have a resident cat who is 5-6 years old. Cleo immediately went down into the basement when we brought her home but we have brought her upstairs once or twice. Both times we brought her up she would initially hide under the sofa but would come out for love. Anytime she gets scared or wants to hide, she climbs as high as she can. We have found her in our basement ceiling twice now. Her and our resident cat sometimes growl or hiss at each other briefly and then Cleo will run away. She will not come upstairs on her own at this point, although anytime we visit her in the basement she is full of love. How do we get her to come upstairs?

 

[ArtNJ]

How old is Cleo? The usual approach with introduction is to let the cats set the pace. So if she isn't ready, don't bring her up. Let her decide when to come up. In fact, 5 days is kind of early to even give her the option of mingling. Its totally fine that she isn't ready yet. How is the resident doing?

Here is a guide:

How To Successfully Introduce Cats: The Ultimate Guide

 

[FeebysOwner]

Hi. If a safer location would be in a room upstairs (e.g.; extra bedroom) I would place Cleo there and give her all the stuff from the basement that she has become somewhat used to in the past 5 days (litter box, bedding, food/water dishes, any toys, etc.). I don't know how large your basement is, but generally speaking when you introduce a cat to a new home, the smaller the initial area the better. Then, as A ArtNJ provided, follow the recommendations in the article above. She sounds like she will come around pretty easily, but you want to be able to keep her safe and have better access to her as you acclimate her to your home - and then to your resident cat. She needs to feel safe in her space, get used to you, and then afterward get used to your resident cat.

Here's another TCS article that might help.
How To Help A New Cat Adjust To Your Home

 

[LMo]

How old is Cleo? The usual approach with introduction is to let the cats set the pace. So if she isn't ready, don't bring her up. Let her decide when to come up. In fact, 5 days is kind of early to even give her the option of mingling. Its totally fine that she isn't ready yet. How is the resident doing?

Here is a guide:

How To Successfully Introduce Cats: The Ultimate Guide

She is about 2 years old. I have really been trying to be cautious about letting her set her own pace. Our resident Molly is doing okay. She isn’t really acting out of the ordinary and we are making sure to still show her plenty of affection so she doesn’t feel like we are replacing her. She does stare Cleo down when she sees her, although she keeps her distance and doesn’t seem really interested in getting to know her. She will hiss and growl if the interaction goes too long but she isn’t actively seeking out Cleo or anything. This is the first time we have introduced a new cat to a resident one. We have historically adopted together or only had one cat at a time. Molly’s “sibling” (other cat we adopted at the same time we got Molly) passed away in January.

 

[ArtNJ]

It really doesn't sound like its going badly at all. I'd just leave the door open when you are around to supervise any interactions and see what happens. She will come up at her own pace. If three weeks pass and she doesn't want to mingle, might have to revisit the plan. I'm assuming this is a furnished basement. Since she has a big nice area and likely doesnt have kitten level curiousity anymore, it is possible she will continue to avoid the other kitten. But usually the urge to explore is far too much; give it time, let them interact on their own pace.

Do read the guide, but its fine that you have skipped some steps given that neither seems hostile or overly stressed.

 

[LMo]

It really doesn't sound like its going badly at all. I'd just leave the door open when you are around to supervise any interactions and see what happens. She will come up at her own pace. If three weeks pass and she doesn't want to mingle, might have to revisit the plan. I'm assuming this is a furnished basement. Since she has a big nice area and likely doesnt have kitten level curiousity anymore, it is possible she will continue to avoid the other kitten. But usually the urge to explore is far too much; give it time, let them interact on their own pace.

Do read the guide, but its fine that you have skipped some steps given that neither seems hostile or overly stressed.

Thank you so much! I will do that!