Moving Soon

Hello. This is kind of an urgent, desperate situation, so please help.

For the past three months I have been feeding a stray cat daily. At first she was very nervous but now she is starting to come around and she stays inside for up to an hour.

The problem is, I'm moving house in about two weeks, I don't want to leave the cat behind because when we first met she was underfed, her fur was dirty and matted, I've watched her turn into a beautiful, pure white, chatty cat. I don't want to just discard her with the junk and leave her out in the wild to hunt for scraps.

At the moment she trusts me enough to pet her, feed her, come into the living room and to sometimes sleep in the hall. But if I go towards her in the hall, she runs out.

I know that getting a cat to trust me is hard work and can take months, but I don't have months. I know what I am asking for is impossible, but if it was possible, what would the answer be?

Welcome to TCS!

Are you familiar with livetraps? They can be used to catch a kitty. They are wonderful, & while she will be afraid at first, she will be caught & safe.

Also, being pure white, this kitty could possibly be deaf, it is common among blue eyed whties.

She is not deaf. She has green eyes and responds to noises. She really hates it when I walk past wearing boots or shoes.

I have never heard of Live traps before. It looks like a cat cage. I could put her in my own cats travelling cage or just lock the doors and keep her inside. But will she really settle down? I thought that locking the door would destroy any trust that she has for me, that's why I always leave the door open or open it as soon as she walks towards it.

Does the livetrap really work (for a five to ten year old cat)? If so which would be better, locking her in a room or locking her in the travelling cage.

Thanks so much for the advice. Right now she is in the hall.

Originally Posted by Reddkryten

She is not deaf. She has green eyes and responds to noises. She really hates it when I walk past wearing boots or shoes.

I have never heard of Live traps before. It looks like a cat cage. I could put her in my own cats travelling cage or just lock the doors and keep her inside. But will she really settle down? I thought that locking the door would destroy any trust that she has for me, that's why I always leave the door open or open it as soon as she walks towards it.

Does the livetrap really work (for a five to ten year old cat)? If so which would be better, locking her in a room or locking her in the travelling cage.

Thanks so much for the advice. Right now she is in the hall.

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A live trap (also known as a humane trap) is the BEST method to catch this girl. Most humane societies and shelters will let you rent a trap (you may even want to check with your vet to see if they have one). The first thing you need to do is to get her straight away to a vet so that she can be vet checked and spayed. A humane trap allows the vet to administer the sedative through the cage bars. I know you say you don't have months to work with her..but unfortunately these are not matters that can be rushed. Spaying is the most critical thing to be done and it may help with calming her a little, but the rest is going to be time/patience. Can you transport a cat in a trap? Absolutely. Is there a guarentee that she won't get spooked in your new location and run off....unfortunately not.

Katie

As long as you plan to take this cat with you when you move, it is true that you should be able to call your local animal shelter, Vet, or even a major pet store to borrow a "live trap". A live trap is is simply a wire cage with a "trip plate". You bait the trap with food, then when the cat enters the cage it steps on the "trip plate", causing the door to close behind it trapping the cat in the cage. Be very careful to check the trap frequently. Also be aware that depending on where you set the trap, you may end up with a raccoon or some other wild animal that you had no intention of trying to catch. In your case though, this sounds like a good option to try. Last, please make sure that if you try to catch a cat, and it's a "she", that she is immediately taken to a Vet. The reason is she may have recently given birth and have a litter of kittens somewhere. If you catch "mom" and don't realize she has kittens, those kittens will surely die.

Hi.

Sorry for the delay in posting, house move stuff, packing, other headache inducing things.

About two nights after my last post, she came in and stayed the night, at first I was shocked by this, but my jaw hit the ground when my own cat...had no problem whatsoever with this, he even seemed to enjoy the company. Weird huh.
Unfortunately this has only happened twice, in twenty days. Not bad, but not al that good either.

All the stuff about live traps seems to be for cats which run away or avoid humans. I have picked her up a few times and she doesn't mind. Is this a good sign or just normal?
But there is an exception. Tonight I lifted her to put on a flea collar (she has fleas, which get onto my cat and end up biting me), she was fine until it came to the strap on her neck. I finally got it on but not before she kicked me hard in the ribs. But she didn't use her claws or leave any marks, good sign?

About the kittens. When I take her to the vet I will get that checked out. Tonight after I put the collar on she went outside and started screaming. It sounded like the sort of noise a crying three year old makes (not that I have any experience making three year olds cry). Then another cat showed up, but it was afraid of me and ran.
Does "aarrrooouuu" translate to "help me, look what the humans have done to me" or "Hey hot stuff?"
The cat that showed up was a little runt and she is way out of his league anyway.

That noise you hear is most likely MATING. She needs spayed asap. So call and make an appointment for her. Call your local animal rescue shelter to find out if there are any neuter scooters or low cost clinics in your area.

If you can pick her up, then just simply pick her up and put her in the travel cage/carrier. SCRUFF her because if you dont then she will probably flail her legs and try to run away and might scratch. Turn the carrier so the door is facing up and scruff the cat on the back of the neck and lift her right into the carrier.

TAKE THE FLEA COLLAR OFF HER PLEASE. Those can be deadly and do more harm the good. Stop into the vet and pick up Capstar which will kill all live fleas really fast and then buy a vial of Revolution or Frontline Plus for her. It is topical and absorbs into the skin and will take care of flea eggs and keep them off for the month.

DON'T LET HER INTERACT WITH YOUR CAT until she is tested and especially if your cat isn't neutered yet.

Ok, I'll get in touch with the vet on Monday to see about spaying her. Though I'm a little bit worried about keeping her indoors for two weeks.

Flea collars can kill, really? How? It is kind of loose (it was hard enough getting it on, I decided to leave tightening until tomorrow, well, never now).

I'll try to keep the two cats apart, but my cat has been spayed...twice (long story).

Originally Posted by Reddkryten

Ok, I'll get in touch with the vet on Monday to see about spaying her. Though I'm a little bit worried about keeping her indoors for two weeks.

Flea collars can kill, really? How? It is kind of loose (it was hard enough getting it on, I decided to leave tightening until tomorrow, well, never now).

I'll try to keep the two cats apart, but my cat has been spayed...twice (long story).

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If you are concerned about fleas, ask your vet to administer Revolution or Advantage. The vet will put it between her shoulder blades and it is very effective.

Given her previous behavior with you, I would say that she is a stray versus a true feral. Certainly take her to your vet to determine if she has spayed or if she will need to be spayed. Even if she is lactating (meaning that she has kittens somewhere) it is often best to go ahead with the spay surgery (ask the vet if he can perform a "flank" spay which goes through the side versus the stomache). She will still be able to nurse her kittens but wouldn't be able to become pregnant again. At the last clinic I volunteered at we had 2 cats that were both lactating and pregnant so it can happen. Let's hope she is neither pregnant or lactating.

I think it is wonderful that you want to take her with you. She sounds like a wonderful cat. Just remember to take it slowly with the introductions (there is a great article on introductions in the behavior section).

Katie