@@opalfroggy-2156 so far so good ! The resident cat hissed a bit on the first days mas overall great. The only downside is that the new cat was a stray and doesn’t let us come close. I have the litters in different places cuz for like 2 times the new one peed on my moms bed but yeah I was really scared of how it could turn out but now they play and everything
@@sabrinacoelho6079 that's awesome!! im thinking of getting my resident kitty (8 month old tuxie male) a playmate bc he has sooo much energy but i've been scared to make the jump. hopefully we find the perfect cat and they become besties :)
@@sabrinacoelho6079 thank you!! we ended up bringing home a 6 month old kitten a week ago and things are going okay :) he loves to play with her under the door and always tries to get in her room but face to face gets a little hissy on his end bc she loves to get too close too fast. hoping she’ll grow out of it haha and again, they’ll probably just need more time
I bring home a new pet in a crate with the blanket used by my current pets. By the time we get home, the blanket smells are comforting to the newcomer and the resident animals smell themselves on the newbie. 😁 Always works! 💞
I just want to say a massive thank you for this video. I live in a small, one-bedroom apartment and this worked for me after only four days. Four! I was expecting the introduction process to last weeks or even months! My girl and her new brother are currently snuggled up sleeping together next to me as I write this. It really works! You're amazing! ❤
4 days! I used your method and within 2 days my two year old tabby was eating side by side with my little blue 10 week old kitten. Now they play, groom, and even occasionally sleep together. Less then a week. There was some hissing and swats by resisdent cat, but I think it helped the kitten wanted to say hello and the older resident just had to yield to his presence and see that it was kinda fun to run around with a playmate. There was no other room to put baby kitten in, so if this hadn’t worked baby kitten would have needed a new/different home. And I was prepared to go that route. But now we are a happy 2 cat family. 2 is absolutely better than one. They really can now entertain each other. They still have human cuddle and play time, but if human is exhausted, they have each other.
I just did this myself before I watched your video. I knew about the smell thing beforehand, and the resident cat loves her carrier and happily jumped in and played before leaving to get a new kitten. I think that greatly helped the newcomer, but the resident cat is tricky because she doesn't even like people company. After an hour or two of cat carrier interaction, only we let him out but did not remove the carrier. We had the same deal newcomer wanted attention from the resident. It made our resident cat have to deal where I think separating them would have taken forever. I have been living in a bedroom at my daughter's and she has a cat that after 6 months we only achieved playing under the door and some smells at the door but no further. 7 days in, we have had sharing bowls, litter boxes, and playing. There is no real cuddling yet, but the resident cat isn't a cuddler anyhow. No major incidents other than resident cat strained vocal chords hissing and growling the 1st day. Didn't even know that was possible until I looked it up. The clapping method works great when it gets slightly rough after a couple of accidental sneak attacks 😂. Your video is spot on. I also changed the room around after a week to accommodate the extra litter box and food bowls. I think this helped as well to break up established areas and allows them to start fresh together while still leaving the carrier out for newcomer and the favorite hammock for our resident. We even had a challenge for the hammock , and our newcomer stood his ground, but the resident cat went in the hammock. Win win in the smell transfer.
in my opinion this is the best method to use even if you don’t have a small living space! i have found that the isolation method will actually cause the resident cat more restless and even agitated depending on their personality. because they feel as if the new comer just waltzed into his home and took a part of it as his own territory and without being up front about it or showing his face! the nerve, haha. but seriously. it can also cause anxiety and stress for the new comer for many reasons like: 1) feeling cornered in/trapped in a space (sometimes literally) where they can sense the resident cat lurking/smelling/pacing, making them feel unsafe. 2)being overwhelmed by all the new space to discover after getting used to their isolation space, on top of getting used to the resident. 3)false fear instilled into them of what the resident cat is like. if all they’re seeing is a paw from underneath a door and hearing them meow or hiss without seeing them , and seeing the shadows/foot steps of the resident cat pacing on the other side of the door, they start to form a scary idea of what they are like in their minds, basically already having a false prejudice of them. kind of like a little kid that’s afraid of the noise coming from the water heater in the basement. they hear the noise but have never seen it so in their minds they think it’s this big scary monster, causing them to be anxious and uneasy while sleeping. also the isolation method will usually take attention away from the resident cat, since most of the time the new comer is a kitten and if they’re secluded in a different room/bathroom/etc you have to be consistently checking on them and this can cause the resident cat to not only feel negelected but already dislike the new comer for taking away from their attention they like to pretend they don’t want 😂 it also makes the process of introducing a newcomer into the home much more lengthy in general. the method in your video not only gives them they’re own space with the separate liter boxes and distanced bowls but also unites these separate spaces which is a major key! this way they know they can have their own space but there is also room for everyone! thank you so much for sharing this video for i think it’s not only helpful for people with small homes but also helpful in making the experience easier on the cats when it comes to feelings of fear/anxiety/neglection/etc! my only thing and it’s probably just an ocd thing, but i cannot feed my cats from one bowl. they all have their own food and water bowls, even if they drink from one water bowl more than the others, or even if they are okay with switching bowls while eating (sometimes they end up with different wet food flavors haha) they have to have their own bowls, this way i can keep track of how much they’re eating. which also helps with figuring out if one of them isn’t feeling too well, because it makes it easier to keep track of their appetite! keep up the great content, sending love to your kitties! ♡
btw, my opinion is based on experience. i have introduced cats both ways and the isolation method took over a month for the cats to even be in the same room. then in feb of 2022, i was living with my mom and had my sphynx cat. one day in a terrible rain/thunder storm we noticed a kitten crying under the car parked in front of us. he was about just 6 weeks old. we just HAD to take him in. he was soaking wet and starving, and my mom fell in love with him right away. so we used this method instead to introduce them and although my sphynx Charlie was eye rolling and hissing and giving me major attitude the first two days, especially when i was looking after the new guy Fendi for my mom while she was at work. by the 5th day they were doing everything together from playing, to watching the birds, to cuddling. Charlie was even grooming him and holding him like he was his own baby! after just a few funny faces when discovering grooming him was different than grooming himself since he had hair hahaha. they still love to cuddle when they see eachother to this day, except now fendi is the one usually holding onto him since he’s a huge fatty and charlie was a premie! lol
@@ForbiddenKitten as for water bowls, have you tried a pet water fountain? Until recently we had two cats who tolerated each other, (I didn’t know about effective methods of introducing them 11 years ago!), but they both ended up loving their water fountain. The older cat took 2 days to get used to it, the younger one two weeks. It has two spouts and they’d often drink from it at the same time, side by side. Perhaps that might be an option and save a little space. The one I bought was from Amazon - the Ofat Home Cat Water Fountain with Power Adapter 2L/67oz. Meanwhile, I’m glad to hear this method of introducing cats works, as we may get another cat after our almost 15 year old Mr Misha died.
I took a lot of good information from this video, but ultimately my cats were not compatible with a zero-isolation phase. That being said, there is still hope! We borrowed a large dog crate from a friend for our kitten and isolated him in the loft. From there we proceeded with steps outlined by Jackson Galaxy. The process is still underway, but the kitties played nicely for a whole two hours yesterday with only one time out!
Thanks for your comment! The traditional isolation introduction definitely still works and recommended if you can do it! I just wanted to show that introductions can be done without isolation/separation for the people that have no other room to put the cats in.
Brilliant. I'm stressing because I've been taking care of a stray female cat and she's been living on my porch in her own little cat house for 2 weeks. My own male cat has encountered her many times outside and is aware that she lives there. I desperately want to bring her in the house but so nervous about it
I'm going through something very similar. The stray is a male cat who seems to be less than 2 years old. And my female cat (spayed) just turned 1. They've met each other and the male actually attached her when she was a just 3 months old. My cat still hisses at him. I really want to adopt him since he's got no one and is in dire need of medical help. So please let us know here how it went with your cats.
I just realized a lot of people are having this same situation/experience! Interesting! If it were me, during mealtimes I would place the bowl one bowl on the porch for the outside cat and another bowl behind the door/gate for your indoor cat. Make sure they can see each other while they eat. It's basically the same concept: if you can control their mealtimes you can control how they view each other and with time and consistency - the cats will at least tolerate each other!
My experience has been that introducing a new cat is always much easier to a household that already has two or more cats. The established cats tend to be less territorial and are already used to not being the only cat; and the new cat realizes they are outnumbered and less likely to be aggressive toward the established cats. Introducing cat #2 to the single established cat is always the riskiest, so I prefer to always have at least three.
@@georgia3045I have a dog and two cats and about to add TWO MORE CATS this coming weekend😵💫 My daughter has to rehome her two 8 month old male kittens, and I can’t let them go to a shelter- they’re sweethearts. Introducing 4 cats together plus a hyper year old big dog… what am I getting myself into 😂 My one resident cat is a 2 year old female that’s still playful, so she’s gonna love it… but the other resident cat is a 8-9 year old grumpy male that’s kinda territorial… he’s the one I’m worried about.
The introduction is WORKING our two cats are getting more comfortable! And are playing while they see each other each of them get their own play time so no jealousy occurs during bonding time
I feel bad for ur cats. It’s like you dictate who they get to be friends with. You are forcing the bonds of two random cats just so you can create this fantasy family and fanfic cat bond.
@@ghostsnipertrue how is it logical to separate siblings? So you can fantasize a non existent bond between 2 random cats? You guys are like those weirdos who match and arrange couples against their will for wedding. It’s also like separating siblings in foster care to be put up with random ppl.
I came back to this video just to say that it worked, thank you so much! 2 days of semi isolation and 2 days of this method. Started with hisses, growls, and paw throwing. Now they call for each other. :))
Great video and Great tips. One question, What should we do if the cats are not interested in playing at all? We have tried their favorite toys. When the cats are together it usually just is both of them looking at each other for a long time with one hissing/swatting if the other gets too close. After awhile of looking at each other it goes into some fighting (no blood, no fur) with one cat screaming (other cat does not, just seems like they want to play?) and the one cat gets scared off.
Thank you for the tips. I've implemented these and I think my new cat is slowly integrating with the older ones. They are hissing at him less everyday and there's less aggression, less swatting everyday.
@@muriardilla Oh, they got to be great friends after a few days of hostility. The female cat was more hostile towards the new cat than the male one, but she became the first one to befriend him. The sight of her grooming him for the first time melted my heart! The male one befriended him as well. They get along great!
@@rachelp3949 Yes, happy mom to 3 cats. They are getting along like a happy family. Leo and Twiggy do have some fights nowadays that look a little different to me than Twiggy and Gumball's play fights but no concerns otherwise. They get along so well. I was so worried when I first introduced him to Gumball and Twiggy. We were shocked by Twiggy's reaction. Twiggy, our sweet, petite, innocent babe with big doe eyes became a completely different character. Her whole body stiffened, she was hissing at him, she just started to look like a different cat altogether. But within a few days of trying really hard, I found her grooming him. She was the first one to accept him. She became her sweet lovely self again. And, Gumball is such loving big brother to him too! They are doing great!
We're having a tough time introducing our 12yr Fem LH Mackerel to our 13 week old Male Fawn boy. Our old girl lost her older 14 year old companion 3 weeks ago to jaw cancer. We had to put him down. They get close but she still hisses and growls at him. He still falls down and shows submissive responsives. I completely understand her. Who tf wants to deal with a 4yr at 64?
This is so useful. I tried the slow method before and it actually backfired horribly. We're getting a new kitten this week so I will definitely be using this advice!
@@godwrote01 Going really well! They're definitely not buddies, but my older cat lets the kitten get close to him as long as he's respectful. They even play chase sometimes. For full transparency, we did start *a little slowly* by keeping him in the bathroom for a few days, but part of that was because we discovered he was malnourished and didn't have much strength, and we wanted to let him recover. We also used a Feliway diffuser (multicat) nearby, and I think that really helped take the edge off of the older cat's stress. A few days later, we ended up using a piece of clear acrylic as a janky "baby gate", so older cat could observe him fully and study him. Th kitten was too little to jump over it, and Old cat disliked the kitten's smell so much at that time, we felt like we could trust him to not intrude into the bathroom, which he didn't. Then on day four, we let them interact face-to face. Kitten rushed right at Old cat, which made him hiss at him. But Kitten quickly learned he should give Old cat space, and since then, there's been very little conflict!
I honestly felt like giving up until I saw this video. In just about 3 days my kittens are playing together. This video was a great help, I watched many videos and none worked. Thank you so much
you know what, the slow introduction method intimidated me like hell before even having the second cat arrived. Having read all these positive comments below, I think I'm just gonna get a laser and bring them together after a few days, we'll see what happens.
I'm looking at adopting another cat and I've watched a few videos on cat introductions now and they all seem to be missing one thing, what do you do when you go to bed to prevent fights while you're sleeping? My biggest fear is something will happen at night when I can't intervene before it gets out of hand. Any advice would be greatly appreciated
This is so helpful. I too have a 1 bedroom apartment and I’ve cried too many times because my resident cat is super hissy. They’re both around 3 and some of these comments make me realize it’ll all be worth it. I wanted her to have a cat because I’m gone for work for 8-9 hours a day. I’m glad hissing is acceptable and I’ll update y’all when they start getting along
I had already started introducing this way before I watched the video. We’re on day 3 and my kitten is acting like she owns the place, barely noticing my older cat. Older cat is curious and always watching the new cat, but hissing. New kitten is able to walk inches by her without too much fuss, a bit of hissing, a little growling, but no swatting or bigger fighting. Tonight she jumped on the bed for the first time. Trying to teach kitten the bed is where we relax and cuddle, so hopefully it will become a middle ground for all of us.
Hey! Any news now? Same situation, new kitten arrived to our flat, older cat hisses and growling if the small one comes near him. Now 2 days passed nothing has changed Im guessing how long will this last. When will the oldie find peace with the newcomer.
Thank you for this! I live in a one bedroom apartment with a 3yr old cat and I was thinking of getting a kitten, but there’s no way to separate them so they could acclimate to each other. This was super helpful. 😊
That was very helpful! We are on day 9. Things are going quite well, but we aren’t quite there yet. The 3 played really good today, each taking turns at attacking the flying toy. Eating and litter box is going well. My resident cats still have that barrier but are getting more relaxed.
Thank you 🙏🏼 for this. I did a semi traditional intro b/w 6 yo & 2 mo cat. Small was in a bathroom w pocket door. When I’d open door big would peep. Both curious. Small would always cry & big camp outside the door. In less than a week they were interacting & getting along well. Now they only come to me for food ☹️ haha 😜 so glad they are both good tho
Just an idea but would having something with the new cat's scent help the resident one to acknowledge them and vice versa? I'm asking because I own a european shorthair and in a few months, a ragdoll will move in.
This is a great video! I use nearly the same method myself, as a lifelong cat owner who is always making space for rescues and trying to pair kitties up as lifetime buddies.
This guy is really into cats. Just look at that apartment. When we got our former cats, about 20 years ago, we just brought the new kitten in and plopped him on the floor. The original cat hissed and went to hide. The new cat hid too. After several days, they approached each other with no fighting. I don't know if all cats are like this, but perhaps we are overthinking the introduction thing. We have a new kitten now who is about 12 weeks old. We may be getting an older kitten of about 7 months old soon. Not sure what to expect. Both cats are from shelters. We could have "Oh boy, a friend" or outright war.
I can never believe how beautiful Latte is... We had a really sweet bengal at my family home and she was so much tinier, I guess they come in a lot of shapes! Always excited to see another one of your videos, I just got my 2 birman kittens a few days ago and I've definitely been able to use your advice, last night I got my first full night of sleep since arrival thanks to your advice about how to tire cats out and how to play with them best :) I'm thinking once they're bigger and calmer in a few years I'll try adopting a third cat from a shelter. Just out of curiosity, if you ever moved into a bigger apartment would you guys consider another cat or do you think with 4 you've reached your ideal number for a little group?
It's quite surprising to me as well that Bengals can look so different from each other! A lot of the other Bengal cats that I have seen here in Korea were quite muscular and large. Latte is somehow quite slender and a lot smaller in comparison. I'm surprised to hear that you had a smaller Bengal cat than Latte! If I moved to a larger place, yes I think another cat is always going to be a consideration for me (such is the life of a cat lover) but I'm quite satisfied with the dynamic and relationships that my cats have with each other. So I would have to think carefully about it but I do have a soft spot these days for...specific hairless breed hahaha.
I just released the kitten in the presence of the older cat. The kitten approached the elder, the old cat hissed and walked away. That was all. They have been loving ever since.
This video was a lifesaver! I brought home a new 2months old kitten and my 2year old boy was having a hard time. It took 2 days ONLY! For them to become friends. We did everything you shared. Such a helpfup video. Thankyou so much❤
Introducing cats is like the borg .... older cat: i am alpha cat you will bow down to me and be assimilated. RESISTANCE is futile ... followed by head bops 😂
Such shiny coats! What food do you feed them? I can’t wait to check out your website and look at the different products you use, I love those window shelves and I’ve never seen a cat tree like that one before!
We have two siamese blue point kittens that just turned 6 months. We picked up a 4month old exotic shorthair 3 days ago.He's been in my son's room isolated. I started your technique today with pretty good success. Little bit of hissing but they were all distracted by the laser pointer. I was also giving them treats at the same time. Very minimal hissing but better than day 1 for sure. Hope to have them playing with each other soon.
If I were you, I would’ve have them separated. You can’t force two cats to bond with each other you don’t get to pick who ur cat gets to be friends with. Next time, adopt 2 bonded cats in pair.
Thank you! thank you! thank you! I started by doing the isolation method but my older cat was not happy. He kept hissing and getting aggressive. I did one play and feeding session last night after watching this video and now this morning they’re eating near each other and playing together. My older cat is biting the kitten’s neck but no more hissing or growling.
Thank you for this! I’ve got a 10 year old and am bringing in an 11 year old and both are used to lots of human and other cat interaction. I really think isolation is gonna be harder on them both than if I’m just watching all interactions. I’ll keep the new 11 year old in his own space to sleep as he’s used to sleeping in a cat bed by himself for a few weeks though.
How did that go? Please give us an update. We have a 12-year-old male who is very social, and tomorrow we are bringing home a 10-year old male, also very social. We are really hoping they will be good buddies. 😸😸
@@EPalssonWe actually kept them apart for about 3 weeks and it wasn’t going well at all. A year later and they still don’t love each other all that much but I’ve gotta a two level house with a basement so there’s plenty of “territory” for both of them. Every now and then they sniff each other up and sit side by side, so I’ll take it! I don’t need them to be best friends, I just don’t want them stressed or trying to rip each other’s fur out 😂
Thank you for the video! I'm thinking of getting another cat for my resident cat. The problem is that my cat is very picky and would rather starve than eating on other's schedule.... I hope I will be able to do the introduction without it...
Help please 😩 I need advice from someone with a similar experience. I rescued Salem as a 7ish week old kitten from outside back in October and he is now approximately 5 months old and neutered. He plays with our two XL dogs fine but has been developing only kitten syndrome. So I started looking for a friend for him and I found a 4ish month old female that I brought home 3 days ago. Their first impression of each other didn't go well as Salem was startled by seeing her in his crate and now he appears to be terrified of her 😭 he is stressed as well. We had started off by keeping her in the bedroom and scent swapping. Now he isn't eating much, has gotten one instance of diarrhea, and has vomited once as well. I guess I'm wondering if the separation makes his fear of her worse and would it possibly be better to go this route so he can see that she isn't anything to be afraid of? I am insanely worried that he may start avoiding his litterbox or spraying though. Has anyone else experienced something similar?
I have a Norwegian forest cat that is 2.5yo and I’ve been thinking about getting a Siberian kitten for a while now. I live in a studio apartment so this video has been super helpful! I also work a full time job tho and I’m a bit concerned about leaving the two alone for ~9 hours during the day.. do you think it’ll be enough time for them to be alone together while I’m at work if I bring the kitten home on a Friday afternoon, maybe take a day off work and spend 3 full days with them first? Or would I absolutely need to find a way to keep them separated when I’m not around
I'm yet to find a video that will help with my kitten. This video assumes the cats will naturally respect the comfort zone, but my new kitten is extremely sociable and will try to jump to the residents as soon as he sees them. Thankfully my house is big enough so i can keep them in separate rooms, but the only way i found to keep them face-to-face is by keeping the kitten in the carrier.
I just need a fast method because I have three cats. Two I rescued already bonded and one of the two was pregnant. The other I’ve had for almost year. My queen (a pregnant or mama cat) is very close to birth and I need to get the none pregnant one to likely other cat asap before her friend gives birth 😂
I wanted to get a one month old kitten for my 4+ year old cat. Mine is male n the new one is also a male. Both are rescued. Mine's entity family was taken away by street dogs when he was a month old n the new one's mom got electrocuted. Tips please
its day 2 and my new kitten still growls and hisses evry time she sees my resident cat (1year old). she even growls through the glass door. im so sad!!! my resident cat doesnt seem to mind. very curious but does hiss back when the kitten hisses. should I continue to separate them until the hissing stops?!
I’m going through this just last night I brought my year old male cat cause I had originally got him when I was living with my mom. She can’t care for him anymore and I brought him with me to my boyfriends house but he has a female cat too that is not spayed. I’m not sure if that’s the root but we live in a studio and it’s difficult just the first full day and it’s rough but I have hope. He got along well with my sisters chihuahua so I’m sure it’s just the change of home for him and her confused to why there is another cat just hissing and growling. No swatting or hitting. They haven’t eaten and I worry :( they hide in the closet together the female on top and male bottom but they hiss and growl. Currently they’re in the bathroom my male in a corner and female in a mini closet above him but they’re both aware :(
We just received a new 12 week old kitten. My 2 year old cat wasn't very happy at first and stayed in the living room. She wouldn't even sleep with me that night 😭 It took about 2 days before she roamed the house again willingly and the two girls were chasing eachother around and playing together. I was so worried at first, thinking it might not work out, but all it took was a little time and effort. They are adjusting wonderfully and last night, both were in the bed!!
I’m struggling with my cats. I think I’m afraid they’ll hurt each other but my mail he’s very docile very calm wags his tails does not try to attack her it’s my female that growls and hisses but she’s not directly attacking him they just won’t get together close enough they just stare at each other and I can’t seem to distract her I’ve tried treats I’ve tried toys I’ve tried laser and he’s fine it’s her. do you have any suggestions?
Good advice but one thing that has worked for my cats is petting newcomer to get their scent on my hand then going immediately to resident cat allowing them to sniff and get familiar with newcomer scent. I then pet resident cat with opposite hand and then allow newcomer to smell resident cat scent. I do this over a few days until I feel confident that they can actually see each other. I hold the newcomer on my lap while talking gently to resident cat as I observe both watching their reactions to actual seeing each other. I spend no more than 3 to 5 minutes on this step as I want it to be a positive experience increasing the time each day. If all goes well I will let resident cat and newcomer an initial direct contact praising both for acknowledging each other and again doing scent exchange. If all goes well I will commence with floor contact between them in a confined area providing food and interactive toys. Again if all goes well I increase the open space until they accept each other. The scent exchange method really does work as cats rely on scent and the more familiar the scent is the more accepting it becomes to them. Hope this method helps but seriously wouldn't it be nice if we could say this is Ostaria and you are sharing your room with Reo and will come to love each other!
I don't recommend it. I added a new cat to a bonded pair and it's changed their personalities so much. Also, it's extremely stressful seeing all cats in a bad mood. I love the new cat and won't return him but I do regret adopting him. I'm sure eventually they'll get along but so far everyone's miserable.
@@elosmilealways this is also my situation, I really like the new cat and don't want to give him away but my cat who was a sweet gentle cat isn't taking very kindly, they growl a lot and occasionally swat at each other. I don't know what to do at this point. I agree it's stressful.
Jackson, thank you so very much! I followed instructions (and even built my own cat screen) and it only took a week of feeding before they became the best of friends. If anyone lives in LA and wants a free cat screen hit me up. Thanks again, Dominic
Thank you for this. I’m in an apartment and I was trying to separate cats. There’s a long hallway and 2 rooms and they were hissing and growling a bit. No fights but I thought I was doing something wrong. I picked up some good ideas from you and some reinforcement that what I’ve been doing is ok. I just got a second rescue cat and the instructions have been tedious. But this video helped a lot. Thank you for putting this out here. We don’t all have space for traditional 2 week separation introductions
Hi! What to do when reintroducing sibling cats to each other. We initially got the 2 kittens (male & female), then decided to get the last sibling a few days after. They were only separated for 4 days. Now, the female kitten is hissing and avoiding the 2 male kittens, but the 2 male kittens played and bonded right away. They're 3 mos old and grew with their mom and dad
I wanna cry I got a new cat and my other male cat keep chasing him and hissing at him and he even stopped eating because he’s so angry I got another cat. I dont know what to do 😭
It's now week two of Pickle (11wk old) getting used to Tilly (8month old) cat getting used to each other. We seperated both of them to begin with but my cat occasionlly visited the other room where she would pin Pickle down biting her. Tilly i feel is showing Pickle who's boss, I have intervened sometimes as Pickle cried & squealed. Yesterday I think we all crossed a bridge, Tilly has started licking Pickle whilst play fighting. Pickle constantly wants to be with my other cat, following her around, they both eat together and occasionally sit face to face comfortabley. My question is..........why does this play fighting end in actual fighting with Tilly going too far. No hisses but Tillys ears are pinned back, I worried the other day as I noticed her biting pickles throat area whilst pinning him down. I cannot believe that Both of them are fast a sleep cuddled up together on my bed. Pickle my kitten is laid belly up with Tillys head resting on it. Never have I witnessed them cuddling up like this. Am I to think Tilly has accepted her new brother. Will this rough fighting towards the end of playing slowly fizzled out. Today we actually saw some positive signs so fingers crossed
Each cat has their own way to play - unfortunately some rougher than others. My Bengal cat loves to wrestle other cats and tends to go a bit overboard with it sometimes. Therefore, it's a good idea to try to tire them out with play so that they can curb that behavior!
PLS HELP.... My 11yr old resident cat is anti social and is afraid of everyone. I got a new kitten and my old cat was terrified....keeps running to hide. I live in 2 story house so she has plenty of places to hide. tried putting them in the same room but the body language of my old cat wasnt good she stuck herself in a corner facing away. It's been 3 days and now my old cat only wants to stay downstairs cause the kitten is upstairs.
I’m pretty sure this introduction process is for people who have no choice since they live In a small one bedroom apartment.. if your cat is antisocial and you have a lot of living space you should’ve did the long introduction process instead of being impatient. Don’t force it youre just stressing your resident cat out at this point. How have things been in the past two weeks after this comment?
I have an 8 year old and tried to introduce a 4 month old and it has failed. My older cat growls, howls and is generally really unhappy. Although they don’t have full on fights. They have been together about two months and there are still problems. Is it too late to go back to try and help them?
Last year and a half I introduced my stray to my indoor cat once the stray became sick of the kidneys and could no longer live outside. They don't get along after almost 18 months. Last week I saved a kitten who's like six or seven weeks old, so it's made things worse. I thought that because it's a kitten and the older cats are female it'd have been easier 😢 I really had no intention of making things bad. I just wanted to do the right thing and save a life
I need to introduce my male neutred cat and male kitten quickly to each other but I'm so anxious. They've seen each other through the glass door and reach out and pawn to each other. My older cat is hissing at him. We switch them out so they can all walk around the house and today they ate together through the glass door. I don't know when I can have them meet
Hi! Thanks for your comment - if the cats are eating through the glass door pretty consistently (and quite close to each other), I think they're ready to meet directly!
LOVE your videos!!! I knew I was going to adopt two semi-feral kitties into a studio apartment (both 6 m.o. girls) and your videos gave me so much hope and excitement! I was really inspired by how you cat-ifed your space and used the vertical space so well. I also really appreciate how you talk about intentional routines and making sure your cats have stimulation all the time. Honestly, huge thanks for your videos and I can't wait to watch more!
Recently introduced a new three month old adopted female kitten to my four month old male I adopted two months before. I realized cats are nocturnal animals so most of the face to face interactions happened in the middle of the night, supervised (I'm retired). In just five days they were playing together and grooming each other. Follow their natural schedules and not yours.
We always timed it so the new one came into the house on Friday giving us the weekend. For us that has always been enough. I never crated a dog or isolated a cat. Even cross species have been best of friends. 🤷♀️
i am digging this aproach to introducing a kitten but i'm stil afraid to know how my cat might react to my new kitten because she was spayed at 5 months old and has never interacted with another cat besides her mom (she was the only one in the litter so no siblings) i really wanna get a second cat to keep her company while i'm at work and also because i want a fellow boy around to have my own little family but my current cat is a bit of a wild card.
Does an intact male and a spayed female have a chance of getting along? The female hasn’t been very fond of the change and has hissed and growled any time we try to interact them. She’s significantly smaller than the male so we unfortunately are afraid to not keep them separated for fear of the female being severely injured. :/
Thanks for the awesome vid! I'm just having some trouble with my cats, they can eat in the same room and have treats but as soon as the food is gone the resident cat will pounce on the new cat. He'll just chase, pounce and bite the new one who doesn't like it and wants to hide. Toys help a bit but the resident cat quickly gets back to staring down the new cat.
Great video! We adopted the second cat 3 weeks ago, and still they don't get along... :( My resident cat (5 year-old female) is simply afraid of a new cat (8 month-old female). She doesn't want to play, she's squatting a lot, hissing at the new cat when she's approaching, hiding... How can I help? Will they be friends one day?
Hi! Thanks for your comment - I think they will become friends one day. However, the older the cats are, the more difficult it is to introduce (as you might have discovered). It doesn't mean that they won't become friends eventually though. Follow the steps religiously and you'll be surprised how much progress (and tolerance) might happen!
Great video. In all my years of introducing dogs and cats I never did the slow separation thing for weeks. We give a couple hours to settle and then start introductions. It's always worked fine and all turn out to be best of friends. Even cross species (dogs to cats and vice versa). It's nice to see someone else using a quicker paced method with success. 😊 Your cats are adorable!
Thank you for this video. We hhave a 21 year old cat and a cat we adopted literally a year ago today and in a few days we are bringing two new cats(currently 13 weeks old). We live in a loft type cabin and we don’t really have a safe place for the kittens. Hopefully this advice will help us get everyone acclimated.
Yes! I would love to hear how this went. I lost 3 of my cats this year (20 year old, 17 year 11 month, and sadly my 14 year old). I have a 12 and 15 year old still. I really want to adopt 2 4 month old kittens but I am having some concerns that my senior cats might be too non-plussed over it.
Hello Monseurtn! I’ve been watching your videos for a while! I’ve been the guardian to a super playful male kitten for 3 months now. He is almost 4 months old. I recently adopted a female kitten, also 4 months old. I didn’t realize that she would be half his size as she’s older than him by 2 weeks. I did everything that i was told to do regarding introductions in separate rooms with feedings, playtime, and, a separation screen. I was initially worried the male kitten would bully the female kitten due to size as well as him being established and her being new. In the beginning he hissed at her and she looked scared. 👀 Now it’s just the opposite. He tries to initiate play with her but she hisses and goes into defensive mode and tries to scratch him. I understand because she’s new and 1/2 his size, that it’s frightening for her. It took two days for her to come around with me. She’s super affectionate and loves cuddles and pets. The male kitty doesn’t like me touching him and he’s very curious and wants to be friends with her. I felt bad that he seemed bored and lonely, although i work from home and play with him, prob more than the average cat guardian. She doesn’t seem to like or enjoy his company :( How can i get her to like him?
I actually have a video coming about this coming in a day or so that will cover those questions! But in general, female cats/kittens will take a bit more time to adapt to new changes. Give it time! You're doing a great job with playing with the male! Remember, everything fun or "yummy" should be done together!
The question is why do ur pets have to like each other? Why force two random cats to be friends? You are a control freak. If I was you, I would isolate them so they can stat happy and won’t have to feel uncomfortable.
I have a 3 year old male cat and i am adopting a 7 month old girl today. I couldn’t sleep last night because I was worried about how my resident cat will feel. Watching your video made me feel better but what do you recommend at night? I usually sleep with my door closed. I’m not sure if I should separate them at night
My uncle’s neighbor brought home a feral cat for rodent control but the cat runs from him and now, after several months of patience acts almost domesticated and so very sweet to me. I named him Mr. Gray. I just put an RV next to the house and brought Mikey, one of my two cats over. I don’t have much control over Mr Gray with him living outside. I’ve only got him to play once or twice. Mikey got out the first day and was immediately stalked. Is there hope in teaching them they’re not a threat to each other? Your video is awesome and gives me hope. I’m new to being a cat person. Dogs I know. Just learning about cats, the hard way. Any advice will be so very much appreciated
might be too late to the video. But what do you think about a 13yo cat and a kitten? we found a 3 day old kitten and we have been nursing him back to health for almost a month (next Saturday he'll be a month old), my old lady cat tends to hiss at him or do some paw punches (no claws), she doesn't seem that comfortable with the little one. I don't want to stress her out of course...but I wonder if it is a good idea for me to keep the kitten because of my old cat. I would love for them to be friends but I haven't seen any progress from her. Maybe he is too little...who knows
Your cats are beautiful together. Unfortunately my cats don't get along. Well, one is desperate to be friends and my og cat has less than zero interest in being friends. She really liked it just with us. It's been a year.
Thank you for this! I live in a single room with the only doors being my bathroom and my closet, so the separation thing just isn't viable. Going to use all of your advice! :)
You're saving my life, holy smokes. I have 2 huge adult Siberians and a 6 month old kitten that somebody abandoned in the snow. Currently on our first day together, with no means to separate the newcomer. I was wondering which behaviours were acceptable - this video answered my questions and then some! Thank you!
I'm so grateful for this!! We are bringing home our new kitten tomorrow and I was so worried about getting my cat to accept her as we do not have a lot of space or time to separate them and introduce them slowly. I will use your method and let you know how it goes, fingers crossed! 🥰🖤
@@lanataliamaria So far so good! There was a little bit of hissing and growling at the beginning, but neither one of them was agressive, just vocal. :D Now they are totally fine chilling in the same room next to each other. I wouldn't say they are fond of each other per se, not yet, but no fighting or any signs of agression. They willingly started to use the same litter box as well. I think 1-2 weeks and they will be best friends. 🥰
I recently rescued a stray female cat, she is one year old. We have another female cat, she is about three years old and two other dogs. The new cat was isolated for one month in a room because she was extremely sick and the vet had to do leaukemia, aids to make sure she was OK. She was also neutered. She healed and gaining weight, however, she is very aggressive towards our dogs and the cat. I desperately want her to get out of the room. I keep switching her to different rooms in the house and closing the door but also putting a leash because she attacks. I tried meal time schedules but the resident cat won't eat and I tried play time but resident cat won't play either.... So it seems I'm in trouble. I need help here!
I’m moving house with my bf and we are both bringing a cat. Mine is 10yrs and his is a kitten around 6months. Can I still use this kind of technique to introduce them? I have never moved with my cat before so it will be very new to him as he’s also never lived with another cat. My hopes are that because it’s a new house to both of them there won’t be any issues with territory at least but I know introducing cats to a new home can have it’s difficulties. Tips?
Yes you're going to be able to use this for them! Since they have quite a big age-gap just give it time. It's not going to happen overnight but with the techniques, it'll slowly strengthen their relationship! It'll just be hard for the first couple of days!
My cats just instantaneously fight each other after introduction. I have been trying to keep them separate because of this. It’s been two weeks. I don’t know how to get them to stop fighting when introduced.
@@monsieurtn I have the same problem. There neutered, spayed and completely healthy. Also my 2 cats of 2.5 years that are friendly together, have really nasty fights everytime i try to introduce a new kitten, maybe because they smell the kitten and dont recognize each other anymore. Please help.
@@monicawysocka1995 Yeah I have, one of them was semi-ok with the new comer while the other was very agressive towards him. This went on for a couple months. Ended up having to give the little one away. I guess some cats are just too territorial.
Hi! If they're both healthy and sterilized then there's only one thing left. You have the right idea, when they smell the kitten, they start becoming territorial because they don't feel secure in the environment - and if there's that much aggression/fights, there's not enough territory/catified spaces to go around. So if it's territorial, there are a couple things we can do: 1. Change/Improve their environment to provide all cats more territory (more vertical spaces) in their environment. Plus the additional territory allows them to escape other cats if they want to. 2. After adding more territory/catified areas, distraction is key. There's many ways to distract - with smells (possibly with feliway), various snacks/food, play environments (tunnels, mats etc.). Hope this helps!
What do you do with the cats between days? Like overnights? Do you keep one separated somehow? Or just let them both free roam the place all night without supervision?
I love how this video is well thought through and built up with all the accompanying materials! I like the coloured graphic about the cat zones it really helps to understand that we should do things gradually, step by step according to our cats' personalities. Thank you!🙏
Hi!! Please I need some advise!! So happened was in the past I did slow introduction with a foster cat and after 2-3 days they both met and get along SO WELL. However this time due to apartment being too small but there is still room for separation, I didn't do that. I started introducing quick as I saw your video and I wanted to try out however my resident cat behave very dominant and attempted to scratch new cat a few times. He hissed and groaned too but the new cat didn't even react and just avoided. I keep them separated tonight so my resident cat doesn't gets too upset and he's comfortably sleeping now but I just feel so bad for the new kitty. Do you think I should continue allowing them to interact or keep them separate? Thanks!!
Those types of behaviors are expected in the first day (growling + swatting). Give it a little bit more time but also follow the strategies consistently. Expend the resident cat's energy with lots of attention, distractions, and play! However, if after a week their relationships have still not improved - then it's best to restart the introductions with slow isolation.
Finally a video that acknowledges small houses. I want to bring a new cat home and I have a small apartment so I’m definitely going yo try this
how did it go??
@@opalfroggy-2156 so far so good ! The resident cat hissed a bit on the first days mas overall great. The only downside is that the new cat was a stray and doesn’t let us come close. I have the litters in different places cuz for like 2 times the new one peed on my moms bed but yeah I was really scared of how it could turn out but now they play and everything
@@sabrinacoelho6079 that's awesome!! im thinking of getting my resident kitty (8 month old tuxie male) a playmate bc he has sooo much energy but i've been scared to make the jump. hopefully we find the perfect cat and they become besties :)
@@opalfroggy-2156 good luck !!
@@sabrinacoelho6079 thank you!! we ended up bringing home a 6 month old kitten a week ago and things are going okay :) he loves to play with her under the door and always tries to get in her room but face to face gets a little hissy on his end bc she loves to get too close too fast. hoping she’ll grow out of it haha and again, they’ll probably just need more time
I bring home a new pet in a crate with the blanket used by my current pets. By the time we get home, the blanket smells are comforting to the newcomer and the resident animals smell themselves on the newbie. 😁 Always works! 💞
Omg what a good idea!:)
Ooh thank you I’ll try this!
This is an amazing idea! We’re going to be getting another cat soon and I will be trying this
A similar technique that I have heard is to use the same brush to brush the cats, thus creating a shared, family smell.
Thank you for this!! I’m gonna try soon!
I just want to say a massive thank you for this video. I live in a small, one-bedroom apartment and this worked for me after only four days. Four! I was expecting the introduction process to last weeks or even months! My girl and her new brother are currently snuggled up sleeping together next to me as I write this. It really works! You're amazing! ❤
4 days! I used your method and within 2 days my two year old tabby was eating side by side with my little blue 10 week old kitten. Now they play, groom, and even occasionally sleep together. Less then a week. There was some hissing and swats by resisdent cat, but I think it helped the kitten wanted to say hello and the older resident just had to yield to his presence and see that it was kinda fun to run around with a playmate.
There was no other room to put baby kitten in, so if this hadn’t worked baby kitten would have needed a new/different home. And I was prepared to go that route. But now we are a happy 2 cat family. 2 is absolutely better than one. They really can now entertain each other. They still have human cuddle and play time, but if human is exhausted, they have each other.
I'm so happy to hear that! You gained a new skill and your cat gained a new companion :)!
I just did this myself before I watched your video. I knew about the smell thing beforehand, and the resident cat loves her carrier and happily jumped in and played before leaving to get a new kitten. I think that greatly helped the newcomer, but the resident cat is tricky because she doesn't even like people company. After an hour or two of cat carrier interaction, only we let him out but did not remove the carrier. We had the same deal newcomer wanted attention from the resident. It made our resident cat have to deal where I think separating them would have taken forever. I have been living in a bedroom at my daughter's and she has a cat that after 6 months we only achieved playing under the door and some smells at the door but no further. 7 days in, we have had sharing bowls, litter boxes, and playing. There is no real cuddling yet, but the resident cat isn't a cuddler anyhow. No major incidents other than resident cat strained vocal chords hissing and growling the 1st day. Didn't even know that was possible until I looked it up. The clapping method works great when it gets slightly rough after a couple of accidental sneak attacks 😂. Your video is spot on. I also changed the room around after a week to accommodate the extra litter box and food bowls. I think this helped as well to break up established areas and allows them to start fresh together while still leaving the carrier out for newcomer and the favorite hammock for our resident. We even had a challenge for the hammock , and our newcomer stood his ground, but the resident cat went in the hammock. Win win in the smell transfer.
in my opinion this is the best method to use even if you don’t have a small living space! i have found that the isolation method will actually cause the resident cat more restless and even agitated depending on their personality. because they feel as if the new comer just waltzed into his home and took a part of it as his own territory and without being up front about it or showing his face! the nerve, haha.
but seriously. it can also cause anxiety and stress for the new comer for many reasons like: 1) feeling cornered in/trapped in a space (sometimes literally) where they can sense the resident cat lurking/smelling/pacing, making them feel unsafe. 2)being overwhelmed by all the new space to discover after getting used to their isolation space, on top of getting used to the resident. 3)false fear instilled into them of what the resident cat is like. if all they’re seeing is a paw from underneath a door and hearing them meow or hiss without seeing them , and seeing the shadows/foot steps of the resident cat pacing on the other side of the door, they start to form a scary idea of what they are like in their minds, basically already having a false prejudice of them. kind of like a little kid that’s afraid of the noise coming from the water heater in the basement. they hear the noise but have never seen it so in their minds they think it’s this big scary monster, causing them to be anxious and uneasy while sleeping.
also the isolation method will usually take attention away from the resident cat, since most of the time the new comer is a kitten and if they’re secluded in a different room/bathroom/etc you have to be consistently checking on them and this can cause the resident cat to not only feel negelected but already dislike the new comer for taking away from their attention they like to pretend they don’t want 😂
it also makes the process of introducing a newcomer into the home much more lengthy in general.
the method in your video not only gives them they’re own space with the separate liter boxes and distanced bowls but also unites these separate spaces which is a major key! this way they know they can have their own space but there is also room for everyone!
thank you so much for sharing this video for i think it’s not only helpful for people with small homes but also helpful in making the experience easier on the cats when it comes to feelings of fear/anxiety/neglection/etc!
my only thing and it’s probably just an ocd thing, but i cannot feed my cats from one bowl. they all have their own food and water bowls, even if they drink from one water bowl more than the others, or even if they are okay with switching bowls while eating (sometimes they end up with different wet food flavors haha) they have to have their own bowls, this way i can keep track of how much they’re eating. which also helps with figuring out if one of them isn’t feeling too well, because it makes it easier to keep track of their appetite!
keep up the great content, sending love to your kitties! ♡
btw, my opinion is based on experience. i have introduced cats both ways and the isolation method took over a month for the cats to even be in the same room. then in feb of 2022, i was living with my mom and had my sphynx cat. one day in a terrible rain/thunder storm we noticed a kitten crying under the car parked in front of us. he was about just 6 weeks old. we just HAD to take him in. he was soaking wet and starving, and my mom fell in love with him right away. so we used this method instead to introduce them and although my sphynx Charlie was eye rolling and hissing and giving me major attitude the first two days, especially when i was looking after the new guy Fendi for my mom while she was at work. by the 5th day they were doing everything together from playing, to watching the birds, to cuddling. Charlie was even grooming him and holding him like he was his own baby! after just a few funny faces when discovering grooming him was different than grooming himself since he had hair hahaha.
they still love to cuddle when they see eachother to this day, except now fendi is the one usually holding onto him since he’s a huge fatty and charlie was a premie! lol
@@ForbiddenKitten as for water bowls, have you tried a pet water fountain? Until recently we had two cats who tolerated each other, (I didn’t know about effective methods of introducing them 11 years ago!), but they both ended up loving their water fountain. The older cat took 2 days to get used to it, the younger one two weeks. It has two spouts and they’d often drink from it at the same time, side by side. Perhaps that might be an option and save a little space. The one I bought was from Amazon - the Ofat Home Cat Water Fountain with Power Adapter 2L/67oz.
Meanwhile, I’m glad to hear this method of introducing cats works, as we may get another cat after our almost 15 year old Mr Misha died.
3 to 5 days??? 😭 We are on 2 weeks & Counting
Wow your house look more like a cat home instead of a human home
Finally, a video dealing with small spaces. I have a one bedroom apt
This is insanely good!! I’m a definite cat person but always found introductions challenging. Thank you for posting these excellent points.
Hello pretty laura how are you doing
I took a lot of good information from this video, but ultimately my cats were not compatible with a zero-isolation phase. That being said, there is still hope! We borrowed a large dog crate from a friend for our kitten and isolated him in the loft. From there we proceeded with steps outlined by Jackson Galaxy. The process is still underway, but the kitties played nicely for a whole two hours yesterday with only one time out!
Thanks for your comment! The traditional isolation introduction definitely still works and recommended if you can do it! I just wanted to show that introductions can be done without isolation/separation for the people that have no other room to put the cats in.
Hello pretty Lady how are you doing
Brilliant. I'm stressing because I've been taking care of a stray female cat and she's been living on my porch in her own little cat house for 2 weeks. My own male cat has encountered her many times outside and is aware that she lives there. I desperately want to bring her in the house but so nervous about it
I'm going thru the exactly same situation! I'm so stressed
How are things going?
I'm going through something very similar. The stray is a male cat who seems to be less than 2 years old. And my female cat (spayed) just turned 1. They've met each other and the male actually attached her when she was a just 3 months old. My cat still hisses at him. I really want to adopt him since he's got no one and is in dire need of medical help.
So please let us know here how it went with your cats.
@@nichellemonteiro4655 how’s it going? Did it work
I literally did that exact thing today. I’m here for that reason.
I just realized a lot of people are having this same situation/experience! Interesting!
If it were me, during mealtimes I would place the bowl one bowl on the porch for the outside cat and another bowl behind the door/gate for your indoor cat. Make sure they can see each other while they eat.
It's basically the same concept: if you can control their mealtimes you can control how they view each other and with time and consistency - the cats will at least tolerate each other!
My experience has been that introducing a new cat is always much easier to a household that already has two or more cats. The established cats tend to be less territorial and are already used to not being the only cat; and the new cat realizes they are outnumbered and less likely to be aggressive toward the established cats. Introducing cat #2 to the single established cat is always the riskiest, so I prefer to always have at least three.
This makes me feel less crazy about buying a third cat 😂
@@georgia3045I have a dog and two cats and about to add TWO MORE CATS this coming weekend😵💫 My daughter has to rehome her two 8 month old male kittens, and I can’t let them go to a shelter- they’re sweethearts. Introducing 4 cats together plus a hyper year old big dog… what am I getting myself into 😂 My one resident cat is a 2 year old female that’s still playful, so she’s gonna love it… but the other resident cat is a 8-9 year old grumpy male that’s kinda territorial… he’s the one I’m worried about.
I have a territorial cat and so far just hissing... I hope she'll love her soon
This is exactly what I'm doing this evening 🙄
That's very encouraging because I have two sisters who are two and a half years old that I've had for 2 years and I just have a new 8 week old kitten
The introduction is WORKING our two cats are getting more comfortable! And are playing while they see each other each of them get their own play time so no jealousy occurs during bonding time
I feel bad for ur cats. It’s like you dictate who they get to be friends with. You are forcing the bonds of two random cats just so you can create this fantasy family and fanfic cat bond.
@@knee_gah335 ok psycho
@@ghostsnipertrue how is it logical to separate siblings? So you can fantasize a non existent bond between 2 random cats? You guys are like those weirdos who match and arrange couples against their will for wedding. It’s also like separating siblings in foster care to be put up with random ppl.
I came back to this video just to say that it worked, thank you so much! 2 days of semi isolation and 2 days of this method. Started with hisses, growls, and paw throwing. Now they call for each other. :))
Great video and Great tips. One question, What should we do if the cats are not interested in playing at all? We have tried their favorite toys. When the cats are together it usually just is both of them looking at each other for a long time with one hissing/swatting if the other gets too close. After awhile of looking at each other it goes into some fighting (no blood, no fur) with one cat screaming (other cat does not, just seems like they want to play?) and the one cat gets scared off.
I’m having literally the same situation right now. What worked for you and your cats? Thank you ❤️
You are so cool! Your apartment is impressive. Love everything you’ve done for your lucky kitties!
Thank you for the tips. I've implemented these and I think my new cat is slowly integrating with the older ones. They are hissing at him less everyday and there's less aggression, less swatting everyday.
I'm glad it's been helping! I hope that they're fully adapted/integrated now.
Hi, what's up with this situation, are they friends now?
Hi do you have an update?
@@muriardilla Oh, they got to be great friends after a few days of hostility. The female cat was more hostile towards the new cat than the male one, but she became the first one to befriend him. The sight of her grooming him for the first time melted my heart! The male one befriended him as well. They get along great!
@@rachelp3949 Yes, happy mom to 3 cats. They are getting along like a happy family. Leo and Twiggy do have some fights nowadays that look a little different to me than Twiggy and Gumball's play fights but no concerns otherwise. They get along so well. I was so worried when I first introduced him to Gumball and Twiggy. We were shocked by Twiggy's reaction. Twiggy, our sweet, petite, innocent babe with big doe eyes became a completely different character. Her whole body stiffened, she was hissing at him, she just started to look like a different cat altogether. But within a few days of trying really hard, I found her grooming him. She was the first one to accept him. She became her sweet lovely self again. And, Gumball is such loving big brother to him too! They are doing great!
We're having a tough time introducing our 12yr Fem LH Mackerel to our 13 week old Male Fawn boy. Our old girl lost her older 14 year old companion 3 weeks ago to jaw cancer. We had to put him down. They get close but she still hisses and growls at him. He still falls down and shows submissive responsives. I completely understand her. Who tf wants to deal with a 4yr at 64?
How is it going? I'm sorry for your loss as well
This is so useful. I tried the slow method before and it actually backfired horribly. We're getting a new kitten this week so I will definitely be using this advice!
how is it going at the moment? need Update
@@godwrote01 Going really well! They're definitely not buddies, but my older cat lets the kitten get close to him as long as he's respectful. They even play chase sometimes.
For full transparency, we did start *a little slowly* by keeping him in the bathroom for a few days, but part of that was because we discovered he was malnourished and didn't have much strength, and we wanted to let him recover. We also used a Feliway diffuser (multicat) nearby, and I think that really helped take the edge off of the older cat's stress.
A few days later, we ended up using a piece of clear acrylic as a janky "baby gate", so older cat could observe him fully and study him. Th kitten was too little to jump over it, and Old cat disliked the kitten's smell so much at that time, we felt like we could trust him to not intrude into the bathroom, which he didn't.
Then on day four, we let them interact face-to face. Kitten rushed right at Old cat, which made him hiss at him. But Kitten quickly learned he should give Old cat space, and since then, there's been very little conflict!
bit of a late question, but how did the slow method backfire for you if you don’t mind my asking ?
I honestly felt like giving up until I saw this video. In just about 3 days my kittens are playing together. This video was a great help, I watched many videos and none worked.
Thank you so much
you know what, the slow introduction method intimidated me like hell before even having the second cat arrived. Having read all these positive comments below, I think I'm just gonna get a laser and bring them together after a few days, we'll see what happens.
exactly, that whole mindset difficult that you just end up thinking you're a bad cat owner and give up _everything_
I'm looking at adopting another cat and I've watched a few videos on cat introductions now and they all seem to be missing one thing, what do you do when you go to bed to prevent fights while you're sleeping? My biggest fear is something will happen at night when I can't intervene before it gets out of hand. Any advice would be greatly appreciated
This man knows what he’s talking about!!
Thank you so much! RUclips at it’s Prime!!! A Life safer!!
This is so helpful. I too have a 1 bedroom apartment and I’ve cried too many times because my resident cat is super hissy. They’re both around 3 and some of these comments make me realize it’ll all be worth it. I wanted her to have a cat because I’m gone for work for 8-9 hours a day. I’m glad hissing is acceptable and I’ll update y’all when they start getting along
any updates ?
update?? my resident cat (8 months old) is hissy at the new cat (8 weeks old)
I had already started introducing this way before I watched the video. We’re on day 3 and my kitten is acting like she owns the place, barely noticing my older cat. Older cat is curious and always watching the new cat, but hissing. New kitten is able to walk inches by her without too much fuss, a bit of hissing, a little growling, but no swatting or bigger fighting. Tonight she jumped on the bed for the first time. Trying to teach kitten the bed is where we relax and cuddle, so hopefully it will become a middle ground for all of us.
Hey! Any news now? Same situation, new kitten arrived to our flat, older cat hisses and growling if the small one comes near him. Now 2 days passed nothing has changed Im guessing how long will this last. When will the oldie find peace with the newcomer.
@@1234loci what happened? I have the same situation.
Thank you for this! I live in a one bedroom apartment with a 3yr old cat and I was thinking of getting a kitten, but there’s no way to separate them so they could acclimate to each other. This was super helpful. 😊
Hello pretty Lady how are you doing
Did it go right?? Bcs I have 3male 1 and 1/2year cat and bought a female kitten today
@@sid_28how did that go? my new female kitten seems to completely hate my resident kitten
what about night time where you cant supervise the cats?
That was very helpful! We are on day 9. Things are going quite well, but we aren’t quite there yet.
The 3 played really good today, each taking turns at attacking the flying toy. Eating and litter box is going well.
My resident cats still have that barrier but are getting more relaxed.
Thank you 🙏🏼 for this. I did a semi traditional intro b/w 6 yo & 2 mo cat. Small was in a bathroom w pocket door. When I’d open door big would peep. Both curious. Small would always cry & big camp outside the door. In less than a week they were interacting & getting along well. Now they only come to me for food ☹️ haha 😜 so glad they are both good tho
I'm glad your introduction went well! Sometimes owners have to improvise hahaha
Just an idea but would having something with the new cat's scent help the resident one to acknowledge them and vice versa? I'm asking because I own a european shorthair and in a few months, a ragdoll will move in.
That would be a good idea if you have the chance to do that! It'll allow the process to get a little bit smoother!
Why does my cats keep fighting even though they know each other?🤔
This is a great video! I use nearly the same method myself, as a lifelong cat owner who is always making space for rescues and trying to pair kitties up as lifetime buddies.
This guy is really into cats. Just look at that apartment. When we got our former cats, about 20 years ago, we just brought the new kitten in and plopped him on the floor. The original cat hissed and went to hide. The new cat hid too. After several days, they approached each other with no fighting. I don't know if all cats are like this, but perhaps we are overthinking the introduction thing. We have a new kitten now who is about 12 weeks old. We may be getting an older kitten of about 7 months old soon. Not sure what to expect. Both cats are from shelters. We could have "Oh boy, a friend" or outright war.
I can never believe how beautiful Latte is... We had a really sweet bengal at my family home and she was so much tinier, I guess they come in a lot of shapes! Always excited to see another one of your videos, I just got my 2 birman kittens a few days ago and I've definitely been able to use your advice, last night I got my first full night of sleep since arrival thanks to your advice about how to tire cats out and how to play with them best :) I'm thinking once they're bigger and calmer in a few years I'll try adopting a third cat from a shelter. Just out of curiosity, if you ever moved into a bigger apartment would you guys consider another cat or do you think with 4 you've reached your ideal number for a little group?
It's quite surprising to me as well that Bengals can look so different from each other! A lot of the other Bengal cats that I have seen here in Korea were quite muscular and large. Latte is somehow quite slender and a lot smaller in comparison. I'm surprised to hear that you had a smaller Bengal cat than Latte!
If I moved to a larger place, yes I think another cat is always going to be a consideration for me (such is the life of a cat lover) but I'm quite satisfied with the dynamic and relationships that my cats have with each other. So I would have to think carefully about it but I do have a soft spot these days for...specific hairless breed hahaha.
Oooorrrrr…… why not adopt from the same litter? Seems more logical ain’t it?
I just released the kitten in the presence of the older cat. The kitten approached the elder, the old cat hissed and walked away. That was all. They have been loving ever since.
I think people tend to make a much bigger deal of introducing than it needs to be IMHO. We use a method like you do and it's always worked.
This video was a lifesaver! I brought home a new 2months old kitten and my 2year old boy was having a hard time. It took 2 days ONLY! For them to become friends. We did everything you shared. Such a helpfup video. Thankyou so much❤
I got a new kitten today. My toys do not distract both cats, how did you guys manage to do it? And what did you guys do at night ?
Your suction cop idea for the walls is incredible. Thanks for the new idea
Introducing cats is like the borg .... older cat: i am alpha cat you will bow down to me and be assimilated. RESISTANCE is futile ... followed by head bops 😂
Such shiny coats! What food do you feed them? I can’t wait to check out your website and look at the different products you use, I love those window shelves and I’ve never seen a cat tree like that one before!
We have two siamese blue point kittens that just turned 6 months. We picked up a 4month old exotic shorthair 3 days ago.He's been in my son's room isolated. I started your technique today with pretty good success. Little bit of hissing but they were all distracted by the laser pointer. I was also giving them treats at the same time. Very minimal hissing but better than day 1 for sure. Hope to have them playing with each other soon.
I'm glad it's been working! How are your cats now?
If I were you, I would’ve have them separated. You can’t force two cats to bond with each other you don’t get to pick who ur cat gets to be friends with. Next time, adopt 2 bonded cats in pair.
Thank you! thank you! thank you!
I started by doing the isolation method but my older cat was not happy. He kept hissing and getting aggressive. I did one play and feeding session last night after watching this video and now this morning they’re eating near each other and playing together. My older cat is biting the kitten’s neck but no more hissing or growling.
Thank you for this! I’ve got a 10 year old and am bringing in an 11 year old and both are used to lots of human and other cat interaction. I really think isolation is gonna be harder on them both than if I’m just watching all interactions. I’ll keep the new 11 year old in his own space to sleep as he’s used to sleeping in a cat bed by himself for a few weeks though.
How did that go? Please give us an update.
We have a 12-year-old male who is very social, and tomorrow we are bringing home a 10-year old male, also very social. We are really hoping they will be good buddies. 😸😸
@@EPalssonWe actually kept them apart for about 3 weeks and it wasn’t going well at all. A year later and they still don’t love each other all that much but I’ve gotta a two level house with a basement so there’s plenty of “territory” for both of them.
Every now and then they sniff each other up and sit side by side, so I’ll take it! I don’t need them to be best friends, I just don’t want them stressed or trying to rip each other’s fur out 😂
Thank you for the video! I'm thinking of getting another cat for my resident cat. The problem is that my cat is very picky and would rather starve than eating on other's schedule.... I hope I will be able to do the introduction without it...
Help please 😩 I need advice from someone with a similar experience.
I rescued Salem as a 7ish week old kitten from outside back in October and he is now approximately 5 months old and neutered. He plays with our two XL dogs fine but has been developing only kitten syndrome. So I started looking for a friend for him and I found a 4ish month old female that I brought home 3 days ago. Their first impression of each other didn't go well as Salem was startled by seeing her in his crate and now he appears to be terrified of her 😭 he is stressed as well. We had started off by keeping her in the bedroom and scent swapping. Now he isn't eating much, has gotten one instance of diarrhea, and has vomited once as well.
I guess I'm wondering if the separation makes his fear of her worse and would it possibly be better to go this route so he can see that she isn't anything to be afraid of? I am insanely worried that he may start avoiding his litterbox or spraying though. Has anyone else experienced something similar?
I have a Norwegian forest cat that is 2.5yo and I’ve been thinking about getting a Siberian kitten for a while now. I live in a studio apartment so this video has been super helpful!
I also work a full time job tho and I’m a bit concerned about leaving the two alone for ~9 hours during the day.. do you think it’ll be enough time for them to be alone together while I’m at work if I bring the kitten home on a Friday afternoon, maybe take a day off work and spend 3 full days with them first? Or would I absolutely need to find a way to keep them separated when I’m not around
How did it go?
I'm yet to find a video that will help with my kitten. This video assumes the cats will naturally respect the comfort zone, but my new kitten is extremely sociable and will try to jump to the residents as soon as he sees them. Thankfully my house is big enough so i can keep them in separate rooms, but the only way i found to keep them face-to-face is by keeping the kitten in the carrier.
Nice to see experimentation.
But I have to assume this won't work for all pairings of cats, of course.
I just need a fast method because I have three cats. Two I rescued already bonded and one of the two was pregnant. The other I’ve had for almost year. My queen (a pregnant or mama cat) is very close to birth and I need to get the none pregnant one to likely other cat asap before her friend gives birth 😂
I wanted to get a one month old kitten for my 4+ year old cat. Mine is male n the new one is also a male. Both are rescued. Mine's entity family was taken away by street dogs when he was a month old n the new one's mom got electrocuted. Tips please
its day 2 and my new kitten still growls and hisses evry time she sees my resident cat (1year old). she even growls through the glass door. im so sad!!! my resident cat doesnt seem to mind. very curious but does hiss back when the kitten hisses. should I continue to separate them until the hissing stops?!
thank you so much for this video! I live in a small apartment with a cat and recently brought in a kitten, and this helped tremendously!
I’m going through this just last night I brought my year old male cat cause I had originally got him when I was living with my mom. She can’t care for him anymore and I brought him with me to my boyfriends house but he has a female cat too that is not spayed. I’m not sure if that’s the root but we live in a studio and it’s difficult just the first full day and it’s rough but I have hope. He got along well with my sisters chihuahua so I’m sure it’s just the change of home for him and her confused to why there is another cat just hissing and growling. No swatting or hitting. They haven’t eaten and I worry :( they hide in the closet together the female on top and male bottom but they hiss and growl. Currently they’re in the bathroom my male in a corner and female in a mini closet above him but they’re both aware :(
We just received a new 12 week old kitten. My 2 year old cat wasn't very happy at first and stayed in the living room. She wouldn't even sleep with me that night 😭 It took about 2 days before she roamed the house again willingly and the two girls were chasing eachother around and playing together. I was so worried at first, thinking it might not work out, but all it took was a little time and effort. They are adjusting wonderfully and last night, both were in the bed!!
I’m struggling with my cats. I think I’m afraid they’ll hurt each other but my mail he’s very docile very calm wags his tails does not try to attack her it’s my female that growls and hisses but she’s not directly attacking him they just won’t get together close enough they just stare at each other and I can’t seem to distract her I’ve tried treats I’ve tried toys I’ve tried laser and he’s fine it’s her. do you have any suggestions?
Good advice but one thing that has worked for my cats is petting newcomer to get their scent on my hand then going immediately to resident cat allowing them to sniff and get familiar with newcomer scent. I then pet resident cat with opposite hand and then allow newcomer to smell resident cat scent. I do this over a few days until I feel confident that they can actually see each other. I hold the newcomer on my lap while talking gently to resident cat as I observe both watching their reactions to actual seeing each other. I spend no more than 3 to 5 minutes on this step as I want it to be a positive experience increasing the time each day. If all goes well I will let resident cat and newcomer an initial direct contact praising both for acknowledging each other and again doing scent exchange. If all goes well I will commence with floor contact between them in a confined area providing food and interactive toys. Again if all goes well I increase the open space until they accept each other. The scent exchange method really does work as cats rely on scent and the more familiar the scent is the more accepting it becomes to them. Hope this method helps but seriously wouldn't it be nice if we could say this is Ostaria and you are sharing your room with Reo and will come to love each other!
I've had a 2nd cat for a while now she doesn't accept my 1st cat they are always fighting so idk if I can still introduce them
i’m thinking of fostering a cat, but i have a cat at home who’s never been or seen with other cats and is a little viscous😅
same
I'm trying this tommorow we're on the same page. Hope it works
I don't recommend it. I added a new cat to a bonded pair and it's changed their personalities so much. Also, it's extremely stressful seeing all cats in a bad mood. I love the new cat and won't return him but I do regret adopting him. I'm sure eventually they'll get along but so far everyone's miserable.
@@elosmilealways this is also my situation, I really like the new cat and don't want to give him away but my cat who was a sweet gentle cat isn't taking very kindly, they growl a lot and occasionally swat at each other. I don't know what to do at this point. I agree it's stressful.
@@Escura_Raina how are your cats? iam having the same situation right now but im not sure if they´ll get along
This was great! Our kittens have started playing together now that we have fed them together as you described. What a relief 😢 thanks!
Jackson, thank you so very much! I followed instructions (and even built my own cat screen) and it only took a week of feeding before they became the best of friends. If anyone lives in LA and wants a free cat screen hit me up.
Thanks again,
Dominic
What do you do at night with the new kitty? Do you just let the new kitty roam freely among your other cats or put him in the carrier?
At night I just let them roam but I will have their carrier around so they can go in if they want a bit more security from the other cats.
Thank you for this. I’m in an apartment and I was trying to separate cats. There’s a long hallway and 2 rooms and they were hissing and growling a bit. No fights but I thought I was doing something wrong. I picked up some good ideas from you and some reinforcement that what I’ve been doing is ok. I just got a second rescue cat and the instructions have been tedious. But this video helped a lot. Thank you for putting this out here. We don’t all have space for traditional 2 week separation introductions
any update?
Hi! What to do when reintroducing sibling cats to each other. We initially got the 2 kittens (male & female), then decided to get the last sibling a few days after. They were only separated for 4 days. Now, the female kitten is hissing and avoiding the 2 male kittens, but the 2 male kittens played and bonded right away. They're 3 mos old and grew with their mom and dad
I wanna cry I got a new cat and my other male cat keep chasing him and hissing at him and he even stopped eating because he’s so angry I got another cat. I dont know what to do 😭
I’m hoping my new male cat gets on with my female cat 😭😭😭
It's now week two of Pickle (11wk old) getting used to Tilly (8month old) cat getting used to each other. We seperated both of them to begin with but my cat occasionlly visited the other room where she would pin Pickle down biting her. Tilly i feel is showing Pickle who's boss, I have intervened sometimes as Pickle cried & squealed. Yesterday I think we all crossed a bridge, Tilly has started licking Pickle whilst play fighting. Pickle constantly wants to be with my other cat, following her around, they both eat together and occasionally sit face to face comfortabley. My question is..........why does this play fighting end in actual fighting with Tilly going too far. No hisses but Tillys ears are pinned back, I worried the other day as I noticed her biting pickles throat area whilst pinning him down.
I cannot believe that Both of them are fast a sleep cuddled up together on my bed. Pickle my kitten is laid belly up with Tillys head resting on it. Never have I witnessed them cuddling up like this. Am I to think Tilly has accepted her new brother. Will this rough fighting towards the end of playing slowly fizzled out.
Today we actually saw some positive signs so fingers crossed
Each cat has their own way to play - unfortunately some rougher than others. My Bengal cat loves to wrestle other cats and tends to go a bit overboard with it sometimes. Therefore, it's a good idea to try to tire them out with play so that they can curb that behavior!
PLS HELP.... My 11yr old resident cat is anti social and is afraid of everyone. I got a new kitten and my old cat was terrified....keeps running to hide. I live in 2 story house so she has plenty of places to hide. tried putting them in the same room but the body language of my old cat wasnt good she stuck herself in a corner facing away. It's been 3 days and now my old cat only wants to stay downstairs cause the kitten is upstairs.
I’m pretty sure this introduction process is for people who have no choice since they live In a small one bedroom apartment.. if your cat is antisocial and you have a lot of living space you should’ve did the long introduction process instead of being impatient. Don’t force it youre just stressing your resident cat out at this point. How have things been in the past two weeks after this comment?
What about overnight when I can’t supervise?
I have an 8 year old and tried to introduce a 4 month old and it has failed. My older cat growls, howls and is generally really unhappy. Although they don’t have full on fights. They have been together about two months and there are still problems. Is it too late to go back to try and help them?
Last year and a half I introduced my stray to my indoor cat once the stray became sick of the kidneys and could no longer live outside. They don't get along after almost 18 months.
Last week I saved a kitten who's like six or seven weeks old, so it's made things worse. I thought that because it's a kitten and the older cats are female it'd have been easier 😢 I really had no intention of making things bad. I just wanted to do the right thing and save a life
If you like animals and have a heart you'll mostly subconsciously/naturally do the right things.
I need to introduce my male neutred cat and male kitten quickly to each other but I'm so anxious. They've seen each other through the glass door and reach out and pawn to each other. My older cat is hissing at him. We switch them out so they can all walk around the house and today they ate together through the glass door. I don't know when I can have them meet
Hi! Thanks for your comment - if the cats are eating through the glass door pretty consistently (and quite close to each other), I think they're ready to meet directly!
LOVE your videos!!! I knew I was going to adopt two semi-feral kitties into a studio apartment (both 6 m.o. girls) and your videos gave me so much hope and excitement! I was really inspired by how you cat-ifed your space and used the vertical space so well. I also really appreciate how you talk about intentional routines and making sure your cats have stimulation all the time. Honestly, huge thanks for your videos and I can't wait to watch more!
Hello pretty Lady how are you doing
Recently introduced a new three month old adopted female kitten to my four month old male I adopted two months before. I realized cats are nocturnal animals so most of the face to face interactions happened in the middle of the night, supervised (I'm retired). In just five days they were playing together and grooming each other. Follow their natural schedules and not yours.
going to have a cat war today it seems
I love that this exists, but how is it even possible fot people who have a job or school and cannot be on top of their cats 24-7
We always timed it so the new one came into the house on Friday giving us the weekend. For us that has always been enough. I never crated a dog or isolated a cat. Even cross species have been best of friends. 🤷♀️
i am digging this aproach to introducing a kitten but i'm stil afraid to know how my cat might react to my new kitten because she was spayed at 5 months old and has never interacted with another cat besides her mom (she was the only one in the litter so no siblings) i really wanna get a second cat to keep her company while i'm at work and also because i want a fellow boy around to have my own little family but my current cat is a bit of a wild card.
Does an intact male and a spayed female have a chance of getting along? The female hasn’t been very fond of the change and has hissed and growled any time we try to interact them. She’s significantly smaller than the male so we unfortunately are afraid to not keep them separated for fear of the female being severely injured. :/
Thanks for the awesome vid! I'm just having some trouble with my cats, they can eat in the same room and have treats but as soon as the food is gone the resident cat will pounce on the new cat. He'll just chase, pounce and bite the new one who doesn't like it and wants to hide. Toys help a bit but the resident cat quickly gets back to staring down the new cat.
Great video! We adopted the second cat 3 weeks ago, and still they don't get along... :( My resident cat (5 year-old female) is simply afraid of a new cat (8 month-old female). She doesn't want to play, she's squatting a lot, hissing at the new cat when she's approaching, hiding... How can I help? Will they be friends one day?
Hi! Thanks for your comment - I think they will become friends one day. However, the older the cats are, the more difficult it is to introduce (as you might have discovered). It doesn't mean that they won't become friends eventually though. Follow the steps religiously and you'll be surprised how much progress (and tolerance) might happen!
@@monsieurtn Thank you, you gave me hope... I needed that.
@@jessicagrande6760 how is it going now?
Thank you for this information-we are wanting a second cat but the whole separation/isolation thing isn’t going to work the way our home is set up.
Thank you so much for this …. Big question please what to do for the nights ? All free kitten or place in the carrier…
Great video. In all my years of introducing dogs and cats I never did the slow separation thing for weeks. We give a couple hours to settle and then start introductions. It's always worked fine and all turn out to be best of friends. Even cross species (dogs to cats and vice versa). It's nice to see someone else using a quicker paced method with success. 😊
Your cats are adorable!
THANK YOU! I want to bring in a third cat but have been putting it off because of lack of space for introduction. This tutorial gives me hope.
How do I prepare or what can I do for times during introduction when I’m at work during the day ?
Thank you for this video. We hhave a 21 year old cat and a cat we adopted literally a year ago today and in a few days we are bringing two new cats(currently 13 weeks old). We live in a loft type cabin and we don’t really have a safe place for the kittens. Hopefully this advice will help us get everyone acclimated.
How’d it go??
Yes! I would love to hear how this went. I lost 3 of my cats this year (20 year old, 17 year 11 month, and sadly my 14 year old). I have a 12 and 15 year old still. I really want to adopt 2 4 month old kittens but I am having some concerns that my senior cats might be too non-plussed over it.
Hello Monseurtn! I’ve been watching your videos for a while!
I’ve been the guardian to a super playful male kitten for 3 months now. He is almost 4 months old.
I recently adopted a female kitten, also 4 months old. I didn’t realize that she would be half his size as she’s older than him by 2 weeks. I did everything that i was told to do regarding introductions in separate rooms with feedings, playtime, and, a separation screen.
I was initially worried the male kitten would bully the female kitten due to size as well as him being established and her being new. In the beginning he hissed at her and she looked scared. 👀
Now it’s just the opposite. He tries to initiate play with her but she hisses and goes into defensive mode and tries to scratch him.
I understand because she’s new and 1/2 his size, that it’s frightening for her. It took two days for her to come around with me. She’s super affectionate and loves cuddles and pets.
The male kitty doesn’t like me touching him and he’s very curious and wants to be friends with her. I felt bad that he seemed bored and lonely, although i work from home and play with him, prob more than the average cat guardian.
She doesn’t seem to like or enjoy his company :(
How can i get her to like him?
I actually have a video coming about this coming in a day or so that will cover those questions! But in general, female cats/kittens will take a bit more time to adapt to new changes. Give it time! You're doing a great job with playing with the male! Remember, everything fun or "yummy" should be done together!
The question is why do ur pets have to like each other? Why force two random cats to be friends? You are a control freak. If I was you, I would isolate them so they can stat happy and won’t have to feel uncomfortable.
I have a 3 year old male cat and i am adopting a 7 month old girl today. I couldn’t sleep last night because I was worried about how my resident cat will feel. Watching your video made me feel better but what do you recommend at night? I usually sleep with my door closed. I’m not sure if I should separate them at night
My uncle’s neighbor brought home a feral cat for rodent control but the cat runs from him and now, after several months of patience acts almost domesticated and so very sweet to me. I named him Mr. Gray. I just put an RV next to the house and brought Mikey, one of my two cats over. I don’t have much control over Mr Gray with him living outside. I’ve only got him to play once or twice. Mikey got out the first day and was immediately stalked. Is there hope in teaching them they’re not a threat to each other?
Your video is awesome and gives me hope. I’m new to being a cat person. Dogs I know. Just learning about cats, the hard way. Any advice will be so very much appreciated
might be too late to the video. But what do you think about a 13yo cat and a kitten? we found a 3 day old kitten and we have been nursing him back to health for almost a month (next Saturday he'll be a month old), my old lady cat tends to hiss at him or do some paw punches (no claws), she doesn't seem that comfortable with the little one. I don't want to stress her out of course...but I wonder if it is a good idea for me to keep the kitten because of my old cat. I would love for them to be friends but I haven't seen any progress from her. Maybe he is too little...who knows
Your cats are beautiful together. Unfortunately my cats don't get along. Well, one is desperate to be friends and my og cat has less than zero interest in being friends. She really liked it just with us. It's been a year.
Thank you for this! I live in a single room with the only doors being my bathroom and my closet, so the separation thing just isn't viable.
Going to use all of your advice! :)
Use the bathroom, unless it is tiny.
You're saving my life, holy smokes. I have 2 huge adult Siberians and a 6 month old kitten that somebody abandoned in the snow. Currently on our first day together, with no means to separate the newcomer. I was wondering which behaviours were acceptable - this video answered my questions and then some! Thank you!
I'm so grateful for this!! We are bringing home our new kitten tomorrow and I was so worried about getting my cat to accept her as we do not have a lot of space or time to separate them and introduce them slowly.
I will use your method and let you know how it goes, fingers crossed! 🥰🖤
How’s it going? I’m on day 2 of new kitten vs resident 😂
@@lanataliamaria So far so good! There was a little bit of hissing and growling at the beginning, but neither one of them was agressive, just vocal. :D Now they are totally fine chilling in the same room next to each other. I wouldn't say they are fond of each other per se, not yet, but no fighting or any signs of agression. They willingly started to use the same litter box as well. I think 1-2 weeks and they will be best friends. 🥰
how long did u wait to introduce them? i’ve had my kitten for 3 days already and i’m not sure if it’s too early
I recently rescued a stray female cat, she is one year old. We have another female cat, she is about three years old and two other dogs. The new cat was isolated for one month in a room because she was extremely sick and the vet had to do leaukemia, aids to make sure she was OK. She was also neutered. She healed and gaining weight, however, she is very aggressive towards our dogs and the cat. I desperately want her to get out of the room. I keep switching her to different rooms in the house and closing the door but also putting a leash because she attacks. I tried meal time schedules but the resident cat won't eat and I tried play time but resident cat won't play either.... So it seems I'm in trouble. I need help here!
Love this!!! This was the exact situation I was in and your video gave me so much peace of mind and was super helpful!!!
I’m moving house with my bf and we are both bringing a cat. Mine is 10yrs and his is a kitten around 6months. Can I still use this kind of technique to introduce them? I have never moved with my cat before so it will be very new to him as he’s also never lived with another cat. My hopes are that because it’s a new house to both of them there won’t be any issues with territory at least but I know introducing cats to a new home can have it’s difficulties. Tips?
Yes you're going to be able to use this for them! Since they have quite a big age-gap just give it time. It's not going to happen overnight but with the techniques, it'll slowly strengthen their relationship! It'll just be hard for the first couple of days!
My cats just instantaneously fight each other after introduction. I have been trying to keep them separate because of this. It’s been two weeks. I don’t know how to get them to stop fighting when introduced.
Hi! Are you cats neutered and spayed? Usually aggressive behaviors come from having intact cats.
@@monsieurtn I have the same problem. There neutered, spayed and completely healthy. Also my 2 cats of 2.5 years that are friendly together, have really nasty fights everytime i try to introduce a new kitten, maybe because they smell the kitten and dont recognize each other anymore. Please help.
@@monicawysocka1995 Yeah I have, one of them was semi-ok with the new comer while the other was very agressive towards him. This went on for a couple months. Ended up having to give the little one away. I guess some cats are just too territorial.
Hi! If they're both healthy and sterilized then there's only one thing left. You have the right idea, when they smell the kitten, they start becoming territorial because they don't feel secure in the environment - and if there's that much aggression/fights, there's not enough territory/catified spaces to go around. So if it's territorial, there are a couple things we can do:
1. Change/Improve their environment to provide all cats more territory (more vertical spaces) in their environment. Plus the additional territory allows them to escape other cats if they want to.
2. After adding more territory/catified areas, distraction is key. There's many ways to distract - with smells (possibly with feliway), various snacks/food, play environments (tunnels, mats etc.).
Hope this helps!
What do you do with the cats between days? Like overnights? Do you keep one separated somehow? Or just let them both free roam the place all night without supervision?
Wondering this too
I love how this video is well thought through and built up with all the accompanying materials! I like the coloured graphic about the cat zones it really helps to understand that we should do things gradually, step by step according to our cats' personalities. Thank you!🙏
Hi!! Please I need some advise!! So happened was in the past I did slow introduction with a foster cat and after 2-3 days they both met and get along SO WELL. However this time due to apartment being too small but there is still room for separation, I didn't do that. I started introducing quick as I saw your video and I wanted to try out however my resident cat behave very dominant and attempted to scratch new cat a few times. He hissed and groaned too but the new cat didn't even react and just avoided. I keep them separated tonight so my resident cat doesn't gets too upset and he's comfortably sleeping now but I just feel so bad for the new kitty. Do you think I should continue allowing them to interact or keep them separate? Thanks!!
Those types of behaviors are expected in the first day (growling + swatting). Give it a little bit more time but also follow the strategies consistently. Expend the resident cat's energy with lots of attention, distractions, and play!
However, if after a week their relationships have still not improved - then it's best to restart the introductions with slow isolation.
This is so helpful! Thank you.