Introduce Cats & Kittens WITHOUT Separation/Isolation (Fastest Method!)

This is a step-by-step guide to go about the cat-to-cat introduction process in a one-room apartment, studio apartment, or even introducing new cats in one room of your house.

I have introduced all my cats in my studio apartment this way and I have discovered this is the best way to go about it if there are no extra rooms in your home.

Timestamps:
0:00 Introduction and Brief Explanations
1:36 Step 0: Checklist Before Beginning
1:58 Step 1: Temporary Litter Box Placement (Homebase location)
2:33 Step 2: Release Cat or Kitten (Open the carrier)
3:31 Step 3: Observe and Take Notes Cat Interactions
4:35 Step 4: Play & Distraction Strategy
6:44 Step 5: Schedule Mealtimes/Snacks Strategy
8:01 Step 6: Combine Mealtimes and Play Strategies Until All Cats Get Along
8:24 How Long It Might Take
9:18 Conclusion
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[sabrinacoelho]

Finally a video that acknowledges small houses. I want to bring a new cat home and I have a small apartment so I’m definitely going yo try this

[wingabouts]

I bring home a new pet in a crate with the blanket used by my current pets. By the time we get home, the blanket smells are comforting to the newcomer and the resident animals smell themselves on the newbie. 😁 Always works! 💞

[TheDawnofVanlife]

4 days! I used your method and within 2 days my two year old tabby was eating side by side with my little blue 10 week old kitten. Now they play, groom, and even occasionally sleep together. Less then a week. There was some hissing and swats by resisdent cat, but I think it helped the kitten wanted to say hello and the older resident just had to yield to his presence and see that it was kinda fun to run around with a playmate.

There was no other room to put baby kitten in, so if this hadn’t worked baby kitten would have needed a new/different home. And I was prepared to go that route. But now we are a happy 2 cat family. 2 is absolutely better than one. They really can now entertain each other. They still have human cuddle and play time, but if human is exhausted, they have each other.

[ForbiddenKitten]

in my opinion this is the best method to use even if you don’t have a small living space! i have found that the isolation method will actually cause the resident cat more restless and even agitated depending on their personality. because they feel as if the new comer just waltzed into his home and took a part of it as his own territory and without being up front about it or showing his face! the nerve, haha.
but seriously. it can also cause anxiety and stress for the new comer for many reasons like: 1) feeling cornered in/trapped in a space (sometimes literally) where they can sense the resident cat lurking/smelling/pacing, making them feel unsafe. 2)being overwhelmed by all the new space to discover after getting used to their isolation space, on top of getting used to the resident. 3)false fear instilled into them of what the resident cat is like. if all they’re seeing is a paw from underneath a door and hearing them meow or hiss without seeing them, and seeing the shadows/foot steps of the resident cat pacing on the other side of the door, they start to form a scary idea of what they are like in their minds, basically already having a false prejudice of them. kind of like a little kid that’s afraid of the noise coming from the water heater in the basement. they hear the noise but have never seen it so in their minds they think it’s this big scary monster, causing them to be anxious and uneasy while sleeping.
also the isolation method will usually take attention away from the resident cat, since most of the time the new comer is a kitten and if they’re secluded in a different room/bathroom/etc you have to be consistently checking on them and this can cause the resident cat to not only feel negelected but already dislike the new comer for taking away from their attention they like to pretend they don’t want 😂
it also makes the process of introducing a newcomer into the home much more lengthy in general.
the method in your video not only gives them they’re own space with the separate liter boxes and distanced bowls but also unites these separate spaces which is a major key! this way they know they can have their own space but there is also room for everyone!
thank you so much for sharing this video for i think it’s not only helpful for people with small homes but also helpful in making the experience easier on the cats when it comes to feelings of fear/anxiety/neglection/etc!
my only thing and it’s probably just an ocd thing, but i cannot feed my cats from one bowl. they all have their own food and water bowls, even if they drink from one water bowl more than the others, or even if they are okay with switching bowls while eating (sometimes they end up with different wet food flavors haha) they have to have their own bowls, this way i can keep track of how much they’re eating. which also helps with figuring out if one of them isn’t feeling too well, because it makes it easier to keep track of their appetite!

keep up the great content, sending love to your kitties! ♡

[shadyatem]

Finally, a video dealing with small spaces. I have a one bedroom apt

[KM-pmqe]

I have found that introducing a new cat is always much easier to a household that already has two or more cats. The established cats tend to be less territorial and are already used to not being the only cat; and the new cat realizes they are outnumbered and less likely to be aggressive toward the established cats. Introducing cat #2 to the single established cat is always the riskiest, so I prefer to always have at least three.

[cinzeal]

I just want to say a massive thank you for this video. I live in a small, one-bedroom apartment and this worked for me after only four days. Four! I was expecting the introduction process to last weeks or even months! My girl and her new brother are currently snuggled up sleeping together next to me as I write this. It really works! You're amazing! ❤

[amywalker]

This guy is really into cats. Just look at that apartment. When we got our former cats, about 20 years ago, we just brought the new kitten in and plopped him on the floor. The original cat hissed and went to hide. The new cat hid too. After several days, they approached each other with no fighting. I don't know if all cats are like this, but perhaps we are overthinking the introduction thing. We have a new kitten now who is about 12 weeks old. We may be getting an older kitten of about 7 months old soon. Not sure what to expect. Both cats are from shelters. We could have "Oh boy, a friend" or outright war.

[ohrnorcleor]

The introduction is WORKING our two cats are getting more comfortable! And are playing while they see each other each of them get their own play time so no jealousy occurs during bonding time

[delbelle]

This is so helpful. I too have a 1 bedroom apartment and I’ve cried too many times because my resident cat is super hissy. They’re both around 3 and some of these comments make me realize it’ll all be worth it. I wanted her to have a cat because I’m gone for work for 8-9 hours a day. I’m glad hissing is acceptable and I’ll update y’all when they start getting along

[uvdur]

you know what, the slow introduction method intimidated me like hell before even having the second cat arrived. Having read all these positive comments below, I think I'm just gonna get a laser and bring them together after a few days, we'll see what happens.

[Humyplayz]

I honestly felt like giving up until I saw this video. In just about 3 days my kittens are playing together. This video was a great help, I watched many videos and none worked.
Thank you so much

[laurapalka]

This is insanely good!! I’m a definite cat person but always found introductions challenging. Thank you for posting these excellent points.

[jenNjuice]

I had already started introducing this way before I watched the video. We’re on day 3 and my kitten is acting like she owns the place, barely noticing my older cat. Older cat is curious and always watching the new cat, but hissing. New kitten is able to walk inches by her without too much fuss, a bit of hissing, a little growling, but no swatting or bigger fighting. Tonight she jumped on the bed for the first time. Trying to teach kitten the bed is where we relax and cuddle, so hopefully it will become a middle ground for all of us.

[shananana]

I took a lot of good information from this video, but ultimately my cats were not compatible with a zero-isolation phase. That being said, there is still hope! We borrowed a large dog crate from a friend for our kitten and isolated him in the loft. From there we proceeded with steps outlined by Jackson Galaxy. The process is still underway, but the kitties played nicely for a whole two hours yesterday with only one time out!

[smk]

Thank you for the tips. I've implemented these and I think my new cat is slowly integrating with the older ones. They are hissing at him less everyday and there's less aggression, less swatting everyday.

[nelacovarrubias]

I came back to this video just to say that it worked, thank you so much! 2 days of semi isolation and 2 days of this method. Started with hisses, growls, and paw throwing. Now they call for each other. :))

[RiverCrystal]

This is so useful. I tried the slow method before and it actually backfired horribly. We're getting a new kitten this week so I will definitely be using this advice!

[agermangineer]

This man knows what he’s talking about!!

Thank you so much! YouTube at it’s Prime!!! A Life safer!!

[nazeckbooley]

Brilliant. I'm stressing because I've been taking care of a stray female cat and she's been living on my porch in her own little cat house for 2 weeks. My own male cat has encountered her many times outside and is aware that she lives there. I desperately want to bring her in the house but so nervous about it