Introducing a New Cat to Your Resident Cat

I bought this because I was desperate after my new cat hid under the sofa for three days and my resident cat started spraying the curtains. The book does help — the scent swapping part saved my sanity. But I found some chapters overly detailed, and the timelines felt a bit rigid; my cats took longer than the 'week one' schedule. Still, it's far better than the chaos of blindly searching the internet.

This is the only guide I've found that actually gives you a step-by-step plan instead of vague advice. The chapter on visual meets was a game-changer — I used the baby gate method with clicker treats, and my two cats were calmly eating near each other within two weeks. It's written in a reassuring tone, almost like a friend talking you down. Only reason for 4 stars instead of 5 is that some of the troubleshooting sections could be longer.

I appreciate the clear instructions, but the author's assumption that you have a spare room to use as a safe room was frustrating. We live in a small apartment, so the site swapping part was hard to implement. Also, the book didn't really address what to do if your resident cat is flat-out aggressive to other cats, not just fearful. It helped in the beginning, but I ended up hiring a behaviorist anyway.

As a first-time cat owner who brought home a second cat without thinking it through, I was a mess. This book gave me a plan and, more importantly, it calmed me down. The body language checklist on page X is worth the price alone — I never knew my resident cat was scared, I thought she was being grumpy. Lol. I also loved that the FAQ chapter actually answered my specific question about one cat not eating.

It was a breath of fresh air to read a cat intro guide that doesn't say 'oh, they'll be best friends in a day' or 'just leave them alone.' The week-by-week structure felt manageable, and I especially liked the emphasis on scent swapping before any face-to-face holds. My two cats are now coexisting peacefully, although not cuddling, which is fine. I dropped one star because the book could have used a few more photos showing the body language cues it describes.

The advice is sound and I recommend it to anyone starting a cat intro. For me, though, the 'week-by-week' schedule was too optimistic; it took us six weeks before my cats could be in the same room without a hiss. I also felt some of the steps were repetitive. Still, the author's warm tone kept me from giving up, and we eventually got there. A decent book for the price.

I cannot thank this book enough. I was sobbing after my resident cat attacked my new kitten, and this guide gave me hope and concrete steps. The visual meet protocol with the baby gate changed everything. I followed it exactly — treating them at the gate, feeding meals on either side — and now they sleep together on my bed. This book is worth it for the 'when to call a vet' chapter alone, which helped me avoid a needless panic trip. If you're introducing cats, read this before you do anything else.