I am often asked, “We have a cat and a dog at home. Do you think they will get along?”

I firmly believe that if you spend 14 days doing it properly after quarantine, they will quickly start sleeping, playing, and eating together.

Step 1: It is essential to quarantine your new kitten for 14 days when it arrives home!

You may have the healthiest cat, and the kitten you picked up might also be the most nutritious, but they grew up in different homes and are accustomed to different antibodies.

Meeting a new family member can be stressful for cats, and stress can lead to health issues. To avoid this stress on both sides, we need to introduce them very slowly and at a comfortable pace.

Step 2: A new family member needs to be placed in a small area, such as a bedroom, where their food, water and litter box will also be placed (temporarily).

They may appear intimidated or frightened, or even hide under your bed. This behaviour is completely normal!

New smells and surroundings, with only a blanket and a familiar scent, can be overwhelming for them. Be patient! Let them get comfortable, and they will come to you, I promise!

Step 3: The antibodies will automatically transfer because you are going in and out of the room, and their immune system is building new antibodies without physical contact. Does that make sense? Your pets will know there is a new cat in the house and will sit by the door, wondering who is in there. They will interact in their own safe manner.

Step 4: After 14 days of quarantine, your furkids will be so excited to “meet face to smell” that they won’t have time to be aggressive toward each other, which is what we aimed for!

On day 14, we switch them. You take your new family member out of their room and let them explore the house while the other explores the room with the door closed. Half a day is usually sufficient. You can also place treats in the swapped rooms so they associate the transition with a positive experience. Every interaction must be positive.

Step 5 & Final: The moment we have been waiting for, *drum roll please*, introduction!

Open the door and sit on the floor nearby to observe. They will puff out their tails and may even make aggressive meowing sounds. Please do not intervene, as this is a critical moment in determining which will be the dominant one. As long as there is no aggression, everything is fine. If they start fighting or attacking one another, you need to separate them.

If you have more than one cat that needs to be introduced, I strongly suggest introducing them one at a time. Once you see that they are running around and happy, take the other one and do the same thing as with the first.

I Strongly suggest deworming all your animals, including the new family member, about 3-4 weeks after introduction, and maintaining this preventive routine every 4-6 months for two cats and 3-4 months for 3+ cats.