How do you introduce 1 adult cat to a home that already has 2 adult cats?

Jessica: How do you introduce 1 adult cat to a home that already has 2 adult cats?
I just moved into a home with my adult cat – the home already has two adult cats. The two cats and my cat are not getting along and are hissing and growling at eachother all the time. The two cats don’t like my cat and my cat doesn’t like them. Will they ever get along, will they learn to live with eachother? Is it safe to let them roam free while i’m out or should i separate them. Any tips or advice will be EXTREMELY appreciated.

Answers and Views:

Answer by Lamb $ $ $
Just take it slow. They likely will get along eventually. Don’t leave them alone until you don’t have to ask whether you can leave them alone.

Answer by =JuJu=
Time heals most rifts. What has happened is that in the home with two adult cats, they have already established which one is the alpha cat. Now, a third cat has been added to the mix, and the answer as to which cat now is the alpha cat has to start all over again. Hissing and growling is most common, as most of it is bluff. Even raising a paw might happen, but it is extremely rare for any blood to be spilled. If that happens, you do have a problem.

If you are around for a weekend and only hear hissing and growling, you can be relatively certain that they can roam free to help establish the pecking order.

I have done a number of introductions, always when I was able to be around for a decent period of time. My approach has always been: here they are, they are staying, so get used to it. It usually settles down fairly quickly, and they establish the pecking order as to who is the alpha cat. Remember, cats normally hate changes, and this is a big change so they are upset. But they will get over it. And which cat is alpha is not set in stone, and may change over time.

Once the hissing calms down, you still may hear an occasional hissing; that is likely when one of the cats is startled by the other cat.

Sometimes you can rub each cat with the same towel, transferring the scents to each other and fooling them into thinking they all smell the same. This works, however, generally when they do not recognize the other cat, such as coming back with the dreaded ‘vet smell’. This is not quite your situation.

Answer by Rach
Just introduce them slowly and let them see each other for short periods of time only. Every now and them leave them in the same room together with someone in it of course. If they start to have a fight take one of the cats out and again repeat the steps. Also if one cat is always starting the fight tap that cat on the nose everytime they do something wrong. Most cats don’t like this and know they shouldn’t do whatever they are doing.

Answer by just a thought
Just like you don’t like some people–ever… some cats just do not like other cats–ever. I have introduced cats over many years but I’ve got one now that I’ve been trying to acclimate for over a year. I just now can leave the door open so they interact a little but they growl and hiss STILL.

Be careful about leaving them alone for some time. My newbie boy bit my girl’s tail and it caused an abscess.

Good luck. Hopefully mine is a worse case scenario. I’ve never has this much trouble before!