Help - Should I pair a friendly, adult stray with my younger indoor cat?

I'm really in need of some advice from seasoned cat owners/lovers - I'll try to keep this brief.

We have a 2 year old girl, Truffles, who has always been exclusively an indoor cat. She's very friendly but also timid - when we got her she didn't come out of her safe room for 14 weeks and even now she spooks easily although we've had her since she was 4 months.

The stray: For the past year and a half we have noticed a beautiful tuxedo cat in our neighborhood. We have assumed that he had owners so far as he has looked well cared for in the past. About 6 months ago he disappeared for 3-4 months and we discussed that perhaps his family moved. Well, 14 days ago he came back, and he's skinny, needy and hungry. I started feeding him at regular hours a week ago, and I haven't been able to locate owners in spite of my efforts. He has been camped out by our entrance since then, is very friendly and clearly in need of love and care.

Yesterday things took a turn however. On my way out the door I talk to him, pet him, and suddenly see for the first time a HUGE infected wound under his tail. I called our vet immediately, got him in a pet carrier (surprisingly easy) and took him. He's now being treated/tested there, should be out by tomorrow. 

- He's a 5-7 year old male, very friendly, lets people pick him up, all-round good tempered guy

- He's not chipped as I feared he wouldn't be. :-( 

- Vet said that he believed he had had the wound for a long time but would recover and seemed otherwise in good health. 

Now, we're discussing his future. I want to take him home after the vet and let him recover for a couple of days in a spare room of ours. He won't come in contact with Truffles (she's neutered, vaccinated, chipped by the way). He on the other hand probably won't be vaccinated as I think the vet will wait with that until he's recovered - Is it a bad idea to take him in for a while like this? I just feel that the vetinary care will be wasted if he immediately goes out and rips his stitches, gets in a fight etc. 

Right now my idea is to let him recover in a spare room for 3-4 days and see how that goes (have a feeling it will go well), then let him out again, continue to feed him and then take him to be neutered/vaccinated when he's recovered from the wound at a clinic for strays. After that I would take him home again and hopefully keep him for good this time. 

-Truffles has sniffed my hands after I've petted him intensively, there was no hissing, only much curiosity and sniffing - very positive!!!

-We have the time and space to allow for an ideal, slow introduction and have already discussed getting a second cat many times. 

-We won't be able to let him go out as we live on the 3rd floor. We have a large, secured balcony however and many great window sills. 

-The alternative is to find a shelter where he can go. We live in a country with a huge amount of strays and competition for adoption is fierce. So many kittens - I think he would have a hard time finding a family and feel his best chance is with us.

Can I make him a happy indoor cat? Am I over thinking this? He has completely stolen my heart and I want to do what is best for him. My boyfriend feels it would be torture to keep him indoors. I feel it would be torture to leave him outside, and that he has nothing to loose by moving in with us. If it really didn't work out we'd find a no-kill shelter for him where he would probably wait for a long time for a new owner. 

If you read through this, thank you. Any words of wisdom will be much appreciated!!! 

He sounds like he was more used to being inside than out, which may be why he hasn't objected to being in. I did not see whether he was neutered but that will make all the difference. I think you should follow your plan to help him heal and then integrate him into your home. Shy cats like Truffles often benefit from an animal companion. It's the people that scare them!

Good luck and please keep us posted. You are this poor cat's angel!

misstruffles said:

 
I'm really in need of some advice from seasoned cat owners/lovers - I'll try to keep this brief.
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If you read through this, thank you. Any words of wisdom will be much appreciated!!! 

Click to expand...

Hi and welcome to TCS!

First off, while he's at the vet he should be tested for FIV and FeLV, both of which he could give to your cat if they had contact and if he was positive.

2nd: he has no owner except you.  He is a domesticated stray, he's been in a home but the chances of him being currently owner are very small.  It would be GREAT if you could help hi at this crucial time, and your plan is a good one.  He goes in a room with no contact with your cat for the time being.  Many outdoor strays will be fine and adapt very well to being indoor cats.  As @Ondine said, you should also check to see if he was neutered and that should be done before he meets your cat.

As far as vaccines go, not having them isn't a big deal at this moment for your cat who presumably is vaccinated at least for FVRCP and Rabies.  But new cat could be incubating a cold and it can take over a week for it to show up, and he could give this to your cat so I'd say for the first week, not only no contact but you should wash your hands between touching him and your cat, and consider wearing an apron or similar when you're in the room with him.

After a week if he isnt ill with anything you ca start voluntary scent exchange between the two cats and start a slow and careful introduction that I will outline separately in another post.

On and when you say you have a secure balcony, what do you mean by "secure"?

CONGRATS on the rescue, you're doing a wonderful thing and deserve an award!!!!

When you're ready to start an introduction, here is my 2 cents:

There are several steps to a successful introduction, the goal being BFFs, not enemies or angry at you (especially the resident cat).  A careful introduction raises the stress level in incremental steps, allowing both cats, especially the resident cat time to acclimate to the stressor before being introduced to the next level.  You are going to move the "bar" closer and closer to the resident cat until the final step, a supervised face-to-face, becomes  a fender bender and not a car crash.

Step one: Complete separation, putting the new cat is a small room like a bathroom with food, litter and water.  Do not let the cats see each other - too much stress too soon.  Give the new cat time to adjust.  Give both cats time (a week+/-) to get used to this.  They will know each other is there.  Start feeding the resident cat nearer to the door, adjusting daily until he is at the door eating. Do voluntary scent exchange by rubbing the new cat's cheeks on a sock and then offering the sock as a gift to the resident. Don't force him to smell the sock, don't rub it on him. Observe his behavior and allow it.   Rub a clean sock on his cheeks and offer it to the new cat.  Continue to do this but never force either cat to interact with the other cat's sock.

When they are reasonably calm with everything in step one go to:

Step Two:  Allow the cats to see each other.  Two baby gates stacked on top of each other in the open door is a great way.  Cracking the door open and blocking it into position so they can't get through the door is another way.  With many cats the stress of this will make them revert, but it would have been much worse if you had started with this step.  Continue as if this was step one, but now with them seeing each other.  When they are both calm, no hissing or growling, you can go to:

Step Three: After eating meals and feeling satisfied (full stomach = less aggressive) and trimmed nails, you can start to do brief supervised introductions face to face.  Watch their body language and reactions and increase their time together until you are confident that they can manage on their own.

In General, treat the resident cat like he is King.  Don't do things to make him jealous. Don't discipline either cat for showing aggression, punishing them for what they feel is a normal behavior (and is normal for them) just raises the stress.  And follow your cats' lead on the speed of the introduction, there are no rules other than to listen to them.

http://www.thecatsite.com/a/introducing-cats-to-cats

http://www.aspca.org/pet-care/virtual-pet-behaviorist/cat-behavior/introducing-your-cat-new-cat

http://www.catbehaviorassociates.com/a-simple-little-trick-to-use-during-new-cat-introductions/

Thanks all for your great responses so far. It means a lot to me that you're willing to share you knowledge! I'm also becoming more and more certain that taking him in is the best thing to do all things considered - even if it means he will be "robbed" of his freedom in the eyes of others (my parents-in-law already think its really bad we're keeping Truffles indoors so it's already a lingering controversy).

He is indeed being tested for all these diseases at the vet's, they're doing blood work on him today. I hope and pray his health is good as this would greatly simplify things. I'm 90% sure he isn't neutered yet, but to be honest I'm not sure I understood the vet correctly on this. If he isn't already neutered he will be as soon as he is recovered from his current ailments. 

By secured balcony I mean that it is completely "netted in" and secured firmly. The net if of course manufactured for this purpose. It goes up well over 2 meter and also tilts inwards. Lots of large trees with plenty of cat TV around as can be seen! 



Once we actually get to the point where I can take him in for good, I will proceed more or less as you detail, StephenQ (thanks). Getting there is what I can't figure out right now. Under no circumstance will I let the two cats come in direct contact until Nugget (we always called him Hood Nugget, so now he's just Nugget) has been cleared for diseases. As you can probably tell by the cat net I'm a pretty serious (worried) cat mom ;-)

But for the case he isn't neutered - I know it affects them in terms of desiring to roam etc - but should it keep me from taking him home for recovery tomorrow if he's intact? Should I even set him "free" again or should I just isolate him in a safe room until I can get him neutered, given his last shots etc and then slowly start the introduction from that point on? 

This is him by the way. 

That is a great cat balcony!  My vote is for keeping him in if you can.  It sounds like he belonged to someone at some point so he should adjust just fine.  I would keep him in the safe room until you can get all his medical stuff done.  Good luck!

I agree I'd personally take the chance if he isn't neutered, but that's a personal decision.  I wouldn't be surprised if he is neutered, his head and neck are small and that suggests he's been fixed - intact males tend to develop large necks and heads (secondary sex characteristic).  But if he is intact, that doesn't mean he's going to mark, however his urine will smell awful.  A quick call to the vet and they should be able to tell you.

You deserve a medal, to really, one for the rescue and another for your amazing enclosed balcony! WTG!!!

Medal of Outstanding Rescue - 

Medal of Fantastic Safe Balcony -   

As I said, I'm not entirely sure that he's neutered - the vet told me, but there's a slight language barrier and he has a speech impediment, and I simply figured that would anyways come later (and if I have to neuter him there are volunteer vets who do it way cheaper - I took him to our usual vet because I freaked out when I saw his wound and had to act) so didn't bother to say "say again please". If he is neutered that would be an awesome break for both him and us!   Will definitely take him home tomorrow and will keep the thread updated.

I can't wait to get him home now and start building his new life!   Truffles required a lot of patience when we got her so I know this may be a challenge, but from everything I've seen from him so far I'm very optimistic on his behalf that he will adjust!

Wow, that balcony is amazing! I bet Truffles loves it and so will Nugget, who is a sweetie. He does appear neutered (as StevenQ) pointed out. Intact males get large ruffs around their neck and jaws . It makes them appear bigger and more intimidating.

As to your parents'-in-law opinion. Although this may not change their minds, tell them that inside/outside cats do not live as long as purely inside cats. Cars, fleas, ticks, worms, coyotes, raccoons, rotten people and other critters are only some of the dangers they face.

Glad you're proceeding. Try to take it easy and enjoy the experience. It's an amazing thing you are doing.

I can only speak from my personal experience. Back in 2006, there was a stray white Siamese cat on my block who had been hanging around on my block for about a year. I think someone owned him and then moved away and left him. I resisted befriending him for an entire year because I already had 3 indoor cats. One summer day he started to meow, which was very unusual. I gave him some food. For one week, he greeted me after work on my porch and I fed him. On the 7th day, I opened my front door and he walked inside. I skipped the step of isolating him and slow introductions because he seemed very much at home from his first step inside my house, and my intuition said that he was where he was meant to be. Once he entered my home, he never  expressed the desire to go back outside. He immediately got along well with 2 of my other cats and had some scuffles with my 3rd, but within a few months, they worked out their differences. There were never issues with marking territory. I named him "Angel," and he was the best cat I ever had. He died four years later of acute kidney failure, and all of us--including the cat he used to sometimes scuffle  with--grieved over him for a very long time. Angel knew I had rescued him and every day of his life he expressed friendship and affection.

When you rescue a stray, they never forget that you saved them. They love you in a way that is even deeper  than the way ferals and domesticated cats that have been raised in your home love. I never regretted taking in that stray, and if you take in your handsome tuxedo cat, you won't, either.

I took Angel to the vet several days after taking him inside; I learned that he'd already been neutered and had been declawed (which horrified me since he was surviving on his own with no front claws outside!) He had no illnesses or diseases, except for mild asthma. FIV and FelV are still pretty uncommon (1-5% of the cat population), so if your stray isn't exhibiting any symptoms of illness, I would take him in and keep him inside and not let him out again. I'm glad you're getting lab tests done today for your peace of mind. Even if he does have FIV, that is not a death sentence, and remember that about a third of positive FIV tests are false positives. You can keep him in a spare room for a week or two until his veterinary care is complete, but there's no reason to not allow him inside of your home because of a very remote possibility that he may have an illness. I strongly suspect that like Angel, he will not miss his old life. I also strongly suspect that he will become a good friend and companion to your other kitty.

His probable story:  At first he was an happy outside / inside kitty.  Later on the family moved, taking him with them.   He happened to go astray - perhaps fled from them to go to his old revire.  Possibly their circumstances becomed very much worse and they dumped him - and he choose to wander back to his home revires.

The time as homeless was very difficult for him.  It was only he was somewhat used to be outside which made he barely saved his life.

Normally, it may be difficult to make a happy in- and outside kitty into a pure inside kitty.  Being outside is pure joy for him - when he gets unpleasant, scared or hungry, its just to go home, and enjoy the home instead.  This way,  it is often much easier with a pure  semiferale -  they KNOW the outside can be scary and terrible.

He was an outside/ inside cat.  But he was ALSO an unsuccessful homeless in a time.   NOW it will be much easier for you to make a inside only cat than if you buyed him from his owners half a year ago.

So, my advice is, after the usual vet check up and testing, you try and adopt him.   Next step is you do a suitable introduction.  Chance is even good he will be submissive to your resident, trying to please himself in.

Tx for caring!

Good luck!

Thanks all! I'm picking him up this afternoon - his tests all came back negative, his surgery (to treat the wound) went great, he's healthy and I can't wait to pick him up!!! His room is all ready for him!!! I barely slept all night so now I'm just so elated and happy!



I'll keep you posted on everything!

Woo hoo!

I just came home with Nugget 30 mins ago - and everything is working out better than I could ever have imagined. 

He's indeed neutered already. I'll have to care for his wound for a weeks time and in 10 days we're going back to remove the stitches and perhaps give him his shots if he's well enough. Vet thought he might be as old as 10 but there's no way of knowing - he's in good health and has recovered quickly from surgery.

Took him home, into his safe room, closed the door behind me and let him out of the pet carrier. He went straight to the food bowl (which is placed on top of one of Truffles' blankets), ate, head butted my leg and then threw himself on the floor under my makeup table and began purring and stretching his footies   now he's napping. When I tried to leave the room Truffles was standing outside sniffing in, I got out eventually and let her sniff the blanket from his carrier. None of them have hissed or showed the least bit of hostility so this is overwhelmingly positive!!!!   Now I'm sitting on the couch with Truffles who's grooming as if nothing ever happened!!!! I'm doing my best to spoil her for being so good 

Best day ever. 

I love sayin' it--I told you so! Strays make wonderful pets.  Looks like you and Truffles have a new buddy This cat is never going to miss his old life. 

Congratulations!!!!!  Were all happy and excited for you!