Reintroducing Former Cat Roomies Advice?

[MissMonk]

So long story short, the cats Anakin and Kayden had grown up together and has always gotten along well. Anakin is a very needy attention seeking hoarder and Kayden is a very timid cat who has to be the one to initiate contact with the humans. But they were close as anything.

Last October my sister moved in with her boyfriend taking Kayden with her as it was her cat. Anakin LOVES being an only cat but i suspect he's lonely during the day.

But its turning out that Kayden has not been faring well in her new environment. She hasn't left the tiny bed room that jen shares with richard and their new born baby since October. They have the cat litter and her food and everything in there. They also have 3 dogs (which was the boyfriends) which I knew wouldn't end well for her.

For the best interest of the cat my sister has decided it would be best that she come and live with Anakin and I. My question is does anyone have any advice on bringing them back together. I suspect there will be a bit of arguing and territory posturing. I live in a one bed room apartment so i can't really separate personal zones...however i have cleared out a bunch of hiding places for her to hide as she likes that.

Any ideas on how I can help smooth the transition? I worry about Kayden, especially after the horrible conditions she's been in.

 

[rubysmama]

Hello and welcome to TCS. Kudos to you, and your sister, for looking out for your cats' best interests.

It's possible that they will remember each other and become close again.

But at the same time, there's cats who go to the vet and come back and their "sibling" doesn't recognize them, and re-introductions have to be done.

So I think if you can, it would be best to keep them separated and try to do "formal" (re)introductions. Maybe one of them could stay in the bedroom, and the other have run of the apartment. And then switch.

Here are TCS's articles on cat introductions. Fingers crossed this all works out for them, and you.

Introducing Cats To Cats
How To Successfully Introduce Cats: The Ultimate Guide
How To Fix An Unsuccessful Cat Introduction

 

[Mamanyt1953]

Can't add much to rubysmama , who gave you all of the links I was thinking of, so I'll just add my best wishes to hers. It may take a little time and patience, but all should be well.