New Cat brought into my home

Question
Approximately 1 week ago my daughter brought home a cat that my Mom had approx. 5 years ago but when she moved she gave the cat to my sister who no longer wanted it hence why it's now with me.  She is rather old I'm assuming and is fixed, she does very well with human interaction but is not doing very well with my housecat which is approx. 1 1/2 years old or my 4 year old boxer.  I just recently noticed that my house cat seems to be pulling clumps of her hair out and hides all the time due to the new comer going after her all the time.  What should I do?  Is this normal and will they ever get along?  Should I wait another week or so for the old/newcomer to get use to her new home and allow her as an outside cat?  Why is my cat pulling out her hair? Stress?  Please give me some guidance.

Answer
Hi Jamie.  What you're seeing is pretty normal.  Cats can become very stressed out when there's a big change suddenly, and some cats do pull out their own fur as a reaction, so that is very possibly what's going on with your housecat.  It's best to make any changes as slowly as possible, and it takes an average of about two weeks to introduce two adult cats so that minimal problems arise.

It's always recommended to keep the new cat limited to one room at first and not allow her any contact with the current pets at all for the first couple of days.  This is because she'll be so overwhelmed with moving to a new place that adding the stress of meeting new animals is likely to cause her to react aggressively.  For the first couple days, it's best to allow her to get used to one room, such as a bedroom, where she can take in the new sounds, scents, and get to know her new people.  At this time, you may want to take a cloth and rub it along the kitty's cheeks to pick up her scent.  Then you can present it to your other animals so they can examine it.  This will help them get familiar with her without a direct confrontation.  You can also do the same with your resident cat, and present the cloth to the new cat.  Even though the new cat has been in the house for a week, you may want to start things fresh and go back to this first step, since you're seeing behavioral issues.

After a couple of days, once the new cat feels completely secure in the small room, you may let her explore the rest of the home while the other pets explore the room she has been staying in, but the animals still shouldn't meet.  It's another opportunity for them to sniff each other out without a direct confrontation.  This exercise should be done at least twice a day for a reasonable length of time so the new cat can get the feel of the home.

In the next few days, you will start introducing them face-to-face, but you'll want to have a barrier between them so no physical fights can break out.  A cat carrier will work.  I recommend to try to feed them something tasty, one inside the carrier, and one outside the carrier, so that they have a positive experience to associate with one another.  If there isn't any hissing or growling, then you can see how they do without the carrier, and feed them several feet apart.  Visits should be kept to about 15 minutes at first, or shorter if they appear too agitated, and they should still be separated when you can't be there to supervise.  A little bit of grumbling or a hiss here and there can be expected, but no howling or physical threats (chasing, batting, or even a thrashing tail) should be tolerated.  As I mentioned, two weeks is the average introduction period when it's done slowly (if done too abruptly, it takes longer for cats to get along), but some older cats can take longer to adjust.

Try to be sure there is something that's appropriate for her to climb on in every area of the house where she can get out of the boxer's reach if she feels threatened. In time, she'll probably grow used to the dog, but avoidance might be the best thing you can hope for, so some tall cat furniture in each room may be a good idea.

A product I use in my home at all times is Feliway.  I use the plug-in diffusers in each room in my house.  It's a little pricey, but I find it worth the cost, and it might make things easier for you.  You can learn more about how it works at www.feliway.com  You can buy it at pet stores, all over the internet (check out amazon.com) and at some vet offices.

I wouldn't recommend to make her an outside cat because of the dangers she'd face, especially being an older cat, etc.  And a cat's homing instinct can take months to reset to her new home.  I once had a cat leave 4 months after a move and return to my old farmhouse a month later.  But if you do decide to make her an outdoor cat, I would try to wait for at least a couple of months in hopes that she'd have established this as her new home base.