Help! Introducing New Cat!!

tncatfancier

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About three weeks ago we had a little feral female cat show up on our doorstep. This cat was literally a walking skeleton. We put a box filled with wool scraps on our covered porch out of the wind for her to burrow into and started feeding her. She finally let us pet her when we gave her food. Today we took her in and had her fixed. We will be bringing her home on Thursday and would like to have her become our second housecat.

Living out in the country, there are 13 dogs within a half mile of here that run loose. Also, the fleas and ticks are horrible in the summer so I don't want her running in and out. I'm really hoping she can join the family as a totally indoor cat.

I have a 3-year-old, fixed, male cat who has been the "baby" of our family and I need some advice on introducing the newcomer to him and our household. Do you think it's going to be possible to convert the new little feral into a loving housepet? Any tips on how to bring her in on Thursday when she returns from the vet? Any advice or tips will be appreciated. I've never had more than one cat before.
 

hissy

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yes you can convert ferals to loving housecats. It does not happen overnight, but it does happen. I do it all the time. Here is a link to an article I wrote about how it works for me, as I deal strictly with ferals only. Best of luck!

Introductions
 
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tncatfancier

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Thanks Hissy. Just read your article and then printed it out for reference. Um.........what if there IS a cat fight during the first meeting? Back to square one?? Have you converted feral cats into totally indoor cats? Thanks for your help. I'm quite nervous about this. Jake has been such a good cat and I don't want to upset him.

Oh......feral cat and Jake are a bit use to each other after looking at each other through a sliding glass door for a couple of weeks. I hope that is a GOOD thing.
 
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tncatfancier

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Well, I just wanted to say thanks for the help and emails. After two weeks we've had a break through and this morning Lucy (new feral cat) actually kissed Jake (old resident cat) "Good Morning". They can also stay in the same room without killing each other and can nap together now too. Thanks again for the assist. I've lived most of life without cats.....but I'll living the rest of my life WITH them!!
 
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