Need some feline assistance!

When I was a pre-teen, we had an indoor-outdoor cat of unknown heritage. Poor thing, she wa**** by a car, and I vowed to never have outdoor cats again. A couple years later, my mother bought me a Persian from an established cattery. All the cats I've had since have also been from catteries, so they had been socialized around both humans and other cats since birth. They've also all been strictly indoor cats. Fast forward to this week. I have two neutered males, ages 12 and 10. We get a lot of regular outdoor feline visitors, since we have catnip plants in the garden. One caught our attention - a pretty, friendly, purry little black & white girl who started visiting in the summer. Since late autumn, she'd been staying around for most of the day, and seemed to be losing weight. Cold weather hit, and she was still spending the night on our porch (we finally set up a sheltered area for her to get out of the wind and rain). None of our neighbors knew who she belonged to, and canvasing the neighborhood with her photos in hand didn't turn up any results. No "lost cat" ads in the newspapers, either. We took her to the vet a couple days ago - she had flea dirt but otherwise a clean bill of health. She also had a visible spay scar. The vet estimated her age at under 2 years (very little wear on her teeth). No microchip or identifying tattoo. So now we have three cats. The vet visit was Monday; it's now Thursday. She was isolated from the other cats until Wednesday morning. Problem #1: It seems obvious that she didn't come from a multi-cat household. She's clearly not happy with the presence of my boys - when she seems them, she hisses, growls, and sometimes lunges at them. As I said, all of my cats have been socialized with other cats, and previous introductions of new cats have gone fairly smoothly (a little hissing, the usual jockeying for position in the hierarchy, but no real drama). My boys haven't been hostile or even hissy towards her, and seem bewildered and a bit scared by her behavior. What's the best way to deal with outright hostility? I know it'll take time for her to get used to this new situation, but is there anything I can do to help her out? Problem #2: My cats do NOT go outside. Period, end of discussion. Our new girl kept me awake all last night, alternating hissing at the boys (who were sleeping on my bed) with howling by the back door. Tough dearie, you're not going outside again except in a carrier. How do I help her adjust to being an indoor-only cat? There are plenty of toys lying around, and lots of windows, and strategically-placed bird feeders that attract a crowd all year long. There are a lot of good climbing places in the house, and good cubbyholes for hiding. She hasn't howled by the door in the daytime - right now she's sleeping by a heater vent, looking quite cozy. We'll see what she has to say tonight! (I'm waiting for my insurance work to be submitted for approval - this extra stress isn't helping... )

Cats are such persnickety little Divas & Divor. It is hard to say, sometime it can just take time. And it may be that one of the fellas may have to take her down a peg! As long as nobody is getting more than a few scratches, try not to worry. (Your worrying can also affect THEIR behavior. She will probably settle down, however she is her own feline and she may always be a little on the outside of the circle. She may also be jealous of your attention to the boys!! So make sure to try and give her equal time!! If it doesn't get better and it turns into a major brawl, then you may want to find her a one kitty home. Good Luck and LOTS of Patience to you!!! Cathy PS: If it does get into a major fight, DO NOT try to stop it yourself!!!!! Throw water on them or scream and scare them to death. They normally would never hurt you, but if you get your hands down in amongst them you could receive SERIOUS bites and damage!! Cat bites are nasty, and you should clean it and go STRAIGHT to the Emergency ROOM!! Most times you will have to be put on IV antibiotics, and I know of SEVERAL hospitalizations! I would rather be attacked by 2 Rottweillers, 1 Pit Bull, and 5 Chows all at the same time, than have to tangle with ONE pissed off cat! But goodness knows I love them so!!!

In my experience (cat owner since the age of 5, cat rescue - 14 years, I now have 5 cats, all rescues) cats need to find their place in the order. I had one very awesome black female that totally bossed them all, dogs included. I think time will tell who ends up being the top cat. I am guessing it will be her, boys don't seem to care much about being top cats. I don't remember you saying if she was friendly/trusting of people but as far as fights, keep a water bottle on hand or a carnation milk can with pennies in it to throw in the general area when/if they scrap, only save the can if things don't settle with the water bottle. And don't use the can if she is timid or scared of people. When you think about it, she probably has always had to live outside, so make sure she knows where she is to go potty, maybe even adding a new pan that she feels safe/secure using. Remember, cats in the wild mark out areas of territory, so using the boys litter make take some time. She doesn't know your boys are nice and will learn in time that its ok to like/love them. So please be patient. As far as going outside, all of my cats were strays and they now hate outside. It just takes time. Good luck with the new lady in the house. Keep us posted!

It does take a little time to establish order, but I know how you feel. I have always had male cats until recently. I resccued a little female several years ago. She and her brother were left at 2 days old when their mom wa**** by a car. I have never seen a cat more territorial. The guys have always welcomed other cats into the house when I did rescues. She started to attack other cats about 2 years ago. The latest was my ex-roommates cat. She never let up on him the entire time he was here. My vet told me that females are naturally more territorial. Good luck & i wish you many sleepful nights soon

Thanks for all the responses! Things are definitely better now. She's still not friendly with the boys, but she only hisses at them now and then. I don't think she was played with much in her youth, as she was baffled by the concept of cat toys. Now she's pouncing and chasing toys like crazy. She no longer keeps me awake at night. However, my oldest boy has decided that 4am is the perfect time to knock his forehead repeatedly against mine. Cats.