Marlow update

I came home from an eight day trip to find that my wife Becky is now stroking Marlows back and ears. (one stroke at a time please). She is outside this morning teaching him to play with toys.

Sasha, our indoor cat, a stray himself, still frets over Marlow's presence but is being a good sport.

Becky has really suckered sweet Marlow in, hasn't she?

That is very good news. Have you started thinking about trying to introduce Sasha to Marlow again? I know Sasha hasn't been happy in the past, but if he is getting more and more relaxed with Marlow's presence, might want to think about it again. You could start with scent swaps (swap towels or bedding they have slept on).

Bringing Marlow in is still and has been an option. We believe Marlow would accept the change easily. Sasha is the weak link here. The pair have seen each other through a pane of glass every day for three months now. Sasha has cooled, but just barely. Marlow has always seemed to have a friendly demeanor toward Sasha.

Seriously try the scent swap. If you can get Marlow to lay on something on your patio, even if that is a towel or t-shirt, bring it inside to get Sasha to get more used to his scent. You can even put it under his food bowl.

People on this site have been successful doing what you want to do. It's simply 1 step at a time for you.

I'll put a towel out and hope he lays on it. After 3 mos. we still don't know exactly where he sleeps at night. We have had a lot of rain this summer (very unusual, climate change?) and Marlow emerges after every storm nice and dry.

If Becky can bring a wash cloth out with her (best if not washed/dried with fabric softener), maybe that one pet could be with the cloth in hand.

washcloth idea sounds good. I didn't put towel out because I thought there may be an issue with pests. Especially if it were slept on.

Any reason to be concerned? Marlow doesn't scratch or anything but he has not been treated with Advantage since his TNR. May 19.

Depends on the area. Our ferals never seemed to have fleas, but ticks were a real problem. Since she can get that "one reach out" towards him, you may want to consider getting another Advantage treatment on him - perhaps she can quickly squeeze it inbetween his shoulder blades rather than petting him that day. Will he stand still for a minute with one of you able to reach at him if given a special treat - like chicken baby food in a bowl?

We feel like Becky will be able to treat Marlow with Advantage soon. He looks great at this point. Becky is having the success taming Marlow so I am not going to impose. If Becky were to need me to do some dirty work like catch him and take him to the vet I would of course do it. Meantime she's the "good cop".

She took a washcloth with her tonight to feed Marlow. She is out with him now.

PS: I just read the Kazy thread. I gleaned a wealth of information from a wonderful thread.

I have a rescue lady here where I live who swears her cats go insane when they see another kitty outside, but the moment she brings one inside the home, they are calm as can be.

That would be nice for Sasha and Marlow if it worked out like that!

Good luck to Becky!

Becky pet Marlow with a tube sock on her hand. When the sock was presented to sasha he growled, bristled up his tail and hissed.

Originally Posted by diggerled

Becky pet Marlow with a tube sock on her hand. When the sock was presented to sasha he growled, bristled up his tail and hissed.

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Drop it on the floor and put his favorite treats on it. Relate the smell to something he really loves. It's all part of conditioning.

Sasha doesn't want his treats. The sock is rolled up and out of sight and Sasha is slinking around looking everywhere. He's sniffing up and down everything in sight. He's not a happy boy. He's flinching at every sound made.

He has always been a "fraidy cat". He was a feral 10 wk old kitten when he came into our home.

I am going to put the sock under his food dish this afternoon. He demands his lunch around 3:30pm each day. It will be interesting to see how he reacts. Eating at
3:30 is hard wired into his routine.

Originally Posted by Momofmany

Drop it on the floor and put his favorite treats on it. Relate the smell to something he really loves. It's all part of conditioning.

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Yes, this is really the issue - getting him to associate that smell with stuff he loves and enjoys.

I placed the sock next to his dish. When I put food into it he dove in and and gobbled away as usual. After a few good gulps he wiffed the sock and quit eating. He kept smelling the sock for about a minute while I was cleaning up my island countertop. I accidently dropped two coins on the floor and he was startled. He ran off and hid. It was some time before he came back. I had already removed the sock. I'll try again today.