How to Introduce Cats
Here are the best practices for introducing your new cat/kitten to their home. We are here to help with suggestions and advice, and have cited several experts. The goal of this handout is to minimize stress, ensure the wellbeing of every member of the household, and to create a seamless transition from foster to forever. These are minimum suggested timelines, but every cat is an individual, so we suggest going back a step if you’re experiencing problems.
Days 1-2:
It takes a cat 2 days to get their bearings in a new environment. They are going to hear, smell, and see new things-we encourage you to use the ComfortZone spray that was included with your adoption gift.
Confine the cat/kitten to one room that cannot be accessed by other pets. We are going to call this the “safe room”.
This room should contain their litterbox, carrier and blanket, food, and water. Try to distance the food/water from the litterbox.
Your new pet may be nervous, may hide, or may not eat or drink as much as you expect. The items we provide smell like their foster home which will help them feel more at home.
Hiding is a natural instinct to help a cat feel safe-do not force them out of hiding. Encourage them with treats, toys, and by sitting and talking to them frequently throughout the day.
Once they are fully comfortable in this space, you can move to the next step.
Days 3-14
During the next two weeks, you’ll be steadily introducing the cat/kitten to their new family, home, and encouraging your current pets to see their addition as a positive thing.
Use the ComfortZone spray or purchase Feliway/ComfortZone/pheromone plug-ins in the space closest to the safe room.
Feed your other pets a high value treat/food on their side of the door and praise them anytime they interact positively with the door. If they hiss, growl, bark, or dig at the door-redirect them with toys. It’s natural to “soothe” our pets-but that will reinforce fearful behaviors.
Begin scent swapping with your current pet’s bedding, toys, or an item from the house. For example, if your current pet has a favorite blanket, switch this with the new pet’s blanket. We recommend doing this every other day. Encourage both pets to engage with the blanket with treats, toys, and cuddle time.
For dogs, we recommend kenneling them or putting them outside and allowing the new cat/kitten to explore the home for 10-15 minutes; 2-3 times a day.
For cats, we suggest placing them in the safe room and letting the new cat/kitten explore the house for 10-15 minutes; 2-3 times a day.
Treats, toys, and lots of treats for every positive interaction the pets have with each other. If they are hissy but otherwise relaxed, they are talking. You can always send a video to us and we will help decode their body language for you.
The next 2-8 weeks:
It may take a minimum of 2 months for everyone to be friendly and comfortable with each other. A few best practices:
Maintain multiple litterboxes-the rule is 1 per cat +1. This minimizes traffic jams, litterbox avoidance, and stress.
Maintain separate feeding areas-most cats will not share bowls/resources with each other.
Once your cat/kitten has been introduced to your pets and they are getting along comfortably, we recommend the use of baby gates to provide some separation. Baby gates won’t work during the initial 1-2 weeks-everyone needs a firm barrier.
If you’re having difficulty, experiencing fights, or things don’t feel friendly-go back a step or contact us to help troubleshoot.