Hi,

I am new to the forum, I am actually looking for advice for a friend they have two cats one female one male (mum and son) and there is a small male stray who has been coming in the cat flap for months and eating the left over food from their bowls, they would like to get him to move in before winter but he is very timid and is scared of the female who can be aggressive, would it be best to put him in a room for a few days seperated from her or would it be best to put them together straight away? Thank you in advance for any advice.

Hello,

well firstly I would suggest attempting to establish if he has an owner (if you haven't already). Simplest way is putting a paper collar on him notifying others (potentially his owners) that he is coming into your house and to contact you. Also putting up posters and asking around the neibourhood to see if an owner can be found will help raise awareness in your immediate community. I would aslo notify any rescues within your county (cross county depending on boundaries) that he is with you and you are feeding him in case he has been accidentally transported too far from home to find his way. Lastly take him to your vet to be scanned for a chip.

If all these turn up no results then I suppose he is fair game, how to coaks him in is not something I would know how to do.

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Try and feed him away from the others, trying to gain his trust by talking to him whilst he is eating. This may take some time.
I would keep him in a small room on his own with only one person at first going in to the room. Keep your cats away from the door at first then gradually allow you cats to be heard. After a period of time allow the cat out of the room for short bursts to see how they all get on. Still allowing him to sleep on his own until you are sure there is not going to be a major fight, only you can decide as it can be different from cat to cat.
Patience is the key and good luck

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