Introducing Previously Abused Cat To Other Cats Help

[Pamelarosen]

I recently got a new cat from a friend of mine who neglected him, he was locked for almost all of his life In a small room finally they decided they couldn't take care of him. so my family took him in, he's about three years old and we have five other cats, he's been neutered recently and we are trying to get him out with the others cats.
however it's not going well and I'm not sure what to do. what's always worked for us when getting a new cat is swapping the smells by locking the cats up and letting the new one roam free for a short while. then meet face to face . but I've never delt with a cat like this, we tried letting him out after locking the others up and his heart began to race and he was shaking.. I ended up putting him back in his room where he's hidden under the bed and won't come out.
does anyone have any tips for dealing with this? he'd be much happier out with the others but I feel like because of how his old owners raised him he won't do well.
i have no idea how to get him to adjust to a normal life and at this point any tips would be very appreciated.

 

[Furballsmom]

Hi!
Poor baby, I'm so glad he's with you.
So, if you can, take a breath. You have him with you, that's the first, main thing.

He's going to need some time and patience, it sounds like, because nothing is making sense to him right now.

Try sitting on the floor with him, do NOT approach him or pull him out. The key here is that you must wait until he approaches you. As you're sitting there, or whomever, read poetry to him, work on your computer, read some more poetry.
Putting some treats out on the floor is fine, but if he comes out don't look at him or move for the first few times. Eventually you'll find that he'll come to you for treats, but it's really important that you let him work things out on his schedule.

Play some low volume classical harp music, it's known to help relax cats, or MusicForCats (unfortunately not globally available).

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[Pamelarosen]

thank you for the reply, he came out already when I brought in his dinner
we plan to retry introducing him to the rest of the house someday soon.

 

[KarenKat]

Furballsmom had all the best suggestions - your kitty has to become used to more territory and must be allowed to build up his own confidence.

 

[Furballsmom]

awww, that's so wonderful to hear!! GO Kitty!!
But, yeah, just go slow and easy.

 

[theyremine]

My Pedro came from a hoarder situation where he spent the first 5/6 years of his life in one room with the other "male" cats. (the hoarder had nearly a hundred cats so this form of birth control did not work well) He had been returned 3 times to our rescue because he could not adapt. I took the sweet boy home and by choice he lived nearly a year in one room. He had never seen a window or felt sunshine on his body and was frightened by rain or snow he saw . Slowly, he gained confidence and was okay with the door being left open. Then he started making quick runs into the next room and back into his own. Within a few months he was comfortable in the whole house. Your new boy has had limited experience; he needs time to become accustomed to "new things" and gain confidence. Thank you for giving him the patience and love he deserves.