Integrating A Thai Street Cat Into A Uk Domestic Cat Household

[Angie Bei]

Help! We adopted a 10 month old cat from the Soi Dog Foundation in Thailand in September. She had been living in their cat suite with around 60 other cats whilst a home was found so was well used to other cats but clearly also well used to other cats that like to play rough. We have 2 existing cats at home that are indoor/outdoor cats due to our rural location (mostly indoor). Our rescue has some hearing loss so won't be allowed out. We kept them separate for a while and introductions went well but our rescue has gained confidence drastically since then and now regularly stalks our other 2 and pounces on them or chase them around the house. She doesn't seem to pick up on the signals that they don't want this sort of contact! The hissing/spitting/growling is back in full force and I'm worried about their general state of mind now. I don't want any to pack their bags and leave home nor be unhappy. We've tried lost of things to stop her rough play (we've had many cats/kittens over the years and her behaviour is new to us) but she's getting worse and therefore so are they. Her early months were clearly very different to the typical pampered pet. Any ideas how I can get a happy home back?

 

[Shane Kent]

Welcome to the Cat Site.

Cats can strike out at other cats and even people if they are in pain or stressed out. My cat Taz is easily stressed and can get rather aggressive when he is stressed out.

To rule out pain would require a vet visit if you have not already done so. As for stress, there are some really good articles on this site about cats and stress.

You can click or touch the following article title it will take you to an article on stress. In that article are links to other articles about stress.

Six Surefire Strategies To Reduce Stress In Cats

You can go to the article section of the site and search "stress" to find more articles.

I am not saying it is pain or stress but you should rule them out.

 

[Mamanyt1953]

Since she was a street cat, and has been through a lot of upheaval, this might give you some ideas as well,
The Five Golden Rules To Bringing An Outdoor Cat Inside

 

[elliesvictim]

Yeah 10 month may be the teen phase. They can have the energy of a kitten and the temperament of a lunatic.
My cat was a feral and loved and I mean LOVED to intentionally get in trouble. She was a defiant little $h!t.
Some extra play time chasing and jumping to tire out your new cat and reward good behaviour, by any of the cats, with treats and hyper praise.
As for the cats interacting, you may have to let it play out. They have to learn each other's threshold and pecking order and that may have some bloodshed. Trim all their claws to limit the damage the can do to each other and keep an eye on them.
Good luck.

 

[tarasgirl06]

Welcome Angie Bei and furmily to TCS! Soi Dog is known to me for a long time, due to reading about them in animal advocacy media. Thank you for adopting a kitten into your feline family! The other posters have made very good suggestions; to them, I would just add that time, love, and patience often yield excellent results. It took about a year for one of our most recent adoptees to fully integrate into our multi-cat home as he had been an "only cat" for 14 years and was very confident and territorial. There were times I had to break up a rolling ball of fur when he jumped our resident alpha male, but I was committed to him because adoption is forever here.
Jackson Galaxy is a cat behaviorist who cares very deeply about cats and has a very successful show, "MY CAT FROM HELL" on Animal Planet satellite TV. He also has videos on YouTube and books including CAT DADDY. You may want to check him out via any of these media; Pam Johnson-Bennett is another excellent feline behaviorist who has several books out including CAT vs. CAT. Books are widely available on amazon and undoubtedly elsewhere.
The best of luck with your beloved family!