Meet Lucky!

Lucky came to my door a year ago, and when I saw what bad shape he was in, I brought him out a bowl of food and water. I couldn't get close to him, he would hiss and scratch and was very vicious. I fed him daily from then on, and he slowly began to be more friendly. Now, it is almost as if he is an indoor cat. He's such a sweetheart, and would never hiss or growl at me again. I can pet him, pick him up, and cuddle with him. I have had him neutered, and took him twice to the vet after he was bit by another cat. I get him Frontline from the vet every month so he doesn't bring in any pesky fleas. I love him. He's my little boy and I wish I could keep him. The sad thing is, as well as he is now, he is FIV positive and could possibly have other diseases. He also fights with other cats, as well.
Now, the only problem is I have another feisty ten month old kitten named Cookie. Cookie lives inside with me and I love her very much. I would love to bring Lucky in but I'm so scared that he will hurt Cookie or transmit a disease to her. I can't risk my baby Cookie's life and I don't know what to do.
Anyone have any experience with bringing in a feral cat?

Is there any way to bring Lucky in and keep him in a separate room? That would be necessary at any rate with a new cat. Others with more experience will share their throughts, I'm sure.
 

If you do not have another room to keep him in, possibly try an outdoor enclosure? You could give him a heat source, he would be safe from other kitties and have the daily care he needed, but you would not have to worry about him and Cookie. It does not need to be 8 feet tall and have twenty levels- just big enough for him to have an 'inside' warm area with shelter from rain/etc and an 'outside' area for him to stretch and move about.

FIV is scary and I know you don't want to risk having it transmitted to Cookie, so perhaps this helps!

Well, the only way to transmit FIV is through a deep tissue bite. Now, Lucky could only be getting into fights because he has to defend himself against other tomcats outside. Once inside, confined to a separate room, he could really turn around. Since you can already pick him up, pet him and cuddle him, you are WAY ahead of the game. He could possibly have a setback once you bring him in, but that would just be temporary until he gets comfortable. I would definitely keep him separated from Cookie for quite sometime. You should also have him tested to confirm the FIV and have him tested for FeLK. Even if you had him tested earlier, you would need to test again since he has been living outside. Of course, this is all up to you, it is a huge commitment bringing him in. But I think it could work. You could also PM one of our long time members and FIV experts..... LDG.http://www.thecatsite.com/u/2451/LDG She could give you some excellent tips and advice on how to introduce Lucky to Cookie safely down the road. It sounds to me that you really love this guy :heart3: and he loves you too. Seriously, once inside, most of these kitties turn into real sweethearts and get along famously with the other indoor cats. It has to be done slowly, even more slow then slowly :lol3: Keep us posted and thanks for caring for Lucky :rub:

Thanks for all your replies! Although, at the moment I can't afford to put in an outdoor enclosure and we don't have a spare room. Lucky occasionally comes in and visits when Cookie is sleeping in my bedroom, and he seems just like an indoor kitty. I will definitely pm LDG, it would be great to hear a bit more about FIV. Lucky is just like my own kitty now, I even went to Walmart to get him a collar, hehe. They only had one left -- pink. He loves it and he prances around like he's a little fashion model. But this morning, when Cookie saw Lucky through the screen door she hissed at him, which broke my heart because I really want them to like each other. Does anyone know how I can make them be friends, lol? By the way, it is great to meet you all, I'm so excited to meet some new cat lovers!

The hissing is totally normal. Pretty much any cat will hiss at a newcomer upon their first meeting. I usually keep the kitties separate for two weeks and then switch them to each others places, to allow them to get used to each other's smells. After they have done that for a few days I allow them to meet face to face. There is still usually some hissing for a couple days, but soon enough they are snuggle buddies.

The only exception I make is with my Clara and any foster kittens- she likes to play Mommy.

Here's a picture of my little Lucky--he's so funny!

I really hope that cookie and him will eventually get along. I'm just so scared that he'll hurt her, or fight with her. My cookie's so gentle if anyone has anymore suggestions I'd be soo glad to hear them

AWWW Lucky looks so relaxed and happy to be safe . Take it really slowly and wait till you have an established relatiinship with Lucky before even attempting introducing him to Cookie. Turn off the clock :lol3: as this could take some time. I will find a couple of articles that will help!

http://catcentric.org/behavior-and-psychology/socializing-a-feral-cat-its-all-about-trust/

http://www.thecatsite.com/a/introducing-cats-to-cats