The Best Way To Introduce Your Two Cats

Hey there people.

Today we can do the quest to
answer all the supermarket

questions.

Stand by.

First things first.

Catify ze world!

I get asked the same questions
usually at the supermarket.

So today we're going to
knock out the first one.

Jackson, I'm trying to
introduce one cat to another,

and it ain't going well.

Today we're talking
about introductions.

Now let's get down
to the brass tacks.

How do we introduce cat to cat?

The first thing that folks
do wrong, is they go well,

I'm just going to bring my cat
into a room with this new cat

and let them work it out.

How many times have I
heard, let them work it out?

And how many times do
they not work it out?

What you want to do is introduce
these guys by scent first

and then work in sight.

It's all about cat mojo folks.

It's about
territorial ownership.

And if your cat, who has owned
this territory for x amount

of time, suddenly doesn't,
we're getting them off

on the wrong foot, because
you're putting it squarely

in the land of threat.

This cat is threatening
your cat's sanctified space.

The way that I introduce
cat to cat is I use a door.

I want to make sure that
on one side of the door,

it's usually a good base camp.

Base camp is a
room that's almost

like territorial
training wheels.

Right?

Well, first I'm going
to give you this room.

So you get to know what
the territory smells like.

And then we'll graduate
you out of here.

And I want you to
make sure that you're

practicing site swapping.

So what you want to
do, for instance,

is you've got the cat that's
out in the rest of the house.

Well, it's time to switch.

Put this one in the bathroom.

Bring the other one out.

Take the one from the
bathroom into the other room.

Now this whole thing will
take 3 and 1/2 minutes,

but I do want to make sure
that at any given time

the new cat or the resident cat
has a place to call their own.

Both a little bit
away and base camp.

The seat of the territory,
and the whole rest

of the territory.

On the other side
of that door, you

have your resident cat,
who has, for the most part,

free run of the house.

And you're going to
introduce them at meal times.

One on one side of the
door, one on the other.

If you are feeding
meals, you're gold, man.

Because your cat's
hungry, they're

going to want to
eat at that door.

they're motivated
to eat at that door.

And so they're going to
overcome the misgiving

they might have
with that other cat.

So that's really,
really crucial that you

keep feeding meals
and not free feeding.

Give them about three feet
on either side of that door.

Three feet from bowl to door.

Another three feet
from bowl to door.

Six feet total.

That way we're pretty
much respecting

the concept of personal space,
and a little bit of privacy.

And what are we doing?

We're setting up the concept
of positive association.

Right?

So that when these cats smell
food, they smell one another.

Now here's what I want from you.

When the two cats are eating
on either side of the door,

I want to see nothing.

No hissing.

No growling.

No shenanigans under the door.

No nothing.

OK.

Well if that's not happening,
then bring the bowls

apart a little bit more.

So what we're doing now,
as we've done in the past,

is setting a challenge line.

Saying you know,
where is it, Mr.

Cat that you find
enough confidence

that you can walk up to that
bowl, smell the other cat,

but smell your food,
eat it and walk away.

Wherever that is, that's
where we put a piece of tape

on the ground on either
side of that door.

Boom.

We got challenge
lines on either side,

and that first couple of
nights, walk up to the bowl,

eat, walk away, and onward.

Obviously, the next
thing you're going to do

is you're going to start moving
those bowls closer and closer

together.

We do this slowly.

Remember, a cat needs
to have it proven

to them that's this other
being is not a threat to them.

And the only way we can do
that is having the same result

over and over and over again.

Every time a bowl goes
down, I get my jackpot food.

I get no threat to the
environment, whatsoever.

I walk away.

You know, it's all good.

Another part of this
homework is graduate

from a closed door to the gate.

With the gate, you drape a
towel over the gate itself.

So now you've got a little bit
of visual space at the bottom.

So now these guys can
be eating their dinner

at their respective
challenge lines,

looking under there going,
wait a second, that's

a [NOM NOM NOM] that's
another [NOM NOM NOM].

It's like, I really want to
pay attention to that thing,

but it's really small, visually.

And this is really good food.

Now the next step is an exercise
that I call, Eat, Play, Love.

And the idea was you take two
cats that stand one another,

you put them in the same room,
but completely supervised.

And the idea is you want to
give them experience with toys.

What are their favorite toys?

How do you keep them
interacting with you,

and not paying any attention
to the other cat in the room?

Through play, then
through feeding a meal,

then through just
loving on them.

I just want them to
ignore one another.

That's the object of the game.

If it lasts for 15 seconds
before one cat's like,

huh, hey what the?

Who's that?

And then, all of
a sudden, game on.

Well that's fine.

That was 15 seconds.

Always end exercises
on a high note

to the best of your
ability, because we

don't want negative
associations to take root.

Every time these guys
get in a room together,

I want good things to happen.

They want good things to happen.

And if they do
continue to happen,

we will get to that point where
we'll be able to open the door

and let them at each other.

Everything that I just told you
about introducing cat to cat

works just as well when
your cats have had a fight,

and you're trying to get
them back together again.

So your homework for introducing
cat to cat, number 1,

start feeding meals only.

No free feeding.

Second, meal time
goes on opposite sides

of a closed door.

Every time you get
positive results,

stay with it for
a few days, folks.

Don't rush it.

It's on cat time,
not human time.

Then we get to the point
where we're right at the door.

A couple things you can
do, back it up again.

And now you can use the
baby gate type of deal.

Right?

You put the baby gate
down, put a blanket on top.

Slowly raising the curtain
on the proceedings,

and also bringing them together.

Again, repeating the same
technique you used before.

The other part of your
homework is Eat, Play, Love.

Concept here is expanding
out that meal time ritual.

Make sure you're site swapping.

Very, very important.

I don't want anyone
to get sort of static

in one location in the house.

I want it to be a
mix of locations

so that nobody can settle
into sort of false ownership.

And that's it.

Finally guys.

I'm telling you this from
the bottom of my heart.

I think cats should
be living groups.

I think that you should have
more than one cat in your life,

for sure.

But you've got to introduce
them on their terms.

All right folks, I'm
going to get going.

Now I have answered the
supermarket question

of the day.

More to come, believe me.

In the meantime, you can ask
your supermarket question.

You do not have to wait until
I'm holding a bag a celery

online at the Whole Foods.

No.

What you can do is #
TeamCatMojo, right here,

you see that.

And send it off on Twitter,
on Instagram, on Facebook.

And I will see those
questions and if I

get asked them enough
times, I will, for sure

answer those questions.

All right folks, until
next time, all light,

all love, all mojo to ya.

[KISSES] Love to you,
and your multiple cats.
image source
https://www.petwave.com/Cats/Basics/Second-Cat.aspx