Having decided to get a second cat, few people think about how their pet will react to the addition of another family member. Usually, old-timers are not happy about their new neighbor and attack him, trying to drive him into a corner. If you do not intervene in time in the relationship between animals, they will constantly conflict and the matter may end in separation from one of them. Let's find out how to make cats friends with each other.
Rules for keeping two pets
To make it easier for two animals to get along in one apartment, they need to immediately understand that the only authority in the house is a person. And so that the old-timer does not develop jealousy and resentment, he cannot be deprived of love and affection.
To reduce the risk of competition between pets you need to:
- Provide each cat with an individual tray, a place to sleep and eat. So that animals do not feel deprived, it is advisable to buy them similar bowls, beds and pots.
- Design separate places for each pet on an elevated surface. Cats like to keep an eye on what's going on from wall shelves, vertical stands, and cat trees.
- Provide animals with play complexes, tunnels and houses for joint games. To ensure that cats feel safe and can escape if necessary, these structures must have multiple exits and sufficient space.
- Place food and water bowls in the same room, but at a sufficient distance. This is necessary so that the cats see each other while eating, but are protected from attacks from their neighbor. If one pet constantly gets into the bowl of the other, then it is better to feed them in different rooms.
- Provide both pets with toys. To avoid conflicts, you should not give one cat the favorite thing of the other.
On a note. Due to their natural cleanliness and disgust, cats do not accept the use of someone else's litter box. Therefore, each of them needs its own potty plus one spare.
Medicines to calm cats
When a cat wants a cat, every owner inevitably thinks about how to calm him down. The first thing that comes to mind are medications designed to dull the sexual instincts of an animal. Now their range is simply huge, but before choosing one in particular, it is better to consult a veterinarian.
Many owners wonder how these same drugs affect the health of their pet. However, even outstanding specialists cannot answer this question unequivocally. After all, their main effect is the regulation of hormones. At the very least, you shouldn’t abuse drugs. They should be given directly when the cat wants a cat. At this moment, the owners no longer think of how to calm him down, and radical measures need to be taken.
How to introduce cats
Experts do not recommend bringing a second pet into a house where an old cat lives. A young and active animal will take a lot of attention from the owner. And the old man, feeling unnecessary, will fall into depression and may die.
You cannot bring a kitten under 3 months into a home where an adult, uncastrated cat lives. A sexually mature male poses a serious threat to the baby. Therefore, you will have to wait until the kitten grows up, or castrate the cat.
The presence of a new pet is also undesirable where a pregnant or lactating female lives. Protecting its offspring, the cat will fight with the “uninvited” guest. And if she gets stressed, she might kill her own kittens.
The appearance of a second animal is justified in cases where the cat living in the house is left alone for a long time and suffers from a lack of communication. But even in this case, much depends on how the first acquaintance goes.
To ensure everything goes smoothly, you need to adhere to the following recommendations:
- All windows in the apartment are closed and doors to rooms are opened so that the animals have room to maneuver.
- The carrier with the second cat is brought into the corridor and the first pet is allowed to sniff it.
- The door of the carrier is opened and they wait until the animal decides to get out on its own. If the newcomer immediately hides in the nearest room or hides under the sofa, he should not be reached. As soon as the cat comes to his senses a little, he will crawl out on his own.
In the future, the owner should only observe the behavior of the pets and intervene only if necessary. Pets can be left alone only after full adaptation.
To make it easier for cats to get along together, you cannot:
- Pushing animals together. Each cat will protect its borders. As a result, fights will inevitably arise between them and making them friends will not be easy.
- Lock two people in one room. Since the newcomer has not yet gotten used to it, and the old-timer intends to defend his territory, conflicts will begin between them. And this will greatly complicate the reconciliation of the two cats.
- Lock yourself in different rooms. According to experts, separating unfamiliar cats is not the best way to introduce them. The animals do not see each other, but they smell an unknown smell that frightens them. As a result, the cat perceives him as a threat, and this may prevent them from making friends.
When does a cat reach puberty?
Each breed reaches sexual maturity at a different time, but on average it occurs at 8-10 months of age. It is during this period that cats first begin to want a cat. Recognizing when cats start wanting a cat is quite easy. The first sign is frequent urination in the animal. It also refuses to eat; even its favorite treats are not pleasing and cannot make you concentrate on food.
During the period of sexual activity, the cat screams and constantly strives to escape into the street. It is also possible to display attacks of aggression, attacks on owners or other cats.
How to make friends with cats
All cat acquaintances follow a similar pattern, and their success is influenced by the temperament of each animal.
The greatest likelihood that pets will quickly find a common language exists in the following situations:
- when a small kitten is placed with a cat;
- when a cat is taken to a cat;
- when both animals are relatively young.
The most difficult thing is to make friends between an adult cat and a kitten and two males. But such a neighborhood is also possible if you introduce the animals correctly and show maximum patience.
Adult animals
The easiest way to make friends between a cat and a female cat in the same apartment is if the female is placed with a male. He will not perceive her as a rival, which means that the animals will not have competition for territory. An uncastrated male may begin to show signs of attention to the female. But if the cat hisses in response, the cat will most likely retreat.
The female is more demanding and is unlikely to immediately accept a new neighbor. If an adult cat is neutered, she may hiss and become aggressive when introduced. Over time, the “mistress” will calm down and get used to the new resident. It is unlikely that cats will sleep on the same bed, but it is likely that they will not refuse to play together.
Making two cats friends is much more difficult. Each of them will consider herself a mistress and defend her rights. It is especially difficult to reconcile cats if one of them is sterilized and the other is not. A female who has given birth will always be guided by the instinct to protect her offspring, even if there are none yet. The owner will have to make a lot of effort to make the cats friends with each other.
Relationships between two adult males are not easy. They perceive each other as rivals and begin to compete fiercely. Cohabitation of a pair of sexually mature males will be marred by constant marks and fights. To make cats friends with each other, they will have to be castrated.
Cat and kitten
To make friends between a cat and someone else's baby, you need to be patient. At first the female will hiss at the new kitten, but over time her maternal instinct will awaken. As soon as this happens, she will begin to take care of her adopted child and teach him all the wisdom.
If a sterilized individual lives in the house, you will have to think about how to get the cat to accept someone else’s kitten. If the female's maternal instinct is not activated, it is necessary to wait until she gets used to the presence of a new resident. And in order to quickly make friends between a cat and a kitten and not provoke conflicts, it is recommended:
- At first, do not leave animals alone;
- do not allow the kitten to use the tray and bowl of an adult cat;
- do not deny your cat affection when she needs it.
Cat and kitten
Making friends between an adult cat and a kitten is quite difficult. The male will begin to perceive him as a rival and may behave aggressively. In order to make friends between a cat and a kitten over time, you need to stop the baby’s attempts to get closer to the adult pet’s bowl and at first do not let him roam throughout the apartment.
Do neutered cats want a cat?
During castration, the veterinarian removes both ovaries from the cat, and in addition to them, the uterus is often removed. In the vast majority of cases, this is guaranteed to relieve you of all problems associated with the cat’s sexual behavior: high-pitched meowing, rolling on the floor and other symptoms so familiar to all owners of adult cats. However, in a small percentage of cats, this behavior may occur again some time after neutering. What is this connected with?
SOY can be determined by the results of a hormone test, which is collected at a veterinary clinic. If the diagnosis is confirmed, then it is necessary to perform a second operation and remove the fragment of the ovary left in the animal’s body.
Most often, the reason for this can be the so-called abandoned ovary syndrome (OSS). During castration, the veterinarian may inadvertently remove not all the ovaries entirely, but leave part of one of them. In this case, the remaining tissue takes over the function of the whole ovary and produces sex hormones, which causes the castrated cat to ask for a male cat.
Sometimes veterinarians suggest that the cause of a cat’s sexual behavior after castration may be the pituitary gland or uterus, if the latter was not removed during surgery. This assumption is fundamentally incorrect. Neither the pituitary gland nor the uterus can provoke what the cat asks for the cat.
Possible problems
When trying to make friends with cats, many owners encounter the following problems:
- Sexual conflicts. They occur between females in heat or two males. If the animals are breeding, they are temporarily isolated from each other. If cats do not take part in breeding, they are sterilized.
- Upholding your own interests. The reason for a fight can be food, toys, a house, or even a tray. To correct the situation and make friends with cats, they need to buy similar accessories and give them the same food.
- Fights between animals. If cats are clinging to each other, you can separate them by pouring water on them or covering them with a blanket. Then they need to be isolated for a while and try to get acquainted again a little later.
- If cats are injured during a fight, they are treated with an antiseptic. If necessary, victims are taken to a veterinarian.
You can make friends between cats by showing maximum patience and perseverance. But if after a while all attempts end in failure, then it is much more humane to find new owners for one of them.
Tablets for cats from partying
In addition to drops, tablets are also widely used that can reduce the sexual activity of an animal. However, it is much more difficult to “slip” them to a cat, because he can easily detect them and refuse to eat them. Here the owners have to resort to various tricks and tricks in order to feed the drug to their pet.
If a cat wants a cat, every owner thinks about how to calm him down. The first thing that comes to mind or is recommended by neighbors is to buy tablets at a veterinary pharmacy. They can be divided into sedative and hormonal.
Soothing medications are usually herbal based and require use several times a day. When using these medications, your pet may experience drowsiness, lethargy, and decreased appetite.
As for hormonal drugs, they should be used very carefully and only after undergoing an examination at a veterinary clinic. Otherwise, the animal may experience serious health complications that will require additional treatment or may be life-threatening. Hormonal medications can only be used once a day.
Whatever method you choose, if a cat wants a cat, how to calm him down, you need to think about his health. It is also important to remember that when choosing an option such as castration, natural instincts may not disappear. The cat may continue to try to mark the apartment or yell. This is genetically embedded in him, and it is extremely difficult to overcome these reflexes. The animal will ignore your punishments, or rather, it simply will not understand how to deal with it and what to do, because natural instincts are always stronger.
