Introducing New Cat to Existing Cat

A few days ago I decided to introduce my cat to a new young female cat that was infected with the same disease; FIV, feline immunodeficiency virus.. I thought it would be good for both cats to have company and to share their lives, taking care of each others grooming needs, playing and sleeping together. My idea was good BUT I needed to take it slow when introducing the new cat because I did not want either of them to get stressed out.

I let them get used to each others scent, they played with their paws from under the safe room door for five days. Then I put the new kitty in a cat cage and allowed my cat Frankie to get to know her.  Followed by the introduction with supervision.  The face to face introduction went better  than I had anticipated.

The new little kitty was territorial and I intervened, by grabbing both cats by their scruff, the way a mother cat would do. Then I petted both cats while speaking to them  softly, followed by click from my clicker and a Temptations cat treat.

Cat treats help because both cats were more interested in how to get another treat from me and did not think about getting to know each other.  Food is your friend when introducing new cat to existing cats.


The first afternoon for introductions was uneventful, the new female followed my male cat and my male cat followed the new female.  Now things did get a little testy when the both  tried to get on the cat tree at the same time.  It was a territorial thing and I modified that by spraying the  entire tree with catnip.

At night the female cat spent the night in a cat cage and during the day somebody was always with the cats to supervise.  A week after this slow introduction process we let the cat be on their own, and that is when the claws came out and the fur did fly.

We broke it up, and thought maybe our introduction was not slow enough so new female cat went back into the cat cage. That is when my cat Frankie climbed up on the side to give her a kiss.  So we let her  out and it has been love ever since.




One cat roll and tumble and they were done. Now both cats seem to be getting along.

Emergency Veternarian Examines Our New Cat

Recently we adopted a stray cat from our neighborhood and everything was fine the first month and then 28 hours ago he got sick and could not urinate. Both my husband and I love this little tabby cat and are so worried about him. So in the last 24 hours we have taken our newly adopted cat to the emergency pet clinic.

Know that when your cat cannot urinate, or shows signs of wanting to urinate and nothing comes out that you need to have your cat checked asap as this is a serious condition.

As soon as we arrived the vet technician took us back to the exam room and she looked him over before and talked to us about what was going on. Husband said that our cat was in the litter box several times today but could not urinate, drops coming out. Plus our cat was pacing and irritable with dog and other cats.

All red flags that somethings was wrong. The veterinarian listened to us, then read the notes from the veterinarian that saw our cat 15 hours ago and said that he is certain that our cat has crystals and that these crystals are causing him discomfort and the feeling that he has to urinate all the time.

The behavior issues are normal for this type of infection, due to the discomfort and the cat felling like he has to urinate and nothing coming out. Husband explained our concerns suspecting foul play because it our neighborhood there have been reports of other peoples cats unable to urinate after going onto a certain block in our neighborhood.

To put our mind at ease the emergency Vet suggested we take our cat to our veterinarian and leave him there so they can get urine sample. So I am going to go to bed now, 3 AM try to get some sleep before taking our new adopted tabby cat to our veterinarian tomorrow, I will leave him in there care so they can do a urinalysis and make sure his kidneys are working okay.

Setup Cat Room - Socializing New Cats

Setup a room for your cats and benefit by knowing that they are in a secure area.  This cat room will provide new cats with comfort and security.  The cat room can be an over-sized crate-cage or it can be a separate room or closet in your home that is for cats only. 

When I am away from my home or when I have guest coming to my home I will put my 5 cats in the safe room and shut the door.  I then know that they are out of harms ways and that they won’t sneak out an open door.  My cats enjoy their time in their room.  In their minds I am certain that they think of it as a playroom.  When it is time for me to go to work, I will open the door and use my clicker to call them.   All of the cats will run into the room and sit patiently for their treat.

Setting up Cat Room

Make a list of the requirement for the room; no furniture of value; add a chair, futon or old sofa to the room, cover the floors with Berber carpet or tile and provide the cats with heat and air-conditioned.   A room with a window would be nice as all cats enjoy looking at the world outdoors. 

Choose a room that will provide your cat with comfort.  Consider a large closet.  Remove everything from the closet; leave the shelves as cats enjoy climbing.  Install a cat climber to the backside of the door; I saw one at amazon.com that was quite nice.  The  multilevel climber will provide your cat’s with hours of enjoyment.  

Cats like to hide so provide them with cat furniture that allows them to hide. Buy them a cat playhouse or multilevel hideout.  My kitty safe room is 9 x 11 and the cat hideout provides my 5 cats with an area where they can hide or sleep in peace. 

Make sure there is a ceiling light, as well as heat or air.  The closet must be large enough to allow the cat to move around and to be comfortable.  Consider changing the closet door to a clear glass French door with kitty door or leave the door cracked so kitty can go in or out.   That way the cat can see out into the other rooms and you can check your cats without disturbing them.  

Know that the cat safe room is a blessing especially if you have company.  You put the cats in the room and you do not have to worry about a exterior door being left open and cat getting  out.

Add to the cat room the following products;  litter box, scratching post, cat tree, toys, bedding, cat food and water bowls.  Choose bouncy cat toys like a spring with a ball attached or plastic balls with bell for them to chase. 

Tips:

• When you cannot supervise your cat then put their room. 
• Use the cat room as an isolation room for all new cat’s coming into the household.
• If cat gets sick, isolate them from other cats by keeping ill cat in this safety room.
• Set up a cat crate /cage if you do not have a room.
• If your cat is accustomed to having free run of the entire house, spray the cat room with Feliway behavior modifier (Chewy.com has the best prices on cat products.)  Feliway behavior modifier will keep your cat happy, by making feel less anxious.  It is fantastic for calming a stressed out cat.

Here is a video that will show you how to set up a cat room.  Know that it is best to keep this room intact because your cat will return to this area because it is their safe space.  

Here is an excellent video that will show you how to introduce your new kitten to your cat.