Introducing your cat to a new cat
One way to immeasurably help charities like the Costa Animal Society ( CAS ) is to foster or adopt a cat in need but before you introduce a new member into your household you should consider the following . The answer is not the same for every situation and will depend on how well your current pet accepts change but here are some guidelines that should make the transition a bit smoother .
If you are introducing your current cat to a new cat you should consider factors like are they the same sex , have they been neutered and how territorial is my first cat ? Two cats of the same sex may take more time to get used to one another , especially if they are not sterilised , since unaltered male cats are more like to fight and mark their boundaries by spraying . This is not to say that neutered cats will not fight because you need to remember the new addition is still encroaching on your first cat ’ s home but steps can be taken to bring the new cat into the fold slowly .
One method that has proven successful is to start out by keeping the new cat in a separate room ( a spare bedroom is ideal ) while your first cat still has the run of the rest of the house . You will need to have separate litter trays and feeding / watering stations in each area for the time the cats are kept apart . You should visit the new cat several times a day and give it verbal reassurances at first and then physical contact when the cat is ready . This gives the new one time to settle in and when you leave the room you will take its scent with you for your old cat to smell .
The new guy may hide for a few days but if it likes being around humans it will come out eventually . Over the next couple of weeks let the new one out of its room to explore the rest of the house for maybe ten minutes at a time at first and gradually increase this to an hour or more , until both cats become more comfortable , or at least tolerate , one another .
Make sure all doors and windows are closed for the first couple of weeks to keep the new addition safely indoors until it learns to trust the new surroundings . Hopefully , the two cats will become siblings but in some cases they just tolerate one another .
On the other hand , when you introduce a new pup or dog to a cat already in residence we suggest you reverse the roles by putting your cat in a separate , safe room so you can keep an eye on the pup while it is adjusting to the new surroundings . The role reversal is done because a new dog needs to learn the rules of the house and in some cases may need to be house trained , which can be time consuming at first . Again , introduce the two animals to each other slowly at first and then for longer periods gradually . In some cases you may need to keep the dog on a lead in the house while the cat comes out in order to prevent unwanted behaviour and reward positive interaction with the cat . In an extreme case where the cat and dog never see eye to eye , you may need to contact the charity and return the dog . The success of interspecies interaction will depend greatly on the personalities and histories of the pets involved with some pairs become great friends while others learn to live as roommates .
If you are considering adopting or fostering a new pet but are reluctant because you already have a cat why not give it a try using the above methods . Sometimes it does not work but you will not know until you give it a try and if successful you will provide a good home for a needy cat or dog . This is why CAS allows a trial period of up to 30 days before making a permanent commitment so feel free to contact us by email at costaanimalsociety @ gmail . com or through our Facebook page .
CAS Shop
The CAS shop has restocked with all the clothing you ’ ll need for the winter . Also , we have a nice selection of contemporary books in stock , best-sellers in all genres . If you still want to