Introducing newly adopted adult cat to the cat we already have

[ExpectoPatronum]

I'm sure this will have been answered before, but if anyone could spare the time to answer I'd be very grateful.

We have a 9 year old female cat, who I've had since a kitten.

A good friend is emigrating and has asked us to take her 4 year old neutered male cat, and we've agreed.

Can anybody advise me about the best way to introduce the two of them and get them used to living together?

I've done this before with an adult cat and new kitten, but never two full-grown cats.

Thanks in advance.

You probably do the same as you did with the adult and the kitten, but just take it more slowly.

There's a useful leaflet here on how to go about it. Do you have a room that you can put the new cat in when it arrives, where the old cat won't be able to see it? Then you can introduce the cats to each other's scent first, before they see each other. If they don't react badly to the scent (hissing or spitting), then you can arrange for them to see each other through a barrier (if possible), and then to meet. It's best to supervise them together at first.

The usual rule is one litter box per cat, plus one extra. Having said that, I have two cats and two litter trays, and they still only use one of the trays.

Each cat should have access to litter tray, food and water without having to go past the other cat. This prevents one cat from standing and guarding the food/litter and stopping the other from having access.

You can also transfer scent between the two cats by rubbing one's cheeks and then rubbing the other's cheeks. Giving both cats treats when they are in proximity to each other will also help them to associate the other with nice things.

Thanks, hadn't thought about the treats thing. I'm trying to get hold of a big crate (like the sort you might use for a dog) to do the 'introducing through a barrier' part first.

Good luck with it! I hope the cats become good friends. Sometimes cats just take to each other.

Get a couple of feliway diffusers as well they are brilliant