I expect to be getting another cat in the near future - possibly next
week. I have always introduced additional cats to those in residence
more or less immediately, and there have never been any problems other
than a few minor spats.

I know the prevalent idea seems to be to do it gradually, but I an
unsure how this works. It seems to me that if I keep them separated, it
means either isolating the newcomer, which doesn't seem like a very good
way to make him or her feel at home, or isolating the resident cat,
which seems to me it would make the resident resent the newcomer even
more. I am especially concerned about nighttime. Lindy sleeps on my
bed. Shutting her out and have the new cat in my bedroom seems very
unfair to Lindy, and shutting out the new cat certainly wouldn't
encourage him or her to sleep with me later on.

I don't intend to be critical of how other people do it. I'm just
wondering about the ramifications. I'd appreciate any input before I
decide for sure how I'm going to introduce the addition to my family.

Joy