Getting along with multiple cats: how to introduce them, step by step
First isolate for two weeks, then exchange smells, and finally eat through the door.
New cats entering the house must be quarantined for 10 to 14 days in a separate room, litter box, and water. This is to check for infectious diseases and to give the two cats a chance to get familiar with each other.
The second step is scent exchange: wipe the cheeks of the two cats with a clean cloth, and then exchange them and put them in each other's activity area. The cheek glands are the cat’s “signature”. If this step is done thoroughly, there will be much less conflicts later.
The third step is to feed through the door or fence, gradually shortening from two meters to half a meter. As soon as one of the animals has hair or stops eating, go back to the previous step. The entire process usually takes two to four weeks, so there is no rush.
In a multi-cat household, vertical space is more important than square footage. Cat climbing frames, cabinet tops, and cat walkways can significantly reduce ground conflicts, because cats often resolve conflicts by staggering heights rather than fighting.
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