Took in a semi-feral stray, have two cats already

by stacey
(long beach, ny)

hi there -


i recently (this week) took in a semi-feral stray cat. she had been coming to my house since right after the hurricane on the east coast. she was coming everyday, 2-4 times for food. i decided to do TNR but instead of releasing her, i took her in.

right now, she's in a large cage in one of our rooms. we've begun to leave the door open to the room because she's actually begun to acclimate a bit to us.

i have two other cats that are a 1 1/2 years old. they are from the same litter and have been here since they were about 4 months.

one walks over by the door and will sit or sleep there, watching her and sometimes hissing/growling. the other cat has sat a lot further away and done the same.

i have two questions:

1. she's been crying out all day. not a hiss or anything close to that. more of a cry. when we go to the room, she settles down.

2. how and when will my cats go to meet her? she is definitely interested and more okay with them in some ways than my husband and me.

i know it takes time and patience. it is also very stressful and i feel very badly for her, even though all my intentions are great and i am feeding her and giving her shelter.

any help or advice would be greatly appreciated!

stacey

Reply
well i think you have partly answered your own question here. It is very early days for her in this new environment and she is probably not use to being kept inside all the time let alone in a cage so the crying is her calling you for some reassurance etc. All you can do is to make sure she does have toys to keep her amused and if you can you can let her out into the room with you for periods during the day so that she can explore and get her bearing etc.

As for your other cats well you have already started the introductory process. it may be a little early really as she needs some more time to get used to her surroundings more first.

Basically though the process for introducing cats is on this page

https://www.our-happy-cat.com/introducing-cats.html

Try not to stress as this will be picked up by your cats. take things slowly and calmly and over the coming weeks and months things will settle down. Do make sure she is spayed though as this could cause problems with your other cats.

best wishes kate

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Took in a semi-feral stray
by: tracy

Bless you for taking in the cat. I just got 2 volunteers to do the TNR here onmy street. I feed the stray/feral cats and these 2 cats keep having kittens. They caught 13 cats so far and have 3 to go now. they were fixed, got shots, de-wormed, etc... I have 2 cats that we took in as kittens from the outside. Bootsie is 5 and Bonnie is 2. They were both kittens when they were rescued from outside so it was a lot easier to get them used to the inside. I don't know how old your new cat is, but she has been outside for a while I assume so it make take some time, but trust me she will adjust. You did a wonderful thing saving this cat! You are wonderful! she just needs some love. I live in a small 1 bedroom apt. so I cannot take in any more cats, if I could I sure would. If I had a house I would have them all I am sure. Maybe you can put her on a room by herself for a bit out of the cage and then slowly introduce her to the other cats. Thank you for helping this kitty!!!!
reply to Kate
by: Stacey

thanks, Kate.

i kind of thought she was calling out for reassurance but since cats can be so independent, i wasn't so sure that was it.

i did have her spayed, that was the intent of originally having her "trapped" but then i decided i'd try to bring her in too.

she seems to not mind my cats at all. has not hissed or growled at them once. they are coming in slowly to her room and keep their distance, with an occasional hiss but she does not seem bothered by that or them.

the other big issue we are having is at nite, she destroys the entire cage. turns everything upside down. we left the light on, some mellow music and come in when she cries out. there is no bed in the room, so i slept on the floor the other nite. is there any way to get a good nite of sleep and also not have to completely clean the cage every morning. i feel so bad for her because she leaves herself no place to rest after she does this.

i've read, learned and heard more than anything, patience and time. i am willing to give it that, i just want her to be happy and comfortable.

thanks again, kate. i appreciate having people to ask questions to. :)

stacey

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