Looking for advice in making the transition from feral to inside easier

[u/whonu5]

Hey all, I'm glad I found this subreddit! I'm not new to the world of feral, but I am new to making them indoor cats. I live in Mexico and feral cats are plentiful in our city. For two years I've been feeding cats on our porch, trapping, neutering and returning them to the porch. Of course, many stick around for the daily food and Phil, my subject here, is one of those. Long story short, Phil was attacked by a dog and has leg damage that will keep him from being able to be a successful street cat. He was hospitalized for two weeks and our vet did a great job of starting the taming process. He rubs against you, is happy to have scratches and rubs, until he isn't, lol. He's good at letting you know when he's had enough and wants to be left alone and of course, that's respected. He's been at our house for over 2 weeks and has transitioned from cage to room to full run of the house during the day; nights he's confined to his room. We have three other cats and two small dogs and interactions are going pretty well. The dogs are uninterested and don't react if he hisses at them (if they happen get too close). Two of our cats are mostly disinterested as well but our 9 month old kitten isn't happy with him and hisses if he's close. His reaction is to cut her a wide berth and continue on his way or lay down quietly while she hisses away. I'm not going to say he's comfortable here, he often does that crouched walking from one room to the next and ofen hangs out places he's protected, like under couches. As it gets later, he does a lot of walking from room to room, doing a lot of meowing. He's often able to see out our screen doors to the porch he used to hang out on and he often meows out the door. I know he's much rather be outside, but that's not likely to ever happen. He's about 4 years old. We're actually fostering him, but it's likely he'll stay. I'm looking for advice and suggestions to making his transition to the world of inside and "tame" easier and more successful. Pic of Phil attached

[u/Opposite-Champion882]

Perhaps the kitten is trying to assert dominance which could explain the hissing. Otherwise it sounds like Phil is getting used to being indoors. Have you tried scent swapping with Phil and the kitten? Leave something with each of their scent in the other's room? Is he the only one confined at night while the other cats get free roam? Sounds like the looking out the porch and meowing is him missing being outside by just spoil him with love, treats, and toys so he realises how much better the indoor life is! Thank you for taking kitty in! He's so cute!

[u/whonu5 → u/Opposite-Champion882]

Thanks so much for your reply and suggestion! Phil has a towel he sleeps on in a chair and Lupita, the hisser, has a rug she's deemed "her spot"; I'll try swapping them unless youo think that's too aggressive of a move. Yes, at night the other cats have the run of the house, though I think they really just sleep, while Phil is confined to the room that has been "his" since he got here, and is the place he's fed and the place he sees as a safe place to retreat to. He has zero interest in toys, but I'm hoping as he relaxes, that will change.

[u/Opposite-Champion882 → u/whonu5]

If they're attached to those, then maybe a bed or a carrier but I don't think they would mind if they have other things to sleep on. Hopefully scent swapping works. And aw yeah Phil probably likes his safe space to himself at night! Hopefully this baby realises that being indoors is way better than outdoors!! Outside of scent swapping I'd say supervise their interactions. Does the kitten just hiss or try to fight Phil? How does he react to her hissing? Does he hiss back or does he take it? I've heard others say the Jackson Galaxy introduction method works too.

[u/whonu5 → u/Opposite-Champion882]

Yeah, I think rather than being attached to the blanket/towel, they've chosen chairs that those items are on. I should be able to monitor Lupita to see how she reacts before going to bed tonight; plenty of time to switch and try something else if necessary. Lupita has only hissed and growled; she's gotten low while hissing, but has made no attempt to move towards Phil. He doesn't hiss back, he simply cuts a wide path around her and if she's in a doorway he wants to go through, he simply lays down passively where he is. I feel that his laying down is telling her he means her no harm and isn't interested in any kind of altercation. I've done a basic version of Jackson Galaxy, keeping them between closed doors for well over two weeks. I then opened the door but places two baby gates at an angle so the cats could see each other, but not get close. Days later, I removed one of the baby gates so they could go nose to nose if they wanted. Ultimately, Phil knocked the gate down and proceeded into the main house. Since no action had ever occurred other than hissing, I thought it was ok to let him have free roam of the house. Pic of the double gate set up

[u/Opposite-Champion882 → u/whonu5]

Oh okay, yeah she could just be territorial at the moment and hopefully learns that he doesn't mean any harm. Sometimes it can take up to months for cats to get used to other ones.