Although it’s not always simple, having two cats in the same apartment can be a happy situation. Because cats are territorial creatures, socializing them to one another takes time and understanding. It’s common for some conflict to occur when they share an area, even if they are both well-behaved.
It’s crucial to carefully plan the introduction of a new cat before bringing them home. Hurrying the process can result in persistent behavioral problems, stress, and aggression. A calm coexistence will result from giving both cats the time they require to get used to one another.
We’ll look at some easy ways to help both of your cats adjust to the change more smoothly in this article. These actions can help make cohabitation enjoyable for all parties, from setting up safe areas to progressively increasing their interactions.
Tip | Description |
Separate feeding areas | Place food and water in different locations to avoid fights over resources. |
Individual sleeping spots | Provide each cat with its own bed or cozy space for privacy and relaxation. |
Gradual introduction | Introduce the cats slowly, allowing them to get used to each other’s scent first. |
Play together | Use interactive toys to engage both cats at the same time, encouraging bonding. |
Keep litter boxes separate | Offer separate litter boxes to reduce territorial conflicts. |
- Is it worth it to start a new animal if there is already a cat or a cat
- Possible causes of conflicts between cats
- The first days of a newcomer in the house: how the owner should behave
- What to do to make two pets friends in one apartment
- How to make two cats friends
- How to make two cats friends
- How to make a cat and cat
- How to make friends between an adult pet and a kitten
- If the pets do not make contact
- Video: how to make friends two cats who have not lived together before
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Is it worth it to start a new animal if there is already a cat or a cat
Is raising a second animal worthwhile? Certainly, it is hard to respond when a cat or cats already reside in an apartment. When it comes to those who genuinely care about the well-being of animals, or who are cat lovers, sometimes there is just no turning back. One could not walk past a little lump of homelessness. Friends are unable to leave their pet at home for a variety of reasons, even though they are unable to find it a suitable home. Even though circumstances might differ greatly, the result is always the same: a new person moves into the home.
Most frequently, a person adopts a new pet when they are unable to ignore a homeless animal.
In any event, you should be ready for the possibility that animal disputes may occur, which the owner will need to settle to prevent issues and animal harm.
If done correctly, bringing two cats together in an apartment can go quite well, but it does take time and knowledge of their natural tendencies. Introduce the cats gradually by first dividing the spaces so they can get acclimated to each other’s smell before they meet in person. This will help them adjust. Increase their interaction time gradually while maintaining a secure and tranquil atmosphere. The two cats will learn to live together in harmony in the same house with time and attention.
Possible causes of conflicts between cats
The following are the primary causes of cat fights:
- War for territory. Any cat or cat considers the apartment to be their own territory. If a new tenant appears at home, then he is perceived as an invader who lays claim to the cat"s possessions.
- Hormones. Here we are talking more about uncastrated and unsterilized individuals. A fight between two cats is a completely normal phenomenon when the issue of superiority is being decided. If two cats, one of which is neutered and the other is not, collide, then accustoming them to living together will become a real torture. During the period of sexual desire, fights can also be arranged by females.
- Fear and stress. An old-timer gets into a situation where a newcomer is able to steal the owner"s love, which can provoke a stressful state. This can lead to aggressive behavior.
- Illness. Cats are very sensitive. If one of the animals is weakened by illness, the second will not disdain to take advantage of this and use force to show leadership.
- Lack of space for excrement, fights for food. Animals that see each other for the first time will not share one litter box for two, they will arrange real fights for it or find another place for excrement. Considering stress, and possibly resentment towards a person, it may turn out to be the owner"s bed. In addition, cats suffer from food aggression, and competition for food can provoke a fight every time during feeding.
Three daughters and their mother make up my four cats. They sleep in the same box, get along well, and even lick each other. However, when it comes to food, one might snarl at the other or grab a bite. When it comes to cats, food is sacred. No family could be present here.
The first days of a newcomer in the house: how the owner should behave
Aggression is a part of introducing cats. The owner should exercise the utmost caution and refrain from interfering while the animals resolve conflicts at the level of warning signs. Among these signals are:
- a fighting stance, a strongly fluffed tail, hissing;
- slight swaying of the paws, warning blows;
- attacking throws, accompanied by instant rebounds.
Every cat-to-cat relationship always starts with a phase of warning signals.
A newcomer’s actions can take two different forms:
- will show agreement with the leading position of the old-timer, lower his eyes and take a submissive pose;
- will show aggression in return, expressing it through hissing and short blows with paws.
When there is a serious risk of harm, the owner may only step in to break up a fight between cats. Unless the animals are confined to a ball, that is. A cat fight cannot be started with just your hands. It is preferable to employ techniques like dousing the opposing parties in water or tossing heavy cloth at them.
What to do to make two pets friends in one apartment
Purchasing two kittens at once is the universal advice given by breeders to prevent fights between two pets living in the same apartment. Whether or not the babies are from the same litter is irrelevant. There won’t be any conflicts at all because they lack territorial aggression or gender aggression.
However, since it is uncommon for two pets to appear at the same time, you will need to attempt to make friends with both of them. In order to accomplish this, you must heed the following veterinary advice:
- An old-timer needs to be shown his importance. Any cat is afraid of losing the territory that she owns, and a pet is also afraid of losing the love of the owner. Therefore, when meeting a newcomer, the firstborn is best taken in your arms, stroked and spoken to affectionately.
- On the very first day, you cannot push cats into a head-on acquaintance. A new pet should be brought in a carrier, put it on the floor and open the door so that he can independently go out and get acquainted with the territory. You cannot limit the firstborn, you need to give him the opportunity to get acquainted with new smells. But you cannot leave pets alone, you need to monitor their behavior all the time.
- You can use such a manipulation as mixing the smells of animals. For example, wipe the muzzle, paws and genitals of one pet with a dry towel, do the same procedure with the same towel with the second animal. This procedure will help to dull aggression.
- Animals need to organize areas where they can rest. The best solution would be to leave the first cat all the space where it likes to live, and isolate the newcomer in a separate room. It can be released under the supervision of the owner, and all the doors should be left open so that in the event of a conflict, the pets have the opportunity to retreat. If you isolate the old-timer, then it will decide that it has lost its territory and the love of the owner, this will increase stress and aggression.
- In the first days of acquaintance, cats can often become in a combat readiness stance. This is normal. If aggression is not directly manifested, then the situation will soon be resolved.
- It is important to provide each cat or cat with its own litter box. It has long been known that cats are excessively clean. You cannot clean the old-timer"s litter box before the new tenant arrives. If the beginner does not mark his toilet, then the cat may refuse to visit him again and begins to leave tags where it got. It is better to give the newcomer a different place for the litter box at first, away from the toilet of the permanent pet.
- You cannot feed animals from the same bowl. Initially, it is recommended to give them food in different places so as not to provoke a fight.
- As soon as the animals begin to show good nature to each other, for example, rub against each other, you need to treat them with a treat.
How to make two cats friends
When two cats are introduced, problems could occur if:
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One of them is pregnant. Such a pet feels threatened by the other cat. In this position, she cannot boast of strength and dexterity, and sometimes she does not feel well, that is, she is weak. This means that anyone can defeat her. The cat experiences a stressful situation, and with it, aggressiveness.
A pregnant cat will naturally be hostile toward a new pet.
How to make two cats friends
The desire to mate is what starts most feline fights. It is impossible to avoid confrontations with sexually mature cats during the marriage period because of their extreme aggression. Castration is the only way to get things straight.
Here, it’s critical to understand the differences between sterilization and castration. While castration contributes to the loss of sexual attraction, a sterilized cat will still want to go on a date with another cat. Additionally, there is no chance of propagation in that situation or any other.
How to make a cat and cat
Male and female fights can take place at:
- The desire to infringe on the enemy physically weaker. The cat will try to demonstrate its authority, deprive the cat of food, will interfere with the cozy place of rest. Here it is necessary to take measures to feed animals in different places, from different bowls. Put every animal house, monitor attempts to infringe on the cat and prevent them.
- Manifestation of sexual instincts. If the cat and cat are sexually mature, then their communication threatens with constant pregnancies of a cat. If tribal breeding is not planned, then both must be sterilized. The cat"s character will soften, and the female cat will not bear offspring. Using hormonal drugs is undesirable. They will negatively affect the health of animals. A tender relationship between a cat and a female cat will occur very quickly.
When I moved to my mother’s house with my cat, I found myself in a precarious situation. The animals quickly came to terms with one another. They were cautious in their relationship at first, but they mainly just hissed at one another. Naturally, the cat became pregnant shortly after the situation ended. We castrated the male cat while she was pregnant. The female cat was likewise sterilized once the babies had been born for a month. The animals lived in perfect harmony with one another, but we did not witness any especially tender moments between them.
How to make friends between an adult pet and a kitten
The old-timer’sgenderwill determine how the baby is received in a new family:
- Cat. The female often takes a kitten, as the maternal instinct works. Skirmishes are possible, but they are more of an educational nature than an expression of aggression. This only applies to kittens that have not reached the age of six months. If the kitten is older than 6 months, then it will be perceived as a full-fledged opponent, since at this age cats begin to mature.
- Cat. The cat will definitely not become a nanny for the baby. However, there will be no obvious manifestation of aggression either. Do not forget that in nature, a cat often kills babies of other cats. If the old-timer is jealous, then the first days they cannot be left alone, it is possible that the cat will try to strangle the baby.
Because her maternal instinct will be activated, the cat will accept someone else’s baby more readily.
The foundling I discovered in the trash was readily accepted by my cat, who is a mother of three. He had appeared close to her stomach, and she had no questions. He was fed, bathed, and warmed up right away. But I’ve heard that not all cats are able to adopt kittens from other people. Next, it is advised to moisten the infant’s fur with the cat’s feces. The cat will recognize the baby by its scent and begin to lick it before claiming it as its own.
If the pets do not make contact
You have to be ready for failure ahead of time. Not every cat gets along with other cats in the same house. You will have to find the newcomer a new home if, in spite of your best efforts, fights persist and the pets start acting sick in the midst of a stressful situation.
Video: how to make friends two cats who have not lived together before
It can be rewarding to live in an apartment with two cats, but it does take tolerance and understanding. Since each cat is unique, it’s important to give them time to get used to their new surroundings. At first, setting up distinct areas for them can help lower stress levels and avoid territorial disputes.
To ensure that neither cat feels the need to compete, make sure they have an adequate supply of food, water, litter boxes, and toys. The transition can be made easier by introducing them gradually through meetings under supervision and scent swapping.
Recall that it takes time for two cats to get along peacefully. Remain composed, act consistently, and take your time. They can eventually learn to peacefully share the same space if you give them your full attention.