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At
MCS, we get asked about this all the time. Many
techniques have been described in a variety of books and
magazines, making the topic confusing in general.
It
is impossible to know in advance how the social
structure will develop in a home when a new cat is being
introduced to one or more cats in a home. It is unlikely
that all of the cats will act friendly to one another
right away. More likely, one or more of the cats will
show some degree of defensive behavior (ears flattened,
hissing, crouching) for a little while. In some
instances, the defensive behavior is short-lived, and
the cats get along. In other instances, mutual
defensiveness will escalate to aggressive behavior in
which one cat runs and the other cat chases after it.
A
more troubling situation occurs when a cat will, from
the beginning, relentlessly pursue another cat,
constantly looking for it, and chasing it once it finds
it. This, fortunately, is uncommon, but it usually
indicates that this is a very territorial cat and that
the prognosis is poor. In these cases, it is not
prudent to simply put the cats together and hope for the
best. It is even worse to let the cats “fight it out”.
Cats that are highly aroused and are displaying moderate
or high levels of defensiveness can quickly redirect
their aggression to anything that moves and can
seriously injure people and other animals.
In
the long run, the safest and fastest method is to keep
the cat separated at first. If the cats seem to be
playful and social and not afraid, the introduction can
take place quickly. The owners should be present to
supervise the session, and provide interactive toys to
maintain the play behavior. If there is a little
defensiveness, then the cats should be separated and
another introductory session should be conducted. This
method of introduction usually requires only a few
sessions a day, for a few days, before success is
achieved.
If
one cat becomes very frightened and hides, then that cat
should be confined to a room by itself with food, water,
and a litter box, until it explores, plays and shows
social behavior with people. The introduction between
cats will have to be much more gradual, so as to avoid
any defensiveness. Initially there should be no visual
contact, i.e. a closed door, with a towel across the
bottom so that there is no contact at all. Later,
removing the towel usually allows a little bit of visual
contact, as most doors have a gap of approximately ˝ to
1 inch. In many cases, the cats will soon be playing
with each others’ paws under the gap. Once this occurs,
the door can be opened a tiny bit, with supervision,
allowing further play through the crack in the door. If
the cats do not play, interactive cat toys such as
string or feathers can be used to attract the cats to
the gap, and then be encouraged to play. The goal is to
the sighting of the paws under the door with play. If
the cats play through the crack, they can be introduced
to each other in the room together.
Sometimes, the visual contact cannot progress directly
from “feet” to “cat”, and has to be even more gradual. A
screen door or baby gate may need to be placed across
the threshold between rooms, with a cloth draped over
the screen to reduce visual contact. Small holes can be
cut in the cloth to provide gradually increasing visual
contact during play. Visual contact is maintained at a
low enough level to elicit curiosity and can be
increased gradually once there is some evidence of
social behavior. If the cats seem defensive or
aggressive at any point, visual contact should be
reduced again. Only after the cats are social and
playful in full view of each other should they be
allowed to interact together, without the barrier (with
supervision, of course). Full integration into the
household usually is accomplished within a week or two,
but can take as long as a month or two.
Updated
9/23/07 |
