Bringing home a new furry family member and introducing a new cat to your home is always an exciting time. However it can be stressful as well. With these Tips for Introducing a New Cat to Your Home you will be able to make the processes easier and smoother, for you and your new cat.

Recently we brought home two new kitten family members, Katie and Khloe. As many of you know back in October Tucker crossed the Rainbow Bridge. It was a rough month for us and for the other cats, Tiger and Jazmin. After his passing Jazmin went thru a crazy funk where she was moodier then normal. We hoped her and Tiger would become BFFs, but that didn’t happen so we thought it would be good for her to have a new friend.

A friend of mine let me know in December that her cat had 2 little girls who were needing home once they were old enough to leave their mom. So come February we welcomed Katie and Khloe to our home.

We have introduced new cats into our home a few times over the years and if you are new to it, it can be a bit nerve racking. Who am I kidding it can be a bit nerve racking even when you have done it before. But there are quite a few things that you can do that will making bringing home a new cat easier and make the transition of introducing a new cat to your home smoother.

Introducing a New Cat to Your Home

1. Give every cat their own space. When you are bringing home a new cat, you need to make sure all cats have a place to escape to where they can feel secure. Your current cats may be a bit iffy on your new comers, and the new comer may be a bit nervous as well. Having a space where they can each go to escape is important. You can use a bathroom, bedroom or any other room in your house that none of your other animals have “claimed”. In this room put a bed, toys, litter box, food and water so that your new kitty has everything they need.
2. Help the cats “meet” each other. While keeping the new cat in the room of your choosing, you can help the others in the house know them and have them meet. When you feed them all place the food bowls near the door to the room the new cat is in. Little by little over the course of a few days move the bowls closer to the door, so that by the time you are done they are all eating right next to the door on either side. After this you can move their bowls to the feeding location and have them eat all at the same time together.
3. Have the best helpful products. Bringing in a new cat comes with challenges but FELIWAY has a ton of great products that will make teaching your new cat to be comfortable and welcome in their new environment. Be sure to have FELIWAY Spray on hand to help with cat stress levels on the ride home. Spray the carrier that you are using to help them be comfortable on the new adventure home. Make sure you have FELIWAY Feliscratch if you are going to teach cats not to scratch anything but the scratching post. FELIWAY is my go to when it comes to cat behavior and making them comfortable in stressful situations. My other must have product with multiple cats in the house is the FELIWAY diffuser. The diffuser simulates your cat’s natural pheromones to help your pet cope with stress and I have noticed we have happier kitties when we use the diffusers. You will also want to make sure that you have the products you need like Catego, to help with ticks and fleas, so you don’t have any grumpy kitties from pests!
4. Allow the new cat to take the lead. As tempting as it might be to grab your new kitty and show them everything there is to know about your house, they are not ready for that right away. Just like you might be ready to have them sleep with you in your bed as soon as they come home. They need time to adjust to their new surroundings and to become comfortable at their own pace.
5. Be Patient. The process of everyone feeling comfortable is not going to happen immediately. It takes time to get everyone used to the new cat. It will also take time for the new cat to be comfortable in your home.

Eventually after a few weeks, and probably a few cat spats you will have some happy kitties who are getting along and snuggling together. It is important to know that sometimes you will have cats who just tolerate living with each other and don’t actually like each other. They have minds of their own, and just like us don’t get along with every cat they meet.

In our house, we have Jazmin who is our oldest at 8 years old and longest resident, Tiger who is 2 years old and then the 2 kittens who are 5 months old. Both of the older 2 cats get along and love on the kittens, while Jazmin and Tiger put up with living together. Insuring that that all have their own space has made it so we have very few spats between Jazmin and Tiger.

Also some fun information for you to help your cats, April is Destress your pet month! Here are a few tips to help you with your cats stress and help you have happier cats!

• Individual food and water bowls, and separate spaces to eat and drink for each member of the furry family.
• A good diet based on age, activity level and formulated to reduce digestive issues or food allergies.
• Comfortable bed or kennel in a quiet part of the house where the pet can relax and get away from the family from time to time.
• Exercise to help burn off excess energy and tap into instinctive urges.
• Classical music, a TV or radio on in the house so the pet doesn’t feel all alone or to mask scary sounds like loud engines or thunderstorms.
• Toys and food puzzles to keep a pet busy.  Cats are terrible multi-taskers.  If they are focused and busy playing or working out a challenge for food or a treat, they won’t be as stressed out by other factors.
• A scratching post for each cat.

To learn more about how to reduce stress and anxiety in pets including the signs to look for, visit www.de-stressyourpet.com.

Disclaimer: This post is in partnership with FELIWAY . All opinions are 100% my own.