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Adopting, and then introducing, a second cat into your home requires more than a big heart. Just as important will be your ability to evaluate your resident cat's personality, execute a careful plan for the transition, and then load up an extra litter box with a bag full of "patience" to help guarantee your success.

When I decided that our two-year-old, affectionate, outgoing and neutered Zorro needed a pal to keep him company when we traveled, little did I realize how difficult the transition would be when we adopted three-year-old, spayed, Zoe. For the first month I worried that I had made a terrible mistake! Zorro's resistance was so great that I began to believe that perhaps he was one of those cats who preferred being a loner and did not want to share-anything-with another cat.

I followed the rule of thumb for a two cat household by adopting a gal for our guy. This works best and both should be spayed or neutered. If you have a choice, find a cat slightly younger than the one you own. If your cat is already extremely territorial or aggressive, you may want to reconsider your judgment in introducing another cat no matter how pure your intentions. "Slow" and "easy" are the buzz words for introducing another cat into a household.

If you have established that your resident cat is not overly aggressive, and you found another cat of the opposite sex with a friendly personality, you can make the transition work. Following are a few tips that will ensure a happy home for you and your felines.

INITIAL INTRODUCTION: Avoid any face-to-face meetings for at least a couple of days, sometimes a week if there is resistance. Scent is very important to felines, and it will take a little time for your resident cat to adjust to the invader's scent. Also, the new cat will be a bit stressed due to the change. This is the slow part. Resist trying to rush the introduction. Remember, the new cat has a lot of adjustments to make. It would be unfair to the new cat to put it in a position of having to defend itself too soon against aggressive behavior from your resident cat.

Keep the new cat in a separate room. (A quarantine period is also a good idea in case you have not had the new cat checked out by your vet and eliminated any transmittable diseases.) Spend time with the new cat helping it to relax and get acquainted with you before it meets the competition. Feed it in the room and have a separate litter box there as well. Touch it a lot, groom it, play with it and try to bond quickly

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