Need advice on bringing in new kitty

Chloe is getting a playmate . She loves to romp and play and we felt she would enjoy having another little furry person to play with. Mom and dad are fun but not the same, plus it would be company when we are at work. I have been warned that bringing in a new cat will not be easy the first few days and nobody will get much sleep. Then I have heard stories of no problems.

Let me just say Chloe has the best temperment of any cat most have seen, especially a Siamese. In the year we have had her she has not hissed one time, not even at the vet. She is perfectly still and lets the vet do whatever to her. The vet threatens to clone her the next time we board her there. The new cat is the same way. I have purposely waited to find one of similar temperment. When I met her it was like Chloe all over again, very friend, very people oriented, she has had a litter, same as Chloe. The new one is living with 2 other fosters and gets along OK with them. She has also tested negative so no problem there. She is being isolated for a few days at foster moms right now while she recoups from her surgery. We thought it best since she doesn't need too much excitment for a few days. Friday is homecoming.

SO, what can I expect, cat fights day and night or just a little sniffing and then play time, or toss of coin.

I will say as easy going as Chloe is, she does like her special time with us and she has her favorite toys and window seat. Will that be a problem. Also what about food? I did buy new dishes and litter box for the new one.

Any advice you can think of would be most appreciative.

 

When I brought in Molly, Spooky was 3yrs already and very bossy. She hissed at her a couple of times and Molly got the hint not to bother her. I thought it was going to be fighting night and day but they started to play with each other. Of course only when Spooky wanted to, now they are older and hardly interact anymore I even got a dog when Spooky was 6 and Molly was 3 and trust me they all learned to get along fine. Welcome to your new addition.

 

to date I have integrated 20 cats into my house in the past 2.5 years :shock: I foster
there is never a guarantee any 2 cats are going to be 100% harmonious cohabitants - but you can make it easier by integrating SLOWLY. Never simply dump 2 cats together and expect life to go smoothly - ain't gonna happen.
When you bring the new kitty home keep him/her isolated in another room for up to 10 days. This also helps ensure your existing cat won't catch any illnesses the new kitty might bring in. You can have a fecal exam done in that time to make sure new kitty is parasite free and it also gives a waiting period for a possible upper respiratory infection to rear its ugly head. Some cats get them simply from stress and adjusting to a new home can be stressful.
During that time get new kitty a vet check (if not done already) and up to date on vaccines.
This also gives you 10 days to start working on introductions. Do stuff like swap bedding so each cat has a chance to get to the each other's scent.
Another good little trick is to take a little bit of each cat's used litter and mix into each other's litterboxes.
Once you know new kitty is healthy and parasite free start letting the 2 cats meet each other with a baby gate separating them.
When they are meeting if a lot of hissing growling starts to show up distract each cat with a treat. Then they'll relate meeting each other with a yummy.
I usually expand the baby gate meeting moments longer and longer each time until I'm fairly certain they'll be no bloodshed or fur flying.
I also never ever leave them alone in the house together until I'm certain everyone is going to be okay. When I can be home to observe how everyone is getting along then I leave the door to the room open for everyone to meet each other freely. I give that a few days of going fine before I let them all be together with us at work.
It's not that hard - you just have to be patience. Best to go slow than end up with 2 cats that won't get along.

 

When we introduce new cats, we keep them separated for at least a couple of weeks (so we can check their health and get them accustomed to the new environment). Then we let them socialize with the other cats while supervised (at night or if we leave the house the new cat gets separated). After a while we just let the new cat have the run of the house with the rest. We still have squabbles every now & then, but no one ever gets more than a couple small scratches.

-Chelle

 

I forgot the other thing you can do is switch rooms with the cats now and then. Put her existing cat into the iso room and let new Kitty wander around the house. That way she can get used to the house while resident kitty gets used to new kitty's scent

 

Congrats! Can't wait to meet your new kitty and know how the integration will go. We've always done cold turkey in our household and I have to admit they all got along from immediately to 2 days to 2 weeks except for Pumpkin who took YEARS to adjust. I'd say do the slow intros as recommended by the above posters. If not previously mentioned, it'll help if both kitties smell the same. Rub the same towel or cloth on both cats, or use a dab of vanilla extract on their backs. Good luck!