If your household is home to a few different pets, you’ll want them all to get on with each other. Whether it’s multiple cats or a mix of dogs and other animals, socializing them so that they have a positive experience from day one can be a challenge. Many UK homes are multi-pet households, with 39% of cat owners having more than one cat. According to the latest Animal Wellbeing report from the PDSA, many owners have had to go through introducing them.

Whether you are bringing another cat into your household or are thinking about doing so for the first time, how can you ensure this all goes smoothly so that everyone is happy? First, you need to understand a cat’s natural behavior and how this may affect other animals in the home. 

Natural Cat Behavior – What To Consider

If you already own a cat, you’ll know they can be territorial, so introducing another to their space can mean potential conflict. Think about it from their point of view, if they have lived happily as the only pet in the household for months or even years, a sudden introduction of another will be a big change – one they will have to get used to gradually.

The same can happen if you already have multiple pets. Another new addition may be seen as a threat to their personal space and routine. Every animal is different, and you may find your current pet welcomes a new friend without issue, but you won’t know until you introduce them. This is where carefully preparing for this is a good idea – you don’t want to assume they will get on straight away.

You’ll need to think about a few different things, from how meal times will work, to where your new cat will sleep, as well as their litter tray. You won’t want them to compete for these things, so when litter training your new cat, ensure they have their own litter tray and that there are others around the house for your other cats to use. Also, think about your current cat or dog’s personality and their age – will they get on with a younger cat or kitten introduced? You’ll know them better than anyone, so hopefully deciding to bring another cat in won’t cause them stress. 

What To Do Before Your New Cat Is Introduced

Your home will need to be prepared when a new addition joins the family, even more so when you have existing pets to think about. Here are a few things to think about and prepare first:

• Your new cat will need its own space that is away from where your other pets are. Ideally, this should be somewhere your other pets do not use often, such as a spare room or similar.
• Provide their own bed, litter tray, food, and water bowls that are in this space. Also some toys and a scratching post or mat too. You may also want to think about having pheromone diffusers set up in this room, as well as where your other cats spend their time – this can help them feel more secure in their environment as per Battersea Dogs and Cats Home.
• Smell is an important part of your cat’s senses, so scent-swapping is a key part of introducing them. Before they meet, think about spreading your new cat’s scent by stroking their head with a cloth and touching various parts of the home. This will help your other pets pick up on the scent before they meet.
• Similarly, have some of your existing cat’s scent on an item that can be placed in your new cat’s space, such as a blanket. This should be away from their bed and other items, but somewhere in the room they can investigate, getting used to the scent.
• If you have an existing cat, be sure they will have enough space to feel comfortable during these changes and that their routine is not disrupted. They should still have access to everything they need – you don’t want to forget about them with all the new cat prep!

You’re Ready To Introduce Your New Cat

Once you are happy with the setup for both your new cat and your existing pets, introducing them can begin. Here are a few tips to help do so gradually:

Calm and relaxed – be sure introducing them is during a calm moment and not at meal times or when there are lots of distractions. You don’t want either your new cat or existing pet to get overexcited by other things – it’s already an exciting moment! With a dog, you may want to do this after they’ve had their walk so that they can feel more relaxed.

Visual meet and greet – start with your new cat being able to see your other pets. If you can do this whilst your cat is in their own space or room, you can then create a barrier so that they can visually meet before getting closer. With a dog that may be much larger than your new cat, it can be best to keep them on a lead when doing so – you don’t want them to suddenly chase your cat and make them frightened.

Stay with them – you want to be present for the whole time during this initial meeting. This way you can monitor how both are reacting and if either are feeling anxious or agitated, you can stop and try again later. It shouldn’t be rushed at this stage and needs to be gradual until you are happy to move on to the next stage. 

Let them sniff each other – if you have a barrier between them, let them get closer to sniff each other. If you have put their scent around the home before this point, this should be familiar to them. With a new kitten, you may want to keep them in a crate at this stage and let your other pet go over to them. If either reacts less than friendly, create more space between them and take a break for a while.

Moving Onto The Next Stage – Opening Up The Home

How long it will take for your pets to feel comfortable with each other after they first meet will vary. It could take hours, a few days, or longer, so it’s important not to rush them or force them into sharing a space. It may take a few short sessions of seeing each other froma distance before you can think about removing the barrier between them. Using treats and positive reinforcement during these short introductions can help them associate this with a positive experience.

If all is going well after their initial visual meetups, eventually they will become more used to each other, and you can start to open up more of the home to your new cat. This also means allowing them to meet without a barrier between them. Hopefully, when you do remove this, they will carry on as normal without taking much notice of each other.

To avoid anything unexpected, be sure when you move to this stage that you are present and ready to intervene just in case. You should ensure there are plenty of spaces for your cat to escape to if they feel overwhelmed, such as cat trees for them to go up high as well as access to their crate or bed. 

Maintaining Long-Term Harmony 

It may take time to reach the stage where your new cat feels welcomed by other pets in the home and fully comfortable. With a multi-cat household, they may simply put up with each other, but you may see signs that all is well if they do things like groom each other, rub heads, and even sleep near one another. Similarly, with a dog, they may get used to each other but not necessarily interact all the time.

If at any point you become worried about introducing your cat and need further advice, do speak to your vet. It’s important not to rush or force a situation when they first meet, so with some patience, following the above tips, and seeking expert help where needed, you can hopefully have long-term harmony in your pet-friendly home.