While on vacation last week, I was hoping to get some peace and quiet while camping the days away. That plan came to a screeching halt when a neighbor knocked on our door looking for help with a lost kitten they found. Long story short, we invited the 5 month old kitten into our home for temporary safe keeping, which of course became permanent. After searching high and low for owners, and getting Vet approval (including lots of $$$ to fix him up), we named him YOSHI.

(Insert your “big softy” groans here)

Since we had just adopted a young cat from The McLean County Humane Society six months ago, we were some what prepared for the trials of convincing the five pound kitten that our big St. Bernard Harley was not his enemy.  What we needed help with, was introduction of two territorial felines into the same space.

Here are some amazing tips from The Merrimack River Feline Rescue Society:

KEEP YOUR NEW CAT OR KITTEN IN A SMALLER, SEPARATE ROOM AT FIRST!
NEVER INTRODUCE YOUR NEW CAT OR KITTEN AND EXISTING ANIMALS RIGHT AWAY!

INTRODUCING YOUR NEW KITTY TO EXISTING ANIMALS
If you have a dog, keep the dog leashed the first time meeting the new cat. Never cage the cat or place him or her in a carrier to allow the dog to sniff — the cat will be terrified! The cat should always be able to run or jump to a safe location if he or she becomes nervous around the dog. Give both dog & cat a treat within sight of each other, and end the interaction immediately if either animal becomes agitated or aggressive. Keep trying for short amount of time until both animals are calm in each other’s presence.

INTRODUCING EXISTING CATS Your existing cats will know there is a new cat in the house very quickly, and may become angry or cranky. Make sure to give existing animals lots of love and attention, and DON’T RUSH TO INTRODUCE THE CATS!

The longer you can let everyone get used to each other while the new cat is separate the better. We recommend a bare minimum of a week, but longer if you can. This is important for health reasons (especially if new kitty came from outdoors or was in a shelter), and for behavioral reasons as well.

• Swap bedding from the cats so they can get used to each others’ smells.
• If you can, after a week or so, put up a baby gate so the cats can see and smell each other but are not able to touch each other directly. Feed them within sight or each other, or offer extra delicious treats. Your goal is to help the cats form positive associations with each other.
• Eventually, allow them to meet for short periods of time. Hissing and growling is NORMAL — don’t be alarmed! If aggressive behavior escalates, separate the cats immediately (be careful!) and try again later. Don’t leave the cats alone together until you are sure they can co-exist fairly peacefully.
• Above all else, BE PATIENT — two cats getting along (or even just tolerating each other) can take weeks, if not months.
• Don’t forget that multiple cats need multiple litter boxes, and often multiple feeding stations and perches or cat trees as well — but even if you skimp on everything else, never skimp on litter boxes! The basic rule of thumb is one box per cat plus one! Trust us on this one!

And since the internet has an answer for everything, why do the cats keep putting their butts in my face???

Watch the following BUZZFEED video to find out if you are special like me!

Susan Saunders -(Who has no more room for any more fur in her house) 7-27-15