My apologies first of all, I havent been on here for a long time. However, I have a dilemma which I'm sure is pretty common so I'm sure you guys can advise me well.
My wife and I have adopted another traumatised cat. This is becoming something of a habit. We ignore all the cute and loveable cats in the cats protection league adoption centre, and go for the ones marked "DANGER DANGER DO NOT ALLOW CHILDREN TO PET, ABANDON HOPE ALL YES WHO OPEN THIS DOOR" etc. Once again, we found ourselves staring at a black cat who had been in a box for three quarters of his four years of life and knowing he was coming home with us. This one had a rosette on it saying "most overlooked cat". They might as well have just had him sent straight from the rescue centre to my house, sigh.
We've been working on him for two weeks, but the little bugger has escaped into the back garden by following one of the other cats as they triggered the infrared cat flap. At first I was very proud of him for managing this!
However, he's now been under the shed for two days. I know he can move about will, but there's no way I can get to him. Demolishing the shed is not an option, although I considered it. The thing is, Do I feed and water him under there, or "force" him to come back into the house. Whilst he is happy to be petted after a few minutes, hes not yet come to us even inside the house on calling, and shakes with fear at the slightest thing. The shed is twenty feet long and threres only a three inch clearance on the bottom, so I can't get under there or really even put anything under there. Do I leave him to it and trust he will come back in, or ...i dont know!
So, what to do, what to do.
EDIT: the lack of a name in this post is not accidental, I haven't decided what to call him yet. Im thinking about Monty, as in the Count of Monte Christo, sho spent much of his life in a cage...
My wife and I have adopted another traumatised cat. This is becoming something of a habit. We ignore all the cute and loveable cats in the cats protection league adoption centre, and go for the ones marked "DANGER DANGER DO NOT ALLOW CHILDREN TO PET, ABANDON HOPE ALL YES WHO OPEN THIS DOOR" etc. Once again, we found ourselves staring at a black cat who had been in a box for three quarters of his four years of life and knowing he was coming home with us. This one had a rosette on it saying "most overlooked cat". They might as well have just had him sent straight from the rescue centre to my house, sigh.
We've been working on him for two weeks, but the little bugger has escaped into the back garden by following one of the other cats as they triggered the infrared cat flap. At first I was very proud of him for managing this!
However, he's now been under the shed for two days. I know he can move about will, but there's no way I can get to him. Demolishing the shed is not an option, although I considered it. The thing is, Do I feed and water him under there, or "force" him to come back into the house. Whilst he is happy to be petted after a few minutes, hes not yet come to us even inside the house on calling, and shakes with fear at the slightest thing. The shed is twenty feet long and threres only a three inch clearance on the bottom, so I can't get under there or really even put anything under there. Do I leave him to it and trust he will come back in, or ...i dont know!
So, what to do, what to do.
EDIT: the lack of a name in this post is not accidental, I haven't decided what to call him yet. Im thinking about Monty, as in the Count of Monte Christo, sho spent much of his life in a cage...
