New Cat with Senior Cat

Question
Our Chelsea Kitty died 2 weeks ago. She and her sister from separate litters are/were 17, born the same month. They have been together 14 years. Altho not buddy, buddy, they did hang out together at times. We also have a mid-size sweetheart if a dog who we brought into the family 3 1/2 years ago who always defers to the cats. Chelsea never minded the dog's presence in the house, but our other Senior cat Moochie made sure she could maintain her own territory and still after all this time still hisses at Shanti on occasion. Moochie is in pretty good health in spite of renal failure and socializes with the family.We saw a darling cat today - a stray that ended up at PetSmart. Probably about 10 months old and looks just like our Chelsea. We would really like to adopt her. What do you think? Would this be too stressful for Moochie? Win

Answer
Win,

You know your Moochie better than I do. I can tell you that Moochie won't be fooled by the appearance of the new family member to be, but I really hope that Moochie and this new kitty become good friends. If Moochie is a fairly social cat and likes to have another kitty companion then so long as you introduce them properly I don't think that it would be a bad idea. I don't recommend a young kitten as there is a high likelihood that a kitten might drive Moochie nutty. At 17 years old she is equivalent to an 84 year old human so you have to bear in mind that she may not want a young kitten full of energy and zest for life tormenting her endlessly in the hopes of starting a game. That said I think that it is a wonderful idea to adopt another kitty into your home to keep Moochie comfortable since she isn't used to living alone. Proper introductions will be a key part of determining how well Moochie will tolerate her new buddy. Since cats are fairly territorial it is essential to introduce the kitties properly. I also want to be sure to let you know that initial meetings it is fairly normal to have a bit of hissing or swatting happen. If things turn out to go really badly and there is a serious fight I suggest that you don't put your hands in between the cats to try and break up the fight. Cats who are fighting get caught up in it and owners can sometimes be quite badly bitten or scratched. Cat bites need immediate medical attention as they tend to get infected if they break the skin. A safer way to get two cats that are fighting apart is to spray them with a spray bottle or gently use a couple of brooms to guide both kitties into their own rooms to cool off. I don't anticipate a fight breaking out, but there is the remote possibility that the cats just may not like each other on sight. It isn't common, but cats have unique personalities just as people do so there is always a chance that what you expect to happen may not. The best way to introduce a new cat into your home is to start by isolating the new kitty in a room behind a closed door for 2-3 weeks with all of the usual kitty necessities (food, water, toys, bed). There are two fairly basic reasons for this period of isolation. Firstly some shelter cats can come home looking healthy and develop an upper respiratory infection or some other contagious illness. It is a good practice to have any new kitties that you would like to introduce into a home where another cat already lives cleared by a veterinarian and vaccinated as well as treated by parasites as necessary. It is wise to have your vet test for feline leukemia and FIV (commonly known as kitty aids) as these are contagious diseases that may not always have symptoms. The second important reason to isolate new kitties and introduce them slowly is that it minimizes stress for the new kitty and the resident cat(s). Cats are very territorial and changes can be quite stressful if they aren't done properly. The method I recommend to introduce the cats gradually is to feed the cats near each side of the door...So if Moochie routinely gets a treat at some point in the day try giving the new kitty the same treat and feed them on either side of the door. It is a nice idea if you could have a family member or friend on one side of the door praising the new kitty while you do the same with the resident cat on the other side of the door because it reassures each cat that they are loved and it also provides them with a positive experience that is happening while they can smell and hear each other. Once the new cat is integrated into the household you have to be sure that you don't give more attention to the new kitty than you do to Moochie. Jealousy can be an issue that causes fights, inappropriate elimination or just stress. Also I usually recommend that you be sure to have one litter box per cat plus one per level of your home to avoid problems stemming from bullying or even just loss of control. I hope that this information helps. If you have any further questions or concerns, please don't hesitate to contact me again.