Friendly stray late kitten outside my house. thinking of giving her a forever home. how can i gauge if Rivel will accept her?

Hoboforeternity

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so this morning i was woken up by Rivel meowing at other cat outside. there's this young (maybe 5-6 months?) fully black stray female. i approached her while giving her some food, she was very friendly. she doesn't mind being touched, even lift her butt when i try to pet her i tried to pick her up and she doesn't mind either. i think i fell in love. she has no ID, very skinny but clean. i don't think she's chipped so at most she's abandoned or just a stray. the way Rivel meow at her seems friendly too. she usually hisses at other cat outside, tail puffing out, but this time she's meowing like she wants food or play. soft instead of aggressive.

the second problem is i also have no space to isolate her for 'trial'. my house is small just 1 room, living room and a kitchen all in which has been open for rivel to free roam. can a house be too cramped for 2 cats?
 

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Hoboforeternity

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Hi! You may have something positive regarding how Rivel is sounding, but you won't know for certain until you bring the little one in. A vet or rescue can check and determine for certain whether there's a chip.
In case you haven't seen these articles;
How To Introduce A Kitten To An Older Cat – TheCatSite Articles
The Multi-cat Household – TheCatSite Articles
You could try some of the things here;
How To Make Your Home Bigger (at Least For Your Cats) – TheCatSite Articles
thanks. i guess i can try the introduction from inside/outside. i'd love to bring her in immediately but there's no space. maybe if i keep feeding her at regular schedule the outside cat will be around and hope she isn't hurt while it's in process.
 

Furballsmom

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it may still be better, if you can put a small fan in there with a thermometer so you know how the temperature is, to have her safely inside. She can handle the humidity, and the cramped space since that will be temporary.
 
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Hoboforeternity

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You're right. Glad i didn't rush it. I try to introduce smell by rubbing the new cat on new sock, Rivel hissed at it.

At this point i am still not 100% sure so i can't take the new girl inside yet, but i can at least keep her fed and if she decides to stay then i will look trough more serious option. She seems clean, healthy and old enough to seem independent from her mother. (Not really expert but 4 to 6 mo old o think)

Then again rivel takes priority. I will go slowly if new adoption brings rivel some needed companion, I'd bite the extra cost. If not i will just keep the new cat fed outside my house range
 

ArtNJ

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Hissing doesn't mean much. Since kittens dont get attacked by adults, its not necessarily unreasaonable to do a "see what happens" trial if your space is truly too small to do an intro. Your only bathroom can work for an intro for some, but if you have to get up in the middle of the night to use it, I'd say forget about it, won't work. Preventing escapes at 3 am is a non-starter. Your fall back option would be to let the kitten back out if Rivel does much more than hiss or shows serious stress like not eating or using the box.

Was the vet able to estimate Rivel's age for you? Younger cats have a higher chance of befriending a kitten.
 
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Hoboforeternity

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Hissing doesn't mean much. Since kittens dont get attacked by adults, its not necessarily unreasaonable to do a "see what happens" trial if your space is truly too small to do an intro. Your only bathroom can work for an intro for some, but if you have to get up in the middle of the night to use it, I'd say forget about it, won't work. Preventing escapes at 3 am is a non-starter. Your fall back option would be to let the kitten back out if Rivel does much more than hiss or shows serious stress like not eating or using the box.

Was the vet able to estimate Rivel's age for you? Younger cats have a higher chance of befriending a kitten.
Rivel is about 2-3 years old. yeah, since the bathroom is also small and there's only one i will use it plenty of time. it's also mostly innacessible to cats as i keep cleaning chemicals in there
 

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Casper's got a girlfriend, outside. ;)
She's an orange and white tabby. Her name is "Louie." She lives at a neighbor's house, just a few doors down.
She's cute as a button and friendly as can be.

Louie comes up on our back porch to visit Casper and they "talk" to each other through the patio screen door.
Casper has gotten uppity with other cats that come up on the porch but not Louie. They get along just fine.

If we're not careful, Louie will dart in through the door when you come in or out. She's done that a couple of times.
We'd be happy to let Louie come in to visit Casper but, once you let a cat into your house, the cat thinks your house is its territory. We can't have that. Not only is Casper king of this castle, our lease specifies that we're only allowed to have one cat.

If we could let Louie come in... If the house was big enough and if we didn't have a restriction on the lease, I'd be happy to let Louie come in and visit Casper all she wants. They really are getting to be good "cat friends."

On the couple of times Louie got inside, she saw Casper and Casper saw her, and they didn't fight and Casper didn't act out after she left. I have no doubt that, if Louie came in for a longer visit, she and Casper would get along, just fine.

It sounds like your cat, Rivel, and the outside cat are getting along like Casper and Louie.

You might be able to introduce your two cats by letting the outside cat come in for a short time (5 minutes) and seeing what happens. If all goes well, wait a couple of days and do it again, letting the other cat stay longer. Then, just keep increasing the duration of the other cat's visits until she's completely inside.
 
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Hoboforeternity

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You might be able to introduce your two cats by letting the outside cat come in for a short time (5 minutes) and seeing what happens. If all goes well, wait a couple of days and do it again, letting the other cat stay longer. Then, just keep increasing the duration of the other cat's visits until she's completely inside.
thank you. this seems to be the the best course of action as for now. the new cat is so easy to handle. i checked her for fleas, or possible infection. she even let me check her mouth. took rivel months before she allows me that. i'll probably make makeshift shelter on the porch for new cat, and feed her around the same time as rivel and see how it goes from there.

how much work will a second cat comes with? separate playtime? separate attention? money is also a big consideration to be honest. i probably can push it, but i don't know yet.
 

klunick

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Casper's got a girlfriend, outside. ;)
She's an orange and white tabby. Her name is "Louie." She lives at a neighbor's house, just a few doors down.
She's cute as a button and friendly as can be.

Louie comes up on our back porch to visit Casper and they "talk" to each other through the patio screen door.
Casper has gotten uppity with other cats that come up on the porch but not Louie. They get along just fine.

If we're not careful, Louie will dart in through the door when you come in or out. She's done that a couple of times.
We'd be happy to let Louie come in to visit Casper but, once you let a cat into your house, the cat thinks your house is its territory. We can't have that. Not only is Casper king of this castle, our lease specifies that we're only allowed to have one cat.

If we could let Louie come in... If the house was big enough and if we didn't have a restriction on the lease, I'd be happy to let Louie come in and visit Casper all she wants. They really are getting to be good "cat friends."

On the couple of times Louie got inside, she saw Casper and Casper saw her, and they didn't fight and Casper didn't act out after she left. I have no doubt that, if Louie came in for a longer visit, she and Casper would get along, just fine.

It sounds like your cat, Rivel, and the outside cat are getting along like Casper and Louie.

You might be able to introduce your two cats by letting the outside cat come in for a short time (5 minutes) and seeing what happens. If all goes well, wait a couple of days and do it again, letting the other cat stay longer. Then, just keep increasing the duration of the other cat's visits until she's completely inside.
That sounds like a good idea. Let the kitten in for short periods of time to see how Rivel reacts.
 

klunick

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thank you. this seems to be the the best course of action as for now. the new cat is so easy to handle. i checked her for fleas, or possible infection. she even let me check her mouth. took rivel months before she allows me that. i'll probably make makeshift shelter on the porch for new cat, and feed her around the same time as rivel and see how it goes from there.

how much work will a second cat comes with? separate playtime? separate attention? money is also a big consideration to be honest. i probably can push it, but i don't know yet.
If they truly get along, they will keep each other entertained so really, it is less work for you.
 

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I'd probably use the all at once method. Five minutes at a time isn't really enough time to get the hissing out of the system. I mean, I had a super easy my last time, kitten + 4 year old, I only did two days of isolation since the 4 year old seemed mostly curious despite the hisses. I was right, but the 4 year old was still hissing for several solid days. Just hissing, but it took like 72 hours to get over it. Five minutes at a time, would have been weeeks, months or never. I've counseled several people on here that do five minutes at a time and have had their intros stretch to months - I don't think 5 minutes at a time works. You can, however, use a five minute snapshot to evaluate whether your older cat is just a little hissy or too aggressive/stressed to use the all at once method. It doesn't always take very long with a cat as young as Rivel.
 
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Hoboforeternity

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I'd probably use the all at once method. Five minutes at a time isn't really enough time to get the hissing out of the system. I mean, I had a super easy my last time, kitten + 4 year old, I only did two days of isolation since the 4 year old seemed mostly curious despite the hisses. I was right, but the 4 year old was still hissing for several solid days. Just hissing, but it took like 72 hours to get over it. Five minutes at a time, would have been weeeks, months or never. I've counseled several people on here that do five minutes at a time and have had their intros stretch to months - I don't think 5 minutes at a time works. You can, however, use a five minute snapshot to evaluate whether your older cat is just a little hissy or too aggressive/stressed to use the all at once method. It doesn't always take very long with a cat as young as Rivel.
Rivel hissed but doesn't seem to be bothered. I opened the door slightly and they locked eyes, and hissed to each other, but doesnt seem like they are bothered afterwards. Any more serious interaction will probably take the weekend when i can oversee it longer
 

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cats are WAY more social than we give them credit for ... They form friendships just like we humans do and sometimes they really dislike another cat- it is impossible to predict ... I foster and ALL newcomers get hissed and even growled at at first ... I always introduce in a bathroom as it has a small gab under the door which seems ideal for some protected interaction. I have the theory that cat groups each have their own " language" and that cats who never met simply have communication issues they have to figure out . My cats LIKE to be with other cats ... they groom each other, play, and have an occasional spat. Among my 5 residents there are close bonds and looser friendships ... it is fascinating to watch ... They have a range of murmurs and body language they use to communicate. What I am saying is ... just give it a try ... don't expect them to love each other from the get go ...chasing, play fighting , growls and hisses are normal- this is how they establish and learn their boundaries and communication- get a lot of cardboard boxes - cut in two exits and place them around your home - this gives them a way to get out of each other's sight. As a rule of thumb in my home ... it takes between 2 weeks and 2 months for new kittens to fit in ... In general though ... young cats often enjoy company and even my 3 year olds still play a lot. I think all you have to loose is a little bit of nerves - if this doesn't work ... you tried ... Cats outside don't live long ... it is always worth trying to save at least one little soul ...
 
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Hoboforeternity

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Well i got them to eat from behind doors. The new cat is still outside, i just try to feed her, at least she won't starve. I also still have nutriplus supplement that rivel completely hates but the kitty outside is tolerating it. It's not optimal but that way at least she's not hungry. Visual contact is still no no i guess. Rivel keep hissing but i don't see attacking/ambush behavior, so we will see.
 

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Casper and Louie hissed and growled at each other the first couple of times they met through the patio screen. There was no fighting. Just some “Who are you?” type noises.

Now, Louie comes right up on the porch and Casper goes to the door to see her.

She will sit on the porch rail or sun herself on top of the outdoor table. Casper will lay by the door and the two will “ignore” each other for fifteen or twenty minutes at a time.

When cats pretend to ignore each other it actually means, “I feel okay about you.” If they are “all eyes” on each other that means, “I’ve got my eye on you!”

I wouldn’t worry if your cats hiss and growl as long as they don’t fight. With a little luck, they should, soon, progress to the “ignoring” phase. Once they get that far, I think you’ll be golden. :)
 
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Hoboforeternity

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Now Rivel is a bit in bad mood because i smell like the other cat probably :/

I wash hands everytime but i guess the smell sticks.
 

Caspers Human

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When I play with other pets, Casper doesn’t seem to get upset with me.

When I go to visit my Mom’s house and pet the dog or if I pet one of the neighborhood cats, Casper will sniff then continue on like he doesn’t care.

Casper also knows that he’s the center of attention in this house. His Girl-Human dotes on him all the time. On a couple of occasions, I have scared off some of the “trouble maker” cats that come up on our back porch.

I am sure that Casper feels secure in his territory. If he lets Louie come on “his” porch where he watches “his” birds and squirrels but doesn’t get upset, I feel certain that he gets along with her.

Casper’s got a girlfriend! Naa-naa, naa-naa, naa-naa! ;)
 
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