Hi. A little back story on the feral cat I'm taking care of. I moved into a house that a lady I know was previously living. When she moved in over six years ago there was a cat living under the house next door. She started feeding him and taking care of him (I don't really know if it's a he or she). He has good shelter and I feed him everyday, he lets me pet him and hold him. I want to try to bring him indoors to be a indoor/outdoor cat. I have a 5 year old male indoor/outdoor cat now. The feral is very nervous when he is away from the hole underneath the neighbors house. I really want to bring him in for the rest of his life so he can be warm and enjoy his elder years. It gets very cold where I live. It's already been below zero many days this winter. I'm looking for some input on bringing him in? Is it a good idea? Thank you for your help.
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Need help on how to bring a feral cat indoors with my other cat
- Thread starter tfonda
- Start Date
Hi there,
I'm not sure if I can be of much help but I'll do my best. I just brought in a stray cat that has adopted feral like tendencies about 5 days ago. I definitely think it would be a good idea to bring him/her inside. Especially if it gets really cold. Where I live, I expect the temperature to drop to about -20C or -30C. I wouldn't want any cat outside in these temperatures. I can barely handle it myself. If he/she already lets you pet them and hold them, that's a good start. That means they trust you enough. It might be hard depending on the cats age but it's something to consider.
Hope this helped. :/
I'm not sure if I can be of much help but I'll do my best. I just brought in a stray cat that has adopted feral like tendencies about 5 days ago. I definitely think it would be a good idea to bring him/her inside. Especially if it gets really cold. Where I live, I expect the temperature to drop to about -20C or -30C. I wouldn't want any cat outside in these temperatures. I can barely handle it myself. If he/she already lets you pet them and hold them, that's a good start. That means they trust you enough. It might be hard depending on the cats age but it's something to consider.
Hope this helped. :/
The fact that he lets you pet him mean he trusts you. If you bring him in, give him a room of his own for a bit. He needs privacy and security. Keep his routine the same (feeding, scooping litter, visiting).
He probably has fleas and worms, so he will need to be vet-checked right away. He'll need to be spayed or neutered (if not done) and have his vaccinations, too. Just to be safe, have him combo tested - just to make sure he doesn't have anything that your other cat can catch.
Once he's cleared, you can start slow introductions to our resident cat. Take your time with this. The slower intros go, the more successful they usually are.
Thank you for helping this poor cat. He sounds like he deserves a better life.
He probably has fleas and worms, so he will need to be vet-checked right away. He'll need to be spayed or neutered (if not done) and have his vaccinations, too. Just to be safe, have him combo tested - just to make sure he doesn't have anything that your other cat can catch.
Once he's cleared, you can start slow introductions to our resident cat. Take your time with this. The slower intros go, the more successful they usually are.
Thank you for helping this poor cat. He sounds like he deserves a better life.
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- #4
Thank you for responding. I'm going to go get a litter box for him today. I'm going to try to bring him in by tomorrow night. It's supposed to be -21 here in Montana. My biggest concern is scaring him so much by locking him in a room for the initial period of transitioning him to an indoor/outdoor cat. I have a spare bedroom with a bed in it or an extra bathroom. Do you think it matters what room I put him in? I will take him to the vet before I start introducing the two cats.
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I'm in the same boat, though we haven't quite hit those temps here yet. Mine already loved to come inside for food, playtime, and petting, but always got ... insistent... when she decided she wanted out. Last night, I ignored her meows and kept her inside for her own safety, but she didn't take it well and has been in hiding all day. I'm hoping that she'll decide that she prefers warmth and easy food to brutal cold and hunger. But with cats, you never can tell.
Either room is good, although the more cat-proofed, the better. I often used my bathroom, simply because there was no place for a cat to hide. Of course, that didn't stop one from hiding in the hamper, under some clothes. Scared me to death - the bathroom had no windows, so where the heck was this cat?
The biggest quality you will need is patience. He will likely need a lot of time to adjust. Take any curtains down, put away anything that he can shred or damage. Visit him often and he will soon learn to appreciate the inside life.
The biggest quality you will need is patience. He will likely need a lot of time to adjust. Take any curtains down, put away anything that he can shred or damage. Visit him often and he will soon learn to appreciate the inside life.
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- #7
Last night was the first night and wow he's doing great. He loves to snuggle with me. He's such a love bug. I'm taking turns locking my resident cat in my room and letting Doyle the new cat get to know the house. I locked him in the spare bedroom last night. He's eating, drinking water and he used the litter box. Yay! I feel like the two cats already know of each other since Doyle has been living outside since we moved in. I've always made it a point to come in and pet Pedro (resident cat) after petting Doyle. Pedro doesn't seem to bothered to have Doyle in the house. I'm just hoping I can get him into the vet sooner than later with the holidays approaching this week. I know I have to introduce them properly and it will take some time but I'm looking forward to them cohabiting together.
Oh this sounds wonderful! I have nothing to add, just thanks for helping this guy.
Great news! Thanks so much for updating.
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i too brought in a cat that had been living in the woods for a very long time. I have 3 other rescues so I separated the cats for about 2 weeks. I put the new cat in a spare room and this gave him time to adjust to his new environment. the other cats got used to his smell by sniffing under the door. after about two weeks I slowly introduced them one by one for short periods of time. this is a very low stress way to introduce a feral cat to a household. I then let him wander around the house during the day and put him in the spare room at night. during the day if he would get stressed or scared he would go back in his room where he felt safe. my other cats took to him real well and is now part of the family. He still does not like to be petted but is very happy otherwise. one of my older cats he took to real good, has been teaching him how to be a spoiled housecat. The feral cat follows him everywhere and watches what he does and tries to imitate him.
ruthmightymouse
ruthmightymouse
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- #11
That is so great you saved the cat from living in the woods. I'm glad to hear that the new cat is blending nicely with your other rescues!
I have another question? My new cat Doyle is doing great. It's been about two weeks and things seem to be going good for them. A little hissing and such during the day. It gets really bad at night. My resident cat is used to sleeping at the end of my bed. The new cat has turned into a lap cat and a total lover. He also wants to sleep in the bed. That's when the real fighting is starting. It goes on and on all night as Doyle try's to sneak up on the bed. Is there anything I can do to help this process or just let them keep working it out?
I have another question? My new cat Doyle is doing great. It's been about two weeks and things seem to be going good for them. A little hissing and such during the day. It gets really bad at night. My resident cat is used to sleeping at the end of my bed. The new cat has turned into a lap cat and a total lover. He also wants to sleep in the bed. That's when the real fighting is starting. It goes on and on all night as Doyle try's to sneak up on the bed. Is there anything I can do to help this process or just let them keep working it out?
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wow! that is certainly a problem! I really have no clue about how to solve this. maybe during the day you could try to bring them both on the bed and establish a safe spot for the new kitty. you could try right before you go to bed to put treats at each spot so they know where they are supposed to be.
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- #13
Well last night or early this morning they made contact a little fur was flying no injuries but now the new cat Doyle is hissing at the resident cat even more. The resident cat doesn't seem to bothered by Doyle but I feel like we are moving backwards a little. I am going to try today to put them both on the bed and use the treat idea. Thanks for the help.
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- #14
I use the Feliway spray on my bed and it helps. We used to have fighting but now only a little growling and posturing.
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- #16
I have no advice but I am enjoying this thread. I hope you will update us on the progress you are making
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- #18
A little update on Doyle. I finally got her to the vet and it's a girl! She tested negative for all the cat diseases and her blood work panel was good. She has a bad tooth and he recommended a teeth cleaning at some point. I'm going to change her name but I haven't thought of what as of yet. I ordered some felliway spray so I'm hoping it helps. It seems like the 2 cats are fighting a little more. My resident cat Pedro seems to be messing with her a little more than the first week. Now that I know Doyle is a female I was wondering about female-male cats living together. I feel like she is always hissing at him and now he likes to mess with her. In the beginning I think he would've got along with her if she wasn't hissing at him all the time. Before I got him he lived with another cat, dogs and chickens. He loves dogs and other animals. This is my first time ever having two cats so it's all new to me. Thanks for all the help and support!
We have both males and females and they seem to take turns fussing at one another. Just like people, some cats get along and others don't. But whether they ultimately do or not will take time to determine. I wouldn't rush it. If they don't fuss with one another when separated, keep them separated for a bit more.
I always used a screen door at the door to the room the new cat was in. Keep it in place with tension rods. This way, they can see one another and not be able to get to one another.
Also, have you tried rubbing one end of a towel on each of them? Place the towel under the door separating them with Doyle's scent on Pedro's side and vice versa. Then feed each a treat on the towel. This helps them associate good things with the smell of the other.
Keep up the good work!
I always used a screen door at the door to the room the new cat was in. Keep it in place with tension rods. This way, they can see one another and not be able to get to one another.
Also, have you tried rubbing one end of a towel on each of them? Place the towel under the door separating them with Doyle's scent on Pedro's side and vice versa. Then feed each a treat on the towel. This helps them associate good things with the smell of the other.
Keep up the good work!
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- #20
I still have them out together. They aren't separated and it's not that they are viciously fighting. It's more that Doyle hisses at Pedro all the time and Pedro will chase Doyle sometimes and just mess with her. I'm glad to hear it's not a female male thing. I wasn't sure if that would make a difference. I don't feel there behavior is bad enough to warrant separating them again but this is all new territory for me too. Do you think it's safe for me to leave them both out together since they haven't had any vicious fights yet? I do give them both treats together and talk to them with success at times. Typically during the day like now when it's there nap time Pedro is up on his cat bed and Doyle is under my ottoman. They are both in the front room only about 5 feet from each other. Since Doyle was living under the house next door for 6+ years she seems more comfortable being under something.
