Reuniting two feral cats

Greetings everyone! I stumbled onto this forum while looking for advice on integrating a recent rescue to my home. A bit of background about me, and the current situation.

I'm an American living abroad. I've had pets, particularly cats all my life. The cats are ALWAYS rescues (sometimes from a shelter but mostly from the streets). My husband and I are actively involved in animal rescue work and have 33 cats in our home in the Philippines, all of them rescued street cats, plus some other ferals who come around for food and water. We also have 14 rescued dogs.

I'm currently living in Kuwait for work. When I arrived here a few months ago, I met a few cats outside my apartment building. I started carrying food every day and feeding them in the mornings and evenings. Two of the cats are very, very sociable, very affectionate, always come when I call (even run to meet me at my car in the parking lot) and would show up for food twice a day, almost without fail. They are a boy and a girl. Two others are much more feral. They come around for food, but less regularly, and are less trusting of people. They eat the food I give them but never let me touch them. One of those is a big, surly, stocky tom-cat, the other is a very pregnant female.

I named the two sociable cats Cookie and Aladdin. Unlike the other two (whom I haven't named), Cookie and Aladdin hung out together, were friends and like people. She was malnourished and he had a serious tail injury that required medical attention. I decided I would earn their trust and attempt to bring them indoors. If nothing else I wanted to get them healthy and have them spayed / neutered so they couldn't reproduce.

Again, I do have a LOT of experience with street cats and ferals, but I know that every case is unique just as every cat is unique. About 6 weeks ago, I was able to trap Cookie with surprising ease. I did it on my last work night of the week so I'd have the weekend with her (I'm living alone here because my husband is back home in the Philippines). She spent the first 24 hrs in deep hiding, but she did come out to eat when I was sleeping. By midway through the 2nd day she was out in the open with me and willing to eat while I sat right next to her. I had lots of toys and bought a cat tree with some hidey-holes in it, and she came out of her shell completely within a few days. I haven't gotten her spayed yet because I wanted her to be 100% comfortable with her new environment and lifestyle, knowing that spaying is a serious surgery and I wanted her in a calm mental state. I did give her a deworming treatment, her appetite is strong and bodily functions are all regular. Now she's a snuggle bug and a little princess with her run of the place.

The same night I trapped Cookie, I tried to catch Aladdin. My goal was to bring them indoors together so that some part of their old life (each other) would be intact. I planned to get him straight to the vet, however, to take care of the tail and get him neutered so there was no chance of her getting pregnant. Unfortunately, Aladdin was not easy to catch. Although he's very trusting of me, the moment I tried to grab him and put him in the carrier he flipped out. I was scratched up pretty good (had to stop and go to the pharmacy next door to buy bandages and ointment). I was really upset, because I thought it would take me months to earn his trust again. But in fact I was able to get him to come back over to me (though he was MUCH more suspicious this time) and eat within an hour of the failed grab.

At this point, I decided I should spend the next few weeks earning his trust again and wait for my husband who was coming to visit to help me catch him. Within days he was 100% back to normal, rubbing on me and letting me pet him while he ate, running to meet me at the car, etc. I wanted to get that tail treated but his tail had been injured for longer than I knew him and there wasn't much I could do without help. So I waited.

When my husband came, it took several attempts and ultimately came down to feeding him food with a sedative, then it was still hard to catch him. He wouldn't go anywhere near a trap, I tried that. He's suspicious of confined spaces.

Long story short (too late?) we DID get him to the vet this last Friday. The vet speculated his tail was injured by being trapped or caught in something, and breaking it off. About 1/3 of his tail is missing and has been a bloody, festering wound for the whole 3 months I've been feeding him. The vet believed he may have a pinched nerve, which would cause him pain and lead him to lick or otherwise mess with it, which is why the tail was always raw and bleeding. She recommended a full tail docking to prevent future injury (this is an EXCELLENT vet hospital with very, very high standards, so I believed her and took her recommendation at face value).

So...

Aladdin as at the vet. He has now been neutered and had the rest of his tail removed. He's also been treated for parasites (we know he had worms) and is on antibiotics, getting full bloodwork, vaccinations, etc. I decided to board him at the vet for his entire recovery. My husband is back home now so I wouldn't have anyone to be with him to make sure his stitches didn't come out or he didn't re-injure himself in any way. I also didn't have confidence I could handle a really feral cat in a cone for 10 days of recovery....so I left him there. Obviously he is super freaked out by his current surroundings. I went to visit him yesterday and my friendly, cross-eyed, bob-tailed love muffin was squashed into the corner hissing madly with his now-tail-stump tucked beneath him. Thankfully he is eating and all his functions appear to be normal. The vet says they are giving him something for pain but he is traumatized by the tail surgery (I hate it but honestly it had to be done, his tail was really bad and on the verge of sepsis) and the strange new environment. He will be there one more week and then I can bring him home.

I know the normal recommendation for feral cats (especially ferals being introduced to indoor cats) calls for isolation and controlled introduction. I believe that he and Cookie will be happy to be reunited. I think having her familiar presence will help him integrate.

By the time he comes home from the vet it will be nearly 2 months since they last saw each other. She's still the same cat but may seem different now that she's more domesticated. They still know each other's scent. Before catching him we had them each sniff clothes and toys the other had been in contact with, and they spent a long time sniffing these items thoroughly.

When he comes home next week, I'm trying to decide what approach to take. And that's where I need advice. Should I follow the protocol and keep him separate for the first couple of days? Or should I let them both have free reign of the apartment so they can reunite?

Sorry for the long post. Thanks for reading, and I appreciate any advice you guys have.

By the way, here are some pictures. As you can see, Cookie has adjusted to domesticated life quite well. This is Aladdin pre-trapping.

I've never had this exact situation - but my gut says to keep them at least partially separated for a few days. If nothing else, he's going to smell like the vet AND fear --both of which will make him smell very different than he used to to her. Plus he'll look different too. I think eventually they'll be fine together, but I'd take it a bit slowly. Do you have a large dog crate (or can you borrow one?)?you can start him in? I'd put the carrier you bring him home in inside the large crate. And I'd put something she's slept on inside the dog crate for him to remember her scent. If you're worried at all he'll escape, we rig it so that we can pull the door of the carrier open (& tie it open to the side of the dog crate) once the door to the crate is shut so there's no chance of escape. I think you give him a few days in the dog crate before letting her into the room. I'd take something (blanket/towel) he's been sleeping on and put it where she sleeps so she gets used to his scent too. I'd also use a Feliway plug in in whatever room you have him in to help keep him calm & ease his transition.

I think I'd keep her out of "his room" for a while. Once you've "cat proofed" the room he's in (made sure he has nowhere to hide ) & feel comfortable letting him out into that room, I'd start feeding them on either side of the door, getting used to each other's smells again. Hopefully it'll go quickly, but remember, he's going to probably feel extra fearful - and vulnerable - because of his injury/surgery. But I bet in just a bit they'll readjust! Just give them a little time. What an amazingly wonderful thing you've done for both!!!!!

Keep us posted as to how they're both doing -& how well the reintroduction goes!

Beautiful kitties! Gorgeous markings on Cookie-what a love!!!! And boy you can see even in that picture that Aladdin's tail needed help. So glad you could do that!

Thanks! I appreciate the advice. I don't have a big cage but I do have a room in my apartment I can set him up in. Plenty of space. I'll buy a nightlight so I can keep it dark and put some soft things to lay him on. After 11 days confined in a cage at the vet I think he'd be happier with a controlled, but larger space. I've already got one litter box in the room and plan to pick up another (giving me a total of 3 for the apartment) and I have some soil I can use in lieu of litter to help him adjust and feel more normal. I have a trough of cat grass I've been growing, Cookie likes to climb into it and nom nom on the grass. I think I'll put that in the room with him for a few days. He'll pick up her scents and get a bit of outdoor smells again (he LOVES laying on the grass in front of my building).

I can try feeding her on the other side of the door but not sure that will work. She is very routine driven. Her safe zone is the living room sofa. When she first started coming out around the apartment she would only let me pet her when I was sitting on the sofa. I had to put her food and water by the coffee table to get her to eat regularly. Once she became more adjusted, I moved her food dish to a different spot in the same room, and she's been kind of persnickety about it. I tried to get her to eat in the kitchen and she is not having it. She just goes over to her usual spot and yells at me until I move the food dish. (I'm so well trained....*sigh*)

Here are some better pictures of Cookie. She is a really pretty girl.

Ahh they are very lucky you found them

Cookie is really gorgeous! (you can probably tell by my avatar - our cat Bowie - that I appreciate a cooly-marked black and white kitty!). 

I think what you're describing you're going to do is absolutely fine. We all have to - to a certain extent - follow our hearts and what our kitties indicate. You know him better than any of us do! We all just have our experiences to go on - but you have your particular kitties' personalities!

I went to visit Aladdin yesterday. Health-wise he's doing well, eating and drinking, stitches look good and his wound is healing well. I haven't been able to pet him and they don't even want me to open the cage when I go because he's been so assertive and they're worried he will dart out. The last time I visited he was scrunched into the back of the cage. This time he was at the front of the cage. He still hissed at me, but he was also talking to me. I got a couple of angry yowls, but when I stood by the cage and talked to him sweetly, doing the slow-blinky trick, he let out some more pitiful sounding meows.

I still have 5 more days until I can bring him home, so I wanted to take something to help him get reacquainted with our scents. I have a shirt I've slept in for several nights, and I've been tricking Cookie into laying on it and rolling around with it, too. Planning to go back to the vet today and leave it in the cage until I bring him home. I'm contemplating taking her favorite poof toy as well. I'll use the shirt to reintroduce Cookie to his scents (mingled with both of ours) when he comes home.

He's angry and scared right now, but I could see it in his eyes, once he's in a place where he feels safe and loved and comfortable, he's gonna be my buddy again. I can't wait for he and Cookie to be reunited. She is so much more playful than she was when she was living outside. She's very confident in her environment now, and I think she will help him integrate.

Fingers crossed!

Well today was supposed to be the day I brought Aladdin home, and I've been anxiously counting down the days. The vet recommended waiting one more day, however, just to be 100% sure his surgical wound is healed (he had to have a tail docking because of a traumatic tail injury). Since it was going to be one more day, I went out to visit him yesterday after work. He is clearly grumpy and tired of that cone and that enclosure. I can't wait to bring him home.

Cookie does better every single day. Last night we fell asleep on the couch together. Less than 2 months ago she lived on the streets and slept under a dumpster. Last night she slept on my chest. I can't go 5 feet in my apartment without her right on my heels. I think she and Aladdin will be happy to reunite. I'll find out soon.

Tomorrow's the day!

Ahh that's good news, let us know how it goes tomorrow

Finally got to bring Aladdin home. His stitches are out but the doc wants him to wear his cone just a little longer. He hasn't hissed at me (so that's an improvement). He's mostly hiding quietly in his cave I made out of furniture and towels. He was so calm that I came to hang out in the room with him and decided to leave the door open so Cookie could come in and see what's what. She approached very, very cautiously, craning her neck as far into the room as she could to sniff the air, then moving in slow motion around the carrier, past me, to his cave. She stared for a bit, then he moved and scraped his cone on the wood, she got startled and ran out. He popped out for a drink of water (also a good sign), went back in his cave but faced me this time, and talked to me for about 10 minutes. Then he decided he wanted to see a little more of this new place he's in and gingerly wandered out of the room. I had closed off all the rooms with difficult hiding spots, leaving only the living room, my bedroom and the hallway / foyer....none of which have good hiding spots.

Cookie was in the living room and before I could follow him here I heard them lightly squaring off, just checking each other out, fearful sounds, low whiny growl. I hustled into the living room and found him staring under the sofa at her, shooed him back to his room and closed the door. I've got classical music playing for him now, and Cookie is back on the couch with me sprawled out.

I haaaaaaate that he has to wear the cone still. I also hate that I have to go to work tomorrow, so the best bet is probably to leave him closed up in that room while I'm gone to ensure no incidents take place. After tomorrow I'll be home for 2 days (weekend) and I think we'll make some progress. Fingers crossed....


First peek out of the carrier. (Sorry for my shoe, I had to prop the door open so he'd come out)


This is the first I've seen of his new tail since the surgery.


Cookie standing in the hallway trying to decide how to approach.


Very, very cautiously....


First peek of each other, no growling.


Cookie left and Aladdin came out for some water.


Back to his cave and expressing his displeasure with his "situation"


A brief exploration.

Ahh glad things are progressing, cookie may be more accepting of him once the cone comes off, and she is used to his smell again.

You could try a thrive collar or a buster collar, they are like soft inflatable rings that go around the cats neck, my cat found this more acceptable than the cone! See below, it would still stop him getting to his tail! The first photo is the buster collar and the second is the thrive collar. She seemed to prefer the thrive one.
!

Thank you for the suggestion @evamilly, unfortunately that kind isn't available here in Kuwait where I am. I may see if I can order one from the states before I get Cookie spayed, although I have a feeling she'd worm her way out of that. She does not like ANYTHING constraining her too much.

So the first couple of days were rougher than I'd hoped, but we have made HUGE progress since. Quick recap:

I picked up Aladdin on Wed night after work. Since I had to work the next day, I decided to keep him closed up in his room while I was gone. Friday and Saturday are my weekends. When I came home from work Thursday he surprised me by trotting right out and greeting me when I came in to feed him. He even let me pet him briefly!

He was so calm and collected I decided to take that collar off. I was going to have 2 full days at home and I want him to start adjusting to his new environment as quickly as possible. They had that cone fixed on there really good, though. I was able to untie the gauze they used to hold it in place, but as for getting the cone off....no dice. He flipped out and then wouldn't let me go near him again, retreating back to his cave.

I spent a lot of time in the room with him Thursday evening, tried engaging him a few times. He showed some interest in toys but mostly wanted me to ignore him....which I (mostly) did.

I decided at that point (just as evamilly suggested) to not physically reintroduce Aladdin and Cookie until the cone came off. So I went to bed Thursday night with him still closed up and the cone still on.

Friday morning I decided that cone was coming off, come hell or high water. It took several attempts, and eventually I had to dismantle the cave I built for him so he had nowhere to hide. But the cone came off. After that he was FURIOUS with me, so I had to put his cave back together and leave him alone for awhile. I closed him up in the room again and left him to chill with some relaxing music playing.

Late Friday afternoon I went and opened the door. Didn't try to engage him, didn't try to coax him out, I just gave him the opportunity if he wanted to explore. I closed off several rooms in the apartment (particularly my kitchen which is full of tricky hiding spots) so as not to overwhelm him. Less than an hour later, he ventured out.

He explored a bit but as soon as I made eye contact with him he low-crawled back to his cave.

Fast forwarding a bit.....this routine repeated several times. Cookie never growled but she was definitely curious/anxious about this "new guy". I eventually went to bed and braced myself for a long, sleepless night. Just as I predicted, once the apartment was dark and quiet, he came out and began expressing himself loudly. Cookie did the same thing the first time I brought her home, so I was ready for it. It's just part of the process....he has to find his own way around and express himself.

The next day (Saturday) I left the door open the whole day, and after he ventured out a few more times, seeming a little more comfortable each time, I decided to open all the rest of the doors in the apartment. This gave him full range of discovery...including the kitchen full of interesting smells and tiny dark spaces. I also gathered up all of Cookie's cat toys (including her impressively large jingly ball collection) and scattered them throughout the apartment to encourage him to play.

By late Saturday afternoon he was hanging out on the bed in the spare bedroom, playing chase and keep-away with Cookie, who was feeling playful but still a little anxious. Later he found the cat tree by the balcony window (I'm on a high floor overlooking the water). So there were lots of new sights to take in. After going to bed, he wandered into my room where Cookie and I were sleeping and trotted around the bed numerous times.

This morning as I was getting ready for work, they were running around playing together. He started playing with some of the toys I'd left lying around and became much more personable again. When I put food down for him before heading out the door, he even rubbed all over my legs the way he used to when I fed him outside. Great progress, I'm so pleased.

I have a 3-day work-week this week and then we're off for 5 days for a local holiday. I'll be staying home the entire time apart from a few errands I have to run. I'm hoping we'll make even more progress with all that quality time towards integrating him and helping him feel completely comfortable in his new home. I'm leaving for vacation in a few weeks time so I want to "normalize" his environment and new life as much as possible, as quickly as possible.

Some pictures. 
Exploring a bit.


Chilling out with music from Relax My Cat on YouTube (that channel is the BEST you guys).


Next day, playing chase with Cookie (she started it, too!)


Found the scratching post!


Cookie (aka Princess Pickypaws) eyeing this newbie hanging out on HER cat tree.


Isn't he handsome? 

Ahh I'm so pleased everything is going well, they are both beautiful cats! He looks comfortable with the cone anyway! Love the pictures- you photograph them very well. Keep us posted on their progress

What gorgeous kitties and WHAT a happy ending!!!!!! Keep us posted with pictures & tales!

Well the news gets better and better. He's been home 6 days today. Last night when I came home from work they were playfully chasing each other around. Still a few grumbles and growls here and there (mostly coming from Cookie) but they're just sorting out which one of them (Cookie) is in charge. He was happily trilling and running around the apartment, playing with jingle balls, feather toys and more.

He even made himself at home on MY side of MY bed. LOL


Meanwhile, Princess Pickypaws gathered up a bunch of her toys in one spot and laid right on top of them, giving us both side-eye.


This morning they were both pouncing on me to wake me up, and when I went to feed them even tried eating out of the same bowl. She seems really happy to have a playmate and he seems to be happy and insanely curious about his new environment. 

Sidebar: I didn't get it on camera, but I was watching TV last night and Aladdin kept walking by the big rectangular blinky thing in the living room and suddenly getting startled by the movement. Then he would freeze and stare intently at it. I'm guessing he's never seen a TV before. 

Aladdin update: He and Cookie are getting along so well. They play together, chase each other and wrestle all day long. He comes up to me for rubs when I feed him, and he responds to play, but he won't get too close otherwise. It took Cookie a few weeks and, well, you can see she's pretty comfortable with me now. He's adjusting faster than she did so I have hopes we'll make big strides in the next couple of weeks.

I'm loving all the updates..

That last photo is just gorgeous....

Thats touching. Sincerely sending happy thoughts your way

Ahh Cookie clearly loves you - very sweet photo, I'm sure Aladdin will be on the other shoulder very soon