Meeting other cats in the home

Trying to force a new cat to make relationships with existing household cats who are not part of the social make-up as far any established cats are concerned is often disastrous. Accepting that your cats may, at best become distant but amicable in sharing the home is often wise.

Emotional impact
Resident cats also need tender loving care and probably de-stressing facilities as well. Once the newcomer has settled and you have provided extra hiding places and high refuges so all cats have escape areas, gradually allow them to adjust to each other. Cats always cope better when they can see, hear and eventually meet each other without undue pressure.

Simple steps to success
Don't rush into releasing your new cat into a multi-cat household, or into the main domain of a single cat. Keep the new cat in a safe and secure room and gradually introduce the cats using these simple steps:

1. Wipe each cat with a separate cloth and present this with food or play, gauging his reactions. Don't move forward with introductions until any negative responses have died down.
2. Then mix the cloths in a bag to produce a colony scent. Repeat the process allowing time for adjustment before the new-comer is let out to explore, when the other cats are outside or asleep in a closed room.
3. When your cats eventually meet, take care not to enforce things. Have lots of toys with which to distract them from each other and create a positive atmosphere.
4. Don't forget longer term to maintain separate feeding and living areas based on individual feline social groups, otherwise you could unwittingly cause distress.

Exploring the home

A common mistake that people make is the time it takes for a cat to settle in to a home, weather it is a new kitten or an older cat. Some are confident within a week or so and others take several weeks to become more comfortable with their new surroundings. Respecting this is more likely at raising a well adjusted pet that will put it's mind at ease.

Day by day
Once your cat has settled well into it's surroundings, start to leave different doors open and let it explore your home further afield if it feels the need to do so. Never force him out or never prevent him from running back if he's spooked. If he's bold, especially if yours is a generally quiet household, he may choose to tackle a new room each day until he is  well acquainted with the whole house. If he is a timid cat, he make take several weeks to build up the confidence to come out of his refuge.

Carefully introduce new faces to your family's pet, at first it is advisable to fuss a cat as little as possible to ensure his main carer looks after to keep him at ease. Then slowly introduce everyone in the household, supervising children as it won't take much of playfulness by either the cat or child before someone gets hurt, even if neither intended on it.

Appliances
Be especially sensitive when introducing your new pet to the noises and distractions of household appliances. Smoke and burglar alarms, vacuum cleaners, blenders and other high output noises can distract and scare your cat. You can help protect him by creating a refuge as far away as possible from these noises until he gets used to the new home. Never force the cat to be in the same room as the noises as the cat will have trouble building up trust with you. Make sure he has a way to get to the safe refuge if the noise it too much to bare.

Scent reassurance
You can use commercial pheromone products to create a reassuring environment just ahead of his explorations to reduce the impact of the new adventure. Create observation posts where ever he is easily accessed, elevated areas and dark hiding places for him to sit quietly and observe before he goes any further, cardboard boxes are a great and cheap option for cats.

The right cat for you

Once you have decided to share a home with a cat, some important decisions have to be made. Your lifestyle and the age, personality, breed and health of your pet should all be considered. If you are prepared from the start, you will be well on the way to providing a happy home for your cat.

Choosing your cat
Before you head off to acquire your cat, it is worth asking yourself questions about the age ans type of cat you would prefer, what kind of lifestyle he will have and how he will fit into the existing family.

Some things to consider

• Will a kitten or adult suit you best
• Is pedigree important or would you love an 'ordinary' domestic cat
• Long-haired or short-haired
• Male or female
• What sort of lifestyle do you want your cat to have
• Integration with other pets you may have
• Are you often away from home
• Can you afford the regular health care

Kitten - a healthy kitten is a ball of fun!
It is also quite hard work and requires a significant input in terms of time, effort and entertainment from everyone in the household. If he is to become a well-balanced and satisfying pet.

Circulatory System

Your cat's activity pattern - long periods of relaxation intermingled with bursts of intense action would be impossible without effective circulatory and  respiratory systems. With the need to be instantly alert and on the move, your cat has developed breathing and heart systems that are primed for flight.

Blood carries oxygen and nutrients around the body to all the organs, including the lungs, brain, liver and kidneys, as well as supplying the tissues with various life sustaining functions. Then it helps in the removal of waste products and essential detoxification processes.

The vascular system is a complicated network of thicker-walled, elastic arteries and thinner veins that delivers blood to the target organs and tissues and returns it to the heart, which acts  pump driving the whole system. The left side of the the heart pumps oxygenated blood around the body, delivering oxygen and nutrients.

Then, after returning via the venous system to the right cardiac side, the de-oxygenated blood is pumped with the next heartbeat to the lungs, where carbon-dioxide is exchanged for more oxygen taken in with each breath.

Pulse rate  is created by the pump action of the heart. The resting feline heart rate of around 120 beats per minute is higher than ours and it can almost double with a speedy burst of activity.

Movement and balance

The Cat in full motion

Whilst they are not indestructible, cats do have an enviable ability to balance in the most precarious circumstances, and to twist and right themselves to land safely if they fall. Nervous control, the workings of the inner ear and the useful counter-balance provided by the tail are responsible for this feline skill.

The central nervous system is made up of the brain and spinal cord, The brain processes information relayed to it from the main sense organs - the eyes, ears and nose - and the peripheral nervous system. In turn it influences all the body's systems and the animal’s behavior via these peripheral nerves and hormones, which are secreted by glands, such as the thyroid and adrenals, and organs, including the female’s ovaries and the male’s testicles.

The autonomic nervous system is an involuntary system that controls unconscious actions, such as blood circulation, breathing and digestion. Consisting of two parts, the sympathetic system, which is responsible for arousal, and the parasympathetic, involved in relaxation and return to normal (homeostasis), it is important in the 'flight or fight’ reactions that help keep cats out of trouble whenever possible.

The righting reflex - The vestibular apparatus in the inner ear consists of fluid-filled canals lined with sensitive hairs, which detect fluid movements when the head changes position. This combined with visual  information is relayed rapidly to the area of the brain involved with posture, the cerebellum. As a result, when falling a can twist his head into a normal position relative to the ground and his body will  spontaneously move to correct itself.

Cat Fact 

'High rise syndrome’ is a phenomenon where cats can sometimes survive falls relatively unscathed so long as they have time to right themselves, and don’t tense up so rigidly that their legs absorb the full impact when they hit the ground. However, sadly, many cats are badly injured in falls from windows and balconies.