If you have a cat or cats that are really good about always using the litter box be careful if you decide to bring another cat into the home. This is something that can cause many cats to act out. But it doesn’t have to if you are conscientious.
We recently brought a new kitten home. It wasn’t a planned addition, but we found an abandoned kitten that was too young to be on her own and we couldn’t just leave her. We planned to take her to a shelter, but after spending a couple of days caring for her it was going to be hard to give her up.
So we decided to blend her into our family which includes two adult cats, one of which has had jealousy issues in the past. I had learned all about how to remove cat urine from her earlier years, but I was hoping not to put those skills to use.
We kept our new kitty in a separate room for several days, then slowly brought her out for a few hours in the evening for a few days. She learned to use her separate room as her safe room, so she ate and used a separate litter box from the other kitties for her first month. Slowly, we let her eat with the other kitties. Then when she was big enough we let her into the other kitties’ litter boxes.
Remember to give extra attention to your older cats, too. They need to be assured that the house is still theirs and that you still love them as much as ever.
Luckily I have learned more about cats in general and how to curb behavior problems. I’ve definitely been using the new things I’ve learned with this transition. So far things have gone pretty well; it’s only been a few weeks, but we’re feeling quite hopeful. It pays to do some research and spend the time needed during these transitions. It truly pays off in the end.
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