I have been posting in the pregnant cats forum about Kulu, a feral 5 or 6 month old and her kittens.
She has been sequestered since she was brought into the house 3 weeks ago.
Shortly before she showed up at my place, I adopted 2 feral male cats, about a year old.
One of them chased her while she was outside, and I found a new home for him. The other one is not a dominant cat but did get into a major fight with the dominant male next door. He is super sensitive and after a month still flees the house if he feels threatened. It is taking him a while to feel that he gets to have a home and I do not want to jeopardize that. These two cats might have met outside before she came in, certainly knew of each other.
So for 3 weeks they have been 'meeting' through a door and there are frequent yowls and hisses, also a bit of 'talking'. I cannot figure out who is the aggressor, they both seem to do it.
Now her kittens have come and I want to start letting her into the rest of the house and I know she wants to go outdoors when the kittens are ready for that, in a few weeks. It is time to consider the next step of how this is going to manifest.
She is tiny and young, the size of a 4 month old kitten. And fierce, having been feral her entire life and also a mother. He is big and strong and healthy. My house is really small with only one cat door entrance. Even one cat fight is not an option for either of them or me.I have my own fears of violence, having been caught in a dog fight and bitten badly while trying to keep my dog from being killed by two others.
Someone suggested a screen door between them but I cannot manage that scenario.
I have fed them both treats on the same towel, they both sit on my lap while I am wearing the same clothes.
I would appreciate any thoughts on how to safely provide a way for them to meet and become accustomed to inhabiting the same space.
She has been sequestered since she was brought into the house 3 weeks ago.
Shortly before she showed up at my place, I adopted 2 feral male cats, about a year old.
One of them chased her while she was outside, and I found a new home for him. The other one is not a dominant cat but did get into a major fight with the dominant male next door. He is super sensitive and after a month still flees the house if he feels threatened. It is taking him a while to feel that he gets to have a home and I do not want to jeopardize that. These two cats might have met outside before she came in, certainly knew of each other.
So for 3 weeks they have been 'meeting' through a door and there are frequent yowls and hisses, also a bit of 'talking'. I cannot figure out who is the aggressor, they both seem to do it.
Now her kittens have come and I want to start letting her into the rest of the house and I know she wants to go outdoors when the kittens are ready for that, in a few weeks. It is time to consider the next step of how this is going to manifest.
She is tiny and young, the size of a 4 month old kitten. And fierce, having been feral her entire life and also a mother. He is big and strong and healthy. My house is really small with only one cat door entrance. Even one cat fight is not an option for either of them or me.I have my own fears of violence, having been caught in a dog fight and bitten badly while trying to keep my dog from being killed by two others.
Someone suggested a screen door between them but I cannot manage that scenario.
I have fed them both treats on the same towel, they both sit on my lap while I am wearing the same clothes.
I would appreciate any thoughts on how to safely provide a way for them to meet and become accustomed to inhabiting the same space.