A few concerns with a stray

I've recently brought an outdoors only, stray male cat into my home. He had already been neutered. I do not know his real age. We assume he is 2-3 years old. He is very gentle and very timid. I would definitely label him as a Gamma type of cat.  

I also have another cat in my home, strictly indoor cat, sort of an Alpha. 

My concerns with the stray are as follows:

1. Right after being picked up from the street he went to the vet where he had all his shots done, he was dewormed and deflead (is that even a word?) with Stronghold 45 mg. Now there are dead fleas everywhere in my bathroom, but no sign of worms in the litterbox yet. I worry that the deworming might not have been efficient. Is there such a thing as an outside cat without any worms? I worry about my other cat.

2. He is clearly depressed. This is not so much a physical health issue, more of a mental one. He will stare into the "great empty void" for hours. He cannot be tempted into playing and he will not leave his "safe" corner. He will occasionally be interested in really yummy food I bring him, but that's about it.

3. He is also very large, clearly overweight. My aim would have been to fix his condition through food and play sessions, but if he's completely ignoring us (see point nr. 2), what can I do about it now? 

I know I will need lots of patience with him, but in the meantime any advice would be most welcomed.

Worms can be really small, so they may have been excreted, you just can't see them.

The new cat (name  ? ) is undergoing a lot of changes right now; perhaps he is more scared, timid than depressed.  I would leave soft, calming music on when you're not with him, spend as much time in the room as you can (reading, working on the computer) so he can comfortable with you, and do give him a place he can hide like a cat carrier (propped open of course) or box.

Regarding the weight of your cat, for now, address it via food.  Here are some excellent threads about how to help your cat lose weight.  The first step is (if not already) to do scheduled feeding only and canned food.

http://www.thecatsite.com/t/257167/how-much-to-feed-my-cat

http://www.thecatsite.com/t/245236/mickey-my-27-lbs-foster-and-his-journey-back-to-a-healthy-weight  (comprehensive 'diary', especially helpful for a cat who is not food obsessed)

And the nutrition articles in this forum.

BTW:  it is somewhat unusual for a stray/feral cat to be overweight unless he is being fed by several people.  Generally stray cats use a lot of calories/energy trying to stay warm and hunt for food.   Do you know his background?  Has he had any blood work done recently?

If he is nuetered, gentle and overweight that makes me think he might be someone's lost house cat. Did you put up flyers? Someone is probably worried about him. He's a lucky little guy that you found him and are taking care of him

1) When I wormed my kittens I never saw any worms either. The vet said sometimes you don't see them .You could get another fecal test to be sure.

2) I'm sure he's scared and hiding because he's in a new place. His whole world changed overnight. After a while he should come out of his shell.

3) If you're feeding him dry, try switching to wet food. It's much healthier and doesn't have all the carbs that can lead to obesity. I'm sure as he adjusts to your home he will start to play and exercise more.

Good luck with everything

TheTigerDen said:

...He is also very large, clearly overweight. My aim would have been to fix his condition through food and...

Click to expand...

Welcome to the forum, TheTigerDen!

There'll be lots of time to deal with his weight later on, and, if you want the very best advice for that, this well-respected Vet offers it here: http://www.catinfo.org/?link=felineobesity Cats do NOT diet easily...they can't 'live off' their body fat like you and I and, unless caution is taken (especially with large cats) a very serious liver condition develops quite easily.

That article is one part of a much larger website on all things nutrition, plus some other relevant topics - enjoy!

I have to tell you - stories like yours are real heart-warmers!

Welcome to TCS Tiger! You've already gotten the links I was going to post which is a good thing :nod: I concur that the cat being overweight is an indication the cat is perhaps a lost house pet. I assume the cat was not chipped as you already him to the vet. Following the weight loss ideas on the links given to you will be a big help in his weight loss regime.

I'm not sure how you are doing with introducing the two cats but it sounds like you are doing okay. What a great thing you have done rescuing this cat!

Your replies are totally helpful and wonderful! I will try to answer them each, in turn.

Ritz,

I left out some parts of his story because otherwise it would have been a complete wall of text. Yes, this stray has been taken care by an amazing woman up until now. She takes care of an entire colony of strays, so to speak. She neutered them, she feeds them (kibbles, as you can imagine in this situation), and takes care of the ones who are sick. They all live outside, around her neighborhood. The reason she is putting some for adoption is that "sweet and gentle" people want to poison them. There was a huge scandal the day I showed up, so I definitely believe her when she says they are endangered. 

What I do know about him is that he was a one person cat (only came when she called him) and that he got beaten by the other males a lot. He's very very mellow and shy... despite being the largest of the group. Ironic huh? 

I have yet to name the guy. I have no idea how to call him. If anyone thinks up a good name, do PM me. (Edited to add: So tempted to call him Sam, as in Game of Thrones - Samwell Tarly...but that would be just cruel of me. )

smitten4kittens, 

I also believe he might have been someone's cat, but as I have explained to Ritz, that was way in the past. He showed up in that colony of strays more than a year ago... and he was already an adult by then. And NOT neutered. Maybe like so many other male cats, he got thrown out of home by people too lazy to spay the cats. 

Just in case,  even if I see no worms, I am throwing the litterbox contents and washing it thoroughly for a few days. And I do hope he will come to trust me fully, because from what I hear, he used to love playing with... branches (for lack of proper toys). I'm looking forward to introducing him to DaBird. 

WhiteShadow,

Thank you for the advice and the link, much appreciated! 

NutroMike,

No, I'm pretty sure he was not chipped. As for introducing them, I am following the established method and so far it's going as I was expecting - meaning no flowers and rainbows, but no clear display of violence either. Right now I am at the swap-blankets stage and rubbing their whiskers with a cloth. I keep him in the bathroom and when the door opens occasionally, my other cat will take a peak or if she's feeling generous and he is calm enough, they will exchange nose kisses, then back away really quick. 

I have yet to leave them together fully, I don't think they are ready for that yet. And certainly not at night or when I'm not around.  

That explains a lot.  Like the woman who feeds a cat colony, I do/did too. In fact, I removed eventually a total of six cats from the colony into a friend's home; we (well, she mainly) worked with the cats for several/many months and eventually five were adopted out into Furever Homes.  These six cats had probably never been in a home before, but were relatively young so re-socialization was possible.  Some hid for days; we simply kept on feeding them and proceeded slowly.  It was very cold outside, so part of them was probably glad they were inside.

I would keep on doing what you're doing.  DaBird is a good idea, so is DaMouse.  (If he is timid, he may not like things flying around his head; Ritz likes DaMouse, doesn't like DaBird for that reason.)