Bringing A New Pet Into Your Home
Many people enjoy having more than one pet within their household. If you have recently acquired a new four-legged friend, you will want to take the necessary steps in making sure your old and new pets will both be happy with their new living arrangements. Here are some steps you can take to help in the transitional phase when a new pet joins the family.
A Room To Begin
When your new pet first comes into the home, you will want to start everything slowly as it will need time to become familiar with new surroundings. Designate one room in your home as the room that the pet will stay in for a few days when getting used to you and other people in your household. Your new pet may be frightened when it first arrives in its new home, and having and area it will feel secure is very important.
Baby Steps
When the new pets seems comfortable with staying in the designated area, it may be ready to explore other rooms in your home. Open the door and observe your new pet’s reaction to see if it will venture out into new territory. Make sure your old pet is not around at this time, as you are still in the introductory phase in getting your new pet to trust you and to get used to your home.
Follow your pet if it decides to explore. Make sure there are a few items belonging to your old pet in the area so the new pet will have a chance to smell them when it comes out into the rest of the home. The scent of your old pet will start to become familiar over the next few days, making it a little easier on the new pet for when they meet. At the same time, you will want to bring an item belonging to the new pet out into the area where the old pet lives so the same process can be done.
Introductions
At some point, the pets will need to meet each other. This will need to be monitored because there most likely will be some turmoil that both pets will feel. Take your new pet into a room other than the one it was first kept in to make the introductions. That way, you can bring it back to that room if there are problems, making it feel safe.
After pets have seen each other, they will most likely seek out each other to have another confrontation. Let the face-to-face confrontations happen several times while monitoring, before allowing the new pet to venture out on its own.
Taking Precaution
When you have two pets in a home, it is best to make sure that both have been to a veterinarian to make sure there are no diseases that can be spread from one to another. You will also want to talk to your veterinarian (like those at Norwin Veterinary Hospital) about making appointments to have your pets spayed or neutered so you do not end up with any kittens or puppies in the near future.
