Feline friendships can take time to build. Follow these tips to get your kitties comfortable with one another. Patience is key!

Scent swapping

Cats communicate with each other by scent. To introduce two cats, start by “swapping” scents. Be patient, and give this process a few days!

• On the first day, place your new cat’s towel on or near your resident cat’s favourite place or food bowl. Encourage him/her to approach. If your cat starts to hiss, spit or avoid the towel, place it on the floor away from his bed or food bowl. Each day, move the towel closer to kitty’s’ food bowl.
  • Do the same thing with your resident cat’s bedding, giving it to the new kitty to smell.
• Next, swap food bowls between the cats. They will start to associate the positive act of eating with the scent of the other cat.
• Swap direct scent between cats by petting one cat with a cloth around the cheeks. Then, pet the other cat with it in the same way. The cheeks are where cats have glands that secrete a “friendly” hormone.

The time it takes to accept each other’s scent varies. With social cats or kittens, it can take a few hours. With less social cats, it can take a few weeks. Patience is key!

Once they are completely tolerant of each other’s scent, it’s time to move to visual contact.

Visual contact

Let your cats see each other, but keep them separate. Ideally, use a glass door, a screen door,
or a baby gate (with the access above the gate blocked).

If none of these are available, open the door of your new cat’s room just enough so the cats are able to see each other, sniff each other and touch noses but not go through. Secure it with a hook or a small nail and a rope.

• Encourage the cats to spend time close to each other on either side of the door or by playing with a feather wand (thus avoiding putting your hand between the cats). Don’t use catnip it can make some cats aggressive or overly excited. However, be sure to have treats handy so the cats will build positive associations with each other.
• Hissing and quick swats are normal at first. However, if the cats are showing more aggression than this, make the opening smaller. Over the next few days, feed the cats closer and closer to the door.
• Only once the cats are comfortable with each other is it time for a proper introduction. You’ll know they’re comfortable when they sniff noses, play through the door or rub against the door. There should be no growling, spitting or hissing.

The territory swap

It’s time to open the door and let the cats explore each other’s territory. Just for safety, keep a jingly item (such as a set of keys) that you can throw on the floor to distract them should they get into a little spat. If you’ve followed the steps so far, your cats will probably be fine.

Don’t worry if the cats ignore each other. Don’t pick them up and force them to interact. Remember, cats resolve personality conflicts by increasing space between each other. Give them the freedom to do this.

So that both cats feel comfortable, make sure there are at least two options for escaping contact with the other cat such as somewhere to jump to, or a doorway to exit through.

Let your cats do their thing

Some cats are friends, playing together or grooming each other. Others ignore each other. Whatever works for your cats is fine. Cats actually enjoy watching other cats. Even if they don’t seem to interact, they are making each other’s life more interesting simply by being around.

Unless your cats freely choose to use the same litter box and eat out of the same bowl, be sure to provide each cat with a litter box, separate beds, hiding and perching areas and food and water bowls.

Dealing with cat bullying

Bullying between cats can sometimes be very subtle. A cat may bully another by denying them access to resources. For example, one cat may sit near the food bowl and hiss or swat at the other cat when they approach. Or one cat may simply stare at the other.

If one cat feels intimidated, they will avoid areas protected by the other. They will also flatten their body and move slowly from place to place to avoid arousing the bully cat.

Be sure the bullied cat has their own space where they access a litter box, food, water and bedding without being bullied. Consider arranging furniture so that the bullied cat has multiple escape routes and hiding areas to avoid contact with the bully.

Let the cats develop their own patterns to avoid contact. Many cats live fine together even if they’re not the best of friends. However, if you do see signs of bullying, observe the bullied cat for signs of stress-related illness or behaviour problems (such as peeing/pooping outside the litter box).

Don’t punish the bully, though! If you see signs of bullying, go back a few steps to scent-swapping, and try again.

Purchasing Feliway, a cat appeasing pheromone sold as both a plugin diffuser and as a spray, can help. The spray can be applied to cat beds, perching areas and furniture.