How did your adopted stray respond to you and your home?

Wanted to know if you had an easy job bringing home you cat or was it a longer period of adjustment? Talking just about strays, not ferals.
Was I lucky with Butzie? She came home with us and made herself at home and didn't bat a paw. I am pretty sure that she would have been qualified as highly adoptable - after being there only 2 days. What are your experiences?

Well, the first 4-5 days were a chore just trying to get Myla to adapt to her new environment. After the 9th day she FINALLY began to fully relax. I was releaved because I was beginning to assume there was something wrong with me as to why she was frightened. And ...OMG ....NOW I believe I am her best friend! When I come home from work she's right there greeting me near the door. She sleeps right next to my side at night. And during the time i'm at home she rarely lets me out of her sight. She's sooo wonderful!!
From my experience, it TOTALLY TAKES TIME!

Was easy for me.

Caught my stray, brought her to the vet. She did not hiss or growl even once getting all her shots and exams (vet's were speechless!) Got her spayed and bathed (bathed first), brought her home, put her in a large dog crate for a day. She used the litterbox immedietly, the next day she was free to have the run of the house. First place she went was to sleep on the couch all day and eat all her food!

Sorry - no stray experience.

But from what I've read over the years of other people's experiences, you got lucky. Most cats go through an adjustment period.

Laurie

I have never had much problem with strays or new members of the kitty household. All of mine are rescues, so I have no idea if they were feral or strays.
It was very easy before Fred passed to the Bridge. He loved newcomers, especially kittens. He wanted to be a mommy so badly. All I had to do when they were ready to be introduced was to put them where Fred could find them. He would bathe them, then give them the tour, show them where the food, water and litterbox was, and how to use the box if necessary. He would protect them from any meanness from the others, there was very little, and bop them on the head if they needed it. Fluffy is the only one Fred has not raised, and all of them get along pretty well.

Fred sounds like my RIP budgie, Vida Blue. He took everyone under his wing. The others would fly to my shoulder and come and eat our food. After we had to put him to sleep, the other budgies, without his direction, stopped being so friendly. I miss him so much.

I am not sure if my Mattie was a stray or feral. She showed up on the front step. We decided to give her a home when the local PAWS offered to pay the cost of shots and spaying. I put her in a large crate and kept her on the front porch until the vet could get her eye cleared up. Then we moved her to the back screened porch. At night I covered her cage with a quilt. Our other two cats some onto the porch from a fenced in yard to eat twice daily. They gradually got used to each other. Finally the big day came and we released Mattie to the outside with the two male cats. In a years time, they have come a long way. They tolerate each other well. Mattie has become very attached to us, and us to her. We could tell that she had been a people cat at one time because of some of her actions. And I almost forgot to tell you, when the vet got ready to spay her, he shaved her tummy first and there was the scar where she already had been spayed.

KittyGurl was a little difficult because she was (is) terrified of other animals. She took to me, the apartment and litter box right away, but would randomly attack my GSD. He literally could not make any sudden moves. It's almost 5 years later and she's still suspicious of him and JD.

JD was a breeze. He was only 3-4 months old when he got here and has been a clown since day one.

K-Pants was feral, not a stray... but he did fine. We brought him home, and he was a little nervous at first, but he's a natural explorer, so he was checking out the house in no time!

It was a little over a week before he ventured down the stairs. We came home from pumpkin picking to find him sitting on about the fourth step down (he was upstairs), mewing his little heart out. All we had to say was, "come on baby; you can do it!" and he hopped down the last four. He's been racing up and down ever since!

As far as people, he can't stand to be alone, and will follow anybody around. He's not a "lap cat" and he's not fond of being held or overly fussed-over. If he's realllllllly tired, he'll tolerate some snuggling and loving, but I wouldn't call him affectionate. But social, definitely. Not sure if that's the feral in him, the kitten in him, or just a personality trait.

most of mine have been strays and their adjustment period has vaired widely. Some I've brought in and they've made themselves right at home immediately. Dionysius hid for 2 weeks and then one night he came out and everything's been fine since! I've had others that were in the middle, hid for a bit and then came out. My semi-ferals Apollo and Aphrodite are still having some adjustment issues, but they love my other cats so I'm okay with them not loving me quite as much Apollo is much better than Dite though, Dite's being stubborn

I've taken in many strays at this point, but I'll just mention the 3 that are living with me right now, since they all reacted differently.

Dusty was 4 months old when we found him, no adjustment period at all. He even used a makeshift oatmeal-in-cardboard-box litterbox perfectly (before we got a chance to go to a pet store). He wasn't interested in his new surroundings at all, he kept climbing back up into my lap when I tried to make him explore! After he was fixed, he's turned into the best cat I've ever met.

Bobby was a little harder--he's 2 years old and while he would come to people outside for food, he's still getting the hang of being a "pet". He was very shy, hid under the bed alot, and there were very small confrontations with him and Dusty, but they never escalated beyond hissing and growling. After only a few days, they were playing together and grooming each other. Dusty taught him how to play with toys and how to use his voice. Two months later, he's just now beginning to really warm up to me, he'll jump up in bed just looking for attention and just yesterday gave his first AUDIBLE purrfest and rolled onto his back for me!

Kuro just joined us a week ago. He's having a harder time adjusting. He loves me and my fiancee, loves to be pet and held, but only when the other cats aren't around. He's very upset around them and growls alot. He's slowly making his way into our bedroom because it smells so heavily (to him) of the other cats. He's making slow but sure progress, but we've been putting "Good Cat" calming solution in his drinking water to try to mellow him out towards the other cats. He meows at the door to the apartment alot. He would win the gold medal for litter box "effort"--he furiously tries to cover his messes but ends up dragging his claws along the plastic and the wall so hard that little spirals are left in their wake. He has had a few accidents, but for the most part, he uses the litter box. Dusty, the trooper that he is, has taken it upon himself to clean up after the other two in the litter box--if he smells anything, he tries to cover it for them.

Leya and Stuart were both strays (Enzo was feral). They all did great!!! Stuart can be pretty jumpy still though. Plastic sacks and anything that makes a lot of strange loud noise is absolutely terrifying to him. Other than that they all adjusted within a week.

My stray rescue (his mother was feral) was only 5-6 weeks old so I am sure that helped. He was scared at first but he warmed up VERY quickly.
My previous cat was a stray rescue by a friend of mine. She literally walked in their front door one day and made herself at home!

Originally Posted by butzie

Wanted to know if you had an easy job bringing home you cat or was it a longer period of adjustment? Talking just about strays, not ferals.
Was I lucky with Butzie? She came home with us and made herself at home and didn't bat a paw. I am pretty sure that she would have been qualified as highly adoptable - after being there only 2 days. What are your experiences?

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I think a lot has to do with you already had another cat in the house. Mine (Alley) stayed in the carrier that she was shipped to us in and when she finally came out of her "safe" room, lived under the bed for a week to ten days. We have had her for a year now and she still heads for under the bed any time anybody comes over or even if the doorbell rings. I think you have very good luck with yours.