Introducing new cats

Question
My question concerns introducing a 4yr old neutered female cat to two 6 month old neutered male cats. I have the male cats at home and they are currently residing in the house as indoor cats. I really want to bring home the female cat.  She is used to being the only cat but had previously resided with 2 dogs.  The two male cats grew up in a litter together and have been together ever since.  They have not been showing signs of wanting to spray at all.  My issue is, is that if I introduce this female cat to them, will they start spraying around the house?  I know that regardless of spraying I must introduce them to each other gradually over a week period.  My main concern is the spraying.  I really want this to work."

Answer
Elisa,

The best thing to do is to have the 2 males neutered immediately.  Wait about a week and then introduce the female.  Here is a method we use for introducing a new cat to a household with already established pets:

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 (often kittens or rescue cats have been confined and are somewhat daunted by wide open spaces!). You will feed the new cat in this room and keep the established cats 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 cats 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 (maybe a couple of days, maybe a couple of weeks), 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 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 cats 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.