I would appreciate any advice on the problem I have got. We took in two very timid rescue cats two years ago who are now settled in very well. However, another cat showed up a few months ago, very thin and just staring through the cat flap. We started feeding it (with a worming powder) and it now shows up twice a day for it's meals. It seems to be quite friendly towards our two cats but they seem very wary of it. After getting over it's initial fear it seems to want a fuss and to play but quickly turns and sinks it's claws into you! I have seen it try to play with our two and am wondering if is too rough which has led to them being wary?
I would appreciate any advice as to how to integrate it into the household as successfully as possible,
many thanks
Tony
New cat on the block
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Jacks
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Re: New cat on the block
Tony, how wonderful that you are caring for this cat! It sounds to me like things are actually going really well - I've taken in a Tom who was living rough for years and they've all gradually sorted out their relationships with him. He too used to like a fuss but would very quickly turn to bite - this I have to say gets better, and I think it's a consequence of having lived rough with little human interaction that his tolerance for 'petting' was initially very short. He still doesn't like having his tummy rubbed, but neither do many cats...
What I would advise though is that you get him/her vet checked - which will mean enticing said cat into a carrier. From your description it sounds like you're not sure if the cat is male or female - you also need to know if he's been neutered, if he's a boy - as if he hasn't been he will become much more docile after the event. Apologies if you do know, but as all your references are to 'it' I'm guessing you don't. Harder to tell if a female has been spayed, of course, and there is a remote possibility that there's a chip and he or she is someone's lost pet.
If there is no owner, find out if you're dealing with a he or she, give them a name, and start encouraging him or her to spend some time indoors, even if you keep him or her in the kitchen overnight (my big boy wants to stay in overnight now but I keep him in the kitchen overnight and the residents have the run of the rest of the house - as he's not 100% integrated yet). Winter is coming and it would be great to get your new arrival integrated with your pair. Being shy as cats generally refers to humans - cats are completely different with members of their own species. A confident cat with humans may be very wary of new felines and vise versa. If your two are already playing with the newcomer that is a very good sign.
What I would advise though is that you get him/her vet checked - which will mean enticing said cat into a carrier. From your description it sounds like you're not sure if the cat is male or female - you also need to know if he's been neutered, if he's a boy - as if he hasn't been he will become much more docile after the event. Apologies if you do know, but as all your references are to 'it' I'm guessing you don't. Harder to tell if a female has been spayed, of course, and there is a remote possibility that there's a chip and he or she is someone's lost pet.
If there is no owner, find out if you're dealing with a he or she, give them a name, and start encouraging him or her to spend some time indoors, even if you keep him or her in the kitchen overnight (my big boy wants to stay in overnight now but I keep him in the kitchen overnight and the residents have the run of the rest of the house - as he's not 100% integrated yet). Winter is coming and it would be great to get your new arrival integrated with your pair. Being shy as cats generally refers to humans - cats are completely different with members of their own species. A confident cat with humans may be very wary of new felines and vise versa. If your two are already playing with the newcomer that is a very good sign.
Re: New cat on the block
Thanks Jacks! Since putting a worming powder into his food he seems to be putting on some weight. I think it's a spayed "he" as he has large paws (not very scientific I know). He is very similar to the picture you have but is still very wary. We put a bed down just inside the back door but one of ours decided that he liked it!