Ways To Introduce Cats

dana17

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Hi!
Sorry for the long post. This is very important to me and want to make sure we do it right.
We have 2 indoor cats about 2 years old, who were feral. They have been inside for a year. They are from the same litter. We have 1 more oitdoor feral, who we want to take in. He is the brother of the 2 inside. When all of them were outdoors, he was aggressive towards them. He has not been fixed yet and will be 3 yrs old. We will bring him to get fixed. He hisses at us whenever we feed him outside. We know he is just scared and protecting himself.
We are afraid that when we bring him inside, he will try and fight or hurt the other 2 cats. How can we slowly introduce them and how do we know if he will hurt them.
Ty!
 

shadowsrescue

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First off get him trapped, neutered, vaccinated and tested for FIV and FELV. It will take him around 3-6 weeks for his hormones to shut down. Yet he needs to have all of the above done before you do any sort of introductions.

He will need a safe room of his own. The room should be cat proofed. This means if there is a bed in the room, it needs to be removed or put flat on the floor. You DO NOT want him hiding under the bed. Also block off access to all other large furniture ( under and behind). If there is a closet in the room, be sure it is tightly closed. The goal is for him to be out in the open as much as possible. You can give him a safe place to hide such as a hiding box in a cat tree or even a simple card board box with a cozy blanket.

Allow him time to adjust to inside living before starting formal introductions. You want to be able to some what handle him. I like to work on socialization skills first then intros. Some cats will adapt very quickly to inside living and others take much much longer. I have had some ready to be out and about in a few months and others have taken a full year. Patience is your key.

Don't be in a huge rush for introductions. That will happen in time. Work on socializing him and getting him used to you and indoor living. A safe quiet space is the way to start. Soft music, feliway, possibly calming treats/liquid.
 

rubysmama

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In addition to the suggestions from shadowsrescue shadowsrescue , here are some TCS articles with more info.

When you first bring him inside:
Handling Feral Cats
The Five Golden Rules To Bringing An Outdoor Cat Inside

When you're ready to re-introduce him to his siblings:
How To Successfully Introduce Cats: The Ultimate Guide
Introducing Cats To Cats

Once they've met:
Are My Cats Fighting Or Playing?
How To Safely Break Up A Cat Fight

Good luck with him. Let us know how it goes. And thanks for caring for all of them.
 
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