Adding a Second Cat: Doing the Introduction Properly

Cats are not dogs about this

Dogs meet, negotiate and usually settle. Cats are territorial and a new cat is an invasion, not a friend. Introductions that fail almost always failed because they were rushed. Done properly this takes weeks, and the weeks are not optional.

Separate room first

The new cat lives in one room with their own litter tray, food, water and hiding places for at least the first week. Nobody sees anybody. The point is that they learn each other's smell before they meet, because for cats smell is the introduction.

Swap scents, then sights

Exchange bedding between the two. Swap which cat has the run of the house for an hour a day. Once neither is hissing at the other's smell, feed them on opposite sides of a closed door, then a cracked door, then a barrier they can see through. Good things should happen in each other's presence.

The first meeting

Short, supervised, and ended while it is still going well rather than after it goes wrong. Some hissing and posturing is normal. Sustained growling, flattened ears and a chase means you moved too fast — go back a step for several more days. Never let them "sort it out".

Resources prevent fights

The rule is one litter tray per cat plus one spare, in different locations. Separate food bowls, several water bowls, and multiple high places. Most ongoing cat conflict is competition over resources, and it is far easier to prevent than to resolve.