Already have a cat but a stray has made Home with us

[ShaunClark]

We have a female cat she is about 21. We have recently had a beautiful young male cat visit and after we have been feeding him and made a shelter outside for him, we are considering letting him come inside. He has been neutered, isn’t chipped and no collar, but beautiful condition. If we were to take him in, would this have an adverse affect on our old girl. When she sees him sat outside she hisses at him briefly before turning away. Would he spray around the house if we were to take him in? Although he is neutered. Any advice welcome. Thankyou

[Lilith]

Hi there and welcome and good on you for taking on this boy

I too have had episodes of ferals turning up and moving in - luckily I could cater for them, and luckily they'd all known each other from the cat 'underground', and settling in (while not without its ructions between the two toms) wasn't too bad.

My personal feeling about this would be that your girl is hissing and saying 'mind your ps and qs, laddy, this is my patch and I'm boss' - but she's not seeing him off, is she? I'd feel like leaving the back door open (sorry - wrong time of year!) and just seeing if she allows him inside ... and letting her dictate the pace of socialisation.

If he's neutered he's not likely to spray in the house - though of course they can surprise you, girls as well - oh yes girls spray too sometimes lol.

But generally I've known ferals - and even feral kittens - to be scrupulous about using a tray, in fact even more polite than cats who've never had to rough it.

I do hope she lets him come inside. During my period of running the local feline 'drop-in centre' my lot would allow even cats with homes to come in and snack from the bowl of biscuits; it's all about establishing a communal territory, and I feel that this may well have started with your two.

Hopefully other members will be along with more advice but hope this helps for now - all the best with them and please update - we love stories like this and like to know the outcome

[Kay]

If he is neutered he may have an owner, especially if he is in good condition. Is he spending 24/7 around your house and garden? Have you checked for a microchip?

In these sort of circumstances it is recommended to put a collar on the cat with a note attached giving your details and asking if he has an owner, and if so to get in touch - better risk finding he is not a stray than ending up with an unpleasant encounter down the road - in time and distance!

If you are free to take him in, given their respective ages he could harry your old girl, wanting to play, so you would need to ensure she has an escape route and a quiet place to get away from him, if needs be

[Janey]

This list of tips may be helpful to ascertain whether the cat has an owner:
https://www.catchat.org/index.php/cat-m ... lost-found