New Pets This is always a fun one. But, it really can be easy, if you have the right information before you even plan to bring new kitty home. First, you need to set up an "isolation area" - one room that the new animal will live in for starters. They get their own box, food, water, etc. This will get them used to the new place, but will also allow the old kitty to maintain control over most of his domain.

Never, ever leave them out unsupervised, not at the start. Keep the new animal in "their" room for a few days at the least. Ideally, wait until you see them start to want to explore one another under the door. Then you know they are ready for the smells, and curious about the new guy.

The next best thing to do is "switch" habitats - one day, put old kitty in new kitty's room and new kitty in old kitty's room. Keep new kitty enclosed, at first, you don't need them darting out and disappearing into your couch. But, this will allow them to sniff each other's bedding without the threat of another animal on their tail...because when animals meet, the first thing they do is follow each other's butts. LOL

If there doesn't appear to be much hissing or growling, go ahead and start letting them have supervised interaction. Keep it in one room, have hiding places, and be ready to step in if there's a problem. Hissing and growling is expected and normal; some fighting will occur as one kitty becomes "top" cat. Serious fighting means you need to separate them a bit longer before they mingle.

If new kitty is new doggie...be ready for more time, and make sure your kitty has a lot of places to hide. Your kitty isn't ready for another species to pounce all over it, trust me. Just take your time, and they'll come around...and probably end up best buds!

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