Here we go again - A new stray

Last night around 8pm I got an urgent phone call from my apartment building manager to come downstairs and check a cat. I'm feeding about a dozen ferals on a daily basis now so my first thought was one had been hurt. I gathered up some food, water, and a carrier in case there was a bad injury.

When I came down, I was directed to a spot on the side of our building where this beautiful little girl was hiding. I called to her and she came trotting right to me. She didn't balk at all at being petted or even picked up. I gave her some food and then decided to take her upstairs. She is so relaxed she let me carry her all the way up to my 11th floor apartment and didn't budge an inch (quite a different scenario than the acrobatics I endured to get the other two inside).

Once in the apartment, she plopped right down on the floor and calmly looked around. She was curious but 100% relaxed. In fact she kept stopping to just lounge lazily on the floor every few feet.

I brought her into a closed room and fed her some more. She put down 2.5 servings of wet food and a few munches of dry food. Wasn't very interested in toys, though.

Unfortunately her exceptionally calm demeanor was not reciprocated by Cookie or Aladdin. Aladdin was so scared he hid behind a heavy curtain and wouldn't come out for an hour and a half. Cookie was a bit aggressive (even towards Aladdin after the new kitty was separated from them).

I couldn't use the same room where I kept Aladdin before, because that's where their main litter boxes are and they don't like using the other one quite as much. So I moved my 3rd litter box, some water and food into the spare bedroom in the front of the apartment, then closed the new kitty up in there.

Apart from being hungry and a little dirty, she appears to be okay. She is CLEARLY someone's pet....not only calm, docile, affectionate, and trusting, she immediately used the litter box. What I don't know is if she's lost or dumped. She's a Persian, and those breeds are highly prized here, so it's hard for me to believe someone would abandon her. That said, if she just mistakenly got out or was lost, that's even harder to believe. Where I live it's nothing but tall apartment towers, so if she lived in one of these and got out, she'd have to make it down a fire escape or an elevator to get outside. There are some villas across the road from me next to the water, but that's across a very, very busy 6-lane road with some restaurants in between, so I doubt she wandered that far.

I'm going to make some posters to put up in my area and take her this weekend to get scanned for a microchip, but if no one is found I'll probably keep her.





This last one was taken just 3 hours after I met her.

What a sweetie! She's really beautiful. It's wonderful you took her in!

Margd said:

What a sweetie! She's really beautiful. It's wonderful you took her in!

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Thanks! I can't get over how sweet and trusting she is. She loves being held, loves belly rubs and head scritchles.

Well, Day 2 (and a half): Her appetite is strong. I think she spent about 24 hrs cleaning herself as she looks much better already. She's not drinking enough water which concerns me, so I'm tricking her into the getting more by adding water to her soft food which she slurps up. Still really laid back although I did find her playful side last night (video, will try to post later).

Some trouble with the two resident feral-converts. It looks like I was correct in my previous assessment that Cookie and Aladdin would adjust quickly to one another because of their pre-existing relationship (original thread here). I was hoping, given how beautifully they've both adjusted to indoor living, that this would extend to the new kitty. Not so much. I do still have them separated. She's in a spare bedroom in the front of the apartment, one of Aladdin's favorite hang-out spots but it was the best place for her. I have toys scattered on both sides of the door to encourage play. Haven't been able to feed them together (on opposite sides of the door) yet because Aladdin is SO freaked out when he goes near the door. He can see her under the crack; he ends up raising his hackles, arching his back and viciously attacking the door. My apartment is all tile and concrete so it is L-O-U-D.

He got himself into such a state that he got Cookie wound up, and then the two of THEM started fighting with each other!! Meanwhile, new kitty is just cool as a cucumber lying about in her little bedroom. She's very curious about the rest of the apartment and wants to explore, but I can't introduce them yet.

Both he and Cookie are curious about her. They do spend time just sitting outside her door watching, listening, and smelling without incident. But Aladdin must've attacked the door half a dozen times last night. Absolutely none of his usual favorite toys lured him away to distract him, in fact any attempts to get him to play seemed to make him more upset. The only thing that did work, thank god, was the laser pointer. Between luring him away from her door when he was agitated and playing some relaxing music, I was able to get a few hours of sleep. ZZzzzzzz.......

I've also started posting on several lost-and-found groups here and I made posters which I've handed out in the immediate vicinity of my building. I'll try and get her to my vet this weekend for a microchip scan. Anyone trying to claim her will have to present proof of identity and of ownership. If no one is found, I'll keep her.....if I can get Cookie and Aladdin to accept her. Otherwise I'll be looking for an adopter. Given her breed, markings, and temperament, thankfully if it comes to that it should be easy to place her. I'd be thrilled to keep her though.

Oh she's just gorgeous <3

She is so pretty. Any response from the posters? How is she settling in with the other two?

Sorry I haven't been around the forum much. I do owe you guys an update.

No response from any place I've posted notices (either physical posters or any of the 'lost pet' sites and groups I've listed her on in my area). I have not yet gotten her to the vet to scan for a microchip. I put it off because less than a week after I got her I was hearing from others in the neighborhood that there was one just like her also wandering the streets.

I'm reasonably sure she was abandoned, BUT....

She's got a few health issues. I've noticed blood in her stool (which is also not fully formed) and her ears appear to be bothering her. So we're off to the vet tomorrow. I'll have them treat whatever's going on there and check for a microchip as well. If no microchip, I'll do my very best to keep her.

I say "my very best" only because the integration with the other two is not going well, or quickly.

Cookie and Aladdin still have a fairly strong feral streak in them. They get along really well because they were buddies on the street before. But they are none too happy about the newcomer. Cookie is mostly scared of her, though I have been able to get them to tolerate being in the same room together...warily. Aladdin flat out attacks her. Very very aggressively. As such she's extremely defensive now. Whenever she sees him she immediately starts hissing, which gets him spun up. When he's spun up, Cookie gets tense, and then sometimes the two of THEM start fighting.

As I'm here alone in Kuwait I have to keep her shut up in a room by herself all day while I'm at work, which is just breaking my heart. I spend time with her every evening, though, and she's so very loving.

I do have them eating on either side of the door with no problem. They will even eat with the door cracked and just a couple feet of separation between them (pic below). But when I do that I have to hover nearby and watch like a hawk, because Aladdin tries to charge through the door at her. Even when the door is closed and they sniff each other through the crack at the bottom, there were some early incidents where he tried attacking the DOOR!

I've also done the room swap a few times (planning a lot more of that this weekend), where I close both of them up in "her room" and let her roam the apartment in peace. That's difficult to do because I still can't pick up either Cookie or Aladdin, so I have to close her up in another room and then trick them into going to her room and shutting the door.

They're definitely curious about her, but Aladdin is just so damned aggressive. Which is really weird because when it comes to him and Cookie, she is definitely the assertive one.

I'll do some more room swapping and scent swapping (exchanging items with the others' scent on it), but the next step is going to have to be getting them into the same room. I think the best method would be to put Aladdin in the carrier (since he's the aggressor) and close Cookie off somewhere so she's not a distraction, then putting he and Luna (new baby) in the same room where she can't hide but he can't attack her. If they can learn to co-exist in a controlled setting and he doesn't try attacking her through the carrier bars, maybe, just maybe I can let them be loose in the room together.

First let's see what the vet has to say. It occurred to me that she hasn't been tested for FeLV or FIV yet so in many ways it's best I've kept them segregated for now. I just feel terrible that she has to spend so much time alone, but I suppose it's better than being hungry and cold.

She's seriously beautiful! How did the vet check go?

Yes, how did it go? Any microchip?

Don't give up on the integration! My cats took almost 10 months to tolerate each other.  They're definitely not friends, but giving up either was not an option!  

Ruaryx said:

Don't give up on the integration! My cats took almost 10 months to tolerate each other.  They're definitely not friends, but giving up either was not an option!  

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Thank you so much for sharing that.

I have two cats that hate each other and actively fight. Giving up isn't an option for me either. I got the 2nd cat on March 5th, so it's been a little over 9 months.

The 2nd cat is elderly (around 15) and not adoptable so rehoming him isn't an option.

Do you have any tips for helping cats to co-exist peacefully? I'd be thrilled if they ignored each other. I don't expect snuggling.

Behind on my updates again, I was sick myself the last few days and not getting much sleep. Some good news, some bad news, some setbacks and some progress.

I'll start with the bad news:

- No microchip, no responses to any of my "lost pet" postings. I've had her 3 weeks at this point so it's safe to say she was definitely abandoned by someone.  
On the drive home her diarrhea returned with a vengeance on par with  Montezuma's Revenge. She spent the remaining 40 minute car ride home flailing around in the carrier ensuring both the interior of the carrier and her long, lustrous hair were thoroughly coated. All of which necessitated a bath when we got home (after being poked and prodded by the vet in a variety of uncomfortable places). She didn't forgive me for a full day and has generally been less playful and cuddly this week.

Progress:

Despite all of this, we have made progress in her integration (however small). I'm continuing with the "room swap" method to give her some freedom to explore the apartment and get them acquainted with her scent. This is really helping, though I have some difficulties. Cookie and Aladdin both still have a strong feral streak....so I can't pick up either of them. That means I have to sequester Luna in another room while I try to trick the other two into her space and get the door closed. Aladdin, thankfully, is kinda dense and falls for the same tricks every flippin' time. On the other hand, Cookie is, well, a smart cookie. She's the "Fool me once" type. I ran out of ways to trick her into the room and picking her up is impossible. So I was forced to allow her and Luna to try being in the same room together.

Some noisemaking at first, but no aggressive moves and no fighting. Just establishing and maintaining boundaries. Within a relatively short period of time I was able to get her and Cookie in the same space, within a direct line of sight of one another, each sitting in a relaxed posture. (Pic below)


Not sure why the picture rotated but you can sorta see Cookie in the corner by the chair.

They sat like this for about 15 minutes, then I went to the couch to sit down and Cookie came to relax with me as she always does. She stayed very relaxed until Luna decided to come sit near us, when Cookie popped up out of a cold sleep and made some "back off" noises. Still....no chasing, no fighting, this is great progress.

This weekend I'm going to try closing Aladdin up for half a day and letting Cookie and Luna stay loose together in the apartment. I'm also going to try tricking Aladdin into his carrier and setting him in the carrier in her room with the door closed....so they're forced to share a space but her safety is still assured.

I've been recording some videos of the integration process to help others who are going through this for the first time. I'll get those posted on YouTube and share them here.

I think we have at least another month, possibly several months before the three of them can cohabitate peacefully, but I do believe it's possible.

Soooo beautiful!!!! And so lucky she found you when she did Don't give up on the integration - but take it slowly. Her heat is a guaranteed issue in this - so as much as you want to have a big happy family quickly (I know how hard it is to have them in desperate rooms -it feels so tough-but she's MUCH happier and comfortable than she's been in who knows how long thanks to you guys!!!!) I might slow it down on the open door. I know a few weeks feel like forever -- but she was an interloper - with raging hormones that raised everyone's guard to the utmost - so it may take a bit longer than "usual" (whatever that is!!!). Try to remember - in kitty world, it's faster in the long run to go very slowly forward than it is to go backwards and start over Keep us posted - you've got a great Christmas gift for you and her this year

Good job! That is one lucky kitty to have found you!

She is a pretty girl!

juleska said:

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• juleska
• Dec 10, 2015

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• juleska
• Dec 10, 2015

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• juleska
• Dec 10, 2015

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Wow. She is gorgeous and she is so lucky to have found you. She looks so much like Lilith and Sophie's brother. He had already been adopted when I got them but was still in the room withthem waiting to be picked up. She and Sophie almost have the same face with different coloring.

Crazy4Strays said:

Thank you so much for sharing that.

I have two cats that hate each other and actively fight. Giving up isn't an option for me either. I got the 2nd cat on March 5th, so it's been a little over 9 months.

The 2nd cat is elderly (around 15) and not adoptable so rehoming him isn't an option.

Do you have any tips for helping cats to co-exist peacefully? I'd be thrilled if they ignored each other. I don't expect snuggling.

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@Crazy4Strays  I actually made a thread about it. 

http://www.thecatsite.com/t/295939/cats-still-not-getting-along-4-months

They started getting along much better when we moved into a new apartment.  Sasha saw the old apartment as her territory since she lived there first.  A new apartment made it more neutral.  I know that's not an option for everyone so I suggest moving some furniture around to make the territory newer?  Not sure if this will work but the cats got along better at the old apartment when we moved out all the furniture.  You should start a thread to get some moral support.  You can also PM me if you want more details.   

I'm dying.   (sorry, you'll laugh about it too... someday.)

What a beautiful little calico girl she is.  I'm not entirely sure that she is a Persian.  Her face isn't quite as brachycephalic as I would expect in a Persian.  There is actually another breed name right on the tips of my fingers, and it just will not spill out onto the keyboard...very like a Persian, breed from them, if memory serves (and that's always iffy with me), and gorgeous.  Whatever her breed, she is definitely a looker!

Mamanyt1953 said:

 
What a beautiful little calico girl she is.  I'm not entirely sure that she is a Persian.  Her face isn't quite as brachycephalic as I would expect in a Persian.  There is actually another breed name right on the tips of my fingers, and it just will not spill out onto the keyboard...very like a Persian, breed from them, if memory serves (and that's always iffy with me), and gorgeous.  Whatever her breed, she is definitely a looker!

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She looks like a doll faced (traditional) Persian to me. That's what Sophie is

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Traditional_Persian

I don't think I've ever had a purebred cat. All my life I've dealt with street cats, rescues and strays. Admittedly, recognizing breed is not one of my strong suits. I see long hair and I always think Persian, but yeah her face is different from a traditional Persian so I assumed she was a mix. These pictures don't do her justice, truthfully. Her eyes are the most gorgeous I've ever seen on a cat. They're golden brown but they're so big and clear, so much depth to the color. I'll try to get better pictures in a better light.