Introducing Cats to Other Pets
Do you have other pets in your home, like dogs or other cats? Taking your time to introduce your cat to other pets can improve their chances of getting on well.
Gradual introductions are the best way to help your pets to get along – especially if you already have a cat in the house. Contrary to belief, cats much prefer to be the only cat in the home. However, if there is no competition for food or sleeping places in the house, cats can learn to tolerate each other and can sometimes become good friends.
To introduce your cat to an existing cat in your home:
- stroke each cat with a clean cloth and dab it around your home, leaving the cloth in the cat’s environment to sniff when the cat is ready to investigate
- swap the scents until your cats no longer react to the scent
- if possible, place a glass or mesh door between the cats when they meet – this will allow them to approach or hide as they choose
It can take anything from a day to many weeks for cats to tolerate each other so don’t give up.
You can read more about intoducing your cat to existing cats here.
Read about introducing your cat to existing dogs here.
Read about the resources you will need for multiple pets here.
