Introducing fosters to fosters?

mm01772

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I recently fostered two feral females. They were about 10 weeks old when trapped, which is older than the shelter usually accepts, but they had been exposed to humans who fed them, so they trapped them, and fostered them to us. They were still shy when they went to the shelter for adoption, but we all hoped that some TLC at the shelter would help and being around multiple humans would prevent them from bonding only to my hubby and I. That was about 4 days ago.

Then we took in two females who are absolute loves, but need to gain weight. They've been here 3 days.

Meanwhile, I stopped to visit the ferals a couple of times. They were sitting on top of each other cowering in the back corner of a cage. Their charts said they weren't eating. I still could pick them up and they'd purr when I visited, but they hissed at anyone else. The shelter was trying to socialize them further, but it wasn't working.

The shelter (and a vet) had said when I first took them that if they could go to a home with friendly cats, they might learn from them. We don't have any other cats. But  now we have the new fosters, who are VERY nice. So we're trying something unusual. The ferals came back with me. I put them in a large cat playpen in the kitchen. They immediately sat up and looked around and made themselves comfy -- no sitting on top of each other cowering in the back corner of a cage. I even got further purrs out of them and they started chowing down when they saw the food.

The friendly kittens, who were walking free in the area, walked up to the cage, hissed, then ran away. The friendlies spend the afternoon playing with us and sleeping on our laps while ferals watched from the cage in the kitchen.

Then we put the friendlies in the bathroom with the door closed and let the ferals have a run around.

Does anyone have any suggestions for making this a successful introduction? Both kittens are approximately the same age. The ferals, are about 12 weeks old and spayed. The friendlies are about 11 weeks old and not spayed yet.

We're doing scent swapping when we put the ferals in the bathroom and the friendlies in the playpen in the kitchen and then swap. But what about the actual face-to-face intro? Should we introduce one feral to the smaller friendlies? Or both ferals to the friendlies? Or one friendly to the ferals?
 

StefanZ

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I recently fostered two feral females. They were about 10 weeks old when trapped, which is older than the shelter usually accepts, but they had been exposed to humans who fed them, so they trapped them, and fostered them to us. They were still shy when they went to the shelter for adoption, but we all hoped that some TLC at the shelter would help and being around multiple humans would prevent them from bonding only to my hubby and I. That was about 4 days ago.

Then we took in two females who are absolute loves, but need to gain weight. They've been here 3 days.

Meanwhile, I stopped to visit the ferals a couple of times. They were sitting on top of each other cowering in the back corner of a cage. Their charts said they weren't eating. I still could pick them up and they'd purr when I visited, but they hissed at anyone else. The shelter was trying to socialize them further, but it wasn't working.

The shelter (and a vet) had said when I first took them that if they could go to a home with friendly cats, they might learn from them. We don't have any other cats. But  now we have the new fosters, who are VERY nice. So we're trying something unusual. The ferals came back with me. I put them in a large cat playpen in the kitchen. They immediately sat up and looked around and made themselves comfy -- no sitting on top of each other cowering in the back corner of a cage. I even got further purrs out of them and they started chowing down when they saw the food.

The friendly kittens, who were walking free in the area, walked up to the cage, hissed, then ran away. The friendlies spend the afternoon playing with us and sleeping on our laps while ferals watched from the cage in the kitchen.

Then we put the friendlies in the bathroom with the door closed and let the ferals have a run around.

Does anyone have any suggestions for making this a successful introduction? Both kittens are approximately the same age. The ferals, are about 12 weeks old and spayed. The friendlies are about 11 weeks old and not spayed yet.

We're doing scent swapping when we put the ferals in the bathroom and the friendlies in the playpen in the kitchen and then swap. But what about the actual face-to-face intro? Should we introduce one feral to the smaller friendlies? Or both ferals to the friendlies? Or one friendly to the ferals?
All four are kittens.   I think you dont need to overdo this intros.  You had swapped scents.  They had all landed now, and feel reasonably safe and secure in your house, and with your company.  You be sure they meet somewhere they are both comfortable.  And where they can flee if they feel they need.  Some hissings is normal in uncertain situations.  Its not a declaration of war, its just some way to get a little extra room for maneuwer.   At that age its not touchy at all some arent spayed yet.  It shall not be any matter here and now.   

Normally, I would recommend them to meet one on one. But if you think they get courage and safety from their pair-mate, it may be good to let them meet two and two.  Or one daring on two not daring...

Be sure you are there supervising with a blanket, and talk friendly the whole time, make lotsa of friendly noises.  Cut their nails before.   It helps much of course, if YOU are known by both parts as their friend.  Otherwise it wont work 100% with these friendly noises.

Perhaps best you just begin to play with a Da-Bird,  talking friendly, and let them join the melee.   What kitten can resist this??

You are apparently doing a wonderful job here.
 
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catsknowme

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 Bravo for bringing home the original 2 kitties. I agree that some hissing is normal. You could try feeding on each side of a door so that each pair of kittens learns to associate the others' scent with goodies. And a universal toy is always a good way to form neutral ground. I use the play method to introduce full-grown ferals into my backyard colony - there will be hissing if they accidentally bump each other, but usually the prey/play drive is stronger than their distrust of each other. I look forward to updates & maybe even pix (hint,hint
)
 
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mm01772

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Quick update: Before we could start any introductions, the ferals started hissing and growling at each other :(  I know that when cats are normally friendly with each other and start acting like this, it means that something in their environment has changed. Well, that makes sense!

We let them loose in the same area as the friendlies (the smaller females) and they avoid each other and hiss, but nothing really drastic.

However, the friendlies, who weren't eating that well when they first arrived, had stopped eating and lost weight, so yesterday I took them to the shelter where they gave them fluids.

This morning it looks like they ate the babyfood turkey I gave them, but not the Royal Canin Babycat dry food or A/D slurry.  I gave them each 3 ml water by mouth, and will give them some slurry in about another half hour, after I weigh them.
 
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mm01772

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Update:

The ferals are doing quite well. They run around when we let them out of the bathroom and don't always hiss at each other. We can lean down and pet them, and even if they flinch at first, they don't hiss or run away, and soon begin purring.

The friendly kittens are very ill, so we're keeping them away from the other two. It's a long story, but let's just say I've been avidly reading the coccidia threads and disinfecting things like crazy. :(
 

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Update:

The ferals are doing quite well. They run around when we let them out of the bathroom and don't always hiss at each other. We can lean down and pet them, and even if they flinch at first, they don't hiss or run away, and soon begin purring.

The friendly kittens are very ill, so we're keeping them away from the other two. It's a long story, but let's just say I've been avidly reading the coccidia threads and disinfecting things like crazy. :(
can you get raw goats milk?  As fresh as possible, but frozen may be OK...  this makes the difference sometimes, but cant hurt.

Im sorry to hear these two nice girlies have problems and difficulties.   *wibes* send!
 
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mm01772

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Update: The ferals are becoming almost normal. One is still shy, so I might try pheromone spray for her.  The friendlies are still sick, so they're confined to a large cage. They're on medication and daily subcutaneous fluids.
 
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