bringing an old one owner cat to my home

Question
My dad is 90 and worried about his health. I told him I'd take his 13 year old shy female cat to my home. I have a 14 yr old male. My dad's cat has never been out of his apartment. Very shy. My cat has lived alone with me all his life. How will introducing them and living together affect their lives. Should I put the female to sleep and not disrupt my cat's life or make the introduction. How much stress will this bring to my dad's cat and my cat. My heart is breaking for both cats.

Answer
Hi Carla.  I think that you should try it out.  Cats are just as individual as people are, so it would be wrong of anyone to automatically say it would stress the cats out too much.  I just took in a foster cat, estimated to be around 12...she didn't bat an eye coming into a house with five dogs and several cats.

To be realistic, most cats are a little resistant to change at these cats' ages, and it would be wise to make the introduction a slow process.  You should start out with your father's cat in one room.  After she's settled in and is eating normally and making regular contact with you, you can start "pulling the switch-a-roo" on them.  Allow the female to snoop around the house for a while, and put your male in her room.  The cats can get used to one another's scents this way.  You can also rub one cat with a cloth, especially along the cheeks, and let the other sniff at it.  This way, they become familiar without the threat of a confrontation.  Feeding the cats special meals on either side of a closed door at the same time can help establish a positive experience for the cats to associate with one another.  They won't be able to see each other but will know the other cat is present by noise and scent.  Normally, you should keep introductions at this stage for the first week or two.

When it comes time to introduce the cats face-to-face, keep visits short.  If the first visit goes very poorly, end it right away and try again in another day or two.  If it goes well, still end the visit after about 15 minutes.  You don't want them to get too overwhelmed.  Try to do visits several times a day, but never leave them unattended.  Remember that hissing and some growling is normal.  Chasing, howling, hair-raising, swatting - these are signs they are not ready to be introduced yet!  If visits go well, lengthen them each day until the cats no longer need to be separated.  

I strongly recommend you use a pheromone product to help reduce stress during this time.  Some examples are Feliway (www.feliway.com) and the Good Behavior Pheromone collar for cats.  I use the plug-in Feliway diffusers in my own house at all times.

I think you have a good chance at introducing these two with a little patience.  They very well may end up the best of friends.  I think it's certainly worth a shot!

Good luck!

Jessica