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VERY IMPORTANT INFO : HOW TO INTRODUCE YOUR CAT/KITTEN INTO YOUR HOME:

When you take your new cat/kitten home, please do not introduce him/her to your other kitty immediately. Cats are territorial and it is best to put new kitty in his/her own room in the house, with his/her own litter tray, so that your other cat/cats can only associate her by smell. Your existing kitty will forget that the allocated room is his/her territory. (Please don’t put new kitty in a room where existing kitty sleeps otherwise it will put his/her nose out of joint) While new kitty is in there, feed him/her and your existing kitty both treats on either side of the door, for example catnip or biltong, so that whilst they are eating their treats, they associate each other’s smell with something good. If your existing kitty does not enjoy any treats, then just put his/her food outside the door. Also take a damp cloth and wipe both of their cheeks, back and forth with the same part of the cloth, so that their smells are rubbed on to each other. Also make sure that ALL the windows are closed in new kitty’s room - even the smallest, highest windows MUST be kept closed, as cats don’t have collar-bones and can squeeze their way through the tiniest gaps. We have far too many sad stories of new cats getting out, never to be seen again, so please be very vigilant about this!  Eventually after about a week or so, start leaving the door open for new kitty, he/she will come out and explore and when he/she feels nervous or afraid, he/she will run back into his/her safe haven. Make sure that you watch your existing kitty very closely when new kitty is out, in case he/she gets too boisterous or nasty. Until you are comfortable and happy that they are firm friends, keep them separated whilst no-one is there to monitor them. I know this is a bit of a slow process, but let me tell you that one or two weeks in your life goes really quickly! It is worth being patient and doing it properly, as once the damage has been done, it mostly can never be undone. There are so many homes where cats have to be kept separate as they don’t like each other, this is mostly due to being thrown in together and not introducing them in the correct manner.

 

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Page updated on May 16, 2012 TOP