Bringing a stray into my home

I could find no where else to start my post,I had 2 feral cats a mama and daddy who had kittens last summer found the kittens a home, trapped mama and daddy got them fixed was feeding them and got them a igloo for my front porch, put blankets in it for winter for mama and daddy, they loved it and used it.The other day daddy got hit by a car and was killed, it broke my husband and I hearts, we had gotten attached to them,now mama I know misses daddy, she used to put her tail around his neck all the time and they both would look in the door at us and daddy would meow at us,mama is a little cat and I am worried about her being out there all alone, now, she comes to eat and drink water,but does not stay on the porch now at all,I would love to trap her and bring her in,I do have a male cat and a female cat, they were gotten outside about 6 years ago, the male was tame,30 lbs ,but the female was a kitten and feral, he would take care of her when they were out side, he walked right in , she took a month for me to catch her, she is still a little skiddish and wants to be rubbed on her terms, I am soo upset mama cat is out there all alone,I know she misses daddy, what would happen if I trapped her and brought her in,I don't think my cats would hurt her when I got these 2 I have now I had 3 other cats that are now dead from old age about 2 years ago.would she hide and never come out from under the bed? My friend said she would come out and eat at night,my friend feeds feral cats and has them fixed when they come in her yard and feeds them.

thanks

linda

lindau said:

 
I could find no where else to start my post,I had 2 feral cats a mama and daddy who had kittens last summer found the kittens a home, trapped mama and daddy got them fixed was feeding them and got them a igloo for my front porch, put blankets in it for winter for mama and daddy, they loved it and used it.The other day daddy got hit by a car and was killed, it broke my husband and I hearts, we had gotten attached to them,now mama I know misses daddy, she used to put her tail around his neck all the time and they both would look in the door at us and daddy would meow at us,mama is a little cat and I am worried about her being out there all alone, now, she comes to eat and drink water,but does not stay on the porch now at all,I would love to trap her and bring her in,I do have a male cat and a female cat, they were gotten outside about 6 years ago, the male was tame,30 lbs ,but the female was a kitten and feral, he would take care of her when they were out side, he walked right in , she took a month for me to catch her, she is still a little skiddish and wants to be rubbed on her terms, I am soo upset mama cat is out there all alone,I know she misses daddy, what would happen if I trapped her and brought her in,I don't think my cats would hurt her when I got these 2 I have now I had 3 other cats that are now dead from old age about 2 years ago.would she hide and never come out from under the bed? My friend said she would come out and eat at night,my friend feeds feral cats and has them fixed when they come in her yard and feeds them.

thanks

linda

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I think, NOW  is a good time for you to trap her and bring her inside.  Exactly as you are thinking on.

She knows you more or less, so she will accept your sweet sympathetic talking even much easier.

If she doesnt knows your residents, dont let them meet at yet.  It will be stressing in the beginning for her to meet them, hovewer friendly they are.

You do the sweet talking.    You do already have some experience, we will also help you with next steps.

After she has landed and you see she is healthy, you may let your residents met her.   Im sure it will go OK without much difficulties.

All in all,  I think you do have very good chances of success, and NOW is a good time to begin.

Good luck!

Stefan is right - bring her in, get her vetted and let her have her own space for a bit. She'll need to be wormed and have her vaccinations and then she'll need to learn to live inside. Put some dry leaves and dirt on top of the litter - she's used to using that and it will teach her that that is what litter is for.

Thank you for helping her. She does need you now and you are wonderful to step up for her.

Last year I had been caring for a stray/feral during the winter.  I trapped him and had him neutered and released him back to my yard.  I had 2 other ferals as well and the newest one had lots of territory issues.  There were battles daily.  I decided last year in late May to bring the newest guy into the house.  In my house I have one resident indoor only male cat and a dog.  I tried to trap him (Marvin) but as he had been trapped a few months earlier, he would not go near it.  I ended up rigging a medium sized pet carrier and I put tuna inside.  It took me hours and I did end up pushing him inside and closing the door behind him.  I had a spare bedroom ready for him.  I picked the mattress and boxspring off the floor as I knew he would make a bee line to hide under the bed.  I also blocked access behind a book case and another cabinet.  I had a small cat tree, some toys and beds.  I also had 2 litter boxes.  I tried the leaves and dirt, in one with litter on the bottom, but he had a few accidents.  Litter Attract by Dr. Elsey was the key.  He did freak out the first few days.  Composure feline treats were a big help as are feliway plugins.  I also played soft music 24/7 for the first week.  I kept him in his own room for almost 2 months.  First off I had to get him to the vet.  He had been neutered but only had a rabies vaccine.  I needed him dewormed, other vaccines and tests.  I set up the carrier in his room and fed him in it. After 2 weeks he was eating in the back of the carrier.  On the day of the vet appt I put a few morsels of food inside, he went in and I zipped him up! 

There are lots of articles on cat to cat introductions.  I will post them later for you.  At first just get her to the vet and inside a safe room.  Allow her to get used to inside living before introducing to your other cats.  The key is to take it slow. 

Thank you for helping out Mama and I am so sorry to hear of Daddy.

What I have learned from taking in strays and ferals is that all cats learn to get along and co-exist peacefully after a while. It can take a few weeks or several months, but they learn to share litter boxes, toys, food bowls, etc. because they know it's in their best interest to do so. Some become close buddies and others never become good friends, but still accept each other. It's interesting that the stray I took in a while back immediately bonded with two of my indoor cats, but my third was very jealous of this cat and frequently fought with him for about half a year. My stray passed away after living with us just over four years and all three cats seemed equally affected by his departure--they seemed depressed and moped around and hid under the bed for over a month. Even when they're not buddies, cats who co-habitate bond over time, so I really don't think you have anything to worry about--your stray will adjust just fine. 

thanks everyone, we will give it a try

hugsssssssss

linda

Good luck catching little mama, Lindau!   You have taken such good care of them all. I am so sorry about daddy.

A little time and a little patience, she'll be fine inside. As everyone has already mentioned, catch her, vet her, then give her (and your other cats) lots of time to adjust.

Do you think you'll have trouble catching her again? Did you have to use a trap when you had her spayed, or were you able to lure her into a carrier or cage?

yes, we have a safe trap, she was a little hard to trap, we set it out one day for another cat we are trying to catch to get fixed  and she looked ,but did not get in a possum did, that happens a lot here lo Lots of possums in the neighborhood

@lindau  - Just wondering if you have been able to catch mama?