renting out basement apt. to cat owner

[taster37]

Greetings!
I'm new.

Charlie (1yo) and Josie (2yo) have been living with us since they adopted us in Sept '04. They have the run of the house and love to play in the basement, where their main litterbox is. On the other side of the basement is a door which leads to a studio apartment. They rarely go in there, since they prefer to be where we are. In April, we will be renting out the studio apartment to a cat owner. Her cat is a little older (3 1/2 y.o.) and is very jealous of his person's affections. He will be staying on the other side of the door, but the renter will have cause to come upstairs from time to time. My questions are these:

* Do the cats need to be introduced as if they were sharing the same space? Or is the door enough of a barrier to mark territory?
* Do we need to move the main litterbox so that our cats don't have cause to feel threatened by the new cat?
* Does forced-air heating system affect scent distribution? Could this affect territorial behaviors?

Thank you so very much!

 

[mom of franz]

Those are great questions! I don't have any answers but I will be interested to hear what those with experience say.

 

[hissy]

Suggest you add more litter pans than just one main one, and also look into Comfort Zone Room Diffusers to defuse this situation. It doesn't matter if there is a door between them, they will smell each other right off. If your cats' aren't fixed, suggest you get them neutered and spayed before the new tenant arrives. Prepare for the inevitable of the new cat getting out of the studio apartment and into your home, which could result in fights, territorial marking, and litter pan incidents. If somehow you could install a heavy screened door between the two sides, so the cats can see each other, and smell each other first that will work. You can buy cat-resistant screen doors at good home improvement centers- Our barrier door is blocked by a homemade screen door of PVC pipe packed with sand, and chicken wire. Lets the new comers see and smell each other, but prevents fights and costly vet bills-