new to taking in a feral cat

I have five rescued cats from neighborhood or shelters - they are all indoors only. All of them were far from feral though and have always been very used to humans.  And then we just took in a feral cat this week. I didn't see another option other than to set a humane trap for her to get her to the vet for very vital care, because she was skinny, losing hair and in bad shape.  She got all her shots, neutered, and is free & clear of any diseases, all the tests were done. Last Friday she was then sent home with me & is in separate room upstairs to recover from surgery and to get used to being indoors & with humans. 

It's been a very uphill battle and very stressful. I just want the best for her.  I read lots of articles on what to do & we have done many of those things to help her get more comfortable with us.  But it is very back & forth in the trusting department. But my biggest worry about how to acclimate her to the rest of house and with the five other cats.  We will keep her in the bedroom alone as long as we can but she is already growing restless in there.  All five cats have shown different reactions to her, two are curious, two are completely ignoring her and one is hissing and growling everytime he comes near her door.  It just seems very overwhelming. I have only had her in the house and with us for 4 days, how long should she remain apart from everything?  And what is the best way to introduce her to my other cats?

With true feral cats, the most you may ever be able to accomplish is a peaceful existence in the house. She may never be a true pet but she may be able to live inside. First of all, I would give her a good week and a half to two weeks alone in the room. She needs time to recuperate and adjust.

If you have a screen door or double baby gates, you can put it up in the doorway and let all the cats meet. As you have noted, each will react differently.

Do you have plans for her if she is unable to acclimate to an inside life?

By that last question, I meant that you might be wise to have a Plan B. The most important thing is to take it slowly and let her be the guide in this new adventure for you all. Thanks for helping her!

I agree with Ondine; the new cat needs time alone to adjust to a multitude of changes.  I would at this stage scent swap:  leave something of yours that is sweaty next to food, so she associates one scary thing with a good thing.  I'd hold off a little bit longer for the cats to see each other through a screen door.  In a few days, scent swap among the cats.

And, leave soft music playing when you're not in the room, and some Feliway and Rescue Remedy, too.  And a toy that she can play with by herself.

Thank you for helping her.

How old is she? I have to warn you that she may never be happy living inside/fully adjust to it.  I think it is wonderful that you are helping her, but I agree with the above that you should think seriously about a plan B if she proves to be incapable of living inside.  Some feral cats  simply cannot ever be housebroken.  In general they feel like they have a home- outdoors- and that they want to be living there.  She may never come to view you as non-threatening though with time she should stop hissing at you/attacking you if you leave her totally alone.  I know this is not awesome to hear but I feel like you should know what you are possibly getting into.  While many on this forum have experience in housebreaking feral cats successfully sometimes it cannot be done and often it cannot be done to the degree an owner might wish for.

For now, though, patience is key.  I agree with what has been said already.  Leave something with your scent in the room with her and disturb her as infrequently as possible for at least a week.  When you do go in there speak to her in a very low, calm voice, but do not approach her.I recommend telling her what you are doing just to have something to say (i.e. 'I'm just changing your litterbox now' etc).

If there are other humans in your home, leave something with their scent in the room too.

I would definitely hold off for now on introducing her to the other cats

The vet says she has her adult teeth so she may be anywhere from 8mo. - 1 year. She is very very small about 5- 6 lbs. and has lots of hair loss from stress from living outdoors with other more aggressive cats, the vet thinks.

She is doing pretty good in her own room, getting used to life indoors, except her very drastic mood swings. She will be purring and rubbing herself on your hands and face and then then suddenly get flattened ears and start growling.  I instantly back off and give her space but it's very confusing.

I am using Bach's rescue remedy drops in her water. I will definitely wait a lot longer to give her run of the house, if I can contain her in the room, she cries alot. My husband & work all day so I only have evening hours to be in there with her and when she is feeling OK about it.
 

Is she using the litter box? If so, that and the fact that she will allow you to touch her at all tells me she's not truly feral. A true feral would not let you near it. So, that's really good news! Ritz's advice about leaving your scent is excellent. You can also try going in the room every so often and reading aloud to her. The sound of your voice will help her get used to you and will soothe her.

Yes overall I am encouraged. She used the liter box from day 1 and does let us touch her on her terms. She has not bite or scratched in fear, just hisses and growls and maybe a lounge of warning in our direction.

But there is something that is a big problem.  The side of the room that she uses to hide when she is scared, if myself or my husband stand up and start going to that part of the room, she totally freaks out. I think it's because she is afraid to be cut off from her safe spot -behind the rocking chair. If we make any move to go the computer desk which is in the middle of room, she hisses, growls and lounges and then goes behind the chair.  We are usually OK if we don't go to the middle of the room and beyond.  Any idea how to get her used to us walking anywhere in the room & solve this?

Also she cries in entire time she is alone in the room - all night last night.  I try to visit as much as possible in the evening after work and before we go to bed but I don't think that is enough. She is very angry about being alone but I don't see any other option since the rest of the 5 cats are out in the house.

I agree with some of the other comments, a true feral will NOT be crying when left alone, it just wouldn't happen! She must have had some amt of human contact and simply reverted to feral from lack of it/living outdoors.

I wouldn't be concerned with the introducing the other cats, she needs time to get aquainted and comfortable with you first.

Cats act feral to humans but act like cats with other cats. When the time comes, you will simply start with a slighly opened door, just enough for a couple minutes to sniff faces, then close it again.

This creates a cat's curiosity, which also helps when they finally do meet.

She is nowhere near ready to be exploring or taking in anymore new ventures until you have established some trust with her.

I would spend as much time as you possibly can with her, on the floor, on her level, at her pace.

Lay there with maybe an irresistable treat in your hand, let her come to you for it when she is ready.

I sing, talk in a boobookitty voice always, keep a radio with soft music all the time for her, read out loud, no fast movements, etc.

Walking in and going to the direction she is at causes her to stress out because there is no trust yet, she has no idea what you are up to.

Allowing/creating other areas of the room to have safe spots for her is great. Even empty boxes along the floor with the open side against the wall with enough space between it and the wall for her to get inside is good, anything up against the wall and she will have options, where only a rocker to be safe is not enough when that's where you are headed when you enter the room.

If you need to use the computer or desk, you need to use it. The idea of offering treats is a good one. Maybe you can offer bribes whenever you need to use them. She'll be happy to have you there once she realizes she get treats whenever you need them!

featherysea said:

The vet says she has her adult teeth so she may be anywhere from 8mo. - 1 year. She is very very small about 5- 6 lbs. and has lots of hair loss from stress from living outdoors with other more aggressive cats, the vet thinks.

She is doing pretty good in her own room, getting used to life indoors, except her very drastic mood swings. She will be purring and rubbing herself on your hands and face and then then suddenly get flattened ears and start growling.  I instantly back off and give her space but it's very confusing.

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Some cats, even ones fully tame and pampered since kittenhood, have a switch that gets flipped once they get "too much" attention.   The too much is determined by them and the secret rules in their cat brains.   With that type of cat I make sure to always leave them wanting more, pet them some but stop well before the point they usually flip.   Then let the cat approach again if they want more petting.   You'll figure out soon what the time limit is or if there's a particular way of petting that sets her off. 

Bastfriend said:

Some cats, even ones fully tame and pampered since kittenhood, have a switch that gets flipped once they get "too much" attention.   The too much is determined by them and the secret rules in their cat brains.   With that type of cat I make sure to always leave them wanting more, pet them some but stop well before the point they usually flip.   Then let the cat approach again if they want more petting.   You'll figure out soon what the time limit is or if there's a particular way of petting that sets her off. 

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I have one like that.  You can train them to tolerate more attention if you really want (and if you have time and patience) but I find it easier to just give mine what he wants... he comes back soon enough for more