Warning Signs When Introducing Cats : [ Note Down These ]

Introducing cats is not as easy as introducing children. This species does not like any other presence in their territory. So you must be careful while introducing them to fellow cats or other family members.

The journey of introducing cats might be a little time-consuming, but you will be satisfied at the end of it. Do not hurry the process. Let your sweet feline take its time to get comfortable around its furry friend.

So, if you want to know more about the warning signs when introducing your cat, you are at the right place.

Warning signs when introducing cats

If you see cats facing each other and making hissing as well as growling sounds. It is a clear indication that they do not like each other’s presence. If you let the cats be at the same place any longer, the introduction might end up with a catfight.

After all, there must be something about the catfight that makes it famous as an example set for fighting women.

Catfights involve snarling and growling cats along with occasional scratches and chasing around the house.

It is ideal to set a comfortable environment for them to get along if you want to avoid such fights.

It might take you a few extra attempts and efforts, but then it is required for your cats to get along with each other. You cannot just sit back and expect them to be friends.

Make sure that your pets are comfortable with each of the steps heading towards the goal.

But it would help if you waited for it to happen. Do not rush, as it will only complicate the situation further. All these efforts are going to be worth the wait.

Always remember to keep in touch with a veterinarian. It will come in handy when you want to cope with the general disorders in your cat’s behavior.

What happens if you introduce cats too quickly?

Introducing your cat too quickly to another cat threatens her self-image, which may result in aggressiveness. A quick introduction leads to harsh feelings in cats.

They might have a difficult time with each other because the first thing that came into their mind after meeting one another was aggression.

Moreover, there are chances that the dominant cat may try to frighten up the other cat by making a snarling sound.

It is almost impossible to introduce your cats quickly if you have never had such interactions with other cats before.

However, if you are in a hurry to introduce your cat to other cats quickly, you must consider introducing a kitten to your cat who does not challenge its position in the house.

Your cat will feel safer and secure enough to carry on with her bossy attitude.

To ensure that the kitten does not grab all your attention, keep checking how much time you spend with the other cat.

Further, your kitten should not be bothering the other cat all the time. Cats, too, need their own space and time.

As you know, everything has a process of its own.

To introduce your cats faster, you still need to follow the given instructions and tricks.

These are some adverse behaviors that may result from introducing your cats too quickly:

• Negative emotions in your cat
• Feeling of fear and threatened
• Getting agitated with each other’s smell
• Skipping meals
• Hiding from one another
• Injury from fights

 How long does it take for cats to get used to each other?

It isn’t easy to show an exact frame of time when cats get along with one another. While for some cats, it just takes a few days or a few weeks, for others, it can even take months to get along with one another.

Depending upon the personal nature of your pet, it is on them to decide whether they take long to gel with other cats or not.

Not all cats react the same while dealing with social interactions.

While some of them can be grateful that you introduced them to a new feline friend, some cats prefer to have their own space with you.

If you thought dogs to be possessive about their territory, remember cats are even more territorial animals than dogs.

Especially when you pet a cat, the territorial nature becomes even more prominent.

I cannot stress enough that you need to give your cat its desired time and space to become friends with another cat.

The more you hurry, the more your cat will get irritated and offended. Just like human friendships, you cannot force cats to become friends according to your convenience.

Is it normal for cats to hiss when they first meet?

Introducing two cats never ends without a lot of hissing between the cats. It is how the cats start with their introduction.

Cats use subtle body movements to communicate with each other, and hence for humans to understand the language could be a tough challenge.

 For example, you can recognize if your cat is aggressive by looking at its body posture and body parts such as whiskers, fur, ears, and tail.

It is further noticeable by a downward and straight position of the tail.

If they do not like the other cat, it is here that they make a snarling or a growling sound followed by frequent hisses staring into each other’s eyes.

Apart from hissing, cats have other methods of attacking: biting, growling, shrieking, scraping, and scratching.

A cat acts rather defensive when afraid of another cat but too scared to initiate the fight. You may find your pet growling and scratching the ground with dilated eyes and flat ears right against their head.

How do you tell if your cat would like another cat?

It is not at all difficult to understand that your cats like each other.

The first and the most common act is to rub their body against each other if they have started liking each other’s presence. This act can be accompanied by an intertwine of tails between the cats.

 Cats love to cuddle each other while sleeping when they are appreciative of each other’s presence.

You must have seen cats sitting on each other’s lap while sleeping. Besides, they lick and then bite each other vigorously to groom each other.

 However aggressive these solitary hunters are, they do show love when they socialize.

How to introduce cats without hating each other?

Your cats may become reluctant to tolerate each other despite your efforts. They might not appreciate you letting both the cats coexist in the house and even refuse to behave normally, have their meals, and play.

If such conditions prevail, they may prove to be harmful to your pets’ general well-being and health.

It is advisable to give your pet a small break span, and then when things get to normal, re-introduce your cats to see how they behave. It might take some repeated efforts and attempts to make the friendship happen. 

But then, it all depends on how you tackle the situation. Under no circumstances should you behave rudely with your cat; rather, be as tender as you can.

When is the right time to introduce?

You cannot sure say when it will be the correct time to introduce your cat to another. It completely depends on your cat and how it wants to behave.

Sometimes, cats become friends sooner, and sometimes it can take an eternity to tolerate each other’s presence in the same household. But one thing is for sure that you should never hurry the process.

The gradual introduction is the key to laying the foundation for a good friendship between cats.

In most cases, the time required for a friendship to flourish ranges between eight to twelve months.

Give it the time to accommodate and accept its companion. Do not try forcing your cats to like one another, as it will only backfire. Your cats will develop aggressiveness and will feel threatened by this behavior of yours.

Ways to introduce cats faster

You can always help your cats to get along faster with each other. For that matter, you would need to follow certain steps. Let us check what the steps are!

Familiarity with each other’s scent

The first step would be to assign your feline friend a separate room. Make sure you have a comfortable sleeping bed for your beloved pet apart from other essentials such as toys, a litter box, and a scratching post.

Assign a separate room for the other cat with similar arrangements.

Which two separate rooms for each of your cats, try to exchange their rooms. Let the cats get friendly with each other’s scent. Let curiosity develop.

Small glimpses between the two cats

However, it would help if you still went through a couple of steps before freely letting your cats face each other.

Try to let your cat have occasional glimpses of the other cat whenever possible. This introduction should look more like a coincidence and not an official meeting. Try to observe if any of the cats behave aggressively.

Safer distance between the two cats.

Gradually, if none of the cats show aggression, you can think of introducing your cats, maintaining enough of a safe distance between the two.

Offer the cats their meals and let them see each other feeding. Let them see each other playing with the toys and the litter box. Let them accept each other’s presence.

A little closer, but there must be a gap

While introducing your cats close to one another, make sure they have a gap of 10 feet in between. It would ensure that your cats do not get injured after a fight. Again, keep a check on their aggression.

Call their names to address them

Address the cats with their pet name so that none of them feel ignored. Supply them with their regular necessities. Please make sure you separate them after a small interaction. Everything should be under your supervision. Take an added family member for further assistance.

Let the time of the interactions grow gradually

Do not set up a long interaction at once. Let the time of the interactions grow gradually. Keep repeating the above cycle of meeting for a couple of days to see a curdling moment in your cats. Continue feeding the cats together.

Keep providing them with their toys

Allow them to share such monitored time and make sure they enjoy their quality time. Once the cats become hospitable to each other, you would love their bonding!

No barrier

Finally, after you see your steps succeeding one by one, let your cats share a common space with no barrier in between.

But be careful while choosing the time. Select a time during the day when both the cats are in a happy and calm mood. Watch their activities carefully. Continue this routine for a few days under your observation.

Let your cats cuddle

If only the above step is complete, and you see your cats having no issues with each other’s presence, you are free to leave them alone. They would soon curdle up and be friends together.

The bond between your cats will keep walking through various changes and transformations.

In the meantime, if you see the cats behaving strangely or aggressively, do keep them under your observation. Alternatively, see a vet if required.

However, if your felines are happy together, nothing like that!

Conclusion

It may be a little tough, as it seems to be. But, with correctly guided steps, you can reach the best bonding between your cats. After all, your furry pet loves you so much; it won’t bring you down.

All you need to do is to follow the right steps and good instructions.

Moreover, you need to understand the personal behavior of your cat. Not all cats respond in the same fashion.

And, the bottom line remains: work according to the comfort of your pet. Do not disturb the comfort zone of your pet. Eventually, the introduction has to happen, but let it be an efficient one.