how to introduce a cat to another cat?

im getting another cat and ive had a cat for about 12 years and im getting another cat and im wondering how to intruduce them

place them in seperate rooms for a while so they can smell each other scents and later you can introduce them to each other1

allow one to sniff the other. they will probably hiss. one might get scared. after doing that for a while let them both go in a small area but stay with them. they might not get along. do this many times. you can do this each day to try to get them to like eachother.

After 5 cats we have found the tried and true works best...bring the new cat in the house, tell the other cats "meet your new friend"... open the carrier with the new cat and let the fun begin. We have never had the time or room to do the ol' keep them in separate rooms thing and have never had any problems. But then, maybe we just have a habit of getting easy going cats. We currently have 4 cats and they have all been introduced this way.

keep you first cat way from the second until the second gets used to where he/she is.
then bring the first cat in and let them get used to each other. keep and eye on them to make sure they do ok.

have had cats all my life. :D

I just went through this. You must keep the new cat in a room for a period of time. (different cat boxes) The resident cat has to be eased into this new arrangement. Look up the stress that this can cause a older cat. They eventually come around but they need space and time away from the new cat. Good Luck. I brought two 5 month old into my house with a 5 year old. She stressed out in the beginning, choking, hissing, not eating but she finally came around.

Show love to both of them and separate them for a while. Trust your instincts. When you think the cats are ready put them right in front of each other with something blocking them. I used a window screen, you can use a baby gate or a door. Supervise ALWAYS and have a spray bottle handy because if they get in a fight you will get hurt if you don't spray them with water. It's regular for hissing, growling, spitting, meowing, crying, kind of moooing and standing the back of the cat. Leave them do that for a couple of days. Until they are normal. It took my cats three days to get used to each other and now they love and even bathe each other. After they get along and won't hiss or do anything of the above still SUPERVISE them. You will have 2 LOVING CATS in the end.

I have a 1 year cat and a 3 month cat

slowly. going thru that right now with a kitten I got for my Mom she asked me to find, that scratched her when the great granddaughter went for it. let the 2 of them get to know each other with you watching. My 2 are touching noses and not hissing or spitting, so we have made progress in only a wk. good luck

Slowly. Let the new cat have its own safe room - a bathroom, a spare bedroom, somewhere the resident cat doesn't frequent often. Then, let them get used to each others' scent. Rub the new cat in a towel and give it to your older cat, etc. Then, once they start playing footsie under the door... or not hissing at it... Allow them to meet through a partially opened door. Once they stop hissing/batting/freaking out you can graduate to letting the new cat roam... but follow her. Or, if this is too much for your resident cat, leave the kitten out in a kennel. Then, sort of supervise introductions and get a feel for how much you trust your resident cat with your new kitten and continue accordingly. If any serious spats happen (outside of hissing and batting) spray them both with water. If your older cat starts looking or sounding overly annoyed, put the new cat away for a short period of time.

Give the resident cat lots of love, treats, snuggles, etc. Make sure it knows the newcomer is not taking its human.

It might be a rough couple of days/weeks... but it will work out in the end if you take it slowly.

recent experience with introducing a cat and a kitten