Does anyone have any unusual suggestions on introducing our new kitty to our existing 6yo cat? We've done everything suggested by the shelter, trading smells, spaces, etc. And they've met and my cat is reasonably tolerant, non-aggressive and only hisses a little. But still our cat isolates herself when the kitty is out. Our house is small they can't have separate rooms. I'd appreciate any advice you might have.

I think they might need some more time to adjust. When we brought a new cat, one of our two cats kept hissing at him. He wouldn't fight, but he'd continuously voice his displeasure, so to speak. We would pet both cats, play with them, and tell the hisser to behave and be nice to the new boy. He didn't listen at first, but now they are friends.

There might be a difference in personalities, too. As long as they're not trying to kill each other, just give them time. My older cat was forced to live in the same house as my parents' loud, rather energetic younger cat - they barely tolerated each other, and would never even stay in the same room together. They were just two completely opposite cats; it was like having two people with conflicting personalities try to live together.

They might never be the best of friends, but it sounds like you're on the right track. Just give it time!

From what you have shared, the only problem is some minor hissing. I think it will pass, as it happened in our case. It's a rare situation when a cat of the house immediately accepts a new cat. For a while, they usually see it as intrusion. If the cat is not aggressive though, I would not worry about it. Just give it time.

I've never done this with cats, but I introduced my akita/chow dog to my cat. What I did was, I let the cat roam free and I had my dog on a leash. Very, very quickly they got to the point where they could roam free together. My cat showed my dog that she needed to give her space.. it just took one little scratch on her nose.

I would advise introducing them in a neutral place so the older cat doesn't feel threatened. Maybe have one on a leash? I know cats on a leash doesn't typically work though lol

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-Brittany Brydahl