Introducing a new cat

[nellie]

Hi,
I have 2 cats, Azrael & Angelique. They have lived together (with the rest of our zoo) for 6 years. My sister's cat, Zorro, will be coming to live with us for a while. My sister will be in between apartments for a few months and will be living with her boyfriend's grandparents and she can't keep Zorro there.
What will be the best way for them to be introduced so there aren't any problems? My cats are used to having new animals come into our house but they've never been around another cat before. They are all declawed (all 4 feet) and fixed.
Any suggestions to make this go smoothly? Should Zorro have his own litter box, food dish, etc until they accept him?
Thanks! And keep your fingers crossed that this goes smoothly. My hubby isn't too thrilled about having another cat in the house (probably b/c he's the one who cleans the litter box! LOL!) and if there are problems, I'm never going to hear the end of it!!!!
~Nellie

[elfomatic]

I would try to put another litterbox down in a seperate room if you have the space for that. I'd also put a bed and food and water there too. Have the cat stay kinda seperated at first. You can merge them in a few days when you are sure they will be okay.

If it already has a bed switch it's bed with your cat's bed so they can get each other's scents before meeting.

More than likely, it won't be too big of an issue ... if they are all declawed there isn't much they can do other than hiss at each other .. you know? That would just get annoying after awhile.

More than likely they will get along but with Zorro as the outsider. Cats are funny like that. They can pair really well but odd numbers usually mean that one cat will be a loner.

[kittygurl823]

Hi Nellie!
I agree with everything Elfomatic already said! I brought Smokie home as a kitten and Snuggles and Ginger were NOT happy about it! lol Smokie wanted to play and they wanted to hiss and stay far away from him! They were a little mad at me, too! After about a week, they seemed to be used to him and getting along just great! I agree, seperate food dishes and litter boxes are a good idea. I had another litter box for Smokie, a tiny one since he was a kitten, and after a few days, he was using their box and they were using the little box!
I had Snuggles for 1 year and then I brought Ginger home! I had never heard him hiss at anything and he hissed and growled at her!!! I thought "Oh no! What am I gonna do??!!" Within a couple days, I have a picture of them snuggling together! I really think cats just have a way of working things out.

Good luck with everything and keep us posted!

[CTChin]

I agree if you can keep the newbie in a seperate room for a bit that is the best way. I have had as many as 8 cats at once ( have 7 now) and each new cat was introduced slowly. I would keep the new cat in a seperate room for up to a week, sometimes less, while the other cats sniffed under the door and generally got used to the new ones smell. To bring a new cat home and just plop them in the middle of the living room (not saying you would LOL) would be a big mistake.

[Pigsterz]

I agree with what Elfomatic & Kittygurl had advised. They know what they are talking about. That's how I had approached bringing in a new cat to our household. Good luck, and we'll expect to see pictures of everyone you know.

[CTChin]

LOL I couldn't figure out why my post didn't show up until a day later, until I read the forum rules saying the first 10 posts of a newbie will be moderated. Just trying to reach my quota here

[Deja]

Quote: Originally Posted by elfomatic More than likely they will get along but with Zorro as the outsider. Cats are funny like that. They can pair really well but odd numbers usually mean that one cat will be a loner.

That's how it works here. We have three cats, one is male. He's the youngest and newest cat of the bunch. It was hard to encorporate him because the girls wanted nothing to do with him. He's pretty much the loner of the bunch. He's bonded well with the dogs and plays with them a lot. It's mutual bonding - the dogs even groom him

I think Zorro will do just fine. It may take a while but he'll figure out his place and carve out his niche.
Keep us posted - and yes - pictures! Good Luck!!

[nellie]

Thank you all for the advice! Zorro will be here on Friday. I'll let you know how it goes.
I'm planning on putting him in my (human) baby's nursery for the introduction period. She still sleeps in our room so now at least I won't feel like I painted it for nothing! hee hee
My sister is also bringing her boa with her. It seems her exboyfriend turned off the electricity in the apartment and left the snake to freeze to death. What a jerk! My sister found her freezing cold when she stopped to pick up her mail. It snowed the night she rescued her.
So Keith and I will have temporary custodity of Zorro and Gorgon (the snake) until she finds a place to live that allows pets.
Oh and I'll post pictures when they get here!!!!
~Nellie

[kittygurl823]

I can't wait to see some pictures!! I'm sure everything will be fine! That is terrible what your sister's exb/f did to her boa, leaving her in the cold! I'm so glad you were able to take the snake in, too, while she looks for a new place! Let us know how everything goes, girl!!