Introducing a Burmese to domestic cat

Question
Hi there,
I am inheriting a Burmese cat in two weeks he's 4 years old and i am concerned about my domestic cat and the Burmese not getting along.
Firstly, i read that the best way to introduce them is lock the new cat in the house for about a week and then just put them together and let them find their way of getting on???
The other issue i have is the Burmese cat has lived in an apartment on the 14th floor for the past 3 years.
How do i introduce him back into "House" life with a road outside etc...
I'm scared he might go for a walk and not come back.

Thank you so much!

Answer
David,

I will give you a pretty good protocol for introducing a new cat to a household with established pets.  In addition, I would take steps to see if you can keep him from going out of doors.  He is not "outdoors" savvy, so he would not do well outside.  Even worse, he may try to make his way back to the apartment building from whence he came!!!!!

Anyway, here is how we introduce a new cat:

Start out your new cat in one room with a litter pan and water dish. Ideally, the one room should be a bedroom with yourself or another human resident. This accomplishes a couple of things. Your new cat will not be overwhelmed by its new surroundings and get "lost", and thusly will have no problem finding the litter pan. You will feed the new cat in this room and keep the established cat out. It allows the new cat to bond with you or another human being and also build up some self assurance in its new surroundings since it will not have to compete for food or attention right away. Finally, it allows the new cat and the established cat to sniff each other under the door and get familiar with each others' scents.

After 5-7 days of being in its one room, it is time to let them meet each other. Be prepared for some posturing, some spitting and hissing, and the like. IGNORE IT! After a while, they should begin chasing each other about and still have the occasional hiss or spit as they get accustomed to each other. Cats tend to make a whole lot of noise and even loosen up some fur. Rarely will two cats hurt each other.

Once they are introduced, there are a couple of things you must remember. Do not separate them again, they will get along! Do not interfere in their "discussions" as they need to sort it out amongst themselves!

It does not hurt to give the established cat treats and extra attention after the new cat is introduced (yes, cats do get jealous!).

A couple of things you may have to do are to feed them on separate dishes. Provide more than one litter pan in different areas of the household (as cats can be very territorial about litter pans).

All, in all, this method seems to have had great success in the past and makes for a fairly smooth introduction. Please remember that they may make up immediately, or it may take a few weeks.

Please let me know how it goes.

Best regards... Norm.