Many people have a picture in their heads when they get a second cat: two animals curled up together on the sofa, grooming each other's ears. And then comes the day the new cat steps out of the carrier, the old one arches its back like a Halloween sticker and disappears under the bed for three days. Both are real. The difference lies in choosing the cat and in the first two weeks. If you rush those, you often pay for it for months.
First: which cat is a good match?
Cats are not pack animals like dogs, but social loners who choose their company. They do not accept just any cat, only the one that suits them. The rules of thumb from animal shelters and cat charities:
- Age: A similar age or at most a few years apart. A kitten with a twelve-year-old cat is stress for the old one, not company.
- Temperament: Playful with playful, calm with calm. A Bengal with a British Shorthair is a permanent conflict.
- Sex: A tom and a female, or two toms, often works best, while two females can find it harder. All neutered, otherwise nothing works at all.
- History: A cat that has lived with other cats before has an easier time. Shelters often know which cats are sociable.
The preparation
Before the new cat arrives: a room of its own, with litter tray, food, water, scratching post and a hiding place. Extra resources throughout the home, because the rule is: number of cats plus one. Two cats, three litter trays, several feeding spots, several sleeping places, several raised viewpoints. Cats rarely fight over affection, almost always over resources and routes.
The plan
Days 1 to 3: Completely separate
The new cat stays in its room, door closed. It should first arrive, eat, use the litter tray and be allowed to hide. The old cat can smell it under the door and knows that someone is there. That is enough. You spend time with both, separately, and you do not wash your hands in between: you are the scent carrier.
Days 3 to 7: Scent swapping
Blankets, cushions and toys are swapped. You stroke one cat's cheeks with a cloth and put it down for the other. If both sniff the items and then sit on them, that is a good sign. Hissing at the cloth: a few more days.
Week 2: The gate in the door
A baby gate or a fly screen in the doorway, so they can see and smell each other but not reach each other. Each gets its favourite food on its own side, first at a distance from the door, then a bit closer every day. Seeing and eating become linked, and that is the core of the method. Hissing and growling are normal, attacks on the gate mean: increase the distance.
Week 3: First meetings
Short, supervised, with a fishing rod toy and treats. Five minutes, then separate them again before it tips over. A little longer every day. Cats that ignore each other while playing with the rod are well on their way. Cats that stare at each other and flatten their ears need longer.
Week 4 and after
Unsupervised only once they have spent several days relaxed in the same room. Keep them apart at night until you are sure. The whole process takes two weeks for some and three months for others. The more anxious cat sets the pace.
What you should not do
- Put both together straight away to see what happens. A bad first impression is very hard for cats to correct.
- Favour the new cat. The old cat needs more attention now, not less.
- Step in when they hiss. Hissing is communication, not a fight. Only step in for real attacks with tufts of fur flying, and then with a cushion in between, never with your hands.
- Give up too early. Three weeks of hissing is not failure. Three months without progress is a reason to call a cat behaviour consultant.
When it really does not work
Some cats do not want a second cat, that happens. Signs after two to three months: one cat stops eating, marks, hides permanently, loses weight. Then returning the cat to the shelter is not a defeat but responsibility. Good shelters explicitly offer this.
When it works
The moment you come into the living room in the morning and find both on the sofa, one paw on the other without them noticing, is the reward for the weeks with the gate in the door. And for many people it is the reason for a double portrait. Two cats in one picture also work with two separate photos, by the way: we put them together. For a double portrait the larger format is worth it: on a framed canvas both have room, without one slipping to the edge. Our cat portraits also come as posters, wooden frames and acrylic glass.
To go with it: the cat bowl with name.
Keep reading
- British Shorthair: the cat that lies next to you: which breed has an easier time
- Maine Coon: ten kilos of cat in everyday life: big cat, big calm, mostly
- Photographing your cat without stress: for when both should end up in the picture
