Reintroducing cats after one has gone missing

katini

I have two cats (mother and son) which I adopted from the Cats Protection League two years ago.

For the first year, they lived happily together and were both loving cats who liked to sit on our laps etc. In July 2011, the mother cat went missing for four days and when she returned, was not very enamoured with her son. I have since found out that she was locked in a garage unknown to the owner and they let her out as soon as they discovered her.

Over time she has been going away for periods of 2, 3, 4, and 5 days, finally culminating in her being away for nearly the whole of September. We reported her missing everywhere and leafleted our immediate area. We had a number of calls from a set of houses on the road behind ours to report that a woman had taken her in. I went and approached her (pretending I was just looking for my cat) and she eventually confessed that my cat was on her sofa asleep. She said that she had seen it in the garden one day and her children wanted to play with her so she got her in the house, and that she hadn't meant for it to happen but that it had "spiralled out of control" and she was now living there permanently. The only times she was coming back to us was when they left her outside so that they could go away for the night or weekends. They had been out and bought her all the necessary accessories etc and just assumed her in the role of their own cat. She was wearing a collar the whole time that said on it "DO NOT FEED" as she has struvite crystals and so eats a special diet to prevent them recurring.

I eventually got my cat back from this woman despite her saying that I would break her children's hearts and that if she reappeared in their garden, she would take her back. It took a great deal of patience to carry on saying "don't worry about it, I'll just take her home and I am sure it will all be fine" rather than saying anything like "why did you ignore the collar and try to steal a cat which is clearly someone's pet?". I am quite upset about all of this because the woman tried to say that if my house was so great, my cat wouldn't have been in her garden for her to take in, and that maybe my other cat is to blame and that she should keep the mother cat.

Obviously now that I have my cat back she is treating her son like a stranger and so I have separated them. We are giving them both a lot of attention but entirely separately. I am planning on introducing them back to each other as if they had never met. I just wanted to some advice from anyone that has done this before, or may have a better suggestion for what to do. I am taking her to the vet tonight for a check up as I am unsure how her urinary problem is, as she has not been eating the correct food for who knows how long.

Apologies for the long post but I want to make sure that we do the right thing so that both my cats live with us happily and this woman cannot get her back in her house to keep from us again.

moggymutt

If neighbour is not letting your cat out once she has it inside, I would look on that as theft, although proof of ownership of a cat can be difficult. Make sure that she is microchipped in your name and address.

Some cats do choose to live elsewhere and there's not a lot you can do about it. Some cats just do prefer to be the only cat in the house. A nice fireplace in winter often makes cats decide that they can put up with each other after all., because they both like the heat.

Sadly struvite is not the tastiest of foods, and your cat may be getting tempted by 'junk food, but tastier' types of food.

I'd ask the vet for some leaflets on crystals and point out that she would have to bear the cost of catheterization etc if she keeps acting as if the cat is hers, and feeding her inappropriate food.

gettingready

Some years ago one of my cats moved out.

I have found him after about a week, went to collect him - found him in "his new house" lounging about on an armchair with a female resident cat.

Called him expecting him to be happy to see me - instead he bolted for the cat flap there. Luckily it was locked so managed to catch him and put him into the cat carrier (struggling and fighning etc).

People from the house where he moved in said that if I ever though of rehoming him, could I please let them know as they will happily take him, he was there for about 2 weeks, got on really well with them and their female cat etc.

Thought no way, thanked them for looking after him and took him home.

After about a month of him howling like mad, wanting to get out and looking very unhappy - called those people and asked them if they are happy to take him on.

They came for him within 15 min and I kept in touch with them for few years afterwards, he was very happy there.

He was 6 years old then and I had him from a kitten - in the end he decided to move out somewhere else as he was not happy in the flat we moved into (we were in a house before). Where he moved in was a house with garden and he made his choice.

I missed him but did not want to keep him unhappy when he so clearly wanted to be somewhere else and he was very much loved there.

No advice to you, sorry...

katini

Thanks for your help. She is microchipped.

If the situation can't be resolved in our house then I would have to think of rehoming her as I don't want her to be unhappy! However this woman does not have a cat flap, she just kept her in the house so I am not willing to give up my cat without attempting to keep her first as I don't know if my cat would have stayed there if she had the chance to leave. She is the first cat I've had and we actually chose her and had to have her kitten too. We love them both and are very soppy about them so don't want to lose either of them!

Jojo_the_Tightfisted

You could catproof your garden to make certain she can't get out to be stolen again.

MadDogWoman_2

This is copied from the information sheet provided by the RSPCA.

Hope it helps.

Before you bring your new cat home, set up a safe room forher. The safe room should have severalhiding places (they can be kitty igloos or just cardboard boxes lined withtowels), her own litter box, a scratching post or cat tree that she can climb,some toys, and bowls for food and water. The safe room will not only provide your new cat with a safe place of her own until she has adaptedto and feels comfortable and secure in your home, it will also help yourresident cat feel that her territory hasn't been taken over by the new cat.

YOUMUST ALWAYS VISIT YOUR NEW CAT IN THE SAFE ROOM AND PROVIDE COMPANY A FEW TIMESA DAY AND FUSS ONLY ON HER TERMS.

Close off the doorway between the safe room and rest of yourhome with a net of some sort (like a fishing or tennis net – or ideally, 3 wiremesh pet stacked to fill the doorway. Place the gates in the inside of the doorframe so that the door can be closed. This will allow the cats to smell eachother but not see or touch each other. The most important reason for keepingyour new cat isolated and out of sight is so your resident will not feel herterritory has been violated.

When you bring your new cat home, set the carrier in thecorner of the safe room, open the door, place a treat on the floor just outsidethe carrier, then leave the room. Your new cat may or may not choose to leavethe safety of her carrier. After you leave the room, she'll be able to exploreher new territory at her own pace and choose her own hiding places. Don't tryto force your new cat to come out of her carrier; let her come out on her ownin her own good time.

Pay lots of attention to your resident cat but in a casual,non-aggressive way. Don't try to comfort her by holding her. Engage yourresident cat in an interactive play session, brush her, feed her, or leave anew activity toy, such a paper shopping bag or catnip toy out for distraction.She'll probably show little interest in anything but what's beyond that closeddoor.

She may sniff around the door; camp out in front of it, evenhiss and growl. Don't be alarmed-those are all normal reactions. Depending onyour cat's personality, it may take several days to adjust to the new catbehind the door. When you go in to feedor play with your new cat, try to do it when your resident cat is eating,sleeping, or in another room so your resident cat doesn't sit outside the doorfeeling upset.

The next step in the introduction of the two cats willinvolve scent. For this step you'll need a pair of socks. Put one sock on yourhand and rub your new cat down to get her scent all over it. Rub all around herface, being sure to go along the sides of the mouth as these areas are rich inscent glands. When you feel you've done a good rub-down (the cat will mostlikely enjoy it), leave the scented sock in your resident cat's territory. Usethe other sock to rub down your resident cat and then leave that one in yournew cat's safe room. This enables the cats to begin getting familiar with eachother's scents in a controlled, non-threatening way. Yon can do this severaltimes, using a few pairs of socks

The most important element in introducing new cats toresident cats is introducing one sense at a time. Introducing two cats onesense at a time allows them to adapt to each step of the introduction at theirown pace and allows you to control the speed of each phase. One sense at a timewill allow you to avoid a feline sensory overload and potential fights thatcould cause permanent damage to your cats' relationship.

After your resident cat has investigated the sock, rewardher with a treat and/or conduct an interactive play session so that theexperience ends on a positive note.

After the scented sock exchange has been going well forseveral days to a week, you can then move on to the next step in theintroduction process: the room exchange. Let your cat investigate the new cat'sroom and let the new cat out to investigate the rest of the house. This letsthem do a more thorough scent investigation, including checking out each other'slitter box. About an hour of this is probably a long enough time. Continue todo the room exchange a couple of times a day for about a week.

Now, if everything is going well and your resident cat isshowing no signs of aggression, the cats are ready for the big step! Open thedoor to the safe room so that the cats can finally see, smell, and hear eachother- and approach each other closely enough to touch each other through thegates if they wish.. Be casual about it but also be ready with tools for distractionsuch as treats or pieces of special food such as shredded cooked chicken, totoss on the floor of each room. Having treats also helps prevents the cats frombecoming too negatively focused on each other and helps them connect positivethings with each other. If the cats become overly hostile to each other, closethe door and begin the process again the next day. Don't force any step of the introductionprocess.

Keep the cats separated in different rooms until they can approach each other on opposite sides of the gates without showing signs of fear or aggressiveness. Don't try to bring, force, or entice the cats to come close to one another.

Once you see that the cats don't hiss or growlwhen they see and approach each other through the gates, begin placing theirfood and water bowls on the opposite sides of gates as far away from the gatesas possible but still within sight of each other. Only later, when the cats are coming close toone another often without showing signs of fear or aggression, the food bowlscan be moved progressively closer to the gates. Always let both cats decide for themselves how closely they approach oneanother.

Don't take the gates away until the cats have shown only normal, peaceful, friendly behaviour when they come in contact with one another through the gate - and they approach each other often and eat with the bowls touching the gates without showing signs of fear or nervousness - for several consecutive days.

Once the cats begin sharing space in the house, keep the safe room set up for a while so your new cat has a safe place of his own during initial disputes.

Keep two litter boxes set up in different locations, not next to each other. This way, if your resident cat is feeling territorial, your new cat will have another place to go.

Isolate the new cat in a separate “Safe Room”. That is closed off from the other pets (make sure the door is securely shut and doesn’t open easily). This smaller, confined area will help the new cat to feel safe and adjust more quickly to his new home. Provide a litter box, scratching post, toys, food, and water in the new cat’s room. This separation will also give your current pets time to get used to the new cat’s smell and the idea of having a new occupant in the house. During the first week, the only interaction that your new cat and resident cats should have is playing paws under the door.

Remember. Cats like routine, not change Your resident cats’ behaviour may initially change when you first bring the new cat home. Most common is hissing, growling, hiding or fighting among resident pets. Your current cats may even act differently toward you by displaying aggression or ignoring you all together. With your new cat in his “safe room,” the new and resident cats will all have the opportunity to become familiar with each others’ scents while safely separated by a door. As they begin to acclimate to each other, the cats will feel less threatened and, with time, the negative behaviour should dissipate.

Fire_Fox

I'd be inclined to send a solicitor's letter to this woman to say keeping your cat inside her home is theft, and that feeding it any other food than the prescription diet will be deemed abuse. Point out that your cat is microchipped and that you will report her to the RSPCA and the police if the situation recurs.

Agree consider cat proofing your garden. I wouldn't let them have the cat because they were irresponsible with the food situation, medical care is a key part of parenting and pet ownership.

Deep_In_Debt

The only times she was coming back to us was when they left her outside so that they could go away for the night or weekends.

So they didn't make arrangements to have her looked after if they went away for the weekends and just shut her out?

That's a bit worrying.

katini

MadDogWoman wrote: »

This is copied from the information sheet provided by the RSPCA.

Thank you, this is very useful.

Fire_Fox wrote: »

I'd be inclined to send a solicitor's letter to this woman to say keeping your cat inside her home is theft, and that feeding it any other food than the prescription diet will be deemed abuse. Point out that your cat is microchipped and that you will report her to the RSPCA and the police if the situation recurs.

Agree consider cat proofing your garden. I wouldn't let them have the cat because they were irresponsible with the food situation, medical care is a key part of parenting and pet ownership.

Thank you for your advice. I am looking into the cat-proofing of the garden and hopefully will get it done very soon so that it should prevent her ever going back there!

Deep_In_Debt wrote: »

The only times she was coming back to us was when they left her outside so that they could go away for the night or weekends.

So they didn't make arrangements to have her looked after if they went away for the weekends and just shut her out?

That's a bit worrying.

Yes, exactly. That's why I am so adamant about not letting this woman have my cat. If it does all go wrong and we have to re-home her, I will go down every other avenue first.

Thanks to everyone for their help.

katini

Jojo_the_Tightfisted wrote: »

You could catproof your garden to make certain she can't get out to be stolen again.

Thank you for this, I have been looking this morning at doing this and am pleased to see that there are alternatives to the more obvious and intrusive methods with the large brackets and wire netting!