How to Introduce a New Cat into Your Household

June 13, 2020

This post has been sponsored by Cat’s Pride®. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Today, I am sharing my top tips for introducing a new cat into your household. Last September, my boyfriend, Brian, and I adopted a fluffy orange Mainecoon cat. We chose to name him Simba after Brian’s favorite movie: The Lion King. Out of all of the possible cats to adopt that day, we ended up taking Simba home with us based on his sweet demeanor and soft orange coat. At first, we wanted to adopt a kitten to raise together—but Simba stole our hearts the second after we picked him up and cuddled him close.

How to Introduce a Cat Into Your Household

1. Set Up a Safe Space for the Cat

One of the first things we did after we adopted Simba was purchase some goodies for him to adjust to life at our house. While shopping for the right cat supplies, Brian and I chose to buy Cat’s Pride® Total Odor Control Scented GREEN JUG™ and Jonny Cat® Litter Box liners for his litter box.

In order to make Simba feel less anxious when he arrived at our house, I assembled a safe space for him in one of our back rooms before we allowed Simba to roam free.

I assembled his safe space by making sure to get his litter box ready. It’s important to create a safe space for any new animal, especially for a cat because they can feel anxious at first and overwhelmed by a new situation. The liners take seconds to lay down on top of a litter box.

Next, I took the Cat’s Pride litter and filled his box with the lightweight, low dust, easy pour jug.

Did you know that for every GREEN JUG™ of Cat’s Pride litter purchased, they donate a pound of litter to shelters across America to help more cats find their forever homes? Since this program’s launch, Cat’s Pride Litter for Good™program has donated over 8 million pounds of litter to animal welfare organizations.

Why did we choose Cat’s Pride litter and Jonny Cat litter box liners for Simba? The Cat’s Pride litter features a dual-clay blend litter that delivers 10-day odor control and the strongest clumps. Simba loves to use his litter box in my home because I constantly take care of it by refilling and cleaning out his litter every 2-3 days.

The Jonny Cat liners are tear resistant and built to last. The liner packaging states that it is the number one selling liner in America and now I can see why – even Simba’s claws can’t rip through them!

Save now with these coupons for $3 off your purchase of a Green Jug and $1 off your purchase of Jonny Cat liners!

2. Stay At Home With Your Cat for a Few Hours

Luckily, we adopted Simba on a Saturday afternoon—so we had the rest of Saturday and Sunday to stay by his side for hours. Helping your cat adjust to his new environment involves plenty of patience. We let Simba check out his new home by making sure he knew where he could safely use his litter box.

We also set up his water and food bowls close by his litter box for easy access.

We didn’t give him any commands or raise our voices for the next couple of days while he slowly learned his way around the house. Simba needed the opportunity to scout out his new surroundings alone. He had to establish his own hiding spots and sleeping areas that made him feel more comfortable without our help. Once he felt more at ease, we could move on to introducing him to our dog, Chance.

3. Scent Swapping

Another huge tip for introducing your cat into a new household involves something called scent swapping.

For example, if you have a dog living in your home, it’s a good idea to take a cloth, rub it underneath your dog’s legs, and place this cloth in the vicinity of the cat while he relaxes in another room. Next, take a separate cloth, rub it along the cat’s chin and coat to grab his scent, and drop this cloth nearby your dog.

Scent swapping provides each animal with each other’s scents. Monitor the reactions of each animal once the scent cloths are in range. Do not tempt the animals to smell the scent cloths.

4. Supervise Your Cat Meeting Other Animals in the Household

After some time has passed and your cat has adjusted to his new litter box, it’s time to introduce him or her to the other animals in the house. Our dog, Chance, grew up alongside plenty of cats, which gave us some hope that he would respect Simba. Of course, Chance was raised as the only dog so he probably felt bombarded by a new animal presence in his home when Simba approached him.

We made sure Chance was pleasant to Simba once they interacted for the first time. If Chance barked or made any aggressive behavior, we took him out of the room. Simba also needed to check out Chance in a calm matter and if Simba made any aggressive behaviors, such as swatting or hissing, we immediately put Simba in his safe space for at least 10 minutes.

Of course, any introduction of animals will take time until they finally accept each other. Chance and Simba took a few months to adjust to living with each other. Chance went from living at home for years as the only pet to cohabiting with a cat! The two of them enjoy living together and respect each other, but this process took months to achieve.

As I mentioned earlier, it’s important to establish safe spaces for both animals to feel nurtured and loved. I make sure to change out Simba’s litterbox every few days so he continues to feel safe at home. We choose Cat’s Pride brand because it keeps Simba’s litter box smelling fresh and clean. I provide plenty of quality time for Chance and Simba to play together while learning to respect boundaries. Simba claims his litterbox as one of his safe places and I do my part to ensure that it’s always ready for him.