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admin

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Introducing a new cat or kitten into the home


Introducing a new cat or kitten into your home can sometimes be very stressful to you, your current pet residents and of course the new kitty. Here are some tips to help this task go smoother and keep all your pets a bit safer and stress free.

Be aware that unlike dogs who are pack animals and one in the group requires alpha status or dominancy, the cat will thrive to acquire his or her "turf" or territory in the home. A new cat will sometimes go way out of its way to avoid conflict with a cat whom has already laid claim to the home. It generally takes at least 1-2 weeks for things to start settling in in most cases with new residents.

You should try your hardest to ensure both cats, especially the cat with the most issues with escape routes to shelter, food, water and the litter box. To have a poor travel way to these important items like food etc. can lead to one or both cats not eating or even making messes like peeing or pooping in unwanted places other than the litter box. Cats like heights to feel safe, a few cat trees or shelves work wonders for feeling safe and secure.

Always see your vet as soon as possible after bringing your new kitty home, within 24-48 hours if possible. Often it is in your contract that you have to see your vet within a set period of time, so plan ahead so as not to void your contract.

Always quarantine your new kitty for at least 5 days to 2 weeks in a separate room if possible. This protects your new kitty and your existing resident cats from contracting a disease if the new kitty has brought any new germs into your home. You will definitely want to get a poop sample cleared as well just in case they have parasites you do not want to infect your other cats. It can take a few days for fecal sample result to come back from the lab.


The other pets and the new kitty will be able to smell each other’s scent under the door of the separate room which will let them become familiar with each other’s scent. Always give your new cat/kitten their own food and water dish and of course his own litter box until you get the all clear.

Some have had great results with the Feliway products for calming. This can be purchased at most big pet Store chains.

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Next take a clean washcloth and gently wipe the cloth on the new kitty’s cheek area. This is where the cats’ pheromones are released. So, when your cat is rubbing your face with his cheeks, he is leaving his scent on you saying "I now own you!" Take the washcloth and rub it on low lying areas of couches or if you have a cat house or carpeted scratching post, rub a little there as well. This gets the scent of the new kitty around the house so the other pets will become familiar with the new guy’s smell.

Another little trick is to put pet shirts on both cats (always monitor pets with clothes on), the new kitty and the existing tenant for a few hours and then "switch" their shirts - one wears the other shirt and before you know it in no time they will be used to each other’s scents after wearing each other’s shirts for a few hours. You can also do this with swapping blankets they have been snuggling under and swap between them if they do not tolerate clothing.

Use a toy with the new kitty’s scent after she has played with it and then use that toy to play with your current kitties and have them become accustomed to the new kitty's scent off of the toy. this is a good way to get the scent out there and to the other cats in the house.

A couple of days before the actual "introduction" you can swaddle the new kitten/cat and carry them around the house so they get to look around and feel safe in your arms doing so. You can put up a gate or slightly crack the door to the room the kitty is in to see the reactions of all the cats. Or even swap rooms. If there is hissing remember this is not a sign of aggression, but rather fear…give it as much time as they need and trust your gut to wait longer if need be.

The next step is the "meeting." When you feel comfortable plan to have the meeting in a controlled environment like a room with all doors closed and maybe perhaps a helper or two. A good idea is to have some treats/food then bring the new baby in the room and have them all enjoy a little together apart. Give it to the new baby first as sort of a pleasant distraction, it makes the "meeting" or introduction" pleasant for all. You can do these meetings as much as you would like and feel comfortable moving to the next step.

Then the next meeting would be sort of a play date where you have a few toys, a string toy like DaBird is great because you can swing it between the 2 and they focus on the toy and not each other. Also have this "meeting" in a controlled room with close supervision. Have fun and entertain all kitties together, again it makes the "meeting" seem pleasant and fun…sort of a fun distraction so all the attention is not on the new kitty. It could take some time, but your love and patience and will eventually pay off. Never leave them unsupervised until they are 100% comfortable and fully transitioned.

Here is a great video from Jackson Galaxy about kitty introductions.

 

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Helen eccles

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Mar 6, 2021
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I have 2 year old sphnx I have had to move in with my daughter due to my health reasons she has 2 chiawas how do I get my cat used to the dogs and the new house
 

karilacey77

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So we have an almost 9 month old boy Oreo, and we just brought home our 14 week old Luna. We really don’t have much option of keeping them separate except for keeping her in my bedroom. I am unable to be in my room for long periods of time so will the new kitten be ok? It’s only been a few hours, but our Oreo will swat at her, pounces her and grabs her by the scruff of her neck. He’s not biting down...yet, but I’m afraid he will hurt her accidentally.
Pictures of our babies Oreo and Luna.
 

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ROBIN6159

Lairian
Joined
Mar 16, 2021
Messages
2
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So we have an almost 9 month old boy Oreo, and we just brought home our 14 week old Luna. We really don’t have much option of keeping them separate except for keeping her in my bedroom. I am unable to be in my room for long periods of time so will the new kitten be ok? It’s only been a few hours, but our Oreo will swat at her, pounces her and grabs her by the scruff of her neck. He’s not biting down...yet, but I’m afraid he will hurt her accidentally.
Pictures of our babies Oreo and Luna.
OMG I googled for advice. I have a Sphynx cat that will be 1 year March 29th and I just brought a 12 week old kitten Luna and I feel like I am reading my story. Streaker does the same thing he pounces on her and bites her neck. It has been 3 days since I brought her home and I am exhausted. I have to follow her around when she is down because he just waits.
 

ROBIN6159

Lairian
Joined
Mar 16, 2021
Messages
2
Points
2
So we have an almost 9 month old boy Oreo, and we just brought home our 14 week old Luna. We really don’t have much option of keeping them separate except for keeping her in my bedroom. I am unable to be in my room for long periods of time so will the new kitten be ok? It’s only been a few hours, but our Oreo will swat at her, pounces her and grabs her by the scruff of her neck. He’s not biting down...yet, but I’m afraid he will hurt her accidentally.
Pictures of our babies Oreo and Luna.
 

Sswanson86

Lairian
Joined
Aug 25, 2015
Messages
31
Points
29
Introducing a new adult Sphynx cat or Sphynx kitten into the home

Introducing a new cat or kitten into your home can sometimes be very stressful to you, your current pet residents and of course the new kitty. Here are some tips to help this task go smoother and keep all your pets a bit safer and stress free.

Be aware that unlike dogs who are pack animals and one in the group requires alpha status or dominancy, the cat will thrive to acquire his or her "turf" or territory in the home. A new cat will sometimes go way out of it's way to avoid conflict with a cat whom has already laid claim to the home. It generally takes at least 1-2 weeks for things to start settling in in most cases with new residents.

You should try your hardest to ensure both cats, especially the cat with the most issues with the other has escape routes to shelter, food, water and the litter box. To have a poor travel way to these important items like food etc can lead to one or both cats not sting or even making messes like peeing or pooping in unwanted places other than the litter box. Cats like heights to feel safe, a few cat trees or shelves work wonders for feeling safe and secure.

Always see your vet as soon as possible after bringing your new kitty home, within 24-48 hours if possible.

Always quarantine your new kitty for at least 5 days to a week in a separate room. This protects your new kitty and your existing kitty residents from contracting a disease if the new kitty has brought some germs into the home. The other pets and the new kitty will be able to smell each others scent under the door of the separate room which will let them become familiar with each others scent. Alway give your new guy his own food and water dish and of course his own litter box. A good rule of thumb is one litter box per cat in the home.

Some have had great results with the Feliway products for calming. This can be purchased at most big pet Store chains.

View attachment 78558

Next take a clean washcloth and gently wipe the cloth on the new kitties cheek area. This is where the cats pheromones are released. So when your cat is rubbing your face with his cheeks he is leaving his scent on you saying "I now own you!" Take the washcloth and rub it on low lying areas of couches or if you have a cat house or carpeted scratching post, rub a little there as well. This gets the scent of the new kitty around the house so the other pets will become familiar with the new guys smell.

Another little trick is to put pet shirts on both cats (always monitor pets with clothes on), the new kitty and the existing tenant for a few hours and then "switch" their shirts - one wears the other shirt and before you know it in no time they will be used to each others scents after wearing each others shirts for a few hours.

Use a toy with the new kitties scent after she has played with it for awhile and then use that toy to play with your current kitties and have them become accustomed to the new kitty's scent off of the toy. this is a good way to get the scent out there and to the other cats in the house.

A day or two before the actual "introduction" put up a gate or slightly crack the door to the room the kitty is in to see the reactions of of all the cats. If there is hissing or swatting maybe wait another day or two.

The next step is the "meeting." When you feel comfortable- plan to have the meeting in a controlled environment like a room with all doors closed and maybe perhaps a helper or two. A good idea is to get a plate of tuna for each cat, bring the new guy in the room and have them all enjoy a little tuna together. Give it to the new guys first as sort of a pleasant distraction-It makes the "meeting" or introduction" pleasant for all. You can do these "pleasant" meetings as much as you would like and feel comfortable moving to the next step.

Then the next meeting would be sort of a play date where you have a few toys, wands with a feather at the end work best. Also have this "meeting" in a controlled room with some helpers if needed. No tuna at this meeting. Have fun and entertain all kitties together, again it makes the "meeting" seem pleasant and fun. sort of a fun distraction so all the attention is not on the new kitty. It could take some time, but your love and patience and will eventually pay off.

Here is a great video from Jackson Galaxy about kitty introductions.


Hi I’m a vet tech at a one doctor animal hospital. I have a 10yr old special needs Great Dane, Delilah, who has Addison’s disease, primary chronic glaucoma (already missing an eye), who is also diabetic as of January this year. I also have a 11yo smaller mixed breed dog. I’ve had two sphynx previously (one passed, one still with me), and I just rescued a male sphynx mins away from being euthanized (he is perfectly healthy, just needs a dental which is being scheduled). I work with a lot of rescues and have helped many clients introduce new pets into the home, both dogs and cats, exotics, etc. It was something that happened suddenly so I didn’t have everything set up like I would generally have for a new cat. This is my first male sphynx. His name is Katsumoto. He is a completely naked BIG, but not fat 12lb old ginger man. He is estimated to be between 9-11 years old. He was declawed when he was 6-7 years old. It looks like it was done by a laser and seems to have no pain. He is a total clingy love bug, seriously the sweetest animal I have ever met. I also have another female sphynx I drove from Chicago to Maryland to rescue from being euthanized when she was 3 back in 2015. Her name is Bebe, She is a tiny(6-7lbs) little fluffy blue/grey sphynx, who was also declawed prior to coming to me but they did a Botch job so I had to have her basically redeclawed when I first rescued her from being put down. She no longer seems to be in any pain but is of course her front paws are sensitive. She’s extremely affectionate and thinks she’s one of the dogs. She is definitely the boss of the house. She’s dominate but not in a cruel way.

I live with my elderly parents in their large multi level home but have a “basement apartment” all to myself. I help them care for the large property and they help me with my special needs babies and they are also home 24/7 so none of my animals are ever alone.
I’ve had him for about a month now. Until I got him into my work and ran some tests on him, got him vaccinated, ear mites cleared up etc, I had him quarantined in a large bathroom for about 5 days. I’ve followed all the exact steps stated in the post above and always have, just in this case I’m taking things very slowly.
So I’ve been keeping him down here so he can decompress after being dumped by his family and losing everything he’s had/known for the last 10 years. Due to him being picked on so much he is a little nervous but is starting to realize the animals here are not going to hurt him. I started by put up a baby gate at the bottom of the stairs, so him and my other babies can see and smell each other. Right away he was okay with the pups and fine with them being down here. He is 100% submissive and doesn’t get into anyone’s space until he knows he’s welcome with both people and animals. He adores my dogs and is super close to my Dane already. Bebe would hiss at him through the gate for probably about a week until she started to play with him through the gate before I decided to open up the cat door part of it so she could come down and check things out and he can go upstairs if he wanted. He has started to go up in his own and sit at the top of the stairs, visit with my parents a few times etc. but now Bebe is starting to hiss and get a little jealous about sharing Nana (my mom), certain blankets of hers, toys, etc. I have two thunder cat plug ins in the apartment in the basement and put one upstairs in between the door and Bebes spot. I’ve also use a bunch of different sprays like the driest calming spray, sentry calming spray for dogs and cats etc. I have calming collars I haven’t tried yet, just not sure how people feel about those on sphynx (even though she’s pretty fluffy).
I’ve heard wonderful things about Jackson galaxy solutions and am wanting to give them a try to see if they can make the process even easier on him and everyone else in the house. Has anyone used any of the kits or solutions jaxson has made? Have certain ones worked better than others? Feel free to message me privately or reply to the post on here. I’m open to any and all other suggestions as well.

Sorry for such a long post, just trying to provide as much info as possible. Thank you in advance. ☺️☺️
 

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SouthernSphynx

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Jan 24, 2024
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So we have an almost 9 month old boy Oreo, and we just brought home our 14 week old Luna. We really don’t have much option of keeping them separate except for keeping her in my bedroom. I am unable to be in my room for long periods of time so will the new kitten be ok? It’s only been a few hours, but our Oreo will swat at her, pounces her and grabs her by the scruff of her neck. He’s not biting down...yet, but I’m afraid he will hurt her accidentally.
Pictures of our babies Oreo and Luna.
Hello. I realize this is from a couple years ago, but this is our story as well. How long did it take for the older one to settle down and accept the new kitten? We are on Day 5 and our older one is still chasing her and swatting and trying to tackle/bite neck. We are exhausted!
 

Catzzzmeow

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It can take a while. We got a kitten before Christmas…they do swat and will often bite that area…to exhibit to the newbie they are the top cat in the house. We got a kitten for Christmas and we see the boys put her in her place often. Our kitten will fight back, but then roll on their back in submission. It is natural, but stressful for humans especially. Playing with a string toy between the 2 of them can help the resident cat not focus on the kitten…I also have found a cat tunnel to be a great tool…throwing toys in and given the newbie a place to escape and be chased in a fun way. @SouthernSphynx


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
 

Yoda mom

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@SouthernSphynx , welcome to the lair family. I transitioned 4 together and yes, it did feel exhauting at times. it all worked out! we gotcha!
agree with catzzzmeows reply.

I did slow introductions with a kitty set up room. I got two dabird pole toys and played simultaneously.

the tall cat tree was a fav for kitty to retreat to room or cat tree and watch. I tossed treats and gave praise, they would run up and down the cat tree. then sit on the top perches looking at each other.
I use the kitty mansions 72"x 24" tall cat tree with perchess a small base. has held up with their zoomies. (I dont use the vine decoration it comes with).

a good ole paper bag with tossing toys was a plus too!
I put a few cat treats about 2 feet away from each other and worked up to closer and closer,
you got this!
we all share in the journey and we often see follow up bestie snuggly photos,
they established pecking order and I would only intervene if it seemed to rough with a stern "ah". my toby was a brat, I told him toby have love and he actually got some time outs, his nickname became TobyLove because he became the most cuddly with them , grooming the others snuggling,

keep us updated, hope to se an introduction post and pics!
 
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