Content
- What to take into account before promoting the adaptation of cats
- How to adapt kittens?
- Adaptation of cats from the introduction of a third adult cat
- How to help cats adapt - Step by step
- Cat Adaptation Step 1: Keep the New Cat Separated
- Step 2 of adapting cats: introduction with the transport box
- Step 3 of cat adaptation: direct contact
- What to do if cats don't accept the new cat?
When we try, without success, to introduce a new cat into the house when we already have two cats that are already adapted, either because they grew up together or because they spent a period of adaptation to each other, the tutors are already worried, especially if it was traumatic.
This adaptation process for cats can be very long. Although some cats adapt quickly, the vast majority of felines take days, weeks and even months to reach an acceptable coexistence. It's never a good idea to do this abruptly. What must be done is to follow a series of recommendations and successive steps that must be followed carefully, gently and respecting the feline nature.
In this PeritoAnimal article we will talk about the process of cat adaptation: how to introduce a third cat into the home. Good reading.
What to take into account before promoting the adaptation of cats
Before introducing a new cat into the house when you already live with other cats, we have to think about what the personality and characteristics of our cats: what is your relationship type? Are they related? Did they grow up together? From the first moment, did they tolerate each other and managed to get along, or if, on the contrary, they respect each other but don't get along, and sometimes even fight? If this last option is the case, it is not a good idea to introduce a third cat that could aggravate the stress they may be subjected to. The adaptation of cats, in this case, would be extremely complex.
Always keep in mind that cats are considered non-social animals, as when they reach adulthood they do not live in groups and are territorial animals. Therefore, when there are several cats in a house, it is normal for the house to be divided into areas that consider their territory. Because of this, the introduction of a new cat into the house is something that alters the hierarchical order that, among other things, would encourage a "marking" behavior in cats. That is, they will make small amounts of pee in different corners of the house and it will be common to find one cat growling at the other.
A good way to get one cat used to another is to use synthetic feline pheromones, which are a good option to create a pleasant atmosphere between them, as well as having at least a bed and a litter box for each, plus a extra (ie four in total).
Usually, at first, the newly introduced kitten will be intimidated, while the cats that were already at home will be the ones that will dominate the environment.
How to adapt kittens?
If the adaptation of cats you want to make is from the introduction of a third cat that is a kitten, everything is generally simpler and adaptation is generally easy. If you notice that your cats snort at the new kitten as soon as it arrives, know that this is normal, as it is, after all, something strange that comes to your house and possibly they see you as a small threat that will grow and limit their territory and your freedom. However, after a few days, adult cats usually accept the newly arrived kitten.
In addition, the cats we already have at home will feel a little intimidated and a little harassed by the little one, who will ask them to play. Usually they react with vocalizations and may strike or scratch the kitten, but they will stop as soon as the puppy meows at them. These episodes are usually worked around until the cats adapt completely after a few days. Therefore, the best way to adapt kittens is to be patient.
Adaptation of cats from the introduction of a third adult cat
This type of adaptation of cats is really complicated and sometimes a visit to a veterinarian specializing in ethology may be necessary. How long does it take cats to adapt? Well, this adaptation process can take several weeks.Therefore, patience and calm are essential if we want everything to go well. Before introducing another cat, it is necessary to do tests for retroviruses, that is, for feline immunodeficiency and leukemia, especially for leukemia, because it is more easily transmitted between cats.
Presentations should be made slowly and carefully, to minimize stress, confrontations with a cat growling at the other and to get a really harmonious coexistence between the three cats. This is much better than bringing them together directly and "seeing what happens" forcing them to live together, which often ends up in disasters and permanent conflicts and behavioral problems. Cat adaptation is always better if the cat is neutered and of the opposite sex to the cats we have.
If our cats are of different sexes then it is preferable to choose the opposite to which we think that, due to his personality, he may show more conflicts with the newcomer. That is, if you already have a cat with a strong personality, you'd better adopt a male cat. If you have a male cat with a more difficult personality, the adaptation of cats of the opposite sex will be easier.
If you live with just one cat and want to introduce a second feline into your home, be sure to watch the following video on how to adapt two cats:
How to help cats adapt - Step by step
Once you've verified that all cats are healthy, the environment is relaxed, and without the arrival of a stranger or stressful moment for the cats, the introduction process can begin. This one cats adaptation process will consist of three phases: isolation of the new cat in an exclusive space for him; first introduction with him inside a shipping box and, if all goes well, a final direct contact.
Cat Adaptation Step 1: Keep the New Cat Separated
If the new house cat is scared, this is quite normal, as it has just arrived in uncharted territory, which is occupied by two other cats. Therefore, and to avoid conflicts with residents, the first thing to do is to isolate the new cat for the first few days, so that it do not have direct contact with cats at home and can gain confidence with the home and tutors.
This isolation will allow the house cats and the newcomer smelland listen to each other to get used to each other without direct contact, which would be very stressful. The newcomer will adapt to the new home little by little. For starters, he should have a room or space just for him, with his litter box, bowl, water bowl, bed, blanket, and toys.
Another thing you can do is bring the new cat a blanket or toys that have been used by the other cats in the house so that he can smell and become familiar with them. At this point, we should look at how they react and then we can do the opposite: take things from the new cat for the older cats to smell. And so we started the first phase of adaptation of cats.
Step 2 of adapting cats: introduction with the transport box
The second step of a correct cat adaptation process can be done this way: for a few moments each day, you can place the new cat in the transport box and place it near and at a certain height higher than the cats you already have. were at home. In this way, in addition to see and hear each other, they will be able to maintain eye contact by preventing the new cat from being intimidated and preventing resident cats from attacking it. It's normal to have one cat growl at the other at these times.
In this situation, there are two types of cats. On the one hand, there are those who don't show much interest in the new cat, who will possibly be the one who will stay the farthest away and will start to accept the new feline gradually in the short term and without aggression. The other type of cat is the one that will show signs of aggression; we must avoid them and distract the cats' attention, positively reinforcing them with prizes when the encounters are carried out with ease.
A good way to get them closer and positively relate the presence of the new cat is to put some snacks or prizes for cats near the transport box and gradually reduce the distance between them, without forcing the interaction at any time. Cats must relate the contact between them to something nice and good, not with screams, scolds or punishments from the tutor.
So, in this process of adapting cats, once they start to tolerate each other nes, you can try feed the three cats at the same time, with the cat feeder next to the transport box and the new cat still inside. At first they may huff, meow and be suspicious, but little by little the relationship will improve.
Step 3 of cat adaptation: direct contact
When we see that the meetings with those carried out using the transport box have become less stressful and even begin to be tolerated, it's time to move on to a more direct contact. The first time, and if the cat is calm, we can take the new cat in our arms and sit somewhere close to where the house cats are, which will make the cats approach the new cat and keep in touch. In these cases, we, the tutors, will act as mediators if there is any problem between them. We can talk to the three cats in a pleasant and affectionate way and pet them to maintain a pleasant atmosphere and, again, reward them if there are gestures of acceptance among the cats.
Once these meetings are over, the cat must return to its exclusive space until the atmosphere between them becomes pleasant and frictionless, it being normal for some to snort at first or show dissatisfaction with each other's presence. But do not worry, these episodes will reduce over time and each one will establish their own routine and define their favorite places in the house by sharing them on several occasions.
The act of snorting will become a kind of game and even a show of affection if all goes well and we will have successfully introduced a third cat into the house.
Always keep in mind that even if we do all these cat adaptation steps flawlessly and do it with the best intention possible, cats don't have a "need" for a feline companion, so sometimes the three cats do get along well. , in some other cases they will never be able to have a good connection and they will even be able to live in an eternal "truce".
However, since they don't have to compete for food, water or places to rest in peace and quiet in our homes, they can more easily accept each other's company.
In this other article, we show you how to adapt a cat to a dog.
What to do if cats don't accept the new cat?
So, after all, how long does it take cats to adapt? This is a question to which we cannot give a definitive answer because, as we have already seen, it can take from days to months. However, as we just discussed, resident cats do not always end up accepting the third kitten. It's possible that we did something wrong during the process, that they don't have enough resources, etc.
In these cases, the best thing to do is go to a feline ethologist to personally assess the situation and help us introduce the third cat into the house so that both residents can accept it.
In addition, we advise you to watch this video to expand your information about the behavior of cats on the PeritoAnimal YouTube channel:
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