Socializing a foster cat

Question
I recently brought home a foster tuxedo cat (approximately 8mos to a year old). When I first brought him home I confined him to his own room, with own litter box, food, water, blankets, etc. He initially would hiss and hide. After 3 days he FINALLY started to eat and drink and use the litter box. After about 2 weeks he finally started letting me pet him. Since then he has loved all the attention I give him, as long as I'm not standing. He seems to become scared and reverts to hissing as soon as I stand. I have tried to bring in, individually, my 2 tiger stripped cats (one is about 8 months, the other is about 6 years) and my chihuahua. None of them seem to get along. So, last night I had to break down and let my foster kitty roam the house because every time I closed the door he would meow for hours, keeping me awake and causing the cats to hiss at his door. He still is pretty scared when I'm standing, but the cats just aren't getting along. There have been no physical fights and no other attempts of dominance besides hissing and growling (my kitten loves to growl like my dog). Are there any tricks to try and get them to all get a long?? I want my foster kitty to have the best chance of getting adopted and become used to other people and cats.

Answer
Kristi,

It can often take a long time for cats to accept a new cat into the "fold".  Cats go through a very involved "getting to know you" ritual. However, it usually subsides as they figure out how to inter-relate to each other.  For the most part, you have done everything correctly.

I would also bet that the foster was abused which might explain the fear of you when standing.

I find it can take anywhere from a couple of weeks to many months for everything to settle down.  On rare occasions, there are cats who just do not like each other and never really settle. What you need to be prepared for is however they work it out, you will have to accept the results. I have found that any human intervention is counter productive.

Another tip is that cats do best if they think doing something is there idea. So, you may need to be creative about getting the foster to do things.  One thing you might try is to make sure each cat has a path way around whatever room they like to be in what is fairly high up. E.g., they can use shelves or the the tops of things to walk around the room and not have to be on the floor all the time. This higher up perspective is often more comforting to a cat than being on the floor all the time.

So, in a nutshell, give it more time and keep out of it. Let them figure it out on their own.

Another resource you may want to look into is Jackson Galaxy's web site:


http://jacksongalaxy.com/category/cat-behavior-and-care/


Please let me know what develops.

Best regards.... Norm.