introducing a stray/semi-feral to a indoor cats household

Mjones99x

Bella, Sirus, Jekyll
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Hello all. I'm so glad I found this place because I'm freaking out about the step I'm about to take.

First the backstory. There is a yellow and white female (mama kitty) who has been living outside my workplace (in a wooded corporate park) since at least last October. She may have been there since last June. I rescued a litter of .... I then trapped her and had her spayed and released her back. The vet said she did not tolerate people at all. She was very mad at me for a few days and wouldn’t come around when I was there. But she finally got over it. She’s never been afraid of me but would not let me closer than a couple of feet.

I’ve been feeding her every day since then. Her home base is the broken down truck. She usually was roaming during the day and would be there in the evening when I came to feed her. About a month ago she let me pet her. And she loved it! For the last two weeks she has been hanging around most days. She knows the sound of my car and comes out when I arrive in the morning. She also knows my voice and will come out during the day if I’m outside. She follows me around like a puppy. She wants petting more than she wants food. Last weekend she chased my car as I was leaving. Wednesday she followed me to the back door and sat looking in trying to find me. In other words, we have become bonded. She is not really afraid of other people but will not let them get too close.

...But I’d like to get her to a vet and then take her home.

My problem is that I have two indoor cats – a male who is 10 and a female who is 13. I'm really worried about upsetting them.

...Do you think she will do well because she likes me so much already? That's my hope but I have no experience with strays. I've only ever introduced kittens to other cats I've had. How do older cats usually respond to a new adult? I love my cats so much. I don't want to do anything that will hurt them. But I love mama kitty, too, and I just can't let her live in a parking lot anymore.

So of course, now that I made my decision, mama kitty was not around today. I'll have to catch her during the day to get her to the vet.

Any experience and advice will be greatly appreciated!
I am so glad I found this thread as my situation is almost exactly the same. Soon after I started a new job almost 3 years ago, we had a small colony of cats move in behind our office. We had a lot of lumber/boards out back and we have a shed there & they were using this as shelter. We initially had a mom and her 2 male kittens. Then another female showed up and the dad would occassionally drop by. Long story short, we had all of them except the dad (we never caught him) trapped and neutered/spayed and began feeding the mom and her kittens and the other female. The vet said the mother was feline HIV positive and the kittens probably were too. We suspected the other female was another kitten of the mom from a previous litter since they were all almost identical. Fast forward two years and the other cat still here is one of the male kittens, named Jekyll. We don't know what has happened to the other cats, one by one they've disappeared. The last to go was the other female that we had named Mystery. It broke my heart when Mystery disappeared, as I have been feeding her & Jekyll and the others (until they disappeared) regularly now twice a day.
So the only one still here is Jekyll, who was the most feral. It has taken him over two years but he has become a little love bug and we are attached to each other. Last night was I was leaving work, he was sitting in the parking lot crying. It broke my heart. I think he is very lonely. I've bought beds for him and put them in the shed as it is now cold. I leave dry food for him over the weekend and come up on holidays to make sure he is fed. We will now sit outside my office window and call for me to come out. He's very tame compared to what he was but occasionally still skittish. He lets me pet him all the time and runs over to me when I come out. I've decided that I would like to bring him home where I can take proper care of him but I already have two cats who are almost 5 years old, one male and one female. They were neutered/spayed when they were less than a year old.
I am worried about introducing Jekyll since he may be Feline HIV positive. At the same time, I absolutely cannot leave him here because the office management as been grumbling about the cat(s) hanging around. Jekyll would have to go directly to a vet assuming I could catch him again. The other thing I worry about is the expense. I do not make a lot of money at all & I'm in college, too so money is tight. I have posted on Facebook about Jekyll hoping someone would see his story and take him in so he could live in a single-cat home. No luck.
I realize no one can make this decision for me but myself. It just bothers the heck out of me seeing him so alone. On the other hand, people have said to me at least he is being fed. That doesn't help, honestly.
 

Neenas25

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Morning! I just found this thread and love all the stories! Makes me feel much better about my current situation.
Mjones99x Mjones99x if cost is a concern talk to your local humane society, they can usually recommend a vet that will give low cost or sliding scale services in a situation like this. It does sounds like Jekyll is asking you to take him home, he is ready!
My situation is a bit backwards of all these stories , and I am really stuck as to what to do. I took in a stray after months of feeding and getting to know you time. He smartly came in right as it got cold. Smart guy! I kept him in his safe room for a few weeks until he really seemed like he wanted to come out. And that is when things got challenging. I have another semi feral kitty - 8yo female that is still super skittish and will ONLY come out from hiding when it is me and my hubs in the house. Any one else or if we have shoes on... she is hiding. She has been like forever. So trying to get her to engage in ANY of the traditional introduction steps has been just impossible. She wont go near the door. She wont eat if the food is next to the door. She is not curious about our new addition (GUS) at all. She just runs and hides.
Well long story short, I pushed the whole thing too quickly and they have had a few interactions that were super bad. hissing, fighting, yelling. I had to break it up every time. So now they are completely separated. I get to see one cat all day and the other all night as she is in our bedroom. She doesn't totally seem upset with not having the whole house to roam (our bdrm/bath area is quite large). Its more of a PITA for the humans of the house. And of course Gus is super jealous each night we go to bed. So now what do I do? Any advice?
 

bobbie9965

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I know this was a old thread , but I am having the same issue . I just brought in a semi feral male cat and I already have two male cats that are indoor only ...Now they all know each other , as I been feeding this male semi feral for 2yrs . I was able to trap him once and get his eye looked out and got him fixed while he was there and a rabies shot. But released him back outside the next day , as I was not sure about making him a indoor cat and one of the family yet. We had just moved and I saw him all thin and he is young ....I think he is almost 3 now , but when I first started to feed him he was like 1yr. My other cats know him and they played from either side of the front and back door with each other and from time to time he would walk in just to kiss my older cat and walk out ...my younger cat would do the same but hisses if too long a visit ...So I never brought in a feral kitty before ...I have a extra room which is my cats room ....they do not like not being able to go in there but I let them have short supervised with me in there visits with Magick my feral kitty . I am nervous and want this to work out ..please advise will be welcomed.
 

kittychick

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You might have heard this already (if so - I apologize for the repetition!) - - but you'll likely get alot more "eyes" on your post if you start a completely new thread (in this just a new one in this same forum - "Caring for Strays and Ferals"). And the more larger number of members who see your questions - the more members who'll likely chime in with suggestions!

First - welcome! I think this site is the best out there - with a large membership of people. And just about any question you have, you'll find multiple kind kitty-loving folk who've likely gone what you're going through (regardless of what your question is - - it's kind of amazing!). We're all here for the kitties - so hoping you make lots of "forum friends" to help you.

Second - a big hug for not just caring for this kitty, but for actually taking action. Ferals/semi-ferals (and strays) have far shorter (and much harsher) lives, so just by making sure he has food, water, and sufficient warm and waterproof shelter is giving him a FAR better chance at a longer life! :clap2:

I've got a few questions - - I'll be able to offer better suggestions if I (and other members) know as much as possible about your specific situation. You obviously did the fantastic thing of trapping and spaying this guy. Are your other two (already indoor) guys neutered? Making sure all 3 are neutered if they aren't already is definitely helpful bc no one's running around with extra testosterone, which will likely make them less welcoming and more territorial.

Also - I may be missing this - but have you actually brought Magick in to stay already (and if so - when did you bring him in)? You mention letting your original 2 having short visits with him in "their" room, are those supervised visits taking place when he wanders in or is he closed into the room completely already? And when you say "their room" - I'm guessing that's where their litterboxes, etc are?

If you can just answer those few questions (and you can either answer on this thread - or on the suggested new thread). I'll check for a new thread from you (you'll want to put your original info/question there too) but I'll double check here too. I'll give you lots of suggestions (I've been through almost this same situation myself!), and I'm sure others will too! Magick is definitely older then the generally suggested age for easier socialization (young kittens are generally easier and faster to socialize to being fully indoor kitties), you've got a long history with him and that definitely counts for alot. Patience and time will be needed - but I (and others) will help you give him the best shot at being a fully indoor kitty!
 

bobbie9965

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You might have heard this already (if so - I apologize for the repetition!) - - but you'll likely get alot more "eyes" on your post if you start a completely new thread (in this just a new one in this same forum - "Caring for Strays and Ferals"). And the more larger number of members who see your questions - the more members who'll likely chime in with suggestions!

First - welcome! I think this site is the best out there - with a large membership of people. And just about any question you have, you'll find multiple kind kitty-loving folk who've likely gone what you're going through (regardless of what your question is - - it's kind of amazing!). We're all here for the kitties - so hoping you make lots of "forum friends" to help you.

Second - a big hug for not just caring for this kitty, but for actually taking action. Ferals/semi-ferals (and strays) have far shorter (and much harsher) lives, so just by making sure he has food, water, and sufficient warm and waterproof shelter is giving him a FAR better chance at a longer life! :clap2:

I've got a few questions - - I'll be able to offer better suggestions if I (and other members) know as much as possible about your specific situation. You obviously did the fantastic thing of trapping and spaying this guy. Are your other two (already indoor) guys neutered? Making sure all 3 are neutered if they aren't already is definitely helpful bc no one's running around with extra testosterone, which will likely make them less welcoming and more territorial.

Also - I may be missing this - but have you actually brought Magick in to stay already (and if so - when did you bring him in)? You mention letting your original 2 having short visits with him in "their" room, are those supervised visits taking place when he wanders in or is he closed into the room completely already? And when you say "their room" - I'm guessing that's where their litterboxes, etc are?

If you can just answer those few questions (and you can either answer on this thread - or on the suggested new thread). I'll check for a new thread from you (you'll want to put your original info/question there too) but I'll double check here too. I'll give you lots of suggestions (I've been through almost this same situation myself!), and I'm sure others will too! Magick is definitely older then the generally suggested age for easier socialization (young kittens are generally easier and faster to socialize to being fully indoor kitties), you've got a long history with him and that definitely counts for alot. Patience and time will be needed - but I (and others) will help you give him the best shot at being a fully indoor kitty!
Hi I am sorry took so long to reply , been busy . Magick loves it inside and gets along great with my older cat Rudy , but my cat Salem that is 6 yrs old does not like having Magick who is 3yrs old in the house . He growls and hisses at him and Magick never hisses , or growls , just wants to be friends. But Salem is not having it ....I would love to be able to have Magick out of the room and put everything back and have all cats roam freely when I am sleeping and not there , but for now I have to keep Magick in the room with the door closed , while I am sleeping and when I am out or too busy to keep a eye out for Salem . Any suggestions on how to make this easier for Salem to get along with Magick ?
 
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