Adjusting Your Bengal Cat to a New Cat

My Bengal is a pretty vivacious kitty and he rules the roost in the house. He was raised with a Pixie Bob Mix we fondly called Belle and when she passed of kidney failure it was a really sad time for our family. We had no idea the affect it would have on Roscoe (our Bengal) and he became so lonely that we knew we'd have to find a new companion for him to hang out with during the days we were at work and school.

We purchased a Pixie Bob kitten we named Bella (Belle #2) and she was so friendly and wanted to make Roscoe's acquaintance but we has having none of it. I searched online to find the best ways to make their transition easier and this is what I found...

#1 Make sure you prepare for the worst and understand it will take AT LEAST a week to get them comfortable with each other. If you are introducing a kitten it's particularly important that you have a separate room for them (like a bathroom) that has food and litter so they can be comfortable and safe from your predatory Bengal. Our Bengal would try to put his claws under the door and hunt the new addition for the first few days. He wasn't having another cat on his turf.

#2 Take a towel and rub it over the new cat and then take the same towel and rub it all over your Bengal. This allows him/her to get the smell of the new cat all over them and helps them to seem like a normal part of the household. If they smell the same then the cat must be "ok." You'll need to do this about four times a day to make the smell consistent for your kitties.

#3 Start out with small bouts of time with your cats together. Our kitten would try to approach our Bengal and he would start up a hissing storm. This would subside after a few days but he really wasn't sure about the situation. What comforted him was knowing that we were there and we would separate them when it got too out of hand. You definitely need to supervise these visits.

A few other things that are helpful is to make sure they have separate food and water for at least the first month and separate litter for at least three weeks. The cats need their space just like any brothers or sisters do when bonding with a new family member. Best of luck with your new addition and be patient through the process.