Please Help with Rescue Kitty

Last week, my hubby and I decided to go out to a nice dinner. We park the car and are about to cross the street to the restaurant when we spot a little tabby shivering (it was in the single digits here in NY that night) and huddled under the awning of an empty storefront.
My hubby bends down to pet the cat, and it started to follow us. No collar or any other type of ID. We walked back towards the direction of the car because we didn't want the cat to follow us onto the busy intersection we were about to cross, and he followed us the whole way. Once we got to the car, we stood there debating about what to do. Well, kitty decided for us. He went to the car door, stood up and meowed to be let in We opened the door and he jumped right in, yawned, and settled in for a nice stretch. Needless to say, we didn't go out to dinner. Instead, we got back in the car and drove back home, new kitty in tow LOL.

So fast forward now a week later. I've put up posters around the neighborhood where we found him. Called the local shelter. I posted a listing on Craigslist, nothing. I took him to the vet and he is neutered so at some point he had a home, but no tags or microchip.

My problem is that I have 2 resident cats who are barely civil to each other to begin with. Since smelling the new cat in the other room (I have him separated from the other 2) it's been chaos. Hissing, spitting, fighting nonstop.

I would like to find him a new home, he's the sweetest little furball, loves to cuddle. Of course, NOBODY I know wants a cat and I'm at my wits end. I DO NOT want to bring him to a shelter, but I really don't think I can keep him. I have a small apartment that feels crowded with 2 as it is. The 2 resident cats are miserable just knowing he's in the other room and hide under the bed all day long.

Does anyone know somebody that would want to give this little survivor a home? I live in Nassau County, NY but would be willing to drive anywhere in the Tri-State area as long as he would be going to a good family. I would love to keep him, but I don't think its fair to Pebbles & Milo.

Please help!!

What a great thing you and your husband did by saving this little guy's life. A vet I know says that "we don't find animals, they find us". That seems to be true here as he clearly picked you guys. Smart boy!

I am too far away to help and I do have a special love for the tabbies.

When trying to find homes for kittens and strays we make a flyer with a picture. Ask permission to post them in area vet offices, grocery stores, pet stores, gym, any place that will let you. If they say no to posting the flyer, ask if they will share it with the other employees.

Sorry I am not much help. Maybe someone can offer more.

Meanwhile, to keep peace in your apartment, it might help to follow the introductions thread. Good Luck.

If no one has told you - use Feliway diffuser (available at Petsmart and the like) AND place a small drop at base of tail of vanilla extract on ALL cats!

Leave out some items w/ yr cats scents on them in the kitten's room.
Get the kitten's scent on something and leave next to your cats food
bowls. (Associate the scents with positive things.)

Buy one more kitty tree than you currently have (so that yr
cats have a new perching place high up.. this will help resident
cats avoid eachother and new cat). In fact create as many
high up places as you can.. I like the "kitty walks" shelves you
can put on the walls for the cats to walk up down and perch high up on...
uses the unused wall space and top of walls ... cats loove em...

(Ask if you want more info on...)

Eventually get a dog gate and gate the door of the room kitty is in,
she/he can see other cats, but not get to them. Leave like that for
a couple of months, and then slowly allow new kitty to roam...

Close yr cats into a bathroom or other room while new kitty roams.
Put new kitty back into his/her room and gate, let yr kitties out of
the other room...

Keep doing, and use alot of treats for ALL the cats when they are around
each other... positive associations!!

More info from others I am sure....

Thank you all for your great tips, I have the Feliway Diffusers from when I introduced my two resident cats to each other, it actually seemed to make them MORE aggressive towards each other....go figure. But I will definitely try the vanilla extract!

Crazy enough, someone just emailed me in response to the Found Cat listing I posted on Craigslist claiming they know who the cat belongs to! I have misgivings however.....the person said she contacted the alleged owner and asked if his cat was missing again (Key word, AGAIN) and he said yes but left it up to her to contact me????? Maybe I'm being judgmental but if it were MY baby, I'd be calling/emailing myself nonstop till I got my furbaby back!

What do you guys think?

I think you should go with your gut. If it is that person's cat, he obviously doesn't seem too concerned about it. Good grief!!

Keep on looking, IMO - if that was the real owner whose friend responded, just think, if that kitty hadn't found you (which he did, on his OWN initiative), he would have been doomed. So, sounds like that wasn't his true home, if it was his home anyway.
Sending harmony & calming prayers and vibes out to your home