Cat introductions are notoriously challenging, slow, and can very easily erupt in violence if things go wrong. Plus, a lot of the common advice for introducing cats is actually pretty terrible advice. Thank goodness I’m here to help you out, am I right?
While cat introductions are complex, one of my favorite tools to use is play. Play helps teach the cats what to do with each other and it helps build a positive association. Beyond playing with a wand toy with your cats, I often suggest clients play with their cats under a door using a toy. This method allows the cats to meet indirectly and, if done correctly, the cats causing the toy to move for each other will help repair their relationship.
A Creative Option For Playing Under The Door
Besides the obvious use of a wand toy, the Cat Dancer, or even two toys tied together with a string (a client of mine used two of the ever popular Yeowww! banana toys for this), I want to suggest another method of controlled play: a ball track.
One of the most popular ball track toy is the Catit Senses 2.0 Super Circuit. I got it as a housewarming present for Zoloft during our last move. He ended up repurposing it and using it mostly as a bed.
While triple tiered ball tracks or circular ones can be fun for purposes of regular play, for this intervention the Catit track is basically your only choice. You’ll may need a few straight track extenders in order to get the layout you need.
Why specifically this track? Because we’re going to set it up to go under a pet gate so the cats can play with the ball in a controlled manner while still having a barrier between them to prevent a cat fight. The ball track will keep the ball contained and can be set up so the ball will be more likely to roll backward if one cat doesn’t paw at it immediately.
Set Things Up
First, set up your pet gate in a door frame. To fit the track under your door, you’ll need at least two inches of space for a regular, flat track piece and, if you lay it out so an elevated curved piece is under the door, you’ll want just over three inches.
Depending on how far along your cats are in the introduction process and how things are going, you may or may not want them to see each other while playing yet. If you don’t want them to see each other, using a piece of flattened cardboard with tunnels cut out where the ball track will go under can block the view of the cats while still allowing the track to go between them. You may want to wait to actually cut this until you’ve figured out your layout.
An Aside On Pet Gates
If you’re just getting going or doing a full reintroduction with your cats, you may be tempted to go for a cheap gate. As someone who does a lot of reintroductions, I am going to strongly advise you go for one of the higher quality, full door length pet gates. Too many of them are way too short. While screens can be an okay choice, they’re easier to pull down or for a cat to get through. It’s worth the extra cost for the benefits to your sanity!
Assemble The Track
Next, you’ll need to assemble the track. I suggest one of the following layouts:
- Horseshoe: The track should have a large curve with straight pieces extending under the gate. One of the corners should be elevated, but not both so the ball won’t get trapped between them
- Circle: An elevated corner in every corner can help keep the ball rolling. Alternatively, do two elevated corners on opposite sides.
- Lightning Bolt: Have two curves right in the middle of the track. One of them should be elevated. The elevated curve should be under the gate so the ball will always roll toward one of the cats from the middle.
- Line: This one is pretty straightforward. Use end pieces and straight track pieces that go directly between the cats.
For a visual of all of these except for the line layout (It’s a line. You don’t need my help with that one), see the graphic below.
A Word On Placement
Be careful with where you put the pieces that go under the gate. If the gate sits in one of the openings in the green cover, the ball may get stuck. The ball needs to be able to roll past the openings without issue.
Play!
Once everything is in place, let your cats play! You may need to literally get the ball rolling for them, but the goal of this arrangement is that your cats should be able to bat the ball back and forth with each other so they learn the other cat is associated with fun. If needed, you can get extra light up balls or add ping pong balls to the track to add more fun for your cats!
As always, try to make sure the interaction is very positive or at least neutral. End it early rather than letting the cats become tense. Introductions between cats are slow and may take you weeks or months to get through. Plus, once things go wrong they’re hard to fix. This fun way for your cats to meet will help, but it won’t make them magically be friends.
If you’re finding your cat’s introduction or reintroduction tough, I’m here to help. They’re not easy to do on your own and sometimes having a professional walk you through the whole process is easier.
