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 Pet Central
Q&A
Q: My fiance and
I have eight cats between us. We’re purchasing a home soon and are worried
about introducing our cats. Any advice? -- T.B., Washington, Ill.
A: Eight is enough,
at least for now. Feline behaviorist Pam Johnson Bennett of Nashville,
Tenn., says to keep the crews segregated — for example, your cats upstairs
and your fiance’s downstairs. Wait a few days to get them adjusted to
their new digs before you even think about a deliberate introduction.
Take some old T-shirts and strategically place them so the cats will lie
on them; even place their dinner bowls on them. After two days, do the
old swticharoo, placing T-shirts from one group of cats with the other
group.
After a few more
days, switch the cat groups; take the upstairs group downstairs and the
downstairs group upstairs.
When you’re ready
to introduce the cats, do so with the two most placid individuals, one
from each group. Let them do lunch in a neutral room, one large enough
to allow hiding places. You both need to be there as supervising chaperones.
Do everything in your power to encourage a positive meeting: use favorite
toys, interactive toys are best, such as the Cat Dancer. You play with
your cat and your fiance with his.. Don’t hesitate to rely on the heavy
artillery — tuna fish.
Break up this session
on a positive note; that is, quit while you’re ahead, even after only
a few minutes. Continue this process with every mathematical combination
until all the cats have been introduced.
While you can’t call
Henry Kissinger out of retirement to encourage peace, we have the next
best thing, a product called Feliway. This is an analogue, or a not-so-cheap
copy of a cat’s facial pheromone. Pheromones are chemical substances given
off by animals to communicate all sorts of things. Facial pheromones in
cats have a calming effect. When you walk into a friend’s house and their
cat rubs up against you, it’s rubbing its friendly facial pheromones on
you, sort of saying, "This is my world and welcome to it." Similarly,
cats will rub against objects, such as furniture, boxes, table legs, etc.,
as a way of marking familiar geography. Feliway, which has no discernible
odor to people, comes in glass bottle with a pump — sort of like a feline
perfume.
In your case, Feliway
should help both groups of cats feel more comfortable. This product is
only available through veterinarians, and is typically about $35. For
information, call 888-335-4929.
Johnson, who deals
with introducing new kitties into households with established cats on
a weekly basis, has noted impressive results with Feliway. Even with Feliway,
take it slow.
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