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The litter tray

Join our community of cat lovers on the Mumsnet Cat forum for kitten advice and help with cat behaviour.

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Original poster

Fostering when your own cat hates other cats?

11 replies

dotandstripe · 05/04/2017 13:02

Does anyone have experience of fostering cats in a spare room when your own cat doesn't like other cats?

Obviously the cats would never come into contact - spare room door closed at all times and super careful when entering, handwashing between touching fosters/own cat etc. But the spare room is an upstairs bedroom and I'm sure my cat would know there is another cat/s in there.

I'm obviously going to talk to the local charity I'm hoping to foster for but just wanted to some impartial views too. In general I think my set up would be ideal for fostering - I work from home 3 days out of 5 and have the spare bedroom for the fosters. Quiet house (just me and the cat here) and I have a lot of time to spend with the fosters. But I would hate to make my own 14 year old indoor cat upset, of course.

OP posts:

GinAndOnIt · 05/04/2017 13:06

I don't have any advice, but I sympathise. We have lots of space and time (and willingness!) to foster or adopt more cats than the one we have now, but we adopted GinCat as a 10 year old who had lived with 9 others, and fought with them for food etc, so he really deserves to just be top cat now I think. Next time I might look for a pair!

cozietoesie · 05/04/2017 13:26

Your own cat would know there's another cat there - and might be stressed by the whole thing because they won't know what's happening. At that age, I wouldn't attempt it myself. It might just work over time, but if it didn't you could set up some long term insecurities.

(I'm psychologically scarred in this regard, though, so I may be more negative about the prospect than others.)

thecatneuterer · 05/04/2017 13:57

Not an impartial view - charities are desperate for fosterers - but still I can't see how having cat and kittens in a spare room should be a major problem, even for a cat-hating cat.

Why not try it once? You would only have them for ten weeks anyway. Enough time to see how it works and, if it doesn't, only a short amount of time in the grand scheme of things and your existing cat will soon forget about it once they're gone.

Toddlerteaplease · 05/04/2017 18:07

I've done it in my spare room. My cats are ok with other cats though. But they knew there was another cat in the room. I had one car that refused to stay in the room. I was freaking that there would be carnage. But they were all fine.

Original poster

dotandstripe · 05/04/2017 19:50

Thanks all! I'm thinking of trying at least once to see. My own cat spends most of the day downstairs so I could close the door to keep her downstairs on the days I'm out at work, to keep her well away from the foster room.

It seems such a shame not to do it when I have the times, space and willingness and there are so many abandoned cats out there. I know kitten season is starting imminently...

OP posts:

isseywithcats · 05/04/2017 20:21

i have fostered lots of moms and kittens and just kittens and generally speaking my cats have ignored the fosters, the mom cats tend to hiss at mine when the kittens are tiny but as they get older the mom cats tend to relax at the moment i have 3 of my own, a mom and four kits and no conflict whatsoever as mine are easy going, but i did have one mom cat who went hell for leather at my cats and freaked them out , but even then they stayed in the kitchen and she stayed upstairs , give it a go because it is so rewarding

ittybittyluna · 06/04/2017 12:00

Mine hates other cats and we just wouldn't put him through it. That being said, he's had a hard life and I think that this is "his" time to have a family and home all of his own.

I fostered for a charity (he was a failed foster) and made it clear that I would take up to three at the same time, but only if they arrived together. The stress of even an existing sociable foster (had been with us three months) knowing that there was another cat behind the door was not a nice experience. Her previous beautiful behaviour went rapidly downhill (peeing outside the tray, and scratching everywhere but the scratching post). I wouldn't do it again.

DefinitelyOdd · 06/04/2017 12:26

I fostered for six months when a friend was moving house and while my two did accept the newcomer and divided the house accordingly it is something I won't do again. My two just werent the same with a third cat.

thecatneuterer · 06/04/2017 12:46

Definitely - was the new cat confined to a spare room though? If not, then that's not really a comparable situation.

littlepooch · 06/04/2017 12:50

Following as I would love to do this except my cat hates other cats. She is a rescue cat and lived with around 18 other cats in poor conditions hence why I assume. I have always wanted to try but DH says it's poochcat's time to live a safe and happy life and we should leave her to be top cat at the pooch residence and just leave her be.

DefinitelyOdd · 06/04/2017 13:05

No the new cat was confined to the spare room but my two decided that they weren't going anywhere upstairs at all for six months. It was really weird how they originally were ok but then changed their minds and stayed downstairs.

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