Rescued feral kitten introduction to resident cat (also rescued feral as a kitten)

Hello all, I know there are many similar questions out there, and trust me, I have read them most! However, personal feedback is always more appreciative and helpful, so hoping somebody with experience can help.

A year ago, we adopted an adorable feral kitten Dexter from a pet rescue group. She is very shy and skiddish, yet stubborn and unyielding. She started out completely closed out, hiding and hissing, also dominated by other cats in a foster home she lived in, then after some time, she warmed up to us and became the sweetest pet to us. We spoiled her so much that she became a "spoiled little princess" as we call her, or "sassafrass", getting whatever she wants whenever she wants and complaining when she doesn't.

You can imagine Dexter was completely pissed off when we brought home another furry friend last week. This was not by choice, a small kitten was found homeless outside of our work and we had to rescue her. She is a beautiful 3 month old siamese and I would love to keep her. We kept the cats separated for a few days, yet Dexter could sense something was wrong. With a full time job it is difficult on keeping Dexter enough attention to keep her calm as well as working with the new feral kitten on her socialization.

Siri (the new kitten) is actually doing very well! After just two days she learned to meow, allows to be touched and petted, loves food, and seems to be intrigued by Dexter. Yet Dexter has been completely unlike her usual self... Growling, hissing, threatening Siri, or just running away and hiding. We expected this kind of behavior, yet it has still been extremely stressful on all of us. We keep the cats in separate rooms (and we live in a one bedroom so that's hard), we now allow them to see each other under our supervision. Dexter continues to threaten Siri and poor Siri spends her "playtime" hiding in corners, it is devastating for us. She won't play, either, possibly too scared or just does not know how to yet. I was surprised by her quick adjustment to domestic life, yet extremely upset and worried about Dexter. I hate knowing that my little Dexter may be scared or stressed out because of Siri.

It has been a week that we have had Siri. We are using the separation method with occasional "play" times, also having Dexter smell Siri's blankets and toys, to which her reaction always is to hiss and growl.

Any suggestions on what else we should do?

Also are the cats' personalities such as would get along at all? Dexter is skiddish, stubborn, needy, and territorial (apparently). The kind of cat who is sweet when she wants to be, yet if you try to put her in a carrier she will kill you. Siri appears to have a very shy and submissive personality (as of now). She is scared but allows me to do anything to her.

Thank you so much! I am hoping to hear some similar stories with outcomes and solutions.

Welcome to the Cat Site @ain5053!

I'm sorry for my delay in answering - I went to bed early last night and must have missed this.

But it sounds like you are doing all the right things. I would decide if you are keeping Siri, then work from there. Your situation is tough, with so little room, but it can be done. We have six cats in a two bedroom home, so it can be done.

Try this trick. Rub both cats with the opposite ends of a towel. Place the towel with Siri's scent on Dexter's side of the door and vice versa. Give each of them a small treat on the towel. They will associate the other's smell with the treat - thus something good comes with this new smell.

If you don't have any nice, tall cat trees, get one. It will add some vertical space to the house and give the cats a way to get up. (We have seven trees:lol3

Good luck and keep us posted.

Welcome to TCS! 

When introducing cats, there's the issue of your level of expectations so you were very right to ask whether it's possible for cats simply to have personalities that do not match. The answer is yes, that's entirely possible. Sometimes cats are introduced in the best possible ways yet do not become good friends. So, the goal is to have a relatively peaceful co-existence without too much stress and that is almost always achievable.

You mentioned you are using the separation method with some playtime in between. I'm not sure how that works? Separation and gradual introduction needs to be carried out without any "breaks" in the system. 

You may also want to take a look at this guide we've put together - 
[article="32680"]How To Successfully Introduce Cats The Ultimate Guide  [/article]
It does take patience and one week is too short to tell, so keep working on it and share the results here.

Thank you for great advice and a warm welcome!

Ondine said:

 
We have six cats in a two bedroom home, so it can be done.

Try this trick. Rub both cats with the opposite ends of a towel. Place the towel with Siri's scent on Dexter's side of the door and vice versa. Give each of them a small treat on the towel. They will associate the other's smell with the treat - thus something good comes with this new smell.

If you don't have any nice, tall cat trees, get one. It will add some vertical space to the house and give the cats a way to get up. (We have seven trees:lol3
 

Click to expand...

Six cats in two bedroom! I trust your suggestions then.

Anne said:

You mentioned you are using the separation method with some playtime in between. I'm not sure how that works? Separation and gradual introduction needs to be carried out without any "breaks" in the system. 

Click to expand...

The cats are separated in two different rooms during nighttime and while I am at work, however, I do open the door when I am home and play with both of them so they see each other. I guess I did it wrong! I kept them completely separated for 3 days but I felt like I was neglecting one of the cats since I could only be in one room at a time with one cat. Dexter is so needy and demands my attention that if I neglect her to be with Siri she would be very upset. Siri on the other hand needs to be worked with to get socialized and get used to people and the inside cat life. I just didn't have enough time to dedicate to both kitties while they were separated, so I decided to try to leave the door open and try to spend time with both of them. Siri, unfortunately, just hides under the bed most of the day. Dexter is not very fond of her, although her attitude has slightly subsided, not as much chasing and growling anymore, just lots of stalking.

I will take a look at the "Ultimate Guide" that I missed. I hope I am not too late to do it right!

We did everything wrong when we brought our first two ferals in. They now get along OK with the first residents, although they will never be buds. As long as they aren't beating one another up, at least they can co-exist.

You may have to take a step or two backwards and start over. Can you get a screen door for one of the doors? This will enable them to see one another without getting to one another. Stacked baby gates work too.

Just take your time and allow them to call the shots. What they need to know is that although there is another cat in their territory, they are still safe and secure. Keeping calm is the best way to facilitate this.