Our 3 year old male Bengal, Ace, has been missing for just over four months. We got him back today, a few kms up the road and after lots of flyering and advertising! It is honestly been the best day of my life to have him back! He went missing the week after we moved into a new house.

We have another Bengal, female Indiana, and I thought they would reunite instantly = but alas there's been a lot of hissing! Previously, they were best friends, and groomed and snuggled together.

Two parts to my question:

1.) How do I successfully introduce Ace back into the house (which will be all new to him) and keep him from running away again? These cats aren't indoor cats, so I don't want to keep him inside indefinitely

2.) How can I successfully reunite Indiana and Ace so they have a good relationship again?

Please help, I'm getting worried that bringing Ace home is going to cause a lot of trouble unless I have a plan now and stick to it!

Also posted under 'Behaviour'

In short. The only way to ensure he does not run away again is to keep him inside. This is not difficult nor cruel. It depends purely upon your dedication to keeping him home.

A reintroduction would be similar to a first introduction as these two no longer know each other. A safe room for your wayward one to introduce him to your resident cat would be appropriate.

Good luck!

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~ Kyenta

In terms of the safe room - the safe room in our home has always been our bedroom, with the ensuite containing their food and litter. Who is best to keep in this safe room - Indiana, because it has been hers' exclusively for the last 4 months since Ace has been missing? Or Ace, because he is new and needs a safe room close to us, and Indiana knows the rest of the house?

I don't want her feeling jealous, and I don't want him to feel too far away from us.

I had a very long, in-depth reply written and the website locked up! So this will be short and sweet. First of all, you are extremely lucky that you found Ace. Second of all, Ace arrived home with new smells, which has turned your other cat off. How to reintroduce them? Separate them for a couple of days and swap scents. Then feed them in the same general area. The food will be the distraction. Next, bring them together and engage each of them in play, the toy will be the distraction. Hopefully, soon they will best buddies again.

I hope you will reconsider allowing Ace outside again. He may return to the area he was in before because that is familiar to him. Don't risk another one of his 9 lives and save yourself a lot of worry and heartache. Train him to walk on a leash and harness. Create an outdoor enclosure for him. Most people have a large investment in their cats -- I'd hate to see something happen to Ace again. Next time, you may not be able to find him. Thankfully, you never gave up hope.