introducing stray to new home and house cat

[Carolyncat]

I've had my stray (semi-feral?) cat in a room for about three weeks. he was trapped and fixed then we put him in there. my house cat and the stray have met through an outside enclosure that attracted the stray (Little Boy) to my house cat, Stanley. Stanley is one and Little Boy is two. they are interested in each other BUT Stanley is a biter (he bites me, little bites but still, he is bad) and I'm not sure Little Boy even knows how to play because I do not know his history. I am afraid they will bite each other hard and/or it might turn into a real fight. I am just not sure how to do this safely. I can pet Little Boy, he rubs against us for attention, but he is definitely freaked with hands and feet (getting better, i.e. he positions himself to be pet looking away from us and does not see our hands coming to pet him) and I cannot pick him up. I think they would be great friends and someone to play with inside. any wisdom is appreciated

 

[tarasgirl06]

I've had my stray (semi-feral?) cat in a room for about three weeks. he was trapped and fixed then we put him in there. my house cat and the stray have met through an outside enclosure that attracted the stray (Little Boy) to my house cat, Stanley. Stanley is one and Little Boy is two. they are interested in each other BUT Stanley is a biter (he bites me, little bites but still, he is bad) and I'm not sure Little Boy even knows how to play because I do not know his history. I am afraid they will bite each other hard and/or it might turn into a real fight. I am just not sure how to do this safely. I can pet Little Boy, he rubs against us for attention, but he is definitely freaked with hands and feet (getting better, i.e. he positions himself to be pet looking away from us and does not see our hands coming to pet him) and I cannot pick him up. I think they would be great friends and someone to play with inside. any wisdom is appreciated

Hello C Carolyncat Little Boy and Stanley, and welcome to TCS! Three weeks is about a week longer than most experts recommend being in isolation before starting to come into the larger environment. So far, you're making good progress, it sounds like! Do you know about "The Cat Daddy", cat behaviorist Jackson Galaxy, and his "MY CAT FROM HELL" Animal Planet series, videos, books, and social media presence? He is definitely a pro at all types of cat intros, so you may want to check him out if you haven't already. He's on YouTube. Feeding them on either side of a door to start with, and then on either side of somewhere where they can see each other, is recommended, as is interactive play with a toy such as da Bird or Cat Dancer (wand-and-lure "fishing pole" toys, available wherever cat products are sold, online or physical stores). Gradual, supervised introductions start the process of being in the same environment. Increase the time as they get used to each other. Cats do need to develop hierarchy, though, and as long as they do not hurt each other, some conflict is normal initially. Keep us up to date on how they are progressing, won't you? And we love pix here at TCS!