new bangal cat

Question
i just adopted a male bengal cat who is about 1 year old. he has been with me since the 13th of july. my question is, he meows all the time, as if trying to tell me something or searching for something, he also pants a lot. is he under stress? is there some suggestion you may have to make the transition more comfortable for him? i also am trying to slowing introduce him to my other cat... he has not hissed but has positioned himself like he might pounce on her. she hisses. thank you for your time.
sincerely,
allison digiacinto

Answer
Allison,

If your new Bengal has not yet been neutered, that is the first order of business.

Anyway, here is a method we use to introduce a new cat into a household with established pets.  It has had pretty good success in easing the transition:

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 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 or kitten 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.