Cats are sociable animals. Many enjoy playing with fellow animals or dozing off together. Therefore, many cat owners want to have several cats. Here are some tips on how to socialize a cat. The top priority is to avoid jealousy and treat both four-legged friends equally. This is not always easy, especially when the second cat is still very young. But socialization can only succeed if your first cat doesn’t feel set back.
Selection of the second cat
we should study the essence of your new roommate carefully before choosing, as it must match your cat’s character. What matters is that socialization can be problematic if your puss is a loner and has lived alone for a long time. Otherwise, make sure that the cats are roughly the same temperament and age. All four-legged friends should be neutered or neutered so that you prevent not only violent territorial fights but also unwanted offspring.
Many cat owners report that they have had an excellent experience with a second cat from the shelter. These house tigers have mostly gotten used to living together in a group and can adapt well to another. If you choose a pedigree cat, do some research on its character. American curl, the Balinese cat, or the Maine Coon as very sociable and adaptable, the Persian cat prefers to tolerate quiet contemporaries by their side.
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Prepare for your new roommate to move in
Your new roommate needs their own equipment:
- Food and water bowl
- one litter box per animal plus an additional one (with 3 cats: 4 toilets)
- Sleeping place or transport box in which the newcomer can retreat
- brush
- Scratching post or scratching board
- toy
If possible, bring a piece of paper or cloth that smells like the new kitty into your apartment a few days before the new roommate moves in. This will allow your cat to get used to the new smell.
The arrival of the second cat
Cats are very jealous animals. Therefore, you must always make your first cat feel that she does not have to stand behind the new roommate. Set up a place for the newcomer to settle in in a room that your cat rarely visits. Ask a family member or friend to bring the new cat into the apartment.
During this time, you spend time with your first cat and show her that she is still your number 1. Make sure you exude a sense of relaxation. This can also help your cat relax.
Both house tigers will smell that another animal is in the house. It may be that they “meet” at the locked door and hiss at each other. Allow this without paying any attention to their behavior. If your house tiger feels like everything is normal, he won’t see the newcomer as a threat.
After the new cat has settled in a bit, you can have them swap rooms. You should have a friend or other family member to help you with this because the room swap should occur so that the two animals do not meet.
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The first encounter
There are two possibilities if you want to know how to socialize a cat successfully: After a few days, you can leave the door to the second cat’s room open as if by chance and see what develops from it. Both cats must eat beforehand. This lets them relax and inhibits their aggression.
But you can also choose a place for the first meeting of your two cats that is new to both of them. To do this, move the furniture in a room a bit so that your first cat also has to reorient itself in the room and has no home advantage.
Create enough retreats so that both animals can hide in the worst case.
Although both animals have gotten used to the other’s odor, it can still lessen the cat’s odor by rubbing them with fresh hay. Alternatively, you can also use a pheromone scent as a spray, vaporizer, or powder. This reminds the cats of the smell of the nest and creates a feel-good climate that can positively affect socialization.
Now carry the two kitties into a room with another family member. If you like it, calmly caress it so that you can relax and feel safe. Now let the two animals approach each other and only intervene if the situation threatens to escalate.
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how to socialize a cat – process and dangers
The following reactions can occur at the first meeting:
- The cats growl at each other, walk around each other, and the hair on the back of their neck stand up. In this phase, they sniff each other and try to assess the other. If you start cleaning yourself quickly and ignore the other, then the most important step is done. Both don’t want trouble and will probably get used to each other quickly.
- Even if the first cat attacks with loud growls and screeches when it comes into contact with the new kitty, that doesn’t have to be a bad sign. If the newcomer pulls away, you can calm your cat down. Please give her a feeling of normality and, for example, by sitting down relaxed and yawning, create the feeling that you feel completely at ease. When both cats have settled down, they can approach each other again. Sometimes it takes a long time until the area is marked out.
- It looks different when both of them pounce on each other and fight violently. Now you have to keep your nerve first. If the cats don’t seriously injure themselves, don’t intervene. You can try to disrupt the fight with a loud noise or distract it with treats and small balls. If they respond, try to keep them occupied by playing. Often, this helps them get used to each other. Make sure that both cats get the same amount of attention.
When two cats don’t match
Not all owners know how to socialize a cat. If the quarrels last for days and the kitties bite each other immediately without you having the opportunity to separate them, then you should consider separating from the second cat again. In this case, living together is unbearable for both four-legged friends and us humans. Therefore, inquire beforehand whether you can bring the new cat-back again if the socialization does not succeed.
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