On Thu, 04 Nov 2004 22:15:28 GMT, "Yoj"
wrote:

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.

If you isolate the new cat in a closed off room that has a vent from
the forced air HVAC system and a return path, the scents of all the
cats will meld together without unnecessary stress scents being mixed
in. The new cat will probably appreciate not having to learn about a
large area at once - after release (and after recovering from the
stress of being rehomed), the newcomer will have a known refuge
available while it inspects ever increasing areas of the house. Also,
when released, the new cat will have a familiar scent, and will know
the scents of the other cats and of the house. Scent is extremely
important to cats, and I recommend leaving the HVAC fan on
continuously. If there is no forced air HVAC system to help mix and
distribute the scents, I'm not so sure that the isolation approach has
as much value as it does for me.


--
T.E.D. )