Are neighborhood cats friendly to my housecats?

MyaLias

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I have 4 indoor cats. There are a lot of neighborhood cats. I felt bad for them, being homeless, so I started feeding them. So, obviously, they hang around. My cats don't seem stressed out at all about them. They seem to just peer out the window at the neighborhood cats, and the neighborhood cats seem friendly to them as well. They seem to just be curious about each other. Is it possible for them to be friends? All I read about on the internet is about the strays stressing out the house cats - but I don't see any evidence of that. Is it possible for them to just be curious about each other and be friends with each other? My cats are surprisingly very friendly. I got each one of them, one at a time, so each new one had to be introduced to the old ones...and they always took to each other well. They all love each other very much...I see them groom each other all the time, and play with each other. I don't want to mistakenly stress my cats out, but I really don't see any signs. Has anyone had this experience? Where the neighborhood cats are actually friendly to your own house cats??? Is this possible?
 

orange&white

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Of many ferals in my neighborhood, there is one who hangs out in the yard and watches me play fetch with the dog and watches when I take my senior cat outside for a few minutes of sunshine.  I've seen the cat right outside my bedroom window looking at my kitten who likes to sit on the back of the armchair and look out.

Seems friendly enough.  You'd know the difference if your indoor cats were hissing and growling at the neighborhood cats.

Are the outside cats spayed and neutered?  If not, you should take them to be fixed.
 

1CatOverTheLine

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All of mine are, "neighbourhood cats" - a few strays, but most ferals, the progeny of many generations born outside.  If you're considering Trap, Neuter and Rehome rather than Trap, Neuter and Release, there are some considerations, and the first is health - specifically Feline Immuno-deficiency Virus, Feline Leukemia and Feline Infectious Peritonitis.  The last thing you'd want is to bring an FIV, FIP or FelV positive cat into a healthy clowder.

Assuming good health in your outside population, the second consideration is space, and how that living space is divided.  Introducing cats can be difficult at times, and the more space - and the more simply it can be divided via communicating doors - the simpler the job becomes.

With those criteria in mind, having a few dollars set aside for care and feeding is vital.  If you can't manage veterinary care costs, the cats will be the ones who'll suffer ultimately.  Having access to a good veterinarian goes hand in glove with this.

The last is simply time and patience.  Some cats - truly feral cats - can take a long time to adjust to a new indoor lifestyle.  Strays - cats who once had and lost a home - come around pretty quickly; feral cats will fight you tooth and nail, no matter how good your intentions.  I've never had one who failed to come around, but personally, I've seen it take nearly two years to integrate a particular cat into the household.

Trap, Neuter and Rehome can be incredibly rewarding, especially if you can place the cats ultimately with a Loving permanent home - acting as a foster caregiver.  There are a number of cat foster Parents here, and no doubt some of them will speak up.  If you can formulate specific questions, you'll no doubt get the answers you need.

.
 

IndyJones

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I try to keep the neighbors cats away from my place. If I have Kabby out on his leash he chases any of them away.

Plus it really annoys me when neighbors don't clean up after their pets whether it's a dog or a cat.
 
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marina lynn

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If your cats and neighborhood cats can be together friendly, there are nothing to worry about.

 
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orange&white

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I may have misunderstood your question.  Are you asking about letting the outside cats in to mingle with your indoor cats?  I didn't get that from your questions.  I thought you were just asking if having the outside cats would cause stress to your inside cats, but were planning to keep them separated.

Can you clarify?
 
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