My family owns a hefty 14 year old cat who weighs about the same value in pounds. She used to be a bundle of energy and never would sit down on your lap for more than 30 seconds, but over the years she has mellowed out. However, whenever a new animal becomes introduced to the house, my cat will hiss, slap, scratch, and more. We all know as well as she does that she is the boss and always will be. We would not dare introduce a new creature into “her” house because we do not think that would go over very well, but the thought has crossed our mind in the past.

So, how should you introduce a new cat into the family? It is always best to get two cats who are litter mates and who preferably are females, but if this is not possible, here are some thoughts.

The first step would be to create an isolated space for the new cat where it can stay and get comfortable for one or two weeks.  It is important that the two cats do not have contact with each other. Make sure there is a litter box in his/her room, a bed, a blanket, toys and a bowl for water and a bowl for food.

Once that has happened, allow the other cat to roam, but make sure that the two cats are kept separate. They can meet each other, but make sure that there is supervised interaction. It’s only a matter of time before the two cats start “talking” to each other. After that stage, allow face-to-face interaction. Judge how the two are interacting. Is one more aggressive than the other? Is one scared? Play the fishing pole game with them so that both cats get to play together and learn to become accustomed to each other. However, do not spark competition between the two of them. One source of competition is typically the litter box; a good rule of thumb is to have a litter box for each one of the cats.

Good luck!