I have 2 cats, one male and one female, we live in a bungalow on the edge of town and have a large garden that backs onto fields. There are LOTS of cats in the area, not feral - as far as I know they all have homes. We have a microchip cat flap so ours can come and go as they please.
I've unexpectedly had to take on a third cat from an acquaintance who died. She's a young female and very confident and friendly. I used to cat sit her when her owner was away, he was in hospital for two months before he died so I was visiting her every day, she's well used to me and comes when I call her.
I brought her home on Thursday. Our male has accepted her no problem, our female does a half hearted hiss at her but there's been no growling and I'm fairly sure they'll all get along - I have Feliway arriving tomorrow to help.
Obviously we've had to lock the cat flap. It's been a nightmare trying to let our cats out while keeping new cat in, she's desperate to go outside. I've had her out in the garden on a harness and lead, and I've popped a Tractive tracker on her. I'm just not sure how long I need to keep her in.
When we moved here, we kept our cats inside for ten days. When we let them out, one disappeared and we had to go and find him. Then he found his way back to our old house. At least that's not an option for the new cat - well I hope not!