The Secret tips and very easy ways to make two cat friends who are fighting to death! Read on.
You have brought home a new kitten, or maybe an adult cat and you discover that your in- house cat is not taking the new cat pretty well. The resident cat would end up attacking the new cat or the kitten you have just brought home. So how do you make it Stop!
Most of the time people would just put the new cat in front of the existing cat and say ”oh they will figure it out themselves”. But how many times has this idea failed. Many Times I am sure! They end up fighting fiercely, the resident cat attacks the new comer and its an unending saga of bullying and fighting.
Your resident cat, who has been living in your house for a period of time and owning the territory, suddenly sees another cat in the house. It would automatically feel its a territorial threat. The existing cat would feel jealous of the new cat for sharing the territory, the owner and the food.
Introduce two cats to each other to make them good friends. It may take time for a week or two. Sometimes the introduction may take longer.
Here you will Learn the secret of making two cats friends in step by step process.. Follow each step to the ‘T’. It is best for your peace of mind and for the cats best health as well.
NOTE: THIS WHOLE PROCESS CAN BE APPLIED WHEN TWO RESIDENT CATS FIGHTS WITH EACH OTHER.
Step 1 – Base camp
So the First step would be to have a base camp. Base camp is a smaller area of the house for the new cat to get familiar with the surrounding. This is for the initial introduction process before the cats get to move around the whole house freely.
So the new cat gets a room, or maybe a large bathroom and the resident cat stays where it is.
Do not let them see each other or just put two of them together.
Provide water and a litter box for the new cat in its case camp. The feeding and playing process will be discussed later in this article, so hold on the cat’s food for sometime.
We will be Introducing two cats first by scent and then by visuals process.
Step 2- Site Swapping
This is the process to introduce two cats by smell.
Frequently switch the area of the cats. Swap the cats present area which means the resident cat goes into the new cat’s room and the new cat comes out. Keep them there for sometime to understand they belong to that territory. Again some time later put the new cat in its area and take the resident cat out.
It should make them feel that both the cats have the place to call their own, but still away from each other. They can be curious and smell each other under the door.
This is a simple process but an important one. Make sure you do that for a day or two.
Step 3- Feeding time
Now comes the feed time. Do not free feed the cats while carrying on this introduction process. Instead, fix regular time for feeding. They will both get food together on those fix time only.
When you have the bowl of food ready for two cats, place the bowls 3 feet away from the door on both sides. The resident cat gets the bowl of food 3 feet away from the door and the new cat too gets to eat the food 3 feet away from hid side of the door. So total 6 feet distance between the bowls.
Feed both of them at the same time of the day and together.
That way we are respecting the concept of personal space and little bit privacy. What we setting the concept of Positive Association.
When these cats smell food, they would associate food with the other cat.
Next thing is to get the bowls closer and closer. This needs to be done slowly, the cats needs understand that the other cat is not a threat.
When you put the bowls closer and you see there is hissing and agitated movements in the cats, again set the bowls apart and start from scratch.
Repeat the process until you see that both the cats are eating peacefully when the bowls are closest to the door.
Step 4- The Gate instead of closed doors
This process is the visual part.
The next step is to graduate from a closed door to a gate. Say a baby gate or a barrier, a piece of cardboard.
Put the gate in between those two cats area space, and put a towel on the gate. You slightly raise the towel so that very little space is left for the cats to see each other.
So now the cats would be eating their meal at their respective space and looking under the gate and trying to get a sight of the other cat while eating their food.
They would want to give attention to the other one but there is also good food to eat. This way we have the cats get some sight of each other that too while eating food.
If you see there is hissing and growling when they get a sight of each other, immediately go back to the closed door concept for few more days and after that give the gate system another try.
Keep repeating the process until the cats are eating the food calmly while looking at each other.
Step 5- Supervised Association
Now this exercise should be carried on once or twice in a day. I call this process the ‘Play Feed Pet’
- Supervised play time
This step is to put both the cat together in a room but under total supervision by you. Here we are giving both of them experience with toys.
You will play with both of them separately. It will be best if you have another member of your family helping in here.
Engage both the cats with their favorite toys. Do not make them play with one another.
They should be aware of the other cat’s presence but their attention will be on playing. They should keep interacting with you and give less attention to the other cat in the room, who would also be busy in his playing.
- Supervised Feed time
Then you carry the same process in feeding time. Keep them in the same room under supervision, give them food away from each other. No closed door, no gate, only you or your family member in the room.
- Supervised Petting time
Love them, pet them together at the same time but always under supervision. Take help from another family member to keep them separately engaged with the ‘play, feed and pet time’.
The idea is to let the cats’ ignore each other while staying in the same room. If it lasts for a minute and then the cats notice each other and get on at each other, its alright. Its a minute of staying together peacefully.
These steps are the only way where you can make two cats friends. It also applies to those cats who would not tolerate the other out of the blue, and would always find a way to get at each other.
Step 6- End it on a Positive Note
Always end exercise on a positive note. When you notice that the cats are getting conscious of the each other’s presence and any minute they will be at each other, separate them and next day carry the same exercise.
Making two cats friends for life is process which should be followed every time you introduce a new cat or find two cats fighting all of a sudden.
We want good things to happen when the cats are together, we want them to understand that there is no threat, no insecurity associated with the new cat.
Both of the cats will have everything that they need and this is for the cats to believe into.
Excerpts Notes
- Feed fix time regular meals. No Free feeding.
- Site swapping should not be missed in the initial stage.
- Meal time goes on opposite sides of closed doors in the beginning.
- When you get positive results, stay with it for a few days. Do not rush into the next step or force things to happen.
- Patience and Systematic execution is the key. Do things in cat time not human time.
- Use the gate and towel technique, raising the towel slowly and feeding them close to each other.
- Play feed and Pet- This exercise is the point where the cats feel comfortable and feel no threat in presence of each other.
Repeat the process where you find the particular Step where the cats are not making the process. Give a break and again start from the point where the things are not giving result till you finally get the two cats be together without any violence.
This whole process is the only way to make two cats friends. Some become cats becomes best friends for life, While some cats learn to tolerate others and not get in the way.
photo : Saikat Saha: Instagram – @saikat.saha | Facebook–https://www.facebook.com/photography.saikatsaha/
