Help with Feral Kitty Adjusting to Other Cats

Hello,

I am new here and just joined because I'm having issues with a feral kitten I took in back in October.  I heard a very loud meow coming from near my front door late one night and there this kitten was, crying and panicked.  When I picked him up I was surprised how thin he was.  He looked to be about 10-12 weeks old but now I think he was a little older but appeared to be younger due to being malnourished.  He started out in the garage and now he is in the spare room.  I took him in against my husband's wishes because this kitty really seemed to need help. 

He has since been neutered and his blood work checked out fine.  The cat looks to be about 8 months old but is still small.  I have him kept separate from the other cats and have tried different things to help him adjust.  I'm starting to think I've done the wrong thing by taking him in.  He does appear to be quite feral and I don't know if it's too late to socialize him.  He has issues with aggression - play and fear.  When my husband walks into the room he's in the cat runs at him and bites him.  He charges at the other cats when I've let him out of the room for short, supervised periods when I thought we had gotten to that point.  Unfortunately, he initially was scratching me a lot and still bites.  I do recognize now when he is getting to that point and give him his space.

He can be really sweet with me at times.  He purrs when I go into his room, and rubs against me and even will cuddle a little with me.  But not for long and I have to watch for signs when his mood changes.  There are times when I go into his room and he won't come out from under the bed but I can hear him purring.  He cries to come out of the room and I can let him into another area where the cat trees are but have to close the door so the other cats don't come in because he starts to charge at them.  I had so hoped he would make friends with the other cats and have taken in other strays before and even a feral but didn't have these issues. 

Today there was an ugly scene where he got out accidentally and the cats were reclining on the bed and he just jumped on the bed after being under the bed and cats went flying everywhere.  It was awful.  One of my cats seemed really distressed and my husband told me I had a month to get rid of the feral cat because of the problems he was causing with the other cats we have.

I talked to someone with Alley Cat Allies and they thought he would be best as a barn cat. I'm torn about what to do with him.  I want to make the right decision for him but this can't go on and I don't know if this is a situation that can get better.  He can't be let outside because this is a high traffic area and he almost got hit by a car by someone in the neighborhood before I took him in.  Also, the feral cat that lives in our yard would never allow it and that would cause problems too.

Any feedback would be much appreciated.  Thanks for reading my (long) post.  :-) 

The process of bringing in a new cat can take months and months and months.  I brought in a 3 year old tom cat, almost 4 years ago and it took him a full year to adjust to indoor living and get along with my other resident cat.  The first step needs to be acclimating the to inside living and developing some social skills.  The second step is introducing him to your resident cats.  If you just allow the cat outside of the room, fights will result.  Cats are very very territorial and accepting a new cat does not always go smoothly.  This new one may never be a cuddly lap boy and he may always be shy and scared, but after this many months, it might be difficult for him to adjust to outdoor living again.  Some barn cats are given shelter and meals in a barn while other barn cats are expected to just catch their meals and not additional care is given.  

As for socialization, I would step back and start at square one.  He does have a room of his own which is great!  Be sure that in this room, he cannot get under a bed, hide under a dresser or hide in a closet.  You want him out in the open as much as possible.  He can have a safe hiding spot such as in a hiding box of a cat tree or even a small cardboard box.  Yet, you always want to be able to see him.  

2.  When you come into the room to visit, bring a really yummy treat.  Something extra special such as plain cooked chicken, a few pieces of canned or fresh salmon or some canned tuna.  Be sure to sit on the floor, you never want to loom over him.  Offer the treat and don't worry if he doesn't eat it with you there.  They key is for him to associate you/your husband with something good.  

3.  Just sit on the floor and talk with him.  Watch eye contact.  Some feral cats are very threatened by direct eye contact.  Keep your gaze down or over the top of his head.  I sometimes close my eyes.

4.  Keep yourself calm.  He will pick up on any emotions if you are fearful or nervous.  

5.  As for play time, you want to keep this very calm at first.  I wouldn't allow any catnip toys right now.  They sometimes can rev a cat up leading to aggression.

I would try a simple shoe string partially hidden under a towel.  Pull the string slowly or quickly to get his attention.  Small wand toys might work too.  At the end of each play session offer a small food reward to satisfy the eating of the prey.

6.  I would visit often for short periods of time.  As for your husband, the cat may have had a bad experience with men.  Also loud heavy footsteps of men can be frightening.  Always be sure your husband tries to walk very quietly and sits down on the floor.  No aggressive playing or using your hands.  I would just have him try to sit quietly in the room, avoid eye contact and just offer yummy food ( chicken, tuna, salmon...).

7.  For right now, I would not allow him any time out of the room, unless your other cats are put away.  THere is a process for introducing cats.  It does need to be followed especially in your situation since he is showing some aggression.  I will post a few articles as well as a video on cat to cat intros.  Cats just don't make friends like dogs.  It can take them lots and lots of and lots of time.  Yet in most situations it does all work out.  They may not be best buddies, but they can learn to coexist.

8.  Does he room have a window?  Is it possible to get a cat tree to place in his room?  This might make him much happier.  He should only be in the other cat room, when your other cats are put away.  There should be no contact at all with your other cats right now.

9.  I have used a cheap wooden screen door that I attached to the existing door frame with tension rods.  I will post a picture below.  I put a baby gate in the threshold for extra protection and only used this set up when I was home to supervise.  The screen door was $20 at Lowes and the tension rods $4.  It was kind of a pain to take up and down, but it allowed my rescued cat to see and hear the sights and sounds of the home.  It also worked well for introductions.  Right now I am working on integrating another feral/stray cat.  This time around, I am using a barrier made out of wire shelving.  At Lowes, you can get 6 or 12' tall shelving and have them cut it to different heights.  Then zip tie it together.  I used one piece of 12' and cut it 4' high.  My new cat is not a jumper.  

10.  Finally, have you tried any Feliway plug ins throughout the house?  They are very helpful to calm cats.  I am using the Multi Cat Feliway right now.  I have it plugged in at 3 different locations.  It can be pricey, but Amazon has the best prices.  Also Composure liquid Max worked so well on the aggressive cat I brought in 4 years ago.  I would mix the liquid into morning and evening food.  I doubled the dose in the morning and gave a regular dose in the evening.  It was non sedating, but calming.  Also the best price is on Amazon, Chewy or Entirely Pets.  I also gave this to my resident cat as he was so frightened by the new comer.  The aggressive cat received this for almost 6 months. 

Here is the info on cat to cat intros. Below the video, I will post my pictures of the screen door and new wire shelving barrier.  

http://www.thecatsite.com/a/the-ultimate-yet-simplified-guide-to-introducing-cats

http://www.catbehaviorassociates.com/a-simple-little-trick-to-use-during-new-cat-introductions/

Hello ShadowsRescue, thank you for your informative response.  I appreciate all the helpful suggestions and the videos as well. 

In some ways, I think things are going better with the feral kitty than I realized.  I got really panicked when my husband gave me the ultimatum and got upset after yesterday's misstep when the kitty got out of his room unexpectedly.  We can both do some work with him and I'm sure things will improve. 

He does interact pretty well with me, whenever I go in the room he gives me a friendly, affectionate welcome.  He purrs and lets me know he is very happy to see me.  Even if I just have a short time he greets me (unless he's sleeping) and eats and keeps looking my way to see that I'm still there.  He really loves it when I play with him - he has a lot of energy!  He seems to get bored quickly so I'm having to think of ways to change things up.  When we start out with laser tag and he starts getting bored I have to get the interactive toy so he has something tangible to chase/catch.  I think it frustrates him that he can't actually catch the light he sees from the laser.  I've read this is the case with many cats in regards to laser tag.

I've noticed he seems really startled when he's looking out the screen door in the 'cat hangout' and a vehicle goes by.  Also, when people walk by that seems to cause anxiety as well.  He likes that it's quiet in the room he's in, that is his 'safe place'.

After I got to thinking about the option for him to be a barn cat I realized he has been with me too long, he's bonded to me now and it wouldn't be right or fair to him to do that to him.  We do have a lot of work to do, though.

I do have a Feliway diffuser in the room he's in, and in the room where the cats like to hang out with the cat trees.  I just got them in the last week so hopefully we will see more positive results from using them.  I also have a cat tree that I can put in his room.  He does have a cat condo but the the cat tree will be more fun for him when he can't be in the other room.

It will take awhile to implement all the suggestions you made but I'm sure they will make a difference.  Here is a recent pic of him below.


Thanks again for all your suggestions.  We appreciate it!

What a handsome boy!

As for playing with him, yes the laser can frustrate cats.  I only use it every once and awhile.  Do you have any wand toys?  The da bird toy is often a favorite.  It has a nice long wand and the cats love the feathered part.  There is a technique for playing with cats that help them to get the most enjoyment and satisfaction from play.  It's called Hunt, Catch, Kill, Eat, Groom, Sleep.

You play with the cat so that they can Hunt, Catch and Kill the toy. You want to play so the cat is quite tired and worn out. Next you offer a small meal, or extra special treat ( plain cooked chicken, tuna, salmon or an extra yummy cat treat).  This will satisfy the eating of the prey.  If you played with the cat so that they are tired and worn out and then offered a meal/snack, the cat will then groom himself or you can gently brush the cat if they like to be brushed.  Finally the cat will then take a short nap.  This is what cats experience in the wild and it is quite satisfying to them.

It took one of my former feral cats almost a year to not be afraid of cars, people, and other loud noises from outside.  He would run and hide each time he saw something.  Most feral/semi feral or stray cats that spent time outside, learned to hide/sleep during the day.  They were most comfortable at night with less activity.  Once inside, they are forced out into the open and they feel so exposed and threatened.  With time this will diminish.  

I am happy that you will keep him as an inside kitty.  I hope your husband will understand this little has some limitations.  He is not behaving this way to harm, but instead he is afraid.  He needs time and patience.  It's also not uncommon to move one step forward and then two steps back.  It may continue like this for months and months.  It also adds to the mix when the new cat is learning to live inside and also learning to live with other cats.  Take it slow and also keep expectations to a minimum.  

Thank you for helping this sweet one.  He certainly is just so cute!

Hi ShadowsRescue,

Thanks for your suggestions and info.  Also I appreciate your kind words about our feral kitty - he certainly is a cutie! 

I did find a homeopathic calming water additive for cats at the pet store last week.  It has definitely helped him to be more calm and less anxious.  Also, hubby has confessed that he has been able to go into the room offering a treat and then playing with kitty without him showing aggression.  That's progress! 

I still need to get a screen to work more on introducing him gradually to the other cats.  I should be able to implement that next week sometime.  We're having some work done on the house so that has added to the challenge. 

We're taking it day by day with him.  He is slowly but surely becoming more acclimated to our household.  Thanks again for your help and support!  :-)

I just wanted to add one more thing.  I was able to move a cat tree in his room and he can look out the window from the top perch.  He really likes it, he's frequently looking out the window enjoying the view from the top.  I think he naps in it too. 

Thanks for the update. It sounds like he is really starting to progress.  Just take it slowly and don't rush the start of introductions.  Have you done the swapping of scents yet?  It's fairly easy to do with a clean wash cloth.  Do the exchange of scent each day.  You can take a fresh wash cloth and wipe the scent of your other cats on it.  Try to get under the chin and the pads of the feet where the scent glands are located.  Then take the cloth into the new cats room.  You can just set it down or I like to place it under the food bowl.  If you are unable to wipe down the new kitty, just take a fresh wash cloth and place it where he sleeps.  The next morning take that wash cloth to your resident cats.  Don't force the scent, just place the wash cloth near where they eat or sleep.  

The cat tree sounds awesome.  I like to place a bird feeder within view of the window.  It really helps to provide enjoyment for the inside kitties.  

Keep the updates coming!

I know it's been awhile, wanted to do an update. We finally got a screen door installed for the room the feral kitty is in so now the cats can see each other. We got a great deal on a nice wooden screen door from True Value - about $50 and we found someone to install it for us for a reasonable cost. Haven't been as consistent as I'd like with the scent swapping, though. I'll have to work on being more diligent. Kitty seems to feel much more comfortable these days. When he greets us, he kind of swings his head back and forth to show us how happy he is to see us. It's really cute. He's become quite cuddly as well. He's also become more vocal and likes to express himself when he feels the need. He's really starting to show his personality.

Thanks for the update. It sounds like things continue to move forward! It is definitely a process. Yet taking things slowly can really help. Do try to continue with scent swapping. If you have been doing that for awhile, it might be time to move forward. You could try a bit of sight visiting. I like to have one human on one side of the door and the other human on the other side. Have yummy food rewards for all of the cats. You want to reward them so that they can associate each other with something yummy. I like to use plain cooked chicken or canned tuna. I will often cook a whole chicken, shred the meat and portion into baggies to freeze. Keep the sight visits really short. You want to try and avoid any hissing, growling, posturing or charging the door. If that does happen, just quietly end the session and try again later. I will often do sight visits a few times a day if possible.

Thanks for your feedback, shadowsrescue. I think we're ready to go further with him now. The youngest cat of the brood I already have shows a lot of interest in playing with this kitty. The other day he was so cute. He ran down the hall and then ran back up to the screen door playfully with his nose up to the door while checking out the feral kitty. He really needs a playmate and would love for this kitty to be his new playmate. Even though he is 3 years he is still very playful.

The cats now do sit there or lay there watching him without hissing. And the feral kitty is getting tired of observing life from the screen door. I do take him out and let him run around in the early evening when the cats are napping and just shut the door to the room they're in. That way he can run around and check things out and can continue to get acclimated even though he isn't able to interact with the other cats outside of his room yet.

Although one day he did get out and playfully chased the young cat down the hall then the other cat chased him and the feral kitty seemed a bit overwhelmed and trotted back to his room.

Do you have any other suggestions on how to do actual introductions with the cats? The youngest cat seems to be the most interested in him, but the others not so much.

Thanks for your help! The kitties appreciate it!

I am glad that things are progressing!

Here are 2 articles on introductions as well as a video post too.

http://www.thecatsite.com/a/the-ultimate-yet-simplified-guide-to-introducing-cats

A Simple Little Trick to Use During New Cat Introductions

Hi, just wanted to post an update about the kitty. Things aren't progressing as smoothly as I had hoped. It just seems like too much for him with all the other cats we have. When he is out it has to usually be with them behind a closed door and he plays on his own while I am busy and hangs out with me. Any time with the other cats must be supervised and is usually fairly brief.

As far as doing intros, the things I'm seeing and reading about are for just introducing one cat to one other cat. Not sure the best way to handle this with our four cats and the new kitty. To be honest, I haven't been able to do the scent swapping every day and this whole situation is stressing us out. My husband is able to talk to the cat and he likes it when my husband visits, but if my husband walks out into the hall when the cat is out the kitty starts making growling noises and sometimes still bites him. Part of it might be the cat is afraid he will be taken back into his 'room' before he is ready. He's better about not biting me when I pick him up to take him back to his room, and I know he hates to be confined but is not ready to be with the other cats for longer periods of time.

At one point he was out while I supervised with the other cats and he ran up to one of the females and was yeowling at her while she gave him this look like - get away from me. I had to pick him up and remove him from the room. That was a while back so we tried again a few days ago. He came into the bedroom where we were with the other cats and jumped up on the bed and cuddled by my husband for awhile. That was a big deal because he had never done that the other times he'd been out. He would just stay under the bed and hide and try to charge at the other cats.

He's been jumping on the screen door, sometimes charges at it and we think he may do some damage to it. It makes a loud noise and it's really annoying. I know he is impatient to be out of the room but I'm wondering if trying to assimilate in this household with four other cats is beyond him. He was out a little while ago and started chasing the youngest cat around who really wasn't interested in being chased by him. This particular cat would like to have him as a play mate but the feral kitty is still exhibiting aggression. When I picked him up to take him to his room his tail was swishing back and forth. But he wasn't growling or biting, just not thrilled to have to go back to his room.

Also, to be honest, I don't have as much time to work with him as I thought I would. I already have quite a bit of responsibility and I struggle at times with fatigue and have had some health issues. If you have suggestions on how to do this more creatively with a minimum of upheaval in our household that would be helpful. I'm probably going about this all wrong but I just wish this wasn't taking so long. I don't want to rehome him after all this time but am running out of options. Sorry this wasn't more positive. Thanks in advance for any suggestions.

It is much more difficult to introduce cats in a multi cat household. Last year in December (2016), I brought another one of my feral cats inside. I had 2 other cats living inside the house. The feral had his own room once again and I did the screen door, barrier and a baby gate when working on introductions.

Did you ever try the feeding method outlined in the video? You feed the feral kitty on one side of the screen and the other cats on the outside of the door. It's not necessary that all cats eat there as you don't want it to be stressful. Yet food and food rewards are the way to the cats heart. Do you use food rewards when the feral cat is out and about? What about distracting him with play?

The feral kitty is trying to establish territory outside of his room. I would suggest that you have lots of vertical spaces for the cats. This can be cat tress or even shelving on the walls. Do a search on Jackson Galaxy and his ideas for the "cat super highway". By providing vertical spaces, the cats can get up high and out of the way.

Do you play with any of the cats to help them burn off energy? This is especially needed for the young feral. He needs to be played with so that he is more tired before he comes out to mingle with the other cats. He then needs to be given a bit of a meal after a full play session. I believe I described this above ( hunt, catch, kill, eat, groom, sleep). Then when you let him out, he might not be as full of energy.

When doing introductions with multi cats, you might try doing introductions with one of the more mild mannered cats. One that would be more willing to accept him. Bring this kitty into the feral's space. Be sure you are watching. When I did this earlier this year, I always had a bag of plain cooked chicken with me. I would get the cats to eat small bites of chicken and I did this a few times each day. The cats learn to bond over the chicken. I would shake the zip lock baggie and the cats would start to get excited.

Unfortunately getting the cats acclimated to each other, does take time, patience and effort. When the cats are all out together, I would do my best to distract with a great wand toy or food rewards. The food rewards can later be phased out when the cats get along better.

Are you still using Feliway? I found this to be most important when I allowed my feral cats time out of the room. FEliway now makes a multi cat plug in. I found I needed quite a few of them in my home. I always noticed when they had run out. Amazon sells them.

I wish I had a magic wand for you and I am sorry it is so challenging. Working with cats and feral cats can be a challenge. I do believe if you and your husband regroup and work as a team, you might find results. You also can search on Jackson Galaxy and his ideas and shows on cat introductions.