Introducing Calvin

First of all I'd like to thank you for allowing me to join this site. I live in a house owned by three precious felines. They allow me to live here as long as I pay all the bills and feed them on a regular schedule.
My question is this. I have a semi wild kitty in my yard named Calvin. I have fed him for a year and recently have been able to pet him and pick him up. On his terms, of course! I put him inside in a closed room in bad weather. How can I eventually get him inside and introduce him to my indoor babies? I know it can't happen over night.

I put him inside in a closed room in bad weather

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Okay it sound like you have had him in the house before? Have you been able to pick him up and pet him sense?

I introduced Ferocious to the house little by little She was completely wild never touch by human hands before biting Gary's Ferocious began in a covered carrier but it sounds like your wild child is closer to tame that Ferocious was.

You mentioned your baby being in a room during bad weather I guess that is the place to start if the wild kitty is already used to it. When it came time to introduce Ferocious to the house began with a single room. My first choice was the computer room where I spend most of my time The other plus = it has one heavy couch that is too close to the ground for feral babies to hide under. The rest of the furniture in here is not heavy and could easily be moved if necessary to retrieve hiding feral which I had to do a couple of times.

I set aside a specific amount of time to have her out of her carrier twice a day. I chose times I could be in here with her. I opened the carrier at first she wouldn't come out - I left teh door open and moved myself away. I spent house with my back to this carrier talking to this cat who was so afraid of me she hid her face ever time I peeked into her carries. After three days of sitting with my back to the carrier talking I faced the cage but remained far enough away so she knew I couldn't grab her - then after three days I wold drag a string around in front of the carrier. She had seen Fussy chase string from the carrier when she first arrived, It took her a week to come out of the carrier on her own.

I say on her own because I did remove her from the carrier for feedings four times daily and toileting - toileting had to take place in a second carrier with a dirt pan because Ferocious didn't understand the use of litter making the cat box just a hiding place to her . . .

I do not think I can explain every thing that went into Ferocious introduction becuase it was baby steps very slow and gradual. Some time it felt like for every two steps forward we went back one. I read a lot of stuff on feral cats because I am used to strays but farels are an entirely different kind of handling. I read if let them simple hide and never try to handle them they just become inside feral but you can't push them either.


After she became familiar with the room and felt comfortable enough to come out of hiding on her own and cautiously lounge{that took three weeks} I let Fussy-Butt in for a few minutes under supervision.

Oddly enough Ferocious will go in all of the rooms now but the computer room is still her primary place to be. . She has staked her claim here and she "allows" the other cats in here but they are not "allowed" to use her littler pan or play with her favorite mouse.

It has become apparent that Ferocious my once fearful farel feline came complete with her own attitude - alpha to the max.



House introductions with my feral had to be gradual - very gradual. Introductions to my other fur babies depended upon their individual temperament . Introductions to my other furbabies were supervised, done individually, and brief.Ferocious always had instant access to her covered carrier - that was her safe haven and once in there she was "hidden".


Fussy was my first choice because he is the opposite sex and he wants to be friends with every one.

Mee-Two is friendly with small kittens {under three months} no matter the sex but Ferocious was older {about 4 months} and they were the same sex Some times same sex cats have this hierarchy thing that makes initial introductions rough.


Mischief is my other male but his temperament stinks . He and Ferocious had to be done very gradually and they still barely tolerate each other but Mischief barely tolerates me - Gary is his human {Siamese personality} Luckily Mr. Mischief spends most of his time out side with Gary. Once your wild child is used to being inside the cats kind of work their relationships out.

It is just initial introductions I do gradually how gradually depends upon ages temperaments and a "gut feeling" that is a little more difficult to explain. You sound like a cat lover. .. so you will probably understand what I mean once you get started. I have had cats all of my life but Ferocious was my first farel and there was not any thing semi-wild about her she was 100% all natural feral - She had never been touched by a human hands and her first reaction was well Ferocious - thus her name.

Her pic is my avatar and her story is up there. . .the hours I spent with her reviled a part time job. I still spend a lot of time with her and yes it is still on her terms She usually come up to me when I am on the computer oddly enough doing much the same thing I did the first couple of days she was here.

Want to pet her forget it she walks off flinting her tail at me but if I get busy writing a post I am having to look at the monitor through kitten butt and wrestle her for access to my mouse. . it was a relationship worth the effort but it was effort.

Keep us posted though A taming story is always a welcome one for me because that means one less kitty running the streets without a home.