So you’ve decided to adopt a new playmate for your kitty? Choosing a new cat or dog to bring home is the easy part, but what you really have to work at is socializing the new animal with your feline. Often the newcomer cannot wait to make a new friend, but it is your cat who may become uncomfortable with the new presence in the home. Many cats look upon the newcomer as a stranger and may react negatively if not properly introduced to this new friend. The following steps will help to ensure a harmonious introduction and relationship between your feline and the newcomer.
- Keep the animals separate. You will want to have a spare room in the house reserved specifically for the newcomer. Keep the new cat or dog in this room for about one week to ensure that she can begin to feel comfortable living in your home.
- Introduce the animals through scent. Keep your kitty and the newcomer on separate sides of a door and allow them to smell one another under the door. You will want to have someone on each side of the door to comfort the animals during this stage of the introduction. Smell is a very strong sense among animals, and allowing them to get used to the scent of one another early on will get them used to the presence of each other.
- Allow the animals to see each other. For this step you will want to introduce your cat and the newcomer through something such as a baby gate or a screen door. Allow the animals to see each other, but not touch each other. This step is important because the animals are now face to face with one another. Each time you repeat this step, monitor their reaction to the encounter. If they react positively to seeing the other animal you will be able to move onto the next step.
- Allow a physical introduction. This step is the most important because it will show you if the animals are ready to live together in harmony. For this step you will allow the animals to be in the same room together, closely monitored by you of course. Allow the animals to mingle or play with one another, and notice if your cat is comfortable with the newcomer, or if you sense tension between the two animals. Make this first encounter quite short and if it is successful, slowly extend the meetings until you know that you can leave the room without something going wrong.
- Watch this new relationship grow. Now that your kitty and the newcomer are able to live together in peace, you can sit back and watch the friendship blossom between these two animals.
The most important thing to keep in mind during this whole process it to take it slow. Although some animals can become friends quickly, others can take up to a year to become fully comfortable with one another. Do not try to rush the process because this might just create tension between the animals.
You will also want to give each animal the same amount of attention because a lack of attention to either the newcomer or your cat can result in tension between the two animals. For this reason, it is best to have at least two people present during the introduction so that each animal receives the attention he or she deserves.
Remember, this process may not always go as planned. The animals will not react to one another how you will want them to. You may even have to begin at step one again because something went awry during the last step. Be patient with your animals, and always give them praise and treats when they act positively toward one another. The patience will rub off on your cat and the newcomer, and soon enough the animals will be great friends.