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Assimilating a stray

post #1 of 89
3/6/10 at 2:33pm
Thread Starter 
Hi all,

New member here. Hoping you can give me some guidance.

Two weeks ago, I rescued a stray who's been living on my property for 11 years (Little One) from a coyote. It was very close. She has a broken tail & a hernia but I got there before he could get her in his mouth. I brought her inside and she's been living in my guest bathroom ever since (ventured out to spend her first whole day in the guest bedroom today, yay!)

She's very sweet and she trusts me - even gives me her tummy for rubs. But she's lived outdoors for years and I have an indoor cat (Molly) so I'm looking for tips about how to assimilate them. So far, I haven't put them in contact. Little One's been recovering and hasn't been up to undue excitment. Molly knows there's a kitty in the guest room and she's curious. No hissing or howling. She just visits outside the door regularly and sometimes sleeps at the foot of the bed, like she's waiting to be introduced But I don't want to rush it and I don't want either kitty to be freaked. Molly's been my only kitty for the same eleven years Little One's been my favorite stray. So they sort of know each other from inside and outside doors. And I take their scents back and forth.

I know about the carrier thing - put one in a carrier and let the other roam freely. Is that effective, or do some of you have other thoughts? I can sure use any help you can offer.

Thanks,
Michele
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post #2 of 89
3/6/10 at 2:53pm
Good work Michele!

Keep them separated til the experts here advise you otherwise. You'll learn everything you need to know here. I did.

Good luck. I'll be following your progress.
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post #3 of 89
3/6/10 at 2:56pm
Thank you for rescuing this kitty!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

So...... she's already been to the vet? Did you have her vaccinated, and has she been treated for fleas/worms - any antibiotics she needs? Did the vet say her tail will heal? Has she already been spayed? (They can usually tell by shaving the belly).

Scent swapping is a great way to start! I'd keep that up for an isolation period of several weeks to make sure nothing "blooms" (any kind of illness). Distemper usually requires another vaccine after three weeks - so I'd probably wait at least that long.

When you're comfortable the actual introductions are ready, I'd crack the door a bit, let them see each other - and just guage how it goes. If there's no hissing and just interest, I'd do it by allowing Molly into Little One's room, and have a treat session - whatever is their favorite. Or if they both like to play, maybe a play session. Just see how it goes and trust your senses about it!

But I would definitely make sure Little One doesn't have anything she can transmit to Molly first.

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post #4 of 89
3/6/10 at 4:10pm
Thread Starter 
Hi, Gary's Girl & diggerled,

Yes, I had Little One fixed years ago when I realized she wasn't going anywhere. And she has a clean bill of health from the vet - who said both the tail & hernia should heal on their own, but I should keep an eye on the tail and assess movement because if it didn't heal, it should probably be amputed. (the break is at the middle, so half her tail flops but the top half seems to move normally so I have high hopes for self-healing).

Thanks so much for the advice. Sounds like a good plan.
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post #5 of 89
3/6/10 at 4:26pm
Is the cat vaccinated for everything. We have a calico who came up on the porch three years ago. I kept her in a large cage on the porch. The other two cats would come on the porch and they got to know each other by sniffing through the cage. She had already been fixed so she was a stray from somewhere and she has made a good pet. It took a while because she didn't trust us. We handled her with gloves to begin with until we could trust her.
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post #6 of 89
3/6/10 at 5:02pm
Thread Starter 
That's a great question, blueyedgirl. I think she is - I told the vet to make her house-ready so I know she's had bloodwork and such. I'll find out for sure about the vaccinations. I'm not going to rush the meeting of the kitties so there's plenty of time.
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post #7 of 89
3/6/10 at 7:38pm
God Bless you for saving her! I am sure things will work out. It just takes time and the willingness to be patient.
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post #8 of 89
3/6/10 at 8:18pm
Thread Starter 
Thank you krz. She's always been so special to me and when I heard her screaming I didn't even think about it. Just ran outside in my robe and bare feet, yelling my head off. Fortunately, I scared the coyote away just in time.
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post #9 of 89
3/7/10 at 9:03am
Quote:
Originally Posted by orpheygene View Post
That's a great question, blueyedgirl. I think she is - I told the vet to make her house-ready so I know she's had bloodwork and such. I'll find out for sure about the vaccinations. I'm not going to rush the meeting of the kitties so there's plenty of time.
Since you are going to ask the vet, make sure to ask if she tested negative for Leukemia and FIV... I know you said clean bill of health, but just to be sure... Especially Leukemia.

Quote:
Originally Posted by orpheygene View Post
Thank you krz. She's always been so special to me and when I heard her screaming I didn't even think about it. Just ran outside in my robe and bare feet, yelling my head off. Fortunately, I scared the coyote away just in time.
Oh my goodness! Lucky girl you were around!
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post #10 of 89
3/7/10 at 12:51pm
Coyotes hunting just outside the house cant feel comfortable....
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post #11 of 89
3/10/10 at 7:58pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by LDG View Post
Thank you for rescuing this kitty!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

So...... she's already been to the vet? Did you have her vaccinated, and has she been treated for fleas/worms - any antibiotics she needs? Did the vet say her tail will heal? Has she already been spayed? (They can usually tell by shaving the belly).

Scent swapping is a great way to start! I'd keep that up for an isolation period of several weeks to make sure nothing "blooms" (any kind of illness). Distemper usually requires another vaccine after three weeks - so I'd probably wait at least that long.

When you're comfortable the actual introductions are ready, I'd crack the door a bit, let them see each other - and just guage how it goes. If there's no hissing and just interest, I'd do it by allowing Molly into Little One's room, and have a treat session - whatever is their favorite. Or if they both like to play, maybe a play session. Just see how it goes and trust your senses about it!

But I would definitely make sure Little One doesn't have anything she can transmit to Molly first.

Yes, she was vaccinated, flea treated, and after the attack was put on iv antiobiotics. I had her fixed years ago when she first started hanging out here. She's good to go and settling in very well.

The last couple of days I've let the two kitties look at each other. Picked Molly up, opened the door and held her while Little One was out and about. Each time, they just stared at each other. No hissing, no growling, no attitude - just looked. So I'm taking that as a good sign. In no rush to bring about a face to face - Little One's life has changed dramatically in the last two weeks. She's got a lot to assimilate and we've all got time, but so far, so good.
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post #12 of 89
3/10/10 at 7:59pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by StefanZ View Post
Coyotes hunting just outside the house cant feel comfortable....
Nope. Don't like it at all. But they come down from the hills where development is encroaching - a lot more now than they used to. Creepy.
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post #13 of 89
3/12/10 at 12:06pm
Thread Starter 
Perhaps you knowledgeable peeps can weigh in on this one:

Someone who rescues strays suggested when I feel the time is right - to just open the door to the room where Little One is staying and let her come out, meet Molly in the course of exploration and let them work it out. Any thoughts on this method of assimilation?
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post #14 of 89
3/12/10 at 3:59pm
Well, if there are any problems, you'll hear it!

Really, there are no "right" ways of doing things. We live in an RV - we've never had the space to isolate any rescues, so everyone pretty much always just got thrown into the mix. Newbies got a few hours in the bedroom alone with us (whether they wanted it or not) - after that, we just watched over everything, really.

You can certainly give it a try - and if there's a problem, separate them again and do slower introductions.

I will say that we have always had more trouble with our female-female introductions. Of our three females, only one never had a problem with new cats. The other two take a looooong time to accept another (especially female) kitty. One takes a full six months to stop hissing/swatting/growling, and a full year to be friendly with the "new" female.
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post #15 of 89
3/12/10 at 4:59pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by orpheygene View Post
Thank you krz. She's always been so special to me and when I heard her screaming I didn't even think about it. Just ran outside in my robe and bare feet, yelling my head off. Fortunately, I scared the coyote away just in time.
That made me smile. I'd be the same way with any of my outdoor kitties. You should see how quick I run to window if I think I hear a dog barking out there!
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post #16 of 89
3/16/10 at 8:57pm
Thread Starter 
Today when I opened the door to Little One's room, Molly took charge and just went in! Little One was on the bed. She just watched as Molly completely ignored her and went sniffing around all her stuff, scratching on one of the surfaces, looking out the window. Like she owned the place (which she does). No hissing or growling from either cat. I let it go on for a few minutes, then I got nervous and took Molly out. Good progress, yes? I'm thinking I should encourage this without forcing it. Any insights?
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post #17 of 89
3/18/10 at 1:28am
Thread Starter 
Well, I was going to post about what happened today with the two kitties and see what the thoughts were, but I don't feel like anyone's really interested. Which surprises me, because I thought this was a good place to come to get insights and interaction. Maybe I did something wrong, or didn't post right, or follow etiquette rules I don't know about. But I see other threads with lots of responses and this one gets hardly any. I really can use the help, so I guess I'll look for it elsewhere. Thanks to those of you who've offered your thoughts and experience. It's been much appreciated.
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post #18 of 89
3/18/10 at 3:09am
I am so sorry that you feel that way... It isn't intentional, and you haven't done anything wrong. It's just that threads like this get buried fast, after people reply to other threads, some thread get forced to the bottom where they are not likely to be seen. Nothing personal.

I am very interested in what happened today, I hope it was something good!
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post #19 of 89
3/18/10 at 5:57am
Sometimes people may not be able to read your post and give help right away. I read your post but I didn't want to give advice as I'm really a newbie at this and don't want to give misguided advice. People are busy and may not be able to reply for a while, but please don't give up just because your thread wasn't responded to within 30 hours. I hope you stick around.
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post #20 of 89
3/18/10 at 9:59am
Quote:
Originally Posted by orpheygene View Post
Good progress, yes? I'm thinking I should encourage this without forcing it. Any insights?
Right! This is certainly a way to go. Even a good way.


Keep on!
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post #21 of 89
3/18/10 at 10:55am
Agreed. I think sometimes you have to go with your gut too - to gauge how things are going when you use the 'by the books' recommendations. I have a thread currently where I'm letting my 11 month old cat interact with his feral momma. It's a little nerve wracking hearing growling/hissing if you've never heard that before with cats. I'm basically learning as I go.

Hoping you'll post an update.
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post #22 of 89
3/18/10 at 11:20am
Thread Starter 
Thanks for the encouragement. I'll try to be more patient (not one of my strong suits)

So yesterday Molly was sitting in front of the door like she wanted to go in again. I opened it. Little One was standing on the bed. Molly immediately jumped on the bed with her and got about six inches away. They both stood there frozen for a few seconds - Little One seemed very calm, almost respectful. Finally Molly hissed so I took her out. Both cats seemed fine after the encounter - no agitated behavior or vocalizing, just back to business as usual. Not sure what to think but I don't believe it was a negative experience for either.

so far, I'm just playing this by ear.
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post #23 of 89
3/18/10 at 12:05pm
Sounds like a typical reaction. So did you do the scent swapping techniques, where you rub kitty a with a towel and put that towel by kitty b's food, etc? I think playing it by ear like you're doing and doing brief intervals of introductions is just great. Watch their tails and ears and read their body language. There are links here about doing cat intros - if you want a link let me know and I can post.

I think things are going great.
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post #24 of 89
3/18/10 at 2:08pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by killerapple View Post
Sounds like a typical reaction. So did you do the scent swapping techniques, where you rub kitty a with a towel and put that towel by kitty b's food, etc? I think playing it by ear like you're doing and doing brief intervals of introductions is just great. Watch their tails and ears and read their body language. There are links here about doing cat intros - if you want a link let me know and I can post.

I think things are going great.
Thanks, killerapple. A link would be great. Still finding my way around.

Haven't tried to towel method yet.
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post #25 of 89
3/18/10 at 2:16pm
Here is an article:

http://www.thecatsite.com/Behavior/4...cing-Cats.html

And here is a really helpful thread:

http://www.thecatsite.com/forums/showthread.php?t=67321

The scent swapping is really important so I would recommend you start that asap honestly. Things sound like they're going ok between them, but that will really help.
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post #26 of 89
3/19/10 at 8:32am
Since they have already met without big issues, I would try to let them meet each other a few times a day, even if it's just through a cracked door. Also do the scent swapping thing. Rub one down with something fabric and give it to the other, and vice-versa. They will let you know if you are taking things too fast, lol.

As far as intros go, "playing by ear" is the best way to go.
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post #27 of 89
3/19/10 at 9:36am
Quote:
Originally Posted by KatKisses View Post
Since they have already met without big issues,
Right, some little hissing now and then is no big deal. You can usually hear if it is mostly "duty ful" hiss or a real warning hiss...


Here by the description I guess it was a dutyful hiss..
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post #28 of 89
3/19/10 at 10:44am
I know what you mean Stefan, lol. There is the "serious" hiss and the "half-hearted" hiss, lol.



I just thought of another idea: Once you get cat #1's scent on a towel, give it to cat #2 and put her dry food on it. This way "funny smell=good things."
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post #29 of 89
3/19/10 at 10:56am
Thread Starter 
Thanks for the links, killerapple. Very helpful.

Stefan & katkisses: I'm pretty sure it was duty-ful LOL. More like - 'hey whoever you are, this is MY house and don't you forget it.'

I've got a towel working in LO's room right now. I love the idea of putting dry food on it. Thanks for that!
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post #30 of 89
3/19/10 at 11:12am
Your welcome, if I can think of anything else I will post it for you. I am introducing a new cat to my household either today or tomorrow, so I have to see how that goes, lol.
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