Bringing home 2 feral kittens and their older sister to my10 year old cat!

tomodachi

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I'm hoping for advice on integrating 2 feral kittens and their older sister with my 10 year old cat. The ferals along with their Momma live in my sister's backyard and we have TNR'd them. We rehomed 2 of the kittens to a single home. The other 2 kittens(about 4 months old now) & their sister (from Momma' s previous litter) along with Momma are being fed and watered. Momma is super friendly and runs up for petting. The kittens are just starting to allow contact. They will eat treats and kibble from my hand and will allow petting at that time only. The problem is that my sister doesn't want all these cats around her little dog. I've agreed to take the kittens home to continue to socialize them and ready them for adoption but I have a 10 year old cat. The first 2 kittens had to be trapped to get them to their new home and the woman knew she was dealing with wild cats. To ensure the adoptability of the others, they need more work. They are progressing nicely but their time has run out in the backyard, so I'm taking them to my studio apartment. I've bought 2 cages (24"x36"x50" & 24"x36"x70"), the larger for the 2 young ones ones and the smaller one for the older kitten/cat to keep everyone separated from my resident cat. Now what???? I need to domesticate the new ones and some cage switching must happen - rotating everyone, including the resident in and out of the cages, right, wrong??? Also one of the kittens, maybe all need to be 're-wormed. Should they remain caged until they are clear to protect my resident? Going crazy and will appreciate any suggestions, ideas, or plan of actions.
 

angelad

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Hi tomodachi,

I'm not an expert. I'm sure you will hear from some real experts very soon.

I just wanted to say that the cages will be for isolating the new kitties only, and to facilitate a controlled, gradual introduction to your resident kitty at a much later time.

Your resident kitty will be territorial, as is expected. The new kitties might be territorial too. You need to keep them separated.

Under no circumstance do you want to put your resident kitty in with the new kitties in either of those cages. Those cages are to protect the new kitties and the resident kitty from each other.

I'll stand corrected if any of the forum advisors do so. I'm learning as I go too.

Thank you, tomodachi, for your willingness to help these abandoned kitties. I'm sure you will be very happy you have done so. And I look forward to expert advisement from the forum advisors here who really know what they're doing. They've helped me a great deal in just a few days.

Best wishes,

a
 
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tomodachi

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Thank you Angela.

I didn't realize that it sounded like I would be putting the resident cat (Lil Kitty) in with the kittens. I felt at some time they all would have to alternate being in the room (my studio) versus the cages. I was wondering when I do bring them home, should I have the cages covered and if so, for how long? I wish I had an extra room to work with but I don't and the bathroom is way too small. I'm also concerned about leaving them unattended while I'm at work (4 hours/day) for the first few days they are here...
 

juleska

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That's a tough one. If the cages are big enough, I suggest putting the siblings in the same cage together. The kittens will have an easier time adapting to a new environment if they have each other for comfort. I would keep the cage covered while you are at work (since it's only 4 hours) to keep stimulation to a minimum. I would have the cage partially uncovered while you are home. Since you don't have another room to isolate them in, try to set the cages up in some part of the studio that isn't one of her firmly established spots (if that's possible). Meaning if she sleeps on your bed all day or hangs out by a particular window, put the cage someplace else. Does that make sense?

Make sure the kittens are comfortable with you before you attempt to introduce them physically to your older cat. Try taking an article of clothing you've worn and have your kitty sleep on it, then put that in the cage with them. After they've slept on it a few times, take it to one of your kitty's favorite spots and let her discover it.

If it's possible to do that before you even bring them into your apartment, even better. If it's already too late for that, then it may be a moot point, but try it anyway. Let them sniff each other through the cage barrier before you take the kittens out to explore.

Hope this helps!
 
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tomodachi

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Thanks Juleska.

Still open to more advice on my situation. Could someone address the issue of the deworming and how it may affect my resident, Lil Kitty. Should I use separate litter scoops for each of the cat boxes to avoid possible cross contamination?
 

ondine

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I always used a separate scoop for fosters, for just that reason. I also washed it with a strong bleach solution after the fosters left.

Re: the worming. The best way to avoid spreading them is to make sure your resident cat does not come in contact with the newbies. Covering the cages is a good step, although you may want to put your resident cat in the bathroom when you are away or otherwise not able to watch them all. They wil be curious and she will try to find out what is under the covers.

Once they've been vetted, you can start the intros and won't need to worry so much.

Thank you for taking on this challenge!
 

juleska

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Sorry, missed that. Definitely segregate their litter if you can. The other option is to give your kitty a de-worming treatment as a precaution, then keep them all on the same cycle.
 
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