Cats don’t want friends? Purr-ish the thought

Autumn seems to me the best season of the year for adopting a cat into your household.

Cats may vary greatly in personality, but generally they all are quite sociable creatures and enjoy the company of other cats. Bringing a newcomer into the home is an exciting time for everyone involved, but with a little preparation things should go smoothly.

Please note that this article is geared towards those of you who already own a cat and are thinking of getting a buddy for him or her.

Picking out a pal for your cat is a small kindness and hopefully everyone out there who already is owned by a lone feline will consider adopting another one. Cats are generally kind, mostly wise, often social, always silly and, most of all, loving creatures who will gladly share what portion of your busy life you are able to spend with them.

Although territorial by nature, cats nonetheless can adjust well and share even relatively small territories, such as your average Sudbury apartment. If the introduction is carried out with patience and intelligence, harmony can reign, even in a smaller environment. Tried and true techniques exist that can greatly increase the chance for a peaceful introduction of a new cat and, hopefully within a short while, your resident feline will have a boon companion.

Introductions
All new introductions should be gradual, so as not to stress either cat. A great way to do this is to confine your newcomer to just one room, even a bathroom if necessary, for the first few days. Let them smell each other under the door to get used to each other's odour and sound.

To smooth the introduction, there is a great product called Feliway, a readily available spray containing a pheromone (odourless to us) that helps calm anxious cats. While doing this, feeding treats to both kitties and giving praise all the while is a must.

Past the first day or two, it's a good idea to allow the newcomer to roam your home while your resident pussycat is confined to a room he/she is used too. This will introduce your resident cat(s) to the newcomer's smell in a gradual way. Later, when the cats have the first face-to-face encounter, it will make things much more amicable for the newcomer if he or she “knows the ground” as it were.

If the new cat is calmer, it will greatly facilitate a smoother introduction.

Making friends
After a few days, you can wedge the door open with door stoppers on either side, but only so much as they can see each other, but not actually get through to each other. This is the last step before actually opening the door.

When that day comes (after two or three days), there will still always be a little hissing, a little posturing and perhaps a false charge or two. Rarely is there a fight, but if it appears to get nasty never use your hand or foot to break up a spat — toss a towel or sheet over them to turn out the lights on the fight and gently herd them away with a pillow or thick blanket.

Never risk your hands or get your face too close — in the heat of the moment, they may not know the difference between the apparent adversary and your arm.

If you take your time and supervise the introduction in the ways mentioned, it is often successful.

Older cats can be crankier
Of course all these precautions may quickly seem unwarranted. I have seen an older established cat family in a household accept a newcomer in just a matter of hours. It all depends on the cats involved and your patience.

If your cat is older and has never had a cat companion, there may be more work involved, and you will have to go slower. Best to err on the side of a slower successful introduction than push too quickly. A set-back may require months of re-introducing each other or even jeopardize the notion of having a new addition altogether. However, if you persevere, it almost always successful.

Often, there will be a brief period of hissing, but it is short lived. The now multi-cat household will settle down as a new order is established. Of course, it is good idea, too, to get your new furry family member checked out by your veterinarian to be sure he or she is healthy and vaccinated prior to the big introduction.

Seeing many cats, I am certain in households where there are two or more felines (provided they are adequately provided for in terms of good food, shelter and love) the cats in that household will be more affectionate, less nervous and all around better adjusted to our modern lives.

Dr. Nicole Baran is the owner and operator of Sudbury Regional Cat Hospital.