I'm Sure This Has Been Answered A Million Times..

[Casscab]

Good evening,

That's the boy I'm talking about up there^^

I am currently in the process of bringing a feral/stray cat in from outside. I have an appointment set up December 12th with a local shelter where they'll neuter, test, and give him shots.

He's such a sweetie, he has been coming every day since August and cries when my boyfriend or I leave him to go inside. We've named him Binks. He looks to be about two years old.

We have two male cats of our own right now, so we've set up a room for him that's seperate and away from them until we can slowly introduce the cats. I want to bring him in next week just to start getting him comfortable before his visit.

On to my questions/concerns:
1. I'm concerned about Binks transferring something to my current cats, like fleas or parasites. Should I do a flea treatment before bringing him in? They're going to deworm him at his appointment I believe, but should I do that now instead? And then just let them know?

2. How long should I wait before introducing Binks to his other brothers?

3. Should I try and bathe him?

4. How do I make him the most comfortable during all of this?

Thanks so much for reading all of this and helping me out!

Below are his new brothers and Dad. ( the brothers are biological brothers that we adopted from a rescue two years ago)

 

[maggiedemi]

I wouldn't bathe him, cats hate baths and they keep themselves pretty clean anyway. Sure, you can put flea stuff on the back of his neck if he will let you and if you know how. Do you think he would let you?

 

[Casscab]

Definitely, he loves being pet. I'm concerned about what to get for him though. I've read too much on the internet and am afraid I'll put something on him that will make him sick. Our cats have only had fleas twice and both times we've simply bathed them.

 

[maggiedemi]

I use Frontline and my cats never had a bad reaction to it.

 

[Casscab]

Okay, I'll look into giving that a go. Thank you.

 

[katiesanders_]

Going through the same thing right now! We have an inside cat and we’re considering introducing them...good luck!

 

[ashade1]

I would recommend frontline or advantage! You cam give him a dose of wormer now! Most wormers need given again in two weeks anyway to wipe out the eggs! Thank you for caring for this sweet boy!

 

[msaimee]

I use Frontline Plus, which can be applied every 30 days. If your cat is going to be indoor only, you may only need to apply it once, before you take him into your house. It's usually cheaper to purchase from Amazon or eBay than from a pet store or vets office. Don't apply it if it's raining or wet outside, it needs a few hours to penetrate into the cat's skin. De-wormers require a prescription. It's possible to order Dontal without a script online from Canada, but with the vet appointment coming up, you can wait for the vet to prescribe it, or perhaps the vet would dispense it (as well as the Frontline) ahead of the appointment if you explain that you're preparing to take a stray into your home. The de-wormer acts very quickly-if the cat has parasites, he will poop them out shortly after the med is given. There is usually no reason to bathe a cat. You can groom him with a cat comb or brush. The only time I've bathed a cat was when the cat was long haired and had bad diarrhea that matted into the fur. Otherwise, they are able to groom themselves. You may want to consider getting a SNAP test while at the vet, which tests for Feline Aids and Feline Leukemia, before allowing him to mingle with your resident cats. It's a simple blood test that costs about 45 dollars. Once the kitty is examined by a vet and is deemed to be disease- free and flea free, you can begin slow introductions between him and the other cats. Keeping him in his own room during this time is a good idea. There are some helpful links and articles on this site about cat introductions. Are your resident cats already familiar with him by seeing and smelling him through the windows and smelling his scent on you? That would be helpful. How long the process takes depends on the cats. it can take anywhere from days to weeks. It's great that you're helping this cat, let us know how it goes.

 

[Casscab]

Going through the same thing right now! We have an inside cat and we’re considering introducing them...good luck!

Thank you!!
Best of luck to you as well.

 

[Casscab]

I would recommend frontline or advantage! You cam give him a dose of wormer now! Most wormers need given again in two weeks anyway to wipe out the eggs! Thank you for caring for this sweet boy!

Thanks for the suggestions! I'm going to go pick up frontline today and try that.

 

[Casscab]

I use Frontline Plus, which can be applied every 30 days. If your cat is going to be indoor only, you may only need to apply it once, before you take him into your house. It's usually cheaper to purchase from Amazon or eBay than from a pet store or vets office. Don't apply it if it's raining or wet outside, it needs a few hours to penetrate into the cat's skin. De-wormers require a prescription. It's possible to order Dontal without a script online from Canada, but with the vet appointment coming up, you can wait for the vet to prescribe it, or perhaps the vet would dispense it (as well as the Frontline) ahead of the appointment if you explain that you're preparing to take a stray into your home. The de-wormer acts very quickly-if the cat has parasites, he will poop them out shortly after the med is given. There is usually no reason to bathe a cat. You can groom him with a cat comb or brush. The only time I've bathed a cat was when the cat was long haired and had bad diarrhea that matted into the fur. Otherwise, they are able to groom themselves. You may want to consider getting a SNAP test while at the vet, which tests for Feline Aids and Feline Leukemia, before allowing him to mingle with your resident cats. It's a simple blood test that costs about 45 dollars. Once the kitty is examined by a vet and is deemed to be disease- free and flea free, you can begin slow introductions between him and the other cats. Keeping him in his own room during this time is a good idea. There are some helpful links and articles on this site about cat introductions. Are your resident cats already familiar with him by seeing and smelling him through the windows and smelling his scent on you? That would be helpful. How long the process takes depends on the cats. it can take anywhere from days to weeks. It's great that you're helping this cat, let us know how it goes.

Thank you for the response!

I'm going to pick up frontline today, and depending on the result of his feces, I'll call the vet early or wait. I also made sure that he gets tested and will be sure to keep them seperate until I get the results.

My cats have smelled him on us and have seemed unfazed, the same way with Binks. All three have very laid back personalities so I'm hoping they'll take to one another. I'm just nervous that all this will stress all the cats out.

I'll let everyone know how it goes!

 

[msaimee]

Try not to feel too stressed, cats are perceptive and pick up on our anxiety. One method I use in socializing a new cat to resident cats is to try to engage them together with interactive play using a laser toy or wand toy once it's clear they're not aggressive with each other but more curious. If your cats are all laid back(no aggressive alpha males) and are familiar with one another's scents, you may have a very smooth transition process.

 

[Stray Cathouse Madame]

Definitely do some scent swapping while you wait for the all clear from the vet. If there's a towel or sheet that your indoor boys normally lay on, bring it out to Binks for him to smell and hopefully lay on. But until you get the vet's ok, you can't give it back to your boys unless you launder it. In the meantime, however, after you go back in from petting him, let the boys briefly smell your hands before you wash them.