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Inheriting new cat. Already have two.

post #1 of 9
2/26/11 at 3:21pm
Thread Starter 
Hi. I'm new to this forum and joined to get some advice from the many cat lovers posting here. We currently have two cats: one male and one female, siblings about 11 years old, either neutered/spayed. We've had them since the were kittens.They get along very well. In the near future, we will be receiving our daughter's 3 yr old neutered male. Any suggestions on how to introduce them to each other with minimal cat fights would be much appreciated. Thank you in advance for any responses.
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post #2 of 9
2/26/11 at 3:44pm
There are great suggestions on the stickies above.
In my experience (when I inherited my sister's cat) I left the newcomer in her carrier for half a day while the resident cats sniffed around her. Then I transferred her to the cattery where the others could see her and get close enough (nose to nose separated by chicken wire) for about a week. Then I let her out and supervised the "meetings" for a few hours. All was okay afterwards.
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post #3 of 9
2/26/11 at 6:41pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by yayi View Post
There are great suggestions on the stickies above.
In my experience (when I inherited my sister's cat) I left the newcomer in her carrier for half a day while the resident cats sniffed around her. Then I transferred her to the cattery where the others could see her and get close enough (nose to nose separated by chicken wire) for about a week. Then I let her out and supervised the "meetings" for a few hours. All was okay afterwards.
Thanks. Sounds like a plan for us. Where are the stickies you are referring to? I don't seem to see them.
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post #4 of 9
2/26/11 at 6:59pm
http://www.thecatsite.com/forums/showthread.php?t=67321

Here's a link to the "Introducing a new cat to your old cat" thread.

Welcome to the forums
I wish you the best of luck with your introductions.
You should definitely post pictures of them once you get the chance!

April
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post #5 of 9
2/26/11 at 7:50pm
Thread Starter 
Thanks again; very useful information in that thread. I did go through the titles in the "Behavior" before posting the first time, but missed that thread. We'll have a few weeks before the new cat arrives and wanted to start researching ahead of time.
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post #6 of 9
2/26/11 at 8:19pm
That sounds like a good plan!
If you ever need help you can feel free to ask me by clicking on my username and sending me a private message. I'll do my best to answer. Welcome to the forums again!
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post #7 of 9
2/26/11 at 9:17pm
Welcome to TCS When you first bring the new kitty home have everything set up in a room for her where she can settle in for a week. During that week do scent transferring back and forth. Switch out kitty beds back and forth between your cats and the newby and rub towels on the resident cats and then gently rub that towel on the newby. Spend a lot of time in that room with the new kitty for the first few days as well. After a week, take the new kitty and put her in a crate and then allow your resident cats to go in the room and sniff around with the new kitty in the crate. You can close your kitties in that room and then allow the new cat to investigate the other part of your house. Then pick up the new cat and let your cats out of her room and put her back in her room. I would do this pattern for a couple of days. Then you can try to let your cats in the room with the new cat loose in the room.

There is no exact time frame I can give you to let you know how fast or slow the process will be for your two cats and the new cat to get along. If things get too stressful at anytime, put the new cat back in her safe room and go back to step one. The introduction needs to be very slow and at the cats own pace. And they will let you know if it is to fast

I am sure all will go well, just enjoy the process and expect some set-backs and just be prepared to take it slow. In the end of the process, you will be rewarded with a wonderful trio of happy cats
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post #8 of 9
3/1/11 at 8:03am
Thread Starter 
Thanks again for the great information and the friendly introduction to this forum. I'll be sure to post back to let you know how things have gone with this cat introduction.
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post #9 of 9
11/6/11 at 10:36pm
Thread Starter 

It's been longer than a few weeks (more like months), but Rupert is here now. He flew nonstop from New York to Seattle, and I picked him up at the Seattle airport yesterday. He spent last night in Seattle, and I drove him to our little town on the Olympic Peninsula today. Quite a traveler. He'll become a country cat now.

 

He didn't seem the worse for wear from the journey. Eating well and very affectionate. Our other two cats (Cici and Morris) are outdoor cats and have a heated "cat condo" set up in the attached garage, where they stay at night and other times when they want to be indoors. There is a utility room next to the garage, and I've set Rupert up there initially. They can hear each other, and I've started the process of transferring smells from cat-to-cat. I'll start getting them introduced to each other in a few days by putting Rupert in his carrier and letting them them get acquainted with him confined. I will be chaperoning them when I first let him out. I'm thinking that I'll transition them over a two-week period. I won't be letting him go outside on his own until they are getting along, and  I feel comfortable that he is adjusted to being here.

 

If anyone has further thoughts to share to help the process along, would be much appreciated. Thank you.

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