The main enemy of a cat is, of course, considered to be a dog. However, these two animals sometimes communicate quite well with each other. But two cats in the same apartment are fighting. This is often evidenced by their torn ears, as well as their sides, gaping with bald spots.
In this regard, owners often think about the question of how to make two cats friends in the same apartment or at least establish neutrality between them.
In order to understand the essence of this problem, you need to know the characteristics that furry pets are endowed with. By nature, cats are staunch loners. They prefer peace, their own company and regularity. Moreover, these animals are stubborn, fearless, independent and incorruptible. Yes, this mustachioed princess has a pretty cool disposition. Understanding this, it is rather naive to believe that two cats in the same house will not find a reason to cling to their rival. Of course, sometimes exceptions to this rule can be observed. Sometimes, from the first day of living together, a tender friendship begins between cats. It is confirmed by duet chants, joint games played late at night, and other joys of a mustachioed life.
However, as mentioned above, this is only an exception. As a rule, owners have to rack their brains over the question of how to make two cats friends in the same apartment. This task is not easy, because sometimes pets literally drive their competitor out of the house every day, “pointing” him to the door.
Should I get a second cat or not?
Do you need a second furry pet in your home? This should be decided by the apartment owners themselves. After all, sometimes one animal is not enough for them and at the same time they have free time and financial resources. However, just so that the first cat doesn’t get bored, you shouldn’t do this. After all, these fluffy, purring lumps are not herd animals. That's why they don't need company. But if the owner of the apartment is not at home all day and he has very little time for his pet, then you can get a girlfriend for her. In this case, the cat will stop getting bored from the lack of communication. But at the same time, it is worth remembering that sometimes, despite all the competent actions of the owner, cats still do not want to put up with each other. Because of this, they are in constant stress, which provokes various diseases in them, both physical and mental. If animals are in this situation, then one of them should be placed in good hands. Owners should be prepared for such a development from the beginning.
Two cats in the house - behavior options
The behavior of two pets living in the same house, the first acquaintance and subsequent relationships depend on many factors - in particular, on the individual characteristics of specific individuals and the temperament of the breed.
There are several models of animal behavior:
Friends. Both pets behave friendly, even if they are wary at first. First comes sniffing each other, then playing together and sleeping. Such partners will not object to a shared toilet and house; they calmly eat from the same bowl. Fright. Often both cats or a new pet will demonstrate one of the most powerful emotions - fear. They crawl into secluded corners, don’t eat for several days, and don’t go to the toilet. Fear often leads to a fight. Competitors
Both animals are offended, and an unspoken war begins for territory, toys, food, and the owner’s attention.
With any type of behavior, it is possible to make two pets friends. Correct actions by the owner can correct the situation.
How to prepare for the arrival of a second cat?
How to bring two cats into one apartment? To do this, even before the appearance of the second pet, special preparatory work will be required. So, the space for cats will need to be divided into several zones. Two mustachioed pets will get along in the same apartment much faster if they do not overlap during toileting, resting and feeding.
A bed for a cat that is yet to appear in the house should be arranged separately from its future friend. It is advisable that the place to relax is even in a separate room. A bed for a cat that already lives in the house should be a taboo for a new pet. The owner needs to prepare a comfortable house or mattress for his second pet. Moreover, place it so that there is a door between the “bedrooms” of the animals, which is recommended to be closed at night at least at first.
Will two cats get along in the same apartment if they are fed together? Hardly. If contact has not yet been established between animals, then they will be most aggressive near bowls of food. There should be separate dishes for a cat that was recently brought into the house. In addition, it is recommended to carry out feeding even in different rooms. And only after a certain period of time the bowls can be moved little by little. In this case, the cats will need to be fed at the same time. Otherwise, the idle animal will try to take food from its competitor.
Another set of preparatory work concerns the toilet of fluffy beauties. For a new cat you will need to purchase a separate tray. After all, if the animals have not yet become friends, then one of them may compromise its cleanliness and begin to upset the owner by dirtying the corners of the rooms. How to keep two cats in an apartment? Over time, if the issue of reconciliation is resolved positively, the tray can be left alone.
Owners who decide to get a second cat at first need to leave everything for the old-timer as it was before her new friend arrived. She should not feel disadvantaged, and then she will not fight for her rights.
Getting ready for the reception
Acquaintance goes smoother if it is planned and you can prepare for it. In any case, you cannot immediately push animals together.
Calming for purring
To prevent conflict, both animals can be given a sedative before the first meeting. In this case, “Feliway”, “Cat Bayun”, “Stopstress” are used. In order not to harm your pets, you should first consult with a veterinarian who will calculate the dosage.
"Cat Baiyun"
"Stopstress"
“Feliway” Similar article: Why does a cat constantly meow for no reason
Preparing the Carry
Place a towel or blanket with the smell of a new home in the carrier. A beginner should have time to get used to the carrier as if it were his own house. Having brought an animal into the apartment, you should not immediately release the new pet; it is better to give the cats time to look at each other through the bars.
Isolation
After the first meeting, you should not leave the animals together or bring them near each other. The new pet should be shown a designated place to rest. Every day you need to change their toys among themselves and pay a lot of attention to the animals. If the new pet hides, for example, under furniture, there is no need to get it out by force - let it get used to it.
First meeting and adaptation period
Before the first full meeting, the animals will already know about each other’s existence and will get used to it. The first stress will pass, but conflict is possible. During contact, you need to take your time, let the cats sniff each other, and come as close to each other as they want. It is recommended to pet both of them so that everyone feels the love of their owner equally.
There is no need to try to reconcile pets as quickly as possible. They should have time to get used to each other. Ultimately, cats always remain animals that walk on their own.
Acquaintance
However, not only the preparatory work described above will have a direct impact on the development of the relationship between cats. An important moment for their friendship will be the first acquaintance. Sometimes owners who do not have the necessary information make irreparable mistakes. In order to introduce cats to each other, they either push them nose to nose, or lock them in the same room, or immediately separate them into separate rooms. In the first case, a fight is simply inevitable. The second option also ends in a serious fight upon meeting. When separating animals, tension and anxiety will certainly increase in them, which will subsequently also end in a fight.
How to properly introduce animals? First of all, both mustachioed queens will need to get their nails done. Their claws should be trimmed short and the sharp edges should be filed. For the second cat, this procedure is done right at the breeder’s home or at the entrance (if she was brought from the street).
It’s great if the owner mixes their scents before meeting their pets for the first time. To do this, you need to wipe the animals with a terry towel, paying special attention to the cheeks, paws and genitals.
What should a meeting of future girlfriends be like? The new cat should come into the house in a carrier. A closed box with holes for viewing is also suitable for these purposes. In addition, all doors between rooms in the apartment must be open. This will allow one of the cats to escape from a belligerent rival. But the windows should be closed so that during a fight one of the animals does not jump out into the street.
After arriving in the apartment, the carrier is left in the hallway. The old-timer should sniff it and get used to the new smell. This will give her time to recover from the shock that has occurred.
Only after some time can the carrier be opened. There is no need to take the cat out. The animal must decide for itself when to leave its shelter. Once it ends up in the apartment, the old-timer will most likely begin to defend its territory and demonstrate superiority. She will fluff up her fur and begin to hiss, growl threateningly and look at the uninvited guest with a gaze. In such situations, new residents, as a rule, pretend that everything is indifferent to them. They try not to pay attention to the aggressor and show by their behavior that they do not want conflict. In this case, the owners will have to carefully monitor the animals and not interfere in their relationship until a serious fight breaks out. Single attacks, paw strikes and lunges are considered the norm. This is not at all a reason to get between cats, because the possibility of a showdown will only be delayed for some time. The faster the animals determine which of them is boss in the house, the sooner friendship and peace will come in the apartment.
But if cats show a readiness to fight, both growl, take threatening poses and do not take their eyes off their rival, then the owner should be on guard. This means that the animals do not want to give in to each other and are ready for a serious fight. This condition sometimes lasts for several hours. If there is no time, the owner can separate the pets into different rooms, making sure to close the door.
Preparing for the meeting
When the decision to get a second cat is planned, it pays to be well prepared. In order to reduce the reasons for mutual aggression from the very beginning and make them friends in the future, you need to follow a few simple rules:
- Cats should have their own water and food bowls.
- It is necessary to provide pets with personal trays if you do not want to find unpleasant surprises on the floor.
- Houses for cats will be a salvation for residents of one-room apartments. Cats are by nature freedom-loving and independent creatures; it is important for them to have their own territory, a personal corner. A cat that has already become accustomed to the apartment and has been living in it for some time considers the house to be its territory. When another animal appears, the pet perceives it as an intrusion and often reacts aggressively.
- To keep your hands and animals healthy, you should trim your cats' claws. The moment of the first meeting is especially dangerous, when you brought the second cat home in your arms, and the first one greets you with displeasure in the corridor. If an older cat reacts aggressively, a new cat may get scared and claw at you. In such a situation, a carrier or a small blanket will help.
- Before meeting cats, they must be vaccinated and treated against fleas and worms. If the animal is not treated, it should be kept in isolation quarantine for at least 2 weeks.
- At first, it is necessary to allow cats to eat and go to the toilet freely, so you need to identify and separate zones in the house so that they do not meet when eating or defecating.
- It is important to feed the animals at the same time, this way you will be able to avoid theft and conflicts.
- Veterinarians advise purchasing a spray bottle to control behavior. At the moment of an impending fight, an “invigorating shower” will help separate them without consequences to health.
- Even if you are perfectly prepared, you may not be able to prevent conflict. Be sure to keep disinfectants and healing products in your home.
- Toys can also become a reason for a showdown. To make it easier to make friends with cats, buy new toys for both pets and stock up on treats to reduce attention on the “enemy”.
- Close windows and doors before meeting to avoid unpredictable consequences.
Don't isolate an old cat. He may think that a newcomer is vying for leadership and you are helping him. Then the cat will stop trusting both of you. Give the newcomer a space that the old resident loves less, then the established pet will be less angry.
If the animals are fighting
How to make two cats friends in the same apartment? If animals kick with their paws, rush at an opponent and immediately recoil without causing wounds, and also chase a competitor around the apartment, then there is no need to interfere in this relationship. The owner should simply watch his pets, separating them only after a serious fight has broken out.
It is worth remembering that you cannot drag away belligerent mustachioed pets with your hands! In the heat of battle, a cat, even the sweetest and most domestic one, can redirect its aggression towards its owner, clinging to his face. The most effective way is to pour water over the animal's head. If this method does not help, then you can throw a thick, heavy cloth over the fighters. This could be a blanket or a sheepskin coat. Darkness that comes completely suddenly frightens animals. Out of surprise, they will press themselves to the floor and become silent. After a few seconds, it is recommended to take one of the cats to a separate room.
But if the sudden darkness did not stop the fighters, then you will need to take a mop and carefully, but at the same time assertively, crucify the fighters in the corners.
Two animals in the house: behavior options
Cats are one of the most skittish pets. When two animals appear in one apartment at once, a conflict between them is almost inevitable. It's easier for an adult cat to accept if she has to adopt a kitten. It is very difficult to make friends between two sexually mature males.
Representatives of the cat world are jealous of their territory, the owner’s attention, and food. Having got a second cat, the owner must make every effort so that the first one does not feel deprived. At the same time, the new animal must be provided with the necessary comfort.
Several types of relationships can be established between two adult cats:
Friendship. At the first meeting, the animals will quickly find a common language. They will sniff each other without showing hostility. In the future, the animals can sleep peacefully together, play, and calmly be in the same room. They do not mind sharing trays and food bowls and can lick each other. Fright. Often the pet experiences real horror from the new environment. He hides under a sofa or closet and refuses to eat for several days. A frightened cat may hiss and even fight. Competition. Each animal can feel disadvantaged and offended
Pets will try with all their might to fight for a bowl of food, the best warm place, and the owner’s attention. A few days after they met, you can watch how each of the cats approaches a person, arches their back, rubs against their legs, and purrs.
In these ways, animals try to get affection from the owner.
The behavior of two animals largely depends on the character of each. Often, behavioral characteristics can be adjusted depending on the situation. For example, an adult cat calmly accepted a kitten, but when it matured, it began to experience pronounced aggression towards it. However, competent actions by the owner can minimize problems in the relationship between the two animals.
How to properly raise a kitten from an early age?
How to make them friends?
Two cats in one apartment is one of the most advantageous options. After all, compared to cats, they occupy a small territory, and they defend it not so aggressively. The only exceptions are when the animal is pregnant or nursing kittens. The task for the owner of how to reconcile two cats in one apartment becomes much more complicated if one of the furry pets is already seven years old, which indicates adulthood, and at the same time she has been the only animal in the house all her life.
As a rule, two adult cats in the same apartment build their relationship in a certain way. So, one of them becomes the main one, and the second has nothing left to do but agree to be in the background. The most dangerous moment of having two cats in the same apartment comes when one of them begins to heat.
It happens that pets at first glance get along great with each other. However, quite unexpectedly, one of them kills the recently born kittens of her competitor. The description of the cat's character allows us to conclude that this behavior is quite normal for her. This should be provided for in advance, allowing only their mother to see newborn babies. The second cat must be isolated. But it happens that “not the mother” accepted the kittens, began to gently lick them and remove their feces, and her friend calmly reacts to this. In this case, there is no need to worry about the kittens.
But how can you make friends between two cats in the same apartment if neither animal is going to give up the palm? This rarely happens, but with such an unfavorable development of events, furry pets fight literally to the last and very desperately. In this case, the owner will need to sterilize both of them. There is simply no other way to reconcile two animals that hate each other. A sterilized pet loses aggression associated with sexual instincts, which gives a chance for a calm and normal relationship.
How long do cats live at home after such a procedure? Some owners believe that the operation will harm their pets, shortening their life. However, this is not at all true.
How long do cats live at home if they are not sterilized? It is rare to find such an animal reaching 10 years of age. But in sterilized cats, due to the operation, a change in the psycho-emotional state occurs. Animals become smarter and calmer. Their mood is not affected by hormones. At the same time, the life expectancy of such animals increases and reaches a period of 15-20 years. Today you can find individual individuals who are already 30 years old.
Sterilization
People often wonder: will a male cat get along if one of them is not sterilized?
During the period of active breeding, the cat behaves extremely noisily: it marks corners, sharpens its claws on furniture. But in urban conditions it is not so easy to carry out mating for various reasons. If a cat lives with the cat, this will cause additional headaches for the owner.
Obeying instincts, the pet will go to any lengths in order to leave offspring. And stopping him will be problematic. The owner should take care of possible sterilization in advance. Moreover, take into account the fact that the operation is much more important for the female in order to avoid unwanted offspring.
IMPORTANT! Private births will adversely affect the mental and physical health of the cat.
Thus, responsibility for castration or sterilization lies entirely with the conscience of the owner. If he is not embarrassed by such aspects as aggression, loud yelling, marking of territory, the appearance of a cat litter, then there is no need to carry out sterilization. But in practice, such a choice is extremely rare.
What do cat owners need to know?
In order to fully understand how to make friends between two cats in one apartment, owners must study the nature of the breed and its psychology. The better a person understands the motivation for all the actions of his furry pet, the more effective all his actions will become, the purpose of which is to develop friendly relations between pets, as well as maintain a certain neutrality.
However, it is worth keeping in mind that any cat also has its own unique character. Having studied her individual traits, the owner will begin to understand her actions and the motives for their commission.
So, some cats are willful and stubborn, pugnacious and aggressive. It is difficult for them to make friends with a new resident. Others are distinguished by a soft and unquarrelsome character. In this case, the absence of fights in the house is ensured.
And do not forget that a cat is an independent and proud creature. You should not cultivate hospitality in her through the use of force and punishment. Such an approach will cause even greater aggression towards the “new girl”. In any case, owners are advised to show persistence and tenderness, inflexibility and affection. You should not demonstrate to your pet that you are the leader. A cat never recognizes the head of a person. It is more effective for bringing two animals closer together to remain a loving friend, support and protection for them. Let's consider the characters of cats of some breeds.
British Shorthair
This cat breed is one of the oldest. This cat is of extraordinary beauty and is very neat. She prefers cleanliness, is well-mannered, flexible and is friendly with her owner.
British cats, who have known each other from the very first days of their lives and are related, communicate with each other very tenderly. However, such animals may show intolerance towards a new rival in the house.
Siamese
These miniature cats with unusual colors have a very stubborn character. At the same time, they love people very much and quickly become attached to their owner. It is difficult for two Siamese cats to get along in one apartment. After all, animals are extremely jealous. They treat even guests who come to the house very warily.
Cases of attacks by these animals even on their owners have been recorded. To prevent this from happening, it is worth surrounding the mustachioed queen with care and attention. And then she will repay in the same coin.
