Best way to introduce a new cat?

Question

I may start doing foster care for kitties from a local shelter. I have a cat (fixed) and a small dog. (They get along really well, and the cat likes otehr cats.) MAY include sick, injured, traumatized, or preggo kitties, as well as regular cats. Obviously I couldn't even take in a sick kitty if its contagious, and I wouldn't let an injured or preggo kitty unsupervised with my pets. Anyway.

What would be the best way to introduce a foster kitty to my pets? I know they are friendly, just curious and very playful. I know I cannot just kinda open the carrier and let it go from there, but I'm not sure what I should do then.

Answer 1

don't open the container and just let it go from there ... introducing a new cat into a home with existing pets is often stressful for both the new cat and the existing pets.

set aside a room to use as the introductory space for your foster cat.  this room needs its own food/water bowls and litter box.  place the litter box as far as possible from the food bowl while still in the same room (opposite corners is best).  the introduction room should also have some hiding spots or safe places built in; cut an entry hole in the side of a carboard box and place a soft item like an old sweater, blanket, or towel inside for comfort.  for the sake of your furniture, the intro room should have a good scratching post.  if your foster kitty hides, this is normal; just allow him/her to get used to his new environment and don't pressure the newcomer to interact with you.  as long as he/she is eating, drinking, and using the litterbox, just let the foster cat adjust at his own pace.

let the cats interact through the door at first.  this gives them an opportunity to learn each other's scents and get to know one another without feeling threatened.  scent is the primary means of familiarity between cats, so it's important that each cat learn the other's scent in a nonthreatening environment.  put a sock on your hand and pet your foster cat, then leave that sock somewhere where your own cat can find it.  this helps your cat get used to the foster cat's smell.  do the same with your cat; put a sock on your hand and pet him (her?), then leave the sock in the foster cat's introduction room.

with a new cat in his/her territory, your existing cat will probably feel threatened and/or jealous, so make sure you lavish a lot of TLC on your existing cat.  you want to reassure your existing cat that his/her access to your attention is not threatened by the foster kitty.

after a week or two adjustment period, put your foster cat in a carrier and leave it on the floor in the introduction room.  open the door and let your cat check out the foster kitty through the carrier walls.  if things go well, it's probably okay to let the foster kitty out of the carrier.  if not, they may need more time to adjust.

be sure to keep lavishing lots of individual attention on both cats.  also be sure that both of them get plenty of daily playtime with you.  keep at least 2 of each critical object (food bowl, water bowl, and litter box) so that each cat can have access to what he/she needs without confronting the other cat to get it.  the two feeding areas should be separated far enough that no one cat can control access to both of them.  the same goes for the two litter boxes.  lastly, litter boxes should never be placed too close to feeding areas (cats don't like to eliminate where they eat; if litter boxes are placed near food bowls, there is a good chance cats will eliminate on the carpet).

For more suggestions, i highly recommend "Cat vs. Cat" by Pam Johnson-Bennett (http://www.amazon.com/Cat-Vs-Keeping-Pea...

Answer 2

you should let them eat together and let them do other stuff to like play with them both at the same time and from then on let their friendship or whatever you wanna call it develop naturally. it will happen eventually....

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Answer 3

Just let them  have short visits, because a 'foster kitty' is temporary and your permanent pets won't get jealous.  Best of Luck to You

Answer 4

Do you have a spare room for them? It's best to keep the animals apart initially - they'll know each other is there through smell but the threat level will be low. Understand if you're giving a lot of attention to the foster animals your other animals might get jealous but at the same time I don't want to put you off because it's a really good thing you're planning on doing. I just would recommend setting up a room where the foster animals can be kept seperate.

Update - with the spare room, I mean keeping them seperate until they get used to the scent of each other. And be proud of yourself, what you're doing is awesome. If mine weren't so territorial I'd foster myself.