Poor tatty stray affecting resident cat

We moved into our new house 3 weeks ago and have noticed lots of cats hanging around. The majority obviously have homes and are well cared for but one is, I think, clearly a stray.

George (what I have been calling our stray) is in a bad way He has a big bald patch on his back and many other small bald patches and tufts of fur clearly come away when he scratches. He has lots of old scabs and is clearly has a sore spot under his chin, when I was stroking him there he hissed and backed off a little, then came straight back for more love so I have stayed clear of that area. His ears are all tatty from fights and he has a very recent scab in one ear.

I would say he is a grown up cat judging by the size of his head and he has an adult face, but his body is small and skinny and looks far too small for his head. He has most of his 'eyebrow' whiskers missing but I wonder if that could be because he is skinny.

I booked him in to see the vet on Thursday when he followed our cat home but after hanging about all day he wandered off an hour before his appointment, he came back tonight but it was long after the vets has closed. We did try bringing him in on Thursday after he tried to wander into the house on his own so we put him in the bathroom with food and water and a litter tray, but he didn't seem to enjoy being in although I sat in the bathroom with him most of the day and he curled up on my knee and was purring and paddling away at me but whenever I moved or he heard my boyfriend or one of our cats move outside the bathroom so eventually I couldn't stand seeing him looking so upset and I let him out again. He hung around for another 2 hours then our cat he was following wandered off following another cat and George went with him.

I have been feeding him which I know was probably a bad idea but he looked so sad an hungry and so sad so I gave in and fed him. I have sent the RSPCA an email asking what they suggest. Hopefully at the very least they will neuter him. He does seem to get on well with our tom cat but my girls don't get on with other cats and still only barely tolerate our male cat so it wouldn't be fair on them to bring him in.

Anyway if you read all that thank you for following my rambling and any advice you can offer would be greatly apreciated. 

Thanks in advance

Terri, Trixie, Pixie, Manson and George

Good for you for caring! It does sound as if George once had a home but has been on his own a long time. He obviously needs to see a vet as soon as possible, so if you can bring him in again and keep him there long enough for an appointment that would be best, even if he is unhappy in the meantime. What do you intend to do longterm? Can you keep him once he is treated and neutered or is this impossible? His chances of finding an adoptive home will be greater if he is healthy and socialised, and it looks as if Fate has chosen you to do this for him. You will need to keep him in for longer and longer periods until he trusts you and feels OK enclosed. He is bound to be nervous at first. good luck with him.

We saw the vet today, he thinks poor George was abandoned because he has a skin condition and judging by the size of his feet and head he is definatley malnurished with his small skinny body  

I got him some of the extra smelly extra neutrisious food and some oil stuff to add to it for his skin and I will be phoning the low cost neuter place on Monday. Hopefully they can get him in quick.

He gets on well with my housemates male cat, Manson who brought him home, but my girls are teritorial and barely tollerate Manson after 3 months of very slow introductions they have only just stopped going for him. I don't want to bring George in from being bullied to where he will be ganged up on and I don't want to upset my girls by bringing another cat in. Trixie is very skittish and it took a shower and clean clothes before she stops hissing at me after I have been stroking George, though she may be better when he is neutered. I would love to keep him and fatten him up but I don't want to upset the cats we already have too much.

I will deffinatly try your increasing time method, hopefully that will help Trixie get used to the idea of him being here

Thank you for your response

I am glad he got to the vet OK and at least now has a chance of getting better. You never know - your girls may learn to accept him after he is neutered. Keep us posted on how you get on.

If I take him to get neutered wont I have to keep him in the house to get better, or is that just females that need a few days to get better, I know Manson was up and about again the same day. We have a room we can keep him in away from the other cats but with him being so uncomfortable with closed doors I don't want to distress him more after taking him to be neutered. Cant wait to fatten him up nice, poor little George (after George from Harry Potter because of the last book)

cookietown said:

If I take him to get neutered wont I have to keep him in the house to get better, or is that just females that need a few days to get better, I know Manson was up and about again the same day. We have a room we can keep him in away from the other cats but with him being so uncomfortable with closed doors I don't want to distress him more after taking him to be neutered. Cant wait to fatten him up nice, poor little George (after George from Harry Potter because of the last book)

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The neutering for males is a lot less evasive surgery than spaying for females.  He should be OK just being released outside.  I don't know but they may wait until he gets his skin cleared up.  Did they give him medicine for it?

He said it seemed like sensitive skin and dandruff but he wasn't really very invested in helping him get better, baiscally just scanned for a chip and mentioned it looked like he had a skin condition and wrote that off as why he will have been left, but he offered no advise or help just told me to put him back where I found him. To be honest I never liked that vet and I have been trying to find a new one but in the interest of getting George seen quickly he had the first appointment. I'll see what the other vet says when they see him whether he will have to wait to be neutered or not. I did get him some stuff to go on his food to help with a sensitive skin. I also gave him a quick brush which he enjoyed, probably itchy poor thing.

Trixie is mad at me at the moment I went out to feed George when he showed up this morning and she sat on the back of the sofa glaring and when I came back in she whined like I was hurting her and she wont come closer than a few feet. I was very careful to not get Georges smell on my clothes and I washed my hands but obviously I cant get rid completely. Poor Trixie, I'm worried she thinks I'm going to abandon her for him which I'm obviously not but he does need some extra care and other than following me from room to room Trixie is pretty independant and she doesn't like attention that she hasn't asked for. Just feels like I cant win at the moment

Since he showed up on Thursday morning Trixie has been very nervous. On a night she sits on the back of the sofa glaring at the door. she wont come within 3 feet of me after I have been with George, I'm assuming that's normal since I'll smell of him. But she is very nervous of Pixie when she has been by the door with me. I guess George has sprayed the door since Trixie doesn't bother going out when the doors open. She has never taken to Manson though she did tolerate him before George showed up.

Trixie has always been a little nervous and has never liked males (human or otherwise) except my boyfriend who she took to instantly. My theory is that as the first cat in the house she is getting fed up of new cats being brought into her territory and maybe shes worried that she is losing love because of the other cats. She has never been overly affectionate with me though she always insists on being in the same room as me she doesn't demand attention like the others do.

Trixie is the alpha cat so she gets petted, fed, talked to first. I always try not to play favorites with them although Pixie demands attention a lot and Trixie only wants attention when she wants it and walks off if I try to love her when she doesn't want me to.

I'm getting off track. Is there anything I can do to try help keep her calm and relaxed when George is around and after he has been. Unfortunately feilaway doesn't seem to effect her.

Manson gets on with Gorge and they play together in the garden and Pixie doesn't care either way but Trixie seems very upset by the fact that George is being welcomed on her territory. 

Sorry I know I tend to ramble but any advice you can offer would be great and if you read all that thank you for taking the time.

Looks like he was in another fight last night he has a new scratch on his 'shoulder' and a gooey eye he didn't have yesterday. I'm getting very worried about him now, every day he has new scratches. I cant just let him in because Trixie will probably go for him and the only room we could keep him in at the moment is the bathroom and last time we tried that he bolted as soon as the door opened. He clearly doesn't like being stuck inside. I have asked around but no one I know can take him and I have tried the RSPCA 3 times with no luck He hasn't left the doorstep today and he has tried to wander in. I'll try the RSPCA again tomorrow, maybe if I annoy them enough they will at least do a TNR for him.

You do begin right by making extra efforts to keep Trixie happy, showing her she is number one above the newcomers, in you love and rank.

You hadnt not mentioned Feliway. So I do recommend a Feliway diffuser where she usually is. Cant harm, may help much.

If you have a shy, nervous foster, you can use this for them too. So perhaps two Feliway diffusers...

Calming, soft music on can also help. Both for the fostered semiferales and your nervous residents.

Dr Bachs flower essence, esp the Rescue Remedy, is also useful, but in more short whiles.  Say, if you must make an unpleasant car ride. Or to help calming down after a cat fight...

Good luck!

Fielaway doesn't work for Trixie, we tried it before when she was spayed and she wasn't any different with it. haven't tried Dr Bachs though so we will give that a go.

George has only been in the house twice since he showed up, Thursday we put him in the bathroom before his vet appointment and Saturday he wandered in the house but ran back out when he saw me following him. When he was in the bathroom he ran to get out every chance he got and eventually got out (had to re arrange his appointment when he came back Saturday) He seems happiest outside so hopefully we can keep him as an outside cat till we find his owners or someone to take him or at least until Trixie is used to the idea of him. Thankfully the weather is quite nice at the moment but I have put a cat kenel out for him by the back door. When he is neutered he should hopefully get in less fights too.

Much, much luck with getting George to his neuter appt. I would agree in letting him outdoors after his appt. since Trixie is so stressed by his presence. After he is neutered for a couple of weeks, then you could again try to bring him inside. But only in a secluded room away from your resident cats. Once George is completely comfortable living indoors, you could start introductions with scent transferring. I think all cats can begin to accept a newcomer in time. It can take a long time and much patience on our part to make the relationships begin in a healthy way that will bring about a lifetime of trust between them. If you rush things too quickly, then the relationships can be damaged and it will take even longer. Slower is better. GOOD LUCK!!!

Oh - yeah - the Feliway is not a "cure-all" for calming but it really can help. I use the spray Feliway now. It comes in a small spray can and if you can spot spritz areas every twelve hours. I like that better than the plug-ins and it is most cost effective too

Do you have a large dog crate? I am sorry about this predicament with Trixie as she does sound very territorial and possessive of you as well. It sounds bad outside for George and the sooner you can get him neutered the better, which you already have planned. It is a really tough situation when one of the resident cats if really adamant about the newcomer - even behind closed doors or in a crate. Hopefully Trixie will forgive you and IF you dote on her and lavish her with tons of attention, she will hopefully realize that George's presence is not the end of her world. The biggest problem with Trixie from what you say, is the "smell" of George. So the sooner you can start acclimating her to his smell, the better. It could potentially take many, many weeks before she even accepts his smell..... But I assure you she will, eventually. You will have to go at Trixie's pace where George is concerned. But it does sound like being outside is not going to be good for George. Oh dear, I do feel for you and this situation....

I was worried that he might have to stay in for a few days after neutering but I have been told he should be able to go straight back out, which is good because he does not like the carry case.

We do have a spare room we will be able to keep him in, just needs clearing out first. She took to pixie after a week of extra treats, which Pixie wouldn't eat, now they all have treats she doesn't feel special any more, even though she gets more.

Oh, poor George! I can't imagine what a hard life street cats must have! We've got a stray momma kitty that goes for her spaying tomorrow and she's got an eye problem that I'm hoping they can help with also. We live in the country and I don't think it's easier on strays and/or ferals out here either. I have been looking for a large dog house to clean and convert into a cat house for momma and her kittens (we have an inside rescue cat that keeps hissing at momma kitty). That way, they have a place to get out of the rain. I'll have to find one that I can insulate to keep them warm in the winter (and hopefully cooler in the summer). I hope you can work it out with your other kitties so that George can stay with you - it sure sounds like he needs your help, care and love (it sounds like he enjoys your company and attention too).

Just calling in for updates and to say how I sympathise with you and with Trixie. I agree that she probably will come round eventually but as Feralv says, it could be a long time. Good vibes that George gets his neuter and his skin sorted out soon. And I hope you manage to find another vet!

Aww, poor mamma kitty.

I have put out a cat kenel for him, not sure if I sad that on here or on my other post. He doesn't seem bothered by it at the moment but I'm sure that will change when it starts raining again, thankfully its quite nice at the moment. I'm just waiting for our rspca to open so I can try get him on a TNR list.

cookietown said:

I was worried that he might have to stay in for a few days after neutering but I have been told he should be able to go straight back out,

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for home cats it is recommended they have recovalenscence, usually need is perhaps two-three days for boys, perhaps a week-tenday for girls.

But outside cats, the semiferales, are made of tough wood. The weaker ones do perish sooner or later.

So left are just the survivors with good healing.

That is why you can let out the male semiferales after the dizziness is over, perhaps 6 hours. That scar is not bigger than after a cat fight, which they do have now and again, no?

And girls 2-3 days. Sometimes,  if really necessary even just 1 day.

Of course, if you do notice complications, you do keep them longer.

Good luck!

'ps. Feliway doesnt not always kick in immediately. For some it takes over a week before it works for full.