Office cat

krz

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I have written some previous posts about a stray cat that I have been caring for, it's been a year this month. He has avoided the trap several times and broke out through a drop trap. He has been coming into the office kitchen but only when the door is propped open. He has a feeding station and 2 shelters (one heated) right outside. This morning he could not be found and later on we discovered he had spent the night inside!! He was in the kitchen under the grill, in a cat bed. He stayed inside all day, we put a litter box in the kitchen but he stayed hidden . My gut feeling is that he is just getting used to his new environment-he really didn't eat much-but one of the girls that also takes care of him is concerned he may be sick. I fed him over the weekend and he looked fine. I am hoping he just decided to finally try life inside and is just taking it slow. I can get him to the vet if necessary, but I hate to traumatize him so soon after coming in. He has also let a few of the girls touch him. Does anyone have any experience with this kind of stray behavior?
 

barbb

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If he is the only cat (?) you should see about getting his stool analyzed. That may give you some insight into his health at least while he is getting used to being indoors.

You will have to get him to the vet at some point, just to get immunizations.
 
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krz

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Thank you, Barb for the reply. Yes, he is the only cat there. Although this summer someone dumped off a litter of part Persian cats, about a year and a half old. They were not feral-they practically begged for rescue. All are in homes now. He has been around for a year and we have tried several times to trap him. He started at the far end of the parking lot and the last few months has moved to right outside the door of the building. We have 2 shelters for him and he has started to come inside during the day. I really don't think he is sick and we plan to get him to the vet, but are moving slowly for his comfort. He spent the entire day in the office kitchen, despite the unhappiness of just one employee, and then meowed to go out for awhile, and is now back in the kitchen for the night. There is a small room with a window that we would love to eventually get him to sleep in and then he could spend the day in the kitchen or outside by the picnic area. If we could just get him used to a routine, it would be great, but it took a year for him just to come inside so I think patience is key. If I suspect anything is medically wrong, I will get him to the vet immediately. I had a woman from a local feral group come to help me trap him and she suspects that he is already neutered, probably more of a stray than a feral. He seems quite content but with winter coming, I would love for him to spend more time indoors.
 

barbb

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I think you are doing a great job already, it sure sounds like it. Food is the best routine-establisher, and you can adjust his routine slowly by moving his food to where you want him to be.

Also you mentioned he slept in a cat bed. Anything you can get him to use regularly with his smell on it, you can move to where you want him to be and he will find it and use it. Cats are pretty amazing at finding the things that are there for them, especially food and catnip, but also cat beds, the cardboard claw-pads and stuff like that.

I'm jealous you have an office where you can have a cat!!!


I don't know if you have managed to get frontline or revolution on him yet, but if not, you might be able to get it on there while he is eating his first meal of the day, especially if you give him something really enticing like tuna.

I notice you said he didn't eat much while he was inside and it might be due to fear. Once the stress subsides, if you can get his routine going by feeding him a half can of wet food (I don't know how big this guy is, so your call) first thing each morning, that is a good start.

If you have already done a lot of this, then disregard my post but if it is helpful, so much the better
. You are doing such a wonderful thing!
 
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krz

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Thanks, Barb, I appreciate all of the advice I can get. You have no idea how I have agonized over this cat. He showed up last October and it has taken a year to get this far with him. Four trap attempts failed, even with the help of a seasoned trapper, he broke right through her drop trap. I was so afraid it may have been a female and she would be pregnant but she assured me if she was a female she would have a litter in the spring. We have just been assuming he is a male, and as soon as he goes to the vet, he will get whatever he needs.

My husband is the boss, that is why the cat is allowed there. Actually, 2 years ago a feral with a litter of kittens showed up. We managed to trap 2 of the 3 kittens and a secretary adopted them. Then the mom came back, we trapped her and she now lives with me and she is progressing from full feral to a purring machine. When this guy showed up last year and since he was alone, we decided to let him stay around. He has 2 shelters with 1 of them being heated for cold weather. My husband is all for him coming into the building but one employee is not happy. There is a little storage room he could sleep in, but he has been in the kitchen the past 3 nights. Thanks for the tips about his cat bed, he has been laying in it by the door, so we will now move it into his room. He is eating more but has not used the litter box, yesterday he cried by the door, ran over to the woods and came back shortly afterward to come back inside. Hopefully he will get the hang of the litterbox, that could present major problems if he doesn't, especially on weekends when no one is there. I usually feed on weekends and holidays, so I hope to get him outside for the day and go back up at night to let him in.

I sprayed his heated cat shelter, it is carpeted, with a flea spray but will now do a flea treatment when he is eating although he is still leary of touch. Hopefully this will all work out, we are determined to do whatever is necessary for him to have a good life. I am secretly hoping an employee will eventually want him for a pet and take him home, but if that doesn't happen he can stay at the office. We are putting a radio in the kitchen for him, hoping that will ease him a bit.

Sorry for the long post, I am a little stressed about this.
 

yosemite

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I was going to suggest you perhaps make him up a litter box with regular litter on the bottom and soil on the top so he understands that's where he should go to the bathroom. He probably has never seen cat litter before but knows that soil is used to go to the bathroom.
 

~*regina*~

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Originally Posted by Yosemite

I was going to suggest you perhaps make him up a litter box with regular litter on the bottom and soil on the top so he understands that's where he should go to the bathroom. He probably has never seen cat litter before but knows that soil is used to go to the bathroom.


Your awesome for doing this for the cat
. I hope everything goes well.
 
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krz

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Yosemite, thanks for the tip!! I never even thought of that, but it makes perfect sense. If we can get him using a litterbox, nights and weekends will be much easier for everyone, especially him.
 
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