About my feral friend

1animalover1

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I gained the trust of a feral and she has been with me as an inside cat for 3 years now. She only really trusts me and hides from others, but for the most part she is absolutely wonderful. My question is although she loves to lay next to me whenever possible and I can pet her, rub her belly, that way, she will not let me hold her, and doesnt like being picked up. I had her spayed after she had kittens (right after I took her in of course!) and she was okay at the vets, they clipped her nails, etc. But now, she will not let me trim her nails, and she also has a good knott of hair on her back. I am afraid the knott of hair is getting bigger and has to be kind of painful as it is pulling, but I dont know if I should just take her back to the vets and let them shave the patch off, and trim her nails, or if I should attempt it myself. I would just hate for her to think the one person she trusts let her down. Anyway, sorry if this sounds silly, but my animals are people to me, and I dont want to do anything to break our trust. Any suggestions? She actually does okay in the car as long as she is in my lap. Do you think the vets office will do that ? Thank you.
 

jimmylegs

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Vets can do this sort of thing, they're pretty good at knowing how to hold a cat to get at the nails, etc. They'll probably wrap her in a towel to keep her from fidgeting too much. while you could probably do that yourself, sometimes it's better left to the professionals. i wouldn't worry about her holding it against you, after 3 years she definitely knows who you are and won't associate the vet with you.
 
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1animalover1

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Thank you very much. I guess I just wanted to be reassured I wouldn't be doing the wrong thing.
Thanks again. I love this site!
 

ktlynn

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I agree with jimmylegs (great name!) that the vet will be able to help you.

Still, it would be much easier on both of you (and your wallet) if you didn't need to go to the vet each time she needs a nail trim. A cat's nails can grow pretty quickly; I clip my little ones' nails at least twice per month.

Start to handle your cat's paws gently and briefly, rewarding her when she lets you do that with a little treat or just the attention she seems to love. Do it very gradually over time, eventually increasing the amount of time you touch her paws. Eventually get to the point where you can gently press her paw pads to expose her nails. Also let her see the clippers, just put them down near her and let her sniff them or touch them. Do that as often as you can when you handle her paws.

You can use the same method when it comes to combing her or even picking her up. If you introduce these things slowly and calmly, you'll get to the point where you can trim nails and comb her to prevent knots.

BTW, your cat sounds like a sweetheart. Thank you for rescuing her!
 

captiva

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I think you did a wonderful thing and you are doing nothing wrong. I have a feral that I brought in 4 yrs ago. It took her 6 mos to even show her face really. She stayed on a dining room chair most of the time. She hates to be held and never gets on our lap but she gets on the same couch and loves to come up and smile at us. It sounds like your kitty is happy and that is really all that matters.
Welcome to TCS!
 

nanner

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Originally Posted by KTLynn

.......

Start to handle your cat's paws gently and briefly, rewarding her when she lets you do that with a little treat or just the attention she seems to love. Do it very gradually over time, eventually increasing the amount of time you touch her paws. Eventually get to the point where you can gently press her paw pads to expose her nails. Also let her see the clippers, just put them down near her and let her sniff them or touch them. Do that as often as you can when you handle her paws.

You can use the same method when it comes to combing her or even picking her up. If you introduce these things slowly and calmly, you'll get to the point where you can trim nails and comb her to prevent knots.


This is exactly what I did with Larry, who was feral a year ago! It's a slow process, but well worth it. And he has no qualms about my clipping his claws, as long as I keep talking softly to him, and to him it must just seem as if I'm gently playing with his paws, as I normally do.

With the picking up, I just started slowly putting my hands under his tummy while I was petting him, and then, each time, just lifting him a couple of inches off the floor then putting him down. Gradually, he got used to the feeling of my hands under his tummy, and the lifting, and eventually it got to the point where I'd actually be able to pick him up and hold him.

I'm betting, since she trusts you so much, she'll come around!
 

mrblanche

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If a cat was not handled between the ages of 2 and 10 weeks, it will probably never be a lap cat and cuddler. That's the rule of thumb, but we've all seen exceptions, including one my brother has who was feral for over two years before he brought her indoors.
 
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