# Cat Intros + Food Question



## Jenzie (Dec 26, 2012)

Okay, so all of this is really preliminary. I MAY be getting a job in the near future (in that I have a first interview - so that's a BIG "may"). Depending on how much I end up making/if I get the job at all, I plan to get another cat. I have a few questions though. Also, just for clarification's sake: I "have" two cats - one is my childhood cat who still lives with my family (didn't want to displace her in her older age, and I probably wouldn't be able to afford her elderly cat vet bills right now), and one is a younger cat that I got over the winter who lives with me. Anyway, I know many of you have cats, so onto my questions!

Is there a specific way you're supposed to introduce cats so they don't, y'know, hate each other? When I got my first cat, my sister already had a cat. I was only about 8 years old so obviously I didn't know anything about intros, and I don't think my parents did anything specific to introduce them. I don't know if it's because of that or just because of their personalities, but these cats HATE each other. It's not a huge deal for my family because they live in a two-story house, so basically one cat lives upstairs, the other lives downstairs. I, however, live in a one bedroom apartment and it would really cause difficulties if the cats couldn't stand each other. I've heard that smearing them with tuna does work, or using baby powder even, but is there a specific intro process like there is with rats? What have your experiences been introducing cats to each other?

Also, my current cat is a (neutered) male. I loooove his sweetness and from all the cats I've played with I've found males to be more affectionate (though obviously, just like with rats, it varies from individual cats). I'd love to get another male, but I'm curious as to whether or not it's easier to introduce males to other males or to a (spayed) female. Or does it not tend to matter at all? I will likely get a male either way, but I'd like to know everything.

I'm also wondering about food. I don't free feed because I saw my childhood cat get really overweight on free feeding, so I feed my cat who lives with me once in the morning and once at night, measuring out the correct amount of food. Doing it this way, how can I ensure that both cats get the right amount of food, so that one doesn't overeat, leaving one hungry? My cat likes to finish his meals over the span of about an hour, so I'd rather not have to lock one in the bedroom while they both finish, since it could add up to a lot of time, and if I have to work in the morning, one would end up locked away until my boyfriend or I got home to let him/her out.

As you can tell I really like to plan ahead!


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## Dinoclor (Mar 2, 2013)

I'm not sure about introducing rats to cats... rats are naturally afraid of a cat's pheromones, because the ones who are don't get eaten as much and go on to have babies.

I don't have a cat myself, but I'm not sure if I would risk a cat and a rat.


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## Jenzie (Dec 26, 2012)

No, I'm not asking about introducing rats to cats, I'm asking about introducing a new cat to the cat I already have!


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## alexn (Sep 30, 2012)

Cats are extremely territorial, so take it slow. The fact that yours is neutered does swing in your favour, and who knows, he may even adopt the new addition. 

That's about as far as I know with cats, though. I'm sure someone else will have a better answer for you 

Sent from Petguide.com Free App


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## Dinoclor (Mar 2, 2013)

Oops... I thought you were talking about introducing rats to cats. Sorry!


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## jez (May 24, 2013)

They have the plug-in pheromone things like Feliway, which are kind of pricey if that's an issue. If not, I'd use a couple of those. Otherwise, buy some catnip spray, and spray everything liberally. The cats will not like each other at first. My cats are brothers, so they've always been together, and if I take one to the vet and come home the other one hates him for a bit. As long as they both have places to hide and be grumpy for a while it should be ok. The catnip is great, though. As far as food, I raw feed from one dish, and none of my cats gorge or eat all of the food, so I'm not sure about that part.


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## Jenzie (Dec 26, 2012)

Ooh, catnip spray is a great idea. I also wanna add that the cat I have right now is about 9 months old, but will probably be at least a year by the time I get around to getting another cat, if that makes any difference.


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## Rumy91989 (Dec 31, 2012)

I own a six year old cat, have a long term foster cat (she has a variety of health issues that we're getting resolved before she goes up for adoption), and have foster cats and kittens that cycle in and out of the house on a monthly basis, so this is my everyday. Haha.

In general, kittens are easier to introduce to older cats than older cats, but kittens can also annoy less playful cats so you need to keep that in mind. Kittens need a lot of attention and some cats will provide this for them, but other cats will get grumpy an annoyed. 

Just like with most other animals, opposite sex pairs tend to work out best, especially since you currently have a male. That doesn't mean two males can't be introduced, but a spayed (or unfixed female kitten, depending on her age) would be taken in a lot more easily.

When you get the new cat, whatever age and gender you decide on, you want to set up a room specifically for that cat for a day or two. This way the cat isn't overwhelmed in its new home and you can get a feel for its eating and litter habits before it gets tossed in with your existing cat. On that first day the cats will smell each other through the door, maybe even paw at each other. The second day you keep the door open but put some kind of barrier between them so they can see each other but not interact. There will probably be some hissing and growling from one or both parties, but this isn't anything to worry about. Day three you let them meet each other under supervision. Expect some kind of tussle, unless the new baby is kitten in which case your older cat might just act very confused. As with rats--no blood, no foul. If there's a bit of blood from scratching just make sure it get some hydrogen peroxide. If there's biting, separate them and re-group. If there's no biting, leave them to it. 

As for food, I also feed my gals once in the morning and once at night. I just have their bowls separated from each other so at leas the initial eating happens separately. There's not much I can do after that point to ensure that everyone gets what they need, but since I feed my gals high quality, high protein food none of them tend to overeat. 

Hope this helps!


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## Jenzie (Dec 26, 2012)

Great info Rumy, thanks so much! My current cat is extremely playful and full of energy (obviously he's still pretty young, but not a tiny baby or anything) so that's another reason I actually wanted to get a buddy for him, so that he has someone to play with when I go to work. He is also declawed (I didn't chose to - he was already declawed). The next cat I get will probably still have claws unless I just end up falling in love with one that's already declawed again.


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