Multiple Cat Owner

[Dewno1]

You will probably think I'm crazy, but I have rescued several cats in my life and then 3 years ago I rescued a feral mother cat with her 5, yes 5 kittens. The kittens did not have their eyes open when I rescued them and they have never been outside since. I already 4 adult cats living in the house so that brought it up to 10. They all get along peacefully as an indoor colony. Now I have rescued a 6 month old female that came up in my back yard and she let me pick her up after a few weeks of getting used to me. I've taken her to the vet to get spayed and shots. How can I safely, and quietly introduce her into an indoor colony of 10 cats?

 

[rubysmama]

Hello and welcome to TCS.

Thanks for all the cats you've rescued over the years, and the ones you are currently having living with you.

I don't have any experience with introducing kittens to multiple cats, but I know someone who does. So I'm tagging Jcatbird . She has trapped many, many ferals and currently has several living with her. More than your 10, BTW. You can read about her cats here: My Feral And Rescued Cats

Jcatbird is currently in the path or Dorian (the hurricane) so she may not be able to reply until after it passes, so hopefully some other members will reply with suggestions.

 

[Dewno1]

Thank you. The new one (Sweetie) is actually at least 6 months old. The vet said she had a uterus of a 6 month old, but the teeth of at least an 18 month old. At least she is off the streets and cannot contribute to increasing the population. I'll likely just keep her in my "Cat Hospital" for a few days and then open the door. I have a spare bedroom that has been used as a Cat Hospital for years. She will have a lot of hiding places and a big window to look out during the day.

 

[catsknowme]

Welcome to TCS!! and thank you for rescuing all those kitties!! Rubysmama has tagged my mentor Jcatbird for you already so until she can respond, here is an article for you to check out:
How To Successfully Introduce Cats: The Ultimate Guide

If you read (even in parts, like I do) Jcatbird's thread you will see how marvelous they are at interpreting "cat speak". Jcatbird has socialized adult ferals as in "all in caps FERAL" as have many, many others here. It's a wonderful community and we are here to help in any way you need

 

[Furballsmom]

Hi!

You've gotten some good advice and articles already . Here's a couple extra thoughts.

Watch to see how she is feeling, if she's very scared or not so much, before you open the door. If she's frightened or unsettled, try music. Classical harp music can be useful in helping cats to relax.

If you have a screen door you could temporarily put in the doorway or a couple of baby gates you can stack on top of each other so that the cats can see each other through the doorway, possibly try that before letting her out into the community.

I've read that the larger the resident cat group, the easier it is to integrate a new one. I'm sending lots of good thoughts for you!

 

[Jcatbird]

I just got back online after the storm and will be back. Rushing to catch up but Thank you for rescuing those kitties!!!! I will be back to help you as much as possible with introducing the kitties to each other. There is a process I go through but the cats here all accepted each other.
I am so glad you have joined us here. I wish everyone would do what you have done. I know you will find lot of help here. It’s a great place to be!
Hang in there. I’ll be back!

 

[tarasgirl06]

Hello and welcome to TCS! Yes, you have gotten great suggestions so far. Experts always stress keeping the new addition in a separate room with all his/her needs -- food, water, litterbox, somewhere comfortable to sleep, toys, scratcher(s) and climber(s) if possible, nice screened windows to look out, and frequent visits from the caregiver(s). Most say to keep them separate for up to 2 weeks, introducing slowly through the door being cracked so they can sniff noses (ALWAYS supervised!) and increasing this time as days go by. Cat behaviorist Jackson Galaxy, "The Cat Daddy" has an excellent show on Animal Planet/Animal Planet GO, "My Cat From Hell", along with YouTube videos and books in which he talks at length about this subject. In all of my adoptions, it hasn't taken the full two weeks. In each case, you have to use your intuition and make sure that, while there may be some hissing, spitting and even whapping, there is no actual hurting of anyone by anyone else. You can "Scent Swap" by brushing each cat in turn with the same brush to mingle scents, use a rag or t-shirt for the same purpose, and use Feliway or other feline hormone mimic liberally in the environment (I've always used the spray, but there are also plug-ins) to keep cats calmer and more reassured.

 

[Dewno1]

I just got back online after the storm and will be back. Rushing to catch up but Thank you for rescuing those kitties!!!! I will be back to help you as much as possible with introducing the kitties to each other. There is a process I go through but the cats here all accepted each other.
I am so glad you have joined us here. I wish everyone would do what you have done. I know you will find lot of help here. It’s a great place to be!
Hang in there. I’ll be back!

Thanks.. You take care with the storm. The new Kitty is doing fine. She is so affectionate, I can hardly get out of the room without here hanging on to my leg. Here is a recent picture of her. She just got back from the vet today. I had to remove drawers from the dresser to find her.

 

[Dewno1]

Hello and welcome to TCS! Yes, you have gotten great suggestions so far. Experts always stress keeping the new addition in a separate room with all his/her needs -- food, water, litterbox, somewhere comfortable to sleep, toys, scratcher(s) and climber(s) if possible, nice screened windows to look out, and frequent visits from the caregiver(s). Most say to keep them separate for up to 2 weeks, introducing slowly through the door being cracked so they can sniff noses (ALWAYS supervised!) and increasing this time as days go by. Cat behaviorist Jackson Galaxy, "The Cat Daddy" has an excellent show on Animal Planet/Animal Planet GO, "My Cat From Hell", along with YouTube videos and books in which he talks at length about this subject. In all of my adoptions, it hasn't taken the full two weeks. In each case, you have to use your intuition and make sure that, while there may be some hissing, spitting and even whapping, there is no actual hurting of anyone by anyone else. You can "Scent Swap" by brushing each cat in turn with the same brush to mingle scents, use a rag or t-shirt for the same purpose, and use Feliway or other feline hormone mimic liberally in the environment (I've always used the spray, but there are also plug-ins) to keep cats calmer and more reassured.

Thanks. I usually don't have much trouble with the older cats. It's the younger females that are the mean ones. They want to make sure the new ones know their place.

 

[Dewno1]

Hi!

You've gotten some good advice and articles already . Here's a couple extra thoughts.

Watch to see how she is feeling, if she's very scared or not so much, before you open the door. If she's frightened or unsettled, try music. Classical harp music can be useful in helping cats to relax.

If you have a screen door you could temporarily put in the doorway or a couple of baby gates you can stack on top of each other so that the cats can see each other through the doorway, possibly try that before letting her out into the community.

I've read that the larger the resident cat group, the easier it is to integrate a new one. I'm sending lots of good thoughts for you!

She seems to be doing ok. I've been checking on here and she is very clingy and affectionate. But that's ok. You say you like black cats. I have a classic. His name is Samson and he is a mess.

 

[Furballsmom]

Samson baby!!! and she looks like just a total sweetie!!

 

[Dewno1]

Samson baby!!! and she looks like just a total sweetie!!

Spoiled Rotten is what he is.

 

[Furballsmom]

.

 

[catsknowme]

I love New Kitty's sugartoes and Samson's long, sleek panther look. My Lance is all black but short-coupled which gives him more of a Halloween cat look.

 

[Jcatbird]

Finally back! So sorry I got delayed.
She let you pick her up so is she calm around you? Letting you pet her? I’m trying to get a feel for how much she has gotten tamed with you. That’s the first thing to get established. If she is comfortable with you already then that will help as you get her integrated into the group. If she is already cleared as being healthy, that’s important too. No introductions unless you know she’s healthy and past healing up from being spayed.
The very first thing has already been mentioned and that is scent swapping. Let her smell things the other cats have slept on and let them smell what she has slept on. I just use old towels and after the kitties have spent time on them I switch them around so all cats spend plenty of time getting used to the smell of each other. The use of a brush is another good way to scent swap. I’m doing that you actually blend the scents all together. Everyone gets exposed and the scents of each cat are spread to the others.
Another thing is letting them sniff each other under a door. I also like to use a toy to have them play under the edge of a closed door so they see each other and if they play together through the door, that’s a plus.
If kitty is comfortable with you, being inside and scent swapping the next stage would be allowing visual contact. Sometimes I just open the door a tiny bit to allow them to see each other to start. I don’t want to get too far ahead with instructions until I know more about where she is with getting comfortable in her new environment. You said she hid in a drawer. Awwww! Sweetie is right! How is she doing? I love the photo. She has the kind of expression that makes you want to hold her forever. She’s a really pretty girl! Samson is handsome! I have three black kitties here. Ten kitties. Your house is filled with love. Mine is too. I just brought is an abandoned or dumped kitten. I know you put a lot into caring for all the babies. We need a lot more people like you.
I’ll wait for more information before we go further. The fact that you were able to pick her up is fantastic! That’s a very big first step. She showed trust in you. From the look in the photo, she loves you. Purrfect!

 

[tarasgirl06]

She seems to be doing ok. I've been checking on here and she is very clingy and affectionate. But that's ok. You say you like black cats. I have a classic. His name is Samson and he is a mess. View attachment 298879

Both she and your Samson are very fine! So glad she is affectionate and friendly. Jcatbird has excellent suggestions. With her being that friendly, I don't think it will be long before she is part of the clowder! The younger girls are doing something absolutely normal -- establishing hierarchy, as cats in the wild do (and think lions in prides). Unless there is physical harm done, no intervention is recommended by experts. They have to establish their ranking.

 

[Dewno1]

Finally back! So sorry I got delayed.
She let you pick her up so is she calm around you? Letting you pet her? I’m trying to get a feel for how much she has gotten tamed with you. That’s the first thing to get established. If she is comfortable with you already then that will help as you get her integrated into the group. If she is already cleared as being healthy, that’s important too. No introductions unless you know she’s healthy and past healing up from being spayed.
The very first thing has already been mentioned and that is scent swapping. Let her smell things the other cats have slept on and let them smell what she has slept on. I just use old towels and after the kitties have spent time on them I switch them around so all cats spend plenty of time getting used to the smell of each other. The use of a brush is another good way to scent swap. I’m doing that you actually blend the scents all together. Everyone gets exposed and the scents of each cat are spread to the others.
Another thing is letting them sniff each other under a door. I also like to use a toy to have them play under the edge of a closed door so they see each other and if they play together through the door, that’s a plus.
If kitty is comfortable with you, being inside and scent swapping the next stage would be allowing visual contact. Sometimes I just open the door a tiny bit to allow them to see each other to start. I don’t want to get too far ahead with instructions until I know more about where she is with getting comfortable in her new environment. You said she hid in a drawer. Awwww! Sweetie is right! How is she doing? I love the photo. She has the kind of expression that makes you want to hold her forever. She’s a really pretty girl! Samson is handsome! I have three black kitties here. Ten kitties. Your house is filled with love. Mine is too. I just brought is an abandoned or dumped kitten. I know you put a lot into caring for all the babies. We need a lot more people like you.
I’ll wait for more information before we go further. The fact that you were able to pick her up is fantastic! That’s a very big first step. She showed trust in you. From the look in the photo, she loves you. Purrfect!

Thanks for the great advise. I knew about the scent swapping from a previous rescue. He integrated well, and immediately submitted to the Dominant Male and his Second in Command, Samson. Saban is my oldest male and he is do doubt the boss. All of the other 9 treat him like a king. Jasmine is one of the 5 kittens I rescued 3 years ago and she has assumed the role of he dominate Female, over her mother my oldest female, Maggie. Maggie is almost 15 and not interested in disputes of any sort. Samson is currently scouting out the room where the new kitten is and they have looked at each other a couple of times. I think they know I brought her in from outside. I don't know how they know, I just believe they do. I'll try to post pictures of the other cats at some point. they all have their own stories.

 

[Dewno1]

I've posted some Pictures in the Gallery. They are in the Album called: The Clan.

 

[tarasgirl06]

I've posted some Pictures in the Gallery. They are in the Album called: The Clan.

SO beautiful! You have some gorgeous cats there, Dewno1 !

 

[Jcatbird]

Awwwww! I love the photos! You have a beautiful family and your new addition looks like she belongs there.