Help with Semi-Feral Cat and my current indoor kitties

Hi All,

I have been taking care of a Semi-feral ( Lovey) cat for a few months.  He is very sweet and loving, he allows me to pet him and he would come into the house.  About 6 weeks ago, he showed up with some wounds on his neck, after a week of trying to clean it, I found a mobile vet who came to the house to treat him.  He had several bits which were infected.  The vet cleaned him all up and gave him a shot of antibiotics.  He has already been neutered and is up to date on his shots.  The vet gave him a clean bill of health, no fleas, FIV neg, neg for worms, ect.

I decided to take him in to let him heal and hope to keep him as an indoor cat.  It's been 5 weeks since he has been treated by the vet.  The wounds are all healed.  Hi have been keeping him in our extra bathroom and have put up a wall of baby gates so he can venture out of the bathroom and have some more room to move and also begin introducing him to my other two female kitties.

I have begun letting him out with my girls and for the most part he is doing well.  But he does have some aggression issues with my cats.  He loves to play and I try to play with him often to get his energy out.  Whenever I see him about to attach one of my girls, I spray him with water, and he retreats.  He also seems to have some aggression when it's time for meals if he is out and about in the house.

I was wondering if anyone has any strategies to help them all get along and if i can get his aggression under control.  Any advise will be greatly appreciated.

Also, some background on my two kitties.  My oldest kittie is a pure bread Ragdoll, she is going to be 5 in Dec.  She is very curious about Lovey and wants to be near him.  She wants to investigate his space of the house when he is out in the living room.  However, he gets very angry when she goes over into his space.  My other kittie is also a semi-feral that I took in, however I got her at an earlier age she was about 7 months old.  She is now 4 and she wants nothing to do with this new cat.  She hisses at him whenever he goes near her.

HOW does exactly the aggressions does look like?  You do write much, but practically nothing about the key sequences...

I mean, the aggressions may perhaps be some sort of rough play. Or some natural dominance things.

Most shy semiferales are submissive to the residents, dont have difficult to adopt to them.

And he is neutered/spayed - how long ago??

Welcome to our Forums!

Good luck!

Ps.  Next question, if you know.

How was he as free-living semiferale and intact tom?

Shy and rather friendly?

 or

Territorial and dominating?

or??

Thanks StefanZ,

Sorry I should have added more detail.  When he is out with my kitties, he stares down my Ragdoll, and begins crying.  His ears go flat and I can feel the tension build up in him just before he is ready to attack her.  When my Ragdoll attempts to go over to his space of the house, he growls and hisses at her. 

I'm not sure how long ago he was neutered, I think about 4 months ago.  He was living with a semi-feral community and had some contact with the people who were feeding him.  However, once they TRN'd him he began getting in fights with the other cats in the community and ran towards the back of the development.  That's when I found him and began feeding him.  He is very social towards some people, although he is terrified of my husband, hisses and spits at him. 

Tx for the extra info.  OK, so it is not playing tough games nor simple taking dominance. He is also neutered sufficient long ago for all hormones to go out.

The detail he got to be aggressive firstly AFTER neutering is very interesting, and perhaps the key here.

It is not as it is supposed to be!

My theory for now is, he lost his confidence in himself he had as tom. As neuter, without good self confidence, he got aggressive instead.  Such in not uncommon with people and with dogs, so why not with cats?   So although a lesser common variation, I think it is so.

Lets us  proceed with ideas along this theory...  

Besides, as I understand it, he is not viciously and headlessly superaggressively attacking. He does a thorough job of warning signals, everything he can...

DOES he attacks for real? slashes with claws? Bites?  Draws blood?? Or at least, lots of fur?

I though you told you do use Feliway, but I dont see it at second reading. Do you use Feliway?

If yes, proceed. If not, do use.  

You can also try with soft, relaxing music. There is a standing tread about suitable music.

Try also when you are leading plays, so he plays simultaneously as your girls play. So this way they will come into playing together.

More ideas welcome!

Good luck!

Thanks for the advice.  I've been doing some shared play time, which seems to be going well.  It seems he really want to play with my ragdoll, he stalks her and runs up to her, but they haven't really gotten into a big fight, just some swatting of paws.  I have also begun letting my ragdoll go into his space so he begins to let go of the territorial issues.  However, I am always right there with them and when I feel the aggression building in him I take her out. 

It's been 6 weeks today that I took him in.  He hasn't been outside since.  I do have a screened in porch and was wondering if and when it might be ok to let him out there.  He is fine with staying in he looks out the sliders but doesn't cry to go out or anything.  I'm afraid that if I let him out there I will undo all the hard work of the past 6 weeks, and that he will revert and want to go back to being a wild outside cat.  Any thoughts on this?

Thanks

I have 3 cats my one cat is very mean to other cats. One thing is seems to be a given with street cats it takes time for them to feel safe. The best thing is time after a week or more the cat should calm down. Just do not push them let them get to know each other in own time. It may take a while but just remember be extra nice to them for reassurance. If cats feel overly stressed they may start to pee in the wrong places.  I hope things work out well for you.
 

Hi Robyn.  Your post is a little similiar to this tread, but I think it is best you have an own tread.  I had asked a mod to help you and let this your post be a start post in your own tread!     So just wait and see.

Welcome to our Forums!

Hi Babszi!

Nay, I think it is too early as yet to let him out to this screened place.  Such a place if safe enough (they are masters of wriggling out), is good for them.  But as he doesnt complains, let him be, till he is friends with both you and your residents.

If they are not friends yet, to go out will be a place not to be forced to be friends...

You are there and watch the aggressions. Had he ever attacked your resident for real?

if yes.  Did blood flooded, or lotsa of fur flew on? If not, or just some little fur, Im wondering. It was perhaps some warrior play anyway, although rough.  They can pretend and play aggression, as part of their games, you know. And some of the wrestling matches can be quite rough.  May be difficult to see and recognize as just game, if you hadnt seen them fight for real..

Thanks, that was my thought as well.  I figured if he isn't complaining to go out why let him out.

Well we had our fight bigger fight this morning.  I moved one of the gates so that it is just outside of the bathroom that he stays in, instead of in the hallway.  I wanted to give my cats some more time in the shared hallway so he begins to see that the whole house is a shared space. However he was not very happy that my Ragdoll was over by his room, even though she can't get into his room.  I did not see how the fight started all I heard was a lot of screaming and fur was flying.  It was all my Ragdolls fur, but this is typical as her as her hair always comes out in clumps when he and my other kittie get into it.  I have to say there wasn't as much fur with this fight as there has been between my two resident kitties.

I am always close by and never leave them unattended.  Whenever I have to go out I put him back into his little room and shut the door.  He has never attacked me although he spites and sometimes swipes his paw at my husband.  But like I told my husband, I think he is just doing that because he is scared of him and is being defensive.  If he wanted to attack him, he would have.  I am just very careful because my Ragdoll is so calm and really does not defend herself, although I am very proud that she is hissing at him when she doesn't want to be bothered.  She has never hissed before.  My other kittie just keeps her distance from him.  If he goes near her she hisses and he backs down.  She was a street cat as well, so I am not as worried about her, it's more my Ragdoll. 

Well again, thank you so much for always responding, I greatly appreciate your advice.