New cat to the furball family

Question

There has been a stray kitten wandering near my place lately, try as I might to ignore the cuteness I can no longer resist! My problem is I have already one cat who we have had for nearly two years. She HATES all other animals especially ones that enter her domain. I know the intro process can take awhile but if anyone has been through this can they please pass on any tips? Thanks in advance.

Answer 1

I've been through this. First be sure when you bring the new cat in to isolate it in a room by it's self. Let them smell each other under the door for three to four days before you let the new cat out and then only let her out when you're there to watch them. It may take a couple of weeks before they are able to be out together without fighting and they may take to each other right away, all cats are different. Good luck and I'm glad you're helping out the stray!

Answer 2

Our female cat is also very territorial and when she was six months old we adopted a feral kitten we found starving on the streets.  The best way to do the introductions is slowly and gradually.  These articles have lots of helpful advice on how to do this.  

http://www.tulsa-animalshelter.org/tips/...

http://www.wizz-catz.co.uk/introducing.h...

How quickly they get on will all depend upon the personalities of the individuals.  It took about a month before our female cat could even tolerate the presence of the kitten without hissing or wanting to beat him up.  Be patient and don't be tempted to punish your cat if she does have a hostile reaction as this will only make her feel more resentful towards the kitten.  Instead, reward her with her favourite foods when she is calm around the kitten as this will help her associate them with nice things, and maybe someone who is worth having around after all.

Don't forget to have a vet check the kitten over before you introduce them, just to ensure that they don't have anything that could be passed on to your cat.

Hope everything works out.