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How To Get Cats To Get Along

Plan A: The First Step In Ensuring Your Cats Comfort Is By Providing Enough Resources To Go Around Thereby Eliminating The Need For Competition

How to Get Two Cats to Get Along
  • Place multiple feeding stations and litter boxes around
  • the house.
  • Provide both cats with adequate playtime. If your cats prefer to play separately, ensure they get individual playtime.;
  • Provide multiple cat trees and perches. The cat on the higher end of the totem pole is more likely to hog the loftiest spot. By providing more resting spots, youll help reduce the tension between them. ;
  • Reward positive interactions of any kind between themfrom acknowledging each other to initiating friendly playby tossing treats and praising effusively. The more they associate positive experiences with each other, the less likely theyll be to turn on each other.

If your cats continue to be mortal enemies despite all the above efforts, dont beat yourself up. Cats, just like people, have preferences about the company they keep. Before you throw in the towel, there is one more thing you could try to get your cats like each other, outside of engaging a professional animal behaviourist.

The Particulars: How I Reduced My Aggressive Cats Stress In Specific Ways

In terms of stress reduction, Avery was really the only cat I had to pay attention to. He was the aggressor, and he was the one obviously stressed out by interactions with Bjorn.

Bjorn was never phased or bothered by Averys presence at all. My guess is this was because he was used to interacting positively with other cats. It may also have been because he was used to getting into pretty bad fights , and maybe, by comparison to the bad fights he likely got into, Averys aggression didnt phase him.

Either way, that left Avery whose stress I had to alleviate. The majority of his stress came from only a few different places. Your cat may have a slew of different sources of anxiety, some which may or may not be related to your other cat. As youll see from my examples, very few of Averys anxiety triggers that converted into aggression had anything to do with Bjorn.

Having trouble coming up with solutions to your cats source of anxiety? Some examples include things like, construction next door being too loud, a neighbourhood cat visiting bothers your aggressive cat, or even you moving to a new house recently.

That being said, do let me know in the comments if you need help brainstorming, and Ill try my best to help you come up with a few different things to test; hopefully one or more suggestions will help.

Lets get into what Averys issues were, and what fixes I used to tackle these problems.

Cats Don’t Get Along After Surgery Or Vet Visit

Its common for cats in the home to act differently toward a cat that has returned from a vet visit. Cats communicate and share a common scent when they spend time together under the same roof. When a cat comes back from a visit to the vet where he has been handled by strangers or treated with medicine that smells funny, he is covered in a “new” scent that the cats at home find strange. This causes them to react to the cat that was at the vet as if it were a stranger. Hissing, growling, tail puffing, swatting, or even fights are possible reactions.

Fortunately, this usually resolves itself within a day or two once the vet office smell wears off, and the cats return to their normal routine.

Solution:

  • Try to schedule vet visits for each of your felines at the same time.
  • If that’s not possible, separate the cat returning from the vet by putting him in a separate room for at least half a day. This gives him time to groom himself and remove the “offensive” smell from his body.
  • Use a hand towel to rub your cats. Then rub this towel on the cat returning from the vet to reintroduce the communal scent that everyone is familiar with.
  • You can also rub a strong smell on all of your cats so they all smell alike. Try rubbing your hands with water from canned tuna and stroking all of your cats. This way, they will all smell the same. The tuna scent will even encourage them to groom themselves and each other, which is a great way for them to re-establish their family bond.

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Toys And Play Can Help Cats Get Along

Ensure your cat has lots of toys;to stimulate;daily play and predatory behaviour.;There is an endless number of toys specific to your cats personality.

You should provide toys that are suitable for lone play and toys that you can use to play with your cat. Toys can become boring if they remain motionless in the same spot, hence they should be rotated to prevent your cat from becoming uninterested with them.

Read More: The Best Interactive Cat Toys For Indoor Cats

How To Introduce Or Reintroduce An Old Cat To A New Kitten/cat

How To Get Cats To Get Along? 5 Effective Way

These tips can be used to introduce two cats when one is aggressive or to introduce two aggressive cats. You can also use this method to reintroduce cats that suddenly aren’t getting along anymore.

  • Give the newest cat or kitten its own safe room. It can be a bedroom, a bathroom, a laundry room, or any room with a door where the cat can be isolated from the other felines in the household. Make this room the cats special place, complete with his water, food, litter box, bedding, and toys. This is an important step to calm the situation and to make sure your pet is safe and protected from the other felines.
  • For the first week, the only contact the cats should have is batting at each others paws at the bottom of the door. Thats it.
  • During this week, put a clean towel in this room and give your other cat a clean towel to rest on as well. After the cats have slept on the towels for a while and their scents are on them, switch towels so both cats can adjust to each others scents. Do this towel switching once or twice a day.
  • Also during this week, allow your existing cats to explore your new cats room when hes not in it. This is another way for the cats to get used to each others scent.
  • If this introduction technique doesnt go well, and the cats are still aggressively fighting after a couple of days, you will have to start the entire introduction technique again and go through each step much more slowly over the period of several weeks.

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    How Long Does It Take Cats To Get Used To Each Other

    According to the ASPCA, it can take eight months to a year for cats to develop friendships. Some will learn to love each other, but you might have to face the reality that not all cats will get along. They will usually try to avoid each other if a friendship doesn’t develop, but sometimes fights break out and, unfortunately, persist until one cat has to be re-homed.

    Understand Why Cats Have Trouble Getting Along

    To help your cats get along, you have to understand why your pets have a troubled relationship.

    Then you can work on fixing the problem.

    The main reason why two cats have trouble getting along is a lack of socialization.

    Cats whove had limited exposure to other felines dont know how to interact with other cats and feel threatened.

    So, how do you socialize cats?

    You make sure that young kittens have pleasant experiences around other cats. In this way, kittens wont be wary of other cats when they grow up.

    Unfortunately, adult cats are much harder to socialize because theyve already made up their mind about other felines.

    All you can do is introduce other cats slowly and reward your catwhen they behave well.

    The other reason why cats dont get along is a clash of personalities.

    Owners often choose a second/third cat based on their desires, not considering their resident cats character

    Ideally, you want a second cat close in temperament and age to your old cat to avoid fights and conflicts.

    A kitten might also be the right choice in some cases.

    Stress also plays a role and makes the cat more likely to be defensive and aggressive towards other animals.

    Reducing stresscan make all the difference in making two cats get along.

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    Help Keep Your Cat Calm Down

    There are various ways that can help you calm down your cat. If you feel that theyll be stressed upon the arrival of a new kitten, one remedy that you can consider is natural supplements with calming properties. This may help relax your cat in anticipation of new changes in the home.

    Normally, these supplements work best when theyre given a couple of weeks before the kitten is expected to arrive home. Always consult with your veterinarian before giving your cat any medication.

    Give Each Cat Their Own Designated Territory And Individual Resources

    6 MORE Steps to Help Your Cats Get Along

    When cats have to compete for resources like food and water, rising tensions may lead to fighting and long-lasting stress.

    Provide all resources in this formulation: one per cat plus one positioned in different locations to limit rivalry. If there are separate social groups and space is limited than the formulation is: one per social group plus one.

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    How Long Does It Take For Cats To Get Along

    Generally the acclimatisation period could vary from several days to two weeks.

    There is no definitive answer when it comes to building positive long-lasting social relationships, especially if both cats have been attained from different homes or rescues at different life-stages. Cat-to-cat associations are influenced by many factors related to the specific environment and/or the temperament of the individual cat.

    Increase Resources For Your Cats

    Resources are things like food bowls, beds, perches, hiding spots and toys. Fighting over territories and food means your cats dont feel ownership over their turf. Cat are introverts; each needs its own stuff. As PAWS states, cats are social but territorial beings. They need their designated space! When a cat feels like its own boss in a zone of your home, it can confidently interact with others.

    The Okaw Veterinary Clinics Dr. Sally J. Foote advises experimenting with at least a six-foot distance between resources for cats who dont get along. This means placing bowls six feet apart during meals and moving each animals chosen bed or favorite blanket at least six feet away from each other.

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    Your Turn: Advice For Encouraging Cats To Get Along

    Now Id like to take to the comments and leave tips and advice for pet parents whose cats are not getting along.

    Has this ever happened to you before? Did your cats ever get along? What did you try? What do you wish you tried? Please share your story.

    Any thoughts you have on this topic please leave down below! You absolutely would be helping so many pet parents out if they stumble across your comment.

    Dig KittyClysm? Check out all the other blogs I pen & photograph.

    Elises Favourite Tip

    One of the most frustrating problems Ive had to deal with as a pet parent is staying on top of my cats desire to play. While this is typically hard to do, toys like these that allow cats to play by themselves make the job one heck of a lot easier.

    The hits in my household are ridiculously affordable: cat springs, ball track toys, &kick sticks. I have a slew scattered around the house, so when my cats get bored, even if Im busy or not even home, my furries are able to actively play.

    Never Underestimate The Importance Of Playtime

    getting along

    All cats should be getting at least 15 minutes of playtime per day to maintain a healthy weight, but play sessions can also be a fabulous bonding tool for kitties! On top of letting your cats release all of their pent-up energy, mutual play sessions with the mouse or wand toy can also be an incredible bonding experience.

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    The Dos And Donts Of Introducing Cats

    As we all know, cats are intensely territorial beings. And yet, when the subject of introducing two cats has come up through the years, I would constantly hear people advise, Just put them in a room together and theyll work it out. Does it work sometimes? Sure, but its cat Russian Roulette; Just as often, they might work out who loses an eyeball, but they will not magically work out how to be friends.

    Instead, bringing a new cat home can trigger the territorial panic switch in your existing cat, and this often means war. So, do yourself and your cats a favor, and follow this time-tested, step-by-step recipe to a T: It will give you your best chance for a smooth integration.

    Establishment Of Boundaries And Respect

    When we talk of how to introduce a kitten to an older cat, boundaries and respect need to be established so that the cats wont see each other as a threat. Cats are very serious about having a degree of order at home. When a new kitten arrives, this doesnt happen right away.

    For one thing, the kitten has yet to learn social norms while the older cat establishes her role as the senior between the two. Allow them to slowly set up some boundaries that will hopefully allow them to understand their place in the scheme of things as they co-exist in your home.

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    Reintroducing Your Furry Friends

    If things like separation and pheromones dont work, you may need to use a more thorough process to press the reset button on your cats relationship. To do this, you may need to treat the cats as if theyre brand new to each other.

    Keep them in separate parts of the house with their own belongings, including food and water bowls, a litter box and toys. Spend quality time with the cats in their areas.

    Over time, follow a similar procedure to a new cat introduction. Start by swapping your cats scents using a blanket or sock, then move to feeding them on opposite sides of the door. Scent introductions can help forge a clean slate between the cats and get them used to having each other around. Use rewards to build positive associations around the other cats scent.

    Continue the process, moving from face-to-face meetings with a baby gate in between them to sharing a room for playtime. Again, giving rewards during these interactions will help your cats build positive associations with one another, rather than negative ones.

    Getting cats to coexist peacefully can be a labor of love, but one thats ultimately worth it. If youre struggling to get your cats to share your home, consult your vet or a pet behavior specialist to learn about other solutions that can help minimize fighting and restore peace.

    How Can I Stop My Cats From Fighting In The House

    How To Help Cats Get Along Together

    Dealing with cats in a multi-cat household that dont get along can be difficult, especially if they really dont see eye to eye. The good news is there are some simple measures you can take to help them get along.

    While pheromones and medications together with behaviour therapy can often help to resolve cat conflict, its important to realise that sometimes rehoming one cat may be the only way to manage their stress.

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    How Long Does It Take For A Cat To Get Used To A Dog

    In general, most cats will become acclimated to a puppy within several weeks. Some cats may adapt easily, within a matter of days, while others may take longer and require more focused or intentional effort.

    The most important thing is to introduce your pets slowly and carefully. If you just throw them into a room together, there is a risk of injury. While you may be worried about your dog biting or otherwise injuring your cat, cats can also hurt dogs. Cats often use their claws when cornered and afraid; a scratch to the eye could cause a corneal injury, which would be painful and could even affect your dogs vision if untreated.

    Also, throwing your pets together can lead to stressful interactions that make it even more challenging to later acclimate your pets to each other. For example, if the first introduction between your dog and cat is an unpleasant one, they will be far less receptive to pleasant interactions in the future!

    Take your time when working through the above steps to make the introduction as safe and low-stress as possible.

    Superb Tips On How To Get Two Cats To Get Along

    by Grigorina S | Dec 1, 2020 | Training |

    • Pin

    Are you scratching your head over how to get two cats to get along?

    Adding a second or a third cat to the household can be challenging, but dont panic.

    As always, weve got your back with 9 useful tips on how to get two cats to like each other.

    Just keep on reading.

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    How Should I Introduce My Dog And Cat To Each Other

    The key to introducing pets is to do it slowly. Throwing two pets in a room together is rarely an effective strategy. Instead, consider the following step-by-step approach:

    1.;Introduce your pets to each others scents

    Both animals rely heavily on the scent when getting acquainted with other animals. So while keeping your dog and cat physically separated , allow them to smell each others belongings. First, allow your cat to smell the dogs bed, toys, and other belongings. Then, let your dog smell your;cats bed;and belongings. This allows your pets to become familiar with each others smells.

    2. Introduce your pets through a barrier

    The easiest way to achieve this step is to have your pets on opposite sides of a closed door, although a crate can also be used if necessary. If you use a closed-door, make sure that there is a person on each side of the door so that each pet can be provided with reassurance and positive reinforcement. For example, allow your pets to sniff at each other under the closed door and hear each others sounds. Reward your pets with attention and treats for responding appropriately and without aggression.

    3. Allow your pets to interact, while keeping your dog on a leash

    4. Allow the pets free access to each other, but be sure that the cat has an escape route

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