Stray kitten and stray cats - socialising them

Hi,

About 10 days ago I found a kitten in the middle of the road. The vet said she was about 4 weeks old. I couldn't find anybody to take care of her and I couldn't bring her home although I tried.

There is a woman in my neighborhood that feeds cats in her back yard. She has a large cage there (fit for a German Shepherd) .

She said as long as I take care of the kitten I can put her there. I showed the cage to a vet and he said that it's huge and perfect for her as she can also play in it.

Anyway , I go there about 3-4 times a day and release her and make sure she eats.

The vet said that in a week I can start releasing her also when I am not around.

The issue is that there are other stray adult cats there (they are spayed) and I am scared and don't know how to go about introducing them.

Since she is in the cage they can approach her and see her and smell her and she them.

Also, there is this one cat that I also saved about 3 years ago when he was a kitten and he is huge now and always around. I am most worried about him. First, I want him to know it's still his territory. And secondly, I want them to get along.

When I am there I pat both of them and he usually ignores her or hisses at her and walks away. Today, he approached her, smelled and smacked her with his claws - nothing happened to her.

The first week the cage was sealed with a kind of coloured plastic so nobody could see in or out...wanted her to feel safe. Yesterday, we took the plastic off so that they can see each other also when we aren't around. She has a huge blanket that she loves going in and hiding.

I am not sure I am introducing them the right way. I am stressed and really need help. I really need to be able to start letting her out when I am not around as in a week I am starting to work again and won't be able to go there often like now.

I would say first that you need to relax. Cats are incredibly sensitive to emotions and I've found that if I'm stressed, so are they. The opposite is also true, that is if I'm relaxed and happy they tend to follow suit. Personally, I think you're handling it just fine. Cats take to each other on their own terms and on their own timetable. The last kitten I socialized BEGGED for my other two ferals to visit. If they did, it was to give her the stink eye and then leave. She SOOOOO wanted their company and they just weren't going to let her have it. But, when I would take her out to play, each of the cats would stand just outside the room and watch. I think they enjoyed watching her jump and play but they weren't ready for interaction. By watching her play with me, they both learned that she wasn't really a threat, just a nuisance! I ended up socializing the kitten myself and she's been adopted and is fine today.

I'm not certain that you need to feel pressured to let her out on her own. My vote is to give it more time. I go a lot more time with mine. Giving it more time helps in a number of ways. It gives the existing cats more time to sort out the new situation. It gives you more time to develop routines that are comforting to everyone and cats love routine. It also allows you to continue your assessment and learn more about your new cat. Knowledge is crucial. When I do let my caged cats out on their own, I open the cage door and walk away. This gives them the opportunity to still retreat to the cage. I always have a cat hideway in my acclimation cages so that they can really retreat if they so choose. So, the cats have freedom as well as a feeling of security. I also make sure they have an easy to get to "high spot" like a tree or, in my case, a wooden crate that allows them to jump up on one of the shop benches. There, they'll find a bed so that they can rest "up high" but out of the cage if they so choose.

Again, I think that there's no mandate for when you should allow more freedom. If you're not sure, play it safe and wait a bit longer.