The question of getting a second cat in the house can arise for many reasons, but the most common is that the pet gets bored when it is often left at home alone. The decision must be made intelligently, taking into account the availability of space, the character and age of the animal. Let's figure out whether a second feline is needed in the house and how to make the right selection.
The nature of hostility
Each cat has its own territory, the boundaries of which it jealously guards.
Fighting for territory is more typical of cats. Because of this, two cats in the same apartment may not come to terms with each other’s presence at all and constantly start fights, despite all the owner’s efforts to make them friends. This is especially true for cats with a fighting character.
Fight for territory
Two cats in the house can also compete with each other, especially for the love of the owner. To avoid having to rack your brains about how to reconcile cats living in the same apartment, the owner should be fair and not provoke jealousy: give the cats the same amount of food, play with both and pay enough attention to each of them.
What to do in case of conflict between cats
Small skirmishes are acceptable, since in this way animals sort out relationships and distribute hierarchical statuses. Sooner or later, cats will still do this through a fight, so it is better to let events take their course under the supervision of the owner. Hierarchical skirmishes rarely involve bloodshed and quickly end due to the escape of the opponent. It is advisable to treat small accidental scratches so that they do not become infected, but in most cases there are no wounds.
Some breeders use spray bottles for every act of aggression, but we do not recommend this as it will create negative associations and increase stress.
If cats are showing excessive aggression, if a serious fight breaks out, you should use a spray bottle to separate the animals. It is not recommended to pull pets away from each other, as in the process they may attack the owner. In addition, stuck fangs will hurt when moving. After a fight, the cats need to be placed in different rooms and quarantine repeated so that the animals have more time to get used to each other.
Reconcile or make friends?
How to make friends between a cat and a male cat living in the same area? And is friendship even possible between them? Certainly! It is believed that sterilized cats and female cats get along best with each other, since they do not guard the boundaries of the territory so fiercely. There is also a high chance of success for a couple consisting of a cat and a small kitten. Often in cats, if they have not been sterilized, their maternal instinct awakens and they take care of the kitten.
However, there are exceptions to all rules. Relationships between cats may not work out. But the situation can be improved. Before reconciling two cats, you need to isolate them from each other for a while, and then reintroduce them, following all the advice of experienced owners.
Grew up together
The question of how to make friends between two cats in one apartment can be answered unequivocally: get two kittens at the same time. It is best to take kittens from the same litter. At the same time, the fact that cats grew up side by side does not guarantee the complete absence of periodic conflicts between them. But, most likely, in this case it will be possible to avoid many difficult moments.
When kittens grow up together, they often share a sleeping area and even a toilet. They play a lot together. Many owners of cats that grew up together note that their pets behave better in the company of a partner.
Friends since childhood
The fact is that when a cat is alone and gets bored, it can come up with entertainment for itself, the consequences of which the owner does not always like. When there are two animals, they are busy playing together and are less likely to spoil things.
It has also been noted that cats that grew up together are not very picky about food. What one eats, the other will most often eat.
In this case, cats usually do not compete with each other for territory, but there are exceptions. In any case, the struggle is not as fierce as if a newcomer came into the territory of one cat.
Animals in a pair are socialized, and this is worth paying attention to for those people who want to have several cats. If you add another kitten or even an adult cat to the pets that grew up together, they will accept this more easily than the pet that was the sole owner of the territory.
How to hook a newbie
The situation in which another pet is added to the territory sometimes causes much more difficulties. Wrong actions of the owner can lead to mutual hostility between cats. Therefore, it is better to immediately carefully prepare for the meeting of the newcomer and organize the acquaintance so that it does not become too stressful for the pets.
For a new pet you need to purchase your own:
- bowls for food and water;
- litter tray;
- scratching post;
- toys.
You also need to organize a sleeping place for the newcomer. It should be located far from the place where the old-timer usually sleeps. The most ideal option is to isolate the new cat for the first time in a separate room with everything necessary.
If the newcomer is in an isolated room, the owner of the territory will still know that he is not alone in the house, smell and hear the second cat. But he will experience much less stress than if a new cat immediately encroached on his entire territory. In addition, this way the owner gives the cats time to get used to new circumstances.
Exploring a new family member
The next step to reconciling two cats in the same apartment is to become familiar with each other's smells. You need to take two soft cloths (you can use two clean socks). Use one of the cloths to stroke the newcomer, paying special attention to the area of the cheeks, chin, and nose. Use a second cloth to stroke the old-timer in the same way. Then place the new cat’s cloth on the old-timer’s territory, and vice versa. Cats will be able to calmly sniff the source of the smell.
Attention! Often the cat growls or hisses at the source of the competitor's scent. In this case, you need to take your time and give enough time. When a cat begins to calmly react to the presence of someone else's scent, it needs to be rewarded with a treat. Getting used to it may take several days. In this case, the scented cloths should be renewed.
Once each other's scents have been learned, you can give the new pet the opportunity to explore the territory. To do this, the old-timer needs to be locked in a separate room, and the newcomer needs to be released. After he sniffs everything and examines the situation, he should be locked again in the room allocated for him.
The next day you can exchange rooms between your favorites. This way, cats explore each other’s territory and learn smells even better.
If the pets are calm after mutual exploration of the territory, you can show them each other. The meeting must be backed up with pleasant impressions. It is ideal to start getting acquainted with joint feedings. In this case, the bowls should be located at a considerable distance from each other. Each cat should have the same food in the same quantity.
Acquaintance
You can gradually increase the time the cats spend with each other. The owner must be extremely attentive: at the slightest manifestation of dissatisfaction or irritation, the newcomer must be isolated for the time being.
Attention! In order to make friends with cats, the owner can play with two of them at the same time. At the same time, each cat should have its own toys. The pet enjoys the game and at the same time, using peripheral vision, watches the other cat. This technique can lead to the consolidation of pleasant associations with the appearance of this cat.
Getting to know the cats can take a significant amount of time. But, getting to know each other gradually, the pets will most likely find a common language.
Difficulties with adding a second cat
Most likely, you will avoid difficulties with “introducing” a new tenant if you decide to add a second one of the same kind to your “minor” tomboy. Kittens easily adapt to new toys, food and companions. In addition, a new comrade, as a rule, is also combat-minded (in the good sense of the word). In less than an hour, these two idiots will be driving around the house with all their might, knocking down all the decor you lovingly selected on their way. In general, if your two cats are the same age, the adaptation process between them will be faster.
Adding a cat to a cat, a young animal to an old one, or a castrated to an uncastrated animal has its own nuances, its pros and cons.
- The cat willingly accepts any cat on its territory - a plus. He will try to cover her constantly, even if she is not ready to breed. The result: attractive scent marks throughout the house for an intractable lady, loud calls for “friendship” around the clock and, quite possibly, an unwanted cat pregnancy – minus.
- Two castrated cats are unlikely to show aggressive behavior towards each other for a long time - a plus. One of them will definitely try to leave - minus.
- Never get a neuter if your cat has not undergone this operation! And vice versa! Neutered cats get along with stud cats only if they grew up in the same house with the “young claws”! Unneutered cats will also not get along together if there is not enough free space: the cat is an extremely territorial animal!
- Sterilized cats quickly find a common language with each other - a plus.
- The older cat will always try to dominate the younger one. It’s good if the younger one is ready to give in, otherwise short-term battles (without much damage, of course) will be frequent - a minus.
- Old cats and female cats are usually grumpy, but tolerate the proximity of kittens. A cat, if she once had kittens, may well adopt a nimble child. Don't disturb her - that's a big plus!
- An old cat, if the little one bothers him too much, can simply kill the bully - minus.
A simple “old-fashioned” method will help reduce the degree of obvious aggression towards a small tenant: Wash the kitten with the same shampoo you use to wash a cat or any neutral, odorless one. Wrap it to dry in the older cat's bedding and massage it thoroughly with this bedding. Great help!
- If an old cat comes into your home, be especially attentive to it. Cats don’t like sudden changes in anything, and for the “old lady” a new environment and even a second cat in a house she doesn’t know is real 100% stress! Stress is a huge disadvantage for an “older person” and a serious blow to health. The cat will try to avoid fights, but will try to hide as deep as possible and will cry for a long time and plaintively - meow, calling for the previous owner.
- Contact your veterinarian, he will definitely select a drug that will help relieve tension in the “old lady” - a plus. It happens that one of the cats needs certain treatment. This, of course, is a minus.
- But the second animal, which can observe the process, according to the owners, seems to be imbued with sympathy for the patient and tries in every possible way to alleviate his suffering, lying next to him, licking and calming the unfortunate man. There are no talk of any fights or territorial disputes during this period - a clear plus.
It happens that an animal, having come to you for temporary care, remains with you forever. Or you suddenly want to take another furry friend into your home.
Wrong actions
Mistakes that an owner may make when introducing cats:
- Give the animals the opportunity to get to know each other on their own, without interfering in the process. Sometimes owners think that the cat will be delighted to have a new friend in the apartment and will immediately start playing with him. Following this logic, owners simply bring a new cat into the house and immediately let it explore the territory. This tactic is fundamentally wrong and even dangerous: the sudden appearance of a competitor is extremely stressful. For a beginner, such an acquaintance will also be a big shock, because he does not know that the territory is already occupied. A fight may begin between the animals, and in the future - persistent hostility.
- Not preparing everything necessary for a new cat. It is naive to believe that a cat living in a house and considering itself the mistress will want to share its food bowl and toilet with a new pet. Also, each animal should have its own bed and toys.
Your own bed
- Allow the new pet what is prohibited to the old-timer. Sometimes the owner believes that it is more difficult for a newcomer in the current situation and allows him a lot. If a new cat does something that is forbidden to the first one, conflicts and protests cannot be avoided.
- Give less attention to a cat that has lived in the house longer. When a second cat appears in the house, the old-timer needs more attention and affection, as he must be sure that he is still loved. If the owner is more attentive to the new cat, jealousy will arise.
How to resolve conflict
A new cat should be brought into the home in a carrier, not in your arms. We place the carrier on the floor and do not open it. If the first cat didn’t come, it’s okay. Wait 10–15 minutes. Before opening the door, make sure that all doors in the house are open but the windows are closed. In the event of a fight, cats will need to retreat, and the new pet may jump out of the window out of fear.
They opened the carrier and slowly walked away a few meters - the moment of truth. Don't try to get a new pet, it should come out on its own . Even if this stage takes an hour, do not interfere, do not call the cats, do not make unnecessary movements, your task is observation. If everything goes fine, you will observe the following:
- The newcomer carefully gets out of the carrier and looks around carefully. The paws are bent, the nose is constantly moving, the ears are turning.
- Guarded - takes a dominant position, moves his ears back, does not take his eyes off the guest, and can hiss and growl.
- A newcomer looks away and behaves according to the principle “we don’t care.”
- He was guarding - he begins to walk around the newcomer from the side, he can hit himself on the sides with his tail.
- Newcomer - moves away to the side that the guard is not protecting.
- Watched - continues close observation.
- Newbie – continues to move away, may turn his back.
If all these steps were successful, you are very lucky! The newcomer recognized his position, the guard was calm about his possessions, all that was left was to wait and help the animals adapt. However, things may not work out so well. It is likely that your new pet will not want to acknowledge himself as a guest.
In a bad scenario, a failure occurs at the second point, the newcomer will meet the gaze of the old-timer and both cats will freeze. Further, you can observe several options for the development of events; cats can arch their backs, growl, scream, and raise their fur on end. A fight is inevitable if the animals begin to move along the trajectory of a circle and whip their tails on the sides.
If the cats are fighting, spray water on them, if you don’t have a spray bottle... you can douse the fighting ones (great stress for both). Next, we cover the first cat with a blanket, and take the second one out of the room. It is advisable to protect your hands so that your pet does not scratch you out of inertia. We provide assistance to ourselves and the animals if necessary and introduce a moratorium on communication between pets for at least one day.
Important! When you separate cats, it is important not to injure the old-timer. If you lock up the first pet and begin to feel sorry for the second, all the misfortunes will be compounded by the justifiable anger of the owner of the territory.
This is exactly the algorithm that meetings should take place in the first days of living together. As practice shows, already from the second or third time, the guard comes to terms with the presence of a newcomer. As soon as the cats have stopped conflicting during the meeting, they need to start feeding them at the same time - this will strengthen the hierarchy and help develop a certain order in the new way of life.
If the animals are fighting
How to make two cats friends in the same apartment? If animals kick with their paws, rush at an opponent and immediately recoil without causing wounds, and also chase a competitor around the apartment, then there is no need to interfere in this relationship. The owner should simply watch his pets, separating them only after a serious fight has broken out.
It is worth remembering that you cannot drag away belligerent mustachioed pets with your hands! In the heat of battle, a cat, even the sweetest and most domestic one, can redirect its aggression towards its owner, clinging to his face. The most effective way is to pour water over the animal's head. If this method does not help, then you can throw a thick, heavy cloth over the fighters. This could be a blanket or a sheepskin coat. Darkness that comes completely suddenly frightens animals. Out of surprise, they will press themselves to the floor and become silent. After a few seconds, it is recommended to take one of the cats to a separate room.
But if the sudden darkness did not stop the fighters, then you will need to take a mop and carefully, but at the same time assertively, crucify the fighters in the corners.
