New stray cat taken into my home

Question
Hi there....I currently have two cats...a 10 year old female and her 8 1/2 year old son.  They are strictly indoors and are spoiled rotten and very sweet (to those that live here anyway).  I stray cat showed up in our yard about a month ago and I could tell it had been someone's beloved pet.  It was sweet, loved to be held and was obviously very tame.  After attempting to find an owner, we determined that it had been abandoned.  I took the cat in two weeks ago, confining it to my bedroom with it's own food, water and litter box.  She's very content and is still quite loving to all.  I took her to the vet...she's a healthy cat who has been spayed and is approximately 3 years old.  I am now leaving the door to the bedroom open, but she almost never ventures out.  When my cats go in to check out the situation she growls and hisses and throws a fit.  Of course my cats do the same back.  I slept in the living room with my original cats leaving the fiancee to the new cats until the vet check, as my cats are used to sleeping with me.  I'm now back in bed, but my cats aren't sleeping in the bed anymore.  I know you're not psychic, but can you tell me if there's a chance that one day everyone will at least learn to tolerate each other so life can somewhat return to normal?  And if so, is there any type of timeline that I might see some change in any of the cats' behaviors?  I absolutely adore these cats and would love to have a happily ever after situation.

Thanks for whatever advice/knowledge you can share!


Answer
Laurie,

Unfortunately due to the fact that this cat was abandoned by her previous caregivers you aren't able to find out anything about her history. There's no way of knowing how long this cat spent fending for herself as there are usually good samaritans in every neighborhood that are concerned with the welfare of stray, feral and abandoned cats. It is quite possible that your new kitty has had a traumatic experience with an intact feral or stray cat which could explain her aggression towards the other resident cats after a reasonable introduction. There are a few courses of action that you can take to try and remedy this situation ranging from the use of homeopathic remedies and other alternative therapies to using anti-anxiety/depressant type drugs. My personal philosophy is that cats should initially be treated with an approach that's as close to nature as possible so I generally suggest that pharmaceutical drugs be used as a means of last resort because the use of psychotropic drugs isn't without risk or side effects for cats.

Since there is very little known about the history of your foundling kitty with regards to any incidents she may have had with other cats during the time she spent fending for herself I have a few simple recommendations and along with giving the cats some time to settle down should help bring a truce between the two sides. For starters I'd recommend that you play with this cat using interactive toys like a kitty tease to help drain away excess energy. It's not a bad idea to have your fiance or another family member play with the resident cats to help burn off some energy prior to starting to work with the cats each day. You may just find that the new cat and resident cats begin to get so caught up in the game that they start playing together in which case the problem is solved. I think a good start towards helping this new kitty and her housemates would be to try feeding them within sight of each other. Initially the idea is to have the cats associate the sight of each other with something positive such as their regular food or a special treat like chicken breast, tuna or sardines. You will want to gradually work at moving the new cat's bowl out of her hiding place where she goes to try and feel more secure when the other resident cats come into her space. It's a good idea to try feeding something that the cats don't get very often because special treats are far more important resources to most cats than their usual diet. Over time the idea is to get the three cats eating side by side without any aggression or fighting. I'd suggest keeping any young children in the household out of a situation where they can be caught in the middle of an unexpected moment of aggression because there is the potential for injury.

It's very important not to try and separate fighting cats with bare hands because when cats are caught up in a fight they may accidentally strike out at you which can result in being bitten or scratched. Cat bites often become infected so if any of the cats actually bites you and breaks the skin I'd recommend seeking medical treatment. To avoid being bitten or scratched by feuding cats I recommend having a few basics nearby. A heavy towel or blanket can be used to subdue an angry feline without risking injury to the cat or human. A water pistol or spray bottle (the kind used for misting plants, do not recycle spray bottles from household cleaners as this can result in poisoning) will also help to separate cats that are acting out of anger, fear or frustration although there have been instances where a simple squirt wasn't enough and I have had to toss a glass of water onto an aggressive cat to make my point. Using a broom to guide an angry feline into another room is also a good idea, it keeps the cat at arm's length, protects human caregivers from injury and separates the cats so that no serious injuries are inflicted.

As I'm sure you're aware scent is very important to cats. Many people believe that a cat's sole purpose for "sharpening" on furniture or carpeting is to remove old claw casings or somehow create a sharper claw, this isn't actually accurate. Cats "sharpen" to stretch and strengthen their muscles, remove old claw casings and most importantly to mark the object with their individual scent. Cats have scent glands in their faces, anus and paws which help to identify them to cats and other animals as individuals. A good way to help your new kitty get comfortable with your resident cats is to get her accustomed to their scent. I generally use an old hand towel to rub down the new cat, then the resident cats and back to the new cat. This effectively mixes the scents which allows all of the cats to smell each other's scent on their coat. I recommend doing this as often as possible throughout the day as it may help to settle your new friend in, after all she can't be upset with the way that her housemates smell when she smells just the same as they do. It's been my experience that once everyone is comfortable with each other's unique scent and has had positive experiences closely associated with the scents of other resident cats things can settle within a fairly short period of time.

Another great, pharmaceutical free option is to make use of a safe and effective homeopathic remedy called Bach's Rescue Remedy which is a blend of flower essences designed to calm and reassure. You can often find this remedy in health food stores, naturopathic pharmacies, some mainstream pharmacies in the section where you would find vitamins and nutritional supplements and I believe you can also purchase this remedy online. Rescue Remedy is used by pet parents and some veterinarians worldwide as a safe effective way to treat traumatized, anxious, fearful or abused animals of every description. In this case you may find that adding 5-7 drops of Rescue Remedy to fresh bowls of water located throughout your home each morning will ensure that all of the cats get some of this remedy and you'll hopefully start to notice a difference in everyone's ability to get along together. In the event that one or more cats needs more personal attention when it comes to getting the Rescue Remedy you can gently massage one drop 2-3 times daily onto the reasonably hair free area in front of the ears provided that you don't get any in the ears as it may sting due to the fact that the flower essences are preserved in a grape alcohol solution. There are countless holistic remedies and treatments that may be of benefit to all of the cats in your home so I'd recommend that you consider seeking the advice of a holistic veterinarian which is simply a vet trained in conventional medicine as well as one or more alternative therapies such as homeopathy, acupuncture or even massage. My family vet is a holistic vet and I've seen amazing results with homeopathic treatments that she's prescribed.

A veterinarian trained only in conventional medicine can offer prescriptions for anti-anxiety/depressant medications, however it's important to understand that the use of psychotropic drugs to treat anxiety in cats isn't without potential risks or side effects. In most cases the drugs used are actually small doses of human anti-anxiety/depressant medications. If you do decide to consider this treatment option I'd encourage you to take the time to do your research, compile a list of questions and concerns to talk through with your veterinarian and educate yourself on the potential risks or side effects your cat may experience. As I mentioned before I feel very strongly that holistic treatments are good options to try before resorting to the use of powerful drugs and I only recommend pharmaceutical treatment options as a last resort.

I suspect that with time, patience, some holistic care and lots of love this cat will at least be willing to co-exist peacefully with the other resident cats. She's been through a lot, it's quite possible that she's afraid that her feline companions will attack or injure her because intact feral and stray cats can be fiercely protective of their territory. It sounds to me like this cat was once a much loved member of a family who was discarded for whatever reason. I find this trend of viewing cats as disposable pets upsetting to say the least and I have personally seen the negative psychological effects that this can have on a once pampered family pet. It takes time, love and patience to undo the damage done by being abandoned, but I've seen some amazing things happen once a former stray realizes that s/he has found the ultimate forever family.