Caught Feral Kitty in My Bathroom - ANY advice appreciated

Thank you for caring enough about this poor kitty to take him in, even if only temporarily.

You're on the right track with everything you're doing - keeping this cat separate from yours, washing your hands after you've touched him, and most especially, for bringing him in to the vet. A thorough exam and a scan for a microchip are essential.

Keep at least part or most of the cage covered with a sheet or large towel so the cat feels safe. Make sure though, that there is enough ventilation. Try to keep his area as quiet as possible, in case he is a feral cat.

Most truly feral cats will stay very still in a trap or carrier, often pressing themselves into a corner of the trap out of fear. The problem is that if this cat was abandoned and has been outside for awhile, he may also be afraid and act in a similar manner. It seems from what you've described that he could very well be a cat who once had a home. Observing him over the next 24 hours will help you determine if that's the case.

If the cat is definitely feral, your best bet would be to get him neutered and return him to where he was caught as long as you or a neighbor can commit to caring for him. He'll need a shelter and daily feeding. If he's sick, he'll need medical attention. Anyone who becomes the caretaker for this kitty must understand that if they move, this cat goes with them, or they find a new caretaker. This is a real commitment and not to be taken lightly - it's for the lifetime of the cat, just as it would be if you adopted him and kept him indoors.

If it turns out he was someone's cat and is friendly, he'll of course need a new home. Unfortunately, that's not easy to come by for adult cats. If you could adopt him yourself, that would be wonderful, but I understand you have your three already. Try to find a no-kill shelter but be prepared to be told they can't accept any more cats. Most good no-kills are almost always at capacity. You can try to adopt him out yourself, but you'll need to be extremely careful and must learn how to screen potential adopters.

Thank you again for your kindness - please let us know how it's going.

Good for you for taking in the kitty. I'm glad that the cat is now safe and sound. You sound like you are taking every precaution necessary to protect your babies.

At the shelter I volunteer at, we don't euthanize any of our kitties unless a veterinarian says it's the best choice of action in a deathly ill kitty. That means we take in all kinds of cats, including ferals.

We have rehabilitated MANY feral cats in the past and all are either adopted or still with us, loving every minute of human attention. We have one kitty named Baron who was left at our door in a live trap.. Totally feral. I mean he would literally try to scalp you if you got too close, and sadly, one of our volunteers had that happen. (She's ok now. ) Anyways, after 4 years or so, he is now the "boss" of the shelter and gets special privileges. You can pet him, love on him and pick him up. Sometimes he can still be a bit ornery, but we take it with a grain of salt because we know how big of a ham-bone he really is.

If you are unsure if your rescue is feral or not, here is a snippet from the ASPCA website -

What is the difference between a stray cat and a feral cat?

A stray cat is a pet cat who is lost or abandoned. Feral cats are the offspring of lost or abandoned pet cats or other feral cats who are not spayed or neutered. Stray cats are accustomed to contact with people and are tame, but feral cats are not accustomed to contact with people and are typically too fearful and wild to be handled. Wheras stray cats may be reunited with their families or adopted into new homes, feral cats do not easily adapt or may never adapt to living as pets in close contact with people. However, there are many things you can do to help improve the health and quality of life of feral cats.

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It doesn't sound like your kitty is that bad.. Some cats that are surrendered to the shelter hiss, spit, yowl and swipe at us.. and then 2-3 weeks later, it all of a sudden changes into a sweet little old kitty! So before making any assumptions, wait a few weeks and let him/her get settled in, should you be able to hold onto it for that long.

I concur about wrapping the cage with a sheet, though.. I do this with all my fosters, feral or non. It gives them a sense of security, which is important when it comes to stray kitties. You sound like you are doing everything that you should be doing.. so don't worry too much.

If you indeed have a semi-feral cat.. here is a link on socializing it. It says it works on kittens and even adults.

If you believe the kitty is adoptable but you are unable to keep the kitty.. here is a helpful link on how to find the cat a home. There are about 3 pages Trying to find it's previous owner.., Publicizing and Promoting the cat for adoption.., Adopting the cat out and Screening potential adopters.

Sorry for the long post, I just hope it's helpful! Please let us know how kitty does!!

You may want to try asking this at the Ferals and Stray part of this forum - http://www.thecatsite.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=9 I'm actually in the process of socializing a stray right now myself and have gotten a lot of fantastic advice. Good luck.

You have some great advice already... but are you using your only/main bathroom? If so, do you have another option? I ask because most kitties do not like the sound of running water. That's not going to make it easy to get a cat to relax.

If you're stuck with that, maybe ask for some alternatives - like a large kennel in the bedroom for a bit. I have some kittens that I'm doing that with and I still put them up at night in it since they're sharing my gecko room (don't trust them when I'm not here or awake).

Most vets have scans for microchips, so an extra trip to the HS probably isn't necessary.

THANK YOU FOR RESCUING THIS KITTY!

If the kitty was abandoned by a neighbor a few months ago, then kitty is a stray kitty, that has reverted to feral ways for self-preservation. This is usually easy to overcome with time, patience and love.

What you are doing is just right! The only thing I'd add is that until you can get the kitty to the vet, he/she needs to have enough space to have a litter box, food and water and a place to sit/sleep, so I don't know how large the cage is, but you may have to release kitty into the bathroom if the cage isn't big enough. If the bathroom is big enough to leave the cage in there, so much the better, because it can be the "safe" space for kitty to hide (which is what kitty wants to do).

To socialize - it's really just an issue of earning trust. And the thread Killerapple started in the Ferals forum is actually quite a good one, so here's a link directly to her thread: (Kitty is released into a room on Page 2 of the thread ) http://www.thecatsite.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=206271

If you have ANY other questions, PLEASE feel free to ask away!

My husband is the same way. We'd have a petting zoo if he had his way.
Keep the line of communication open with the neighbors. If anyone wants her make sure they know she's going to be special.

Some kitties can go a little while without food, some can't. It depends on their health and weight to begin with.
Though everyone calls it "kitty crack" you could try some fancy feast - warm it up slightly in the microwave and stir it up.


She sounds very skittish but not feral. You'd be coming on here to tell us you were scratched and bitten if she were truly wild.
That said, since you don't know how she will respond to things so she needs to get in to see a vet and get her rabies vac soon.

Have a lot of patience and you'll do well.

You had already got all the adequate responses. And you are doing great by your own, practically as from the manual.


someone mentioned about the drawback of running water in bathrooms. It may be true, but it is very common rescuers do have kitties in the bathroom. It is perhaps not very best to have a feral kitty in your own bathroom,, but your protegé isnt no feral. She is an abandoned stray.
Bathroom both because most rescuers dont have much place, and also because it is the most easy place to clean off.

Thus, bathroom + this big cage for convenience is an excellent solution.

Ah, one thing more. When all the necessary vet check up is done, and the quarantene as such isnt not longer necessary, and she is still shy / need fostering. If your own three resident boys are friendly, you will get big help from them in fostering her. Let it come in its own time, about two weeks from now if she seems healthy.


Good luck!

Very glad to hear all is going well with kitty. I'm sure she's very happy that she's off the streets.

At the shelter, we always leave the radios on. The volume is soft but quite audible. It helps them relax, believing that there is always someone around. Kitty will appreciate that, I'm sure. Whenever she looks you in the eyes, blink at her. It sounds stupid, but the pamphlet that I read said that with scared kitties, blinking instead of staring back shows that you're not trying to dominate it, which could further scare her.

Keep up with the updates.

I'm not a kitty expert, but here are my thoughts

I personally would take the vet's advice - if something could show up in 6 weeks, I wouldn't risk having the new cat interact with the old cats yet until a proper quarantine period has been undergone. Better safe than sorry, imo. I'm not sure if it's a good idea having the other kitties able to interact with her through the dog crate bars if she may have something spreadable. Others will chime in. I may be a worry wart.

Does the kitty look to be a young cat or an adult? I think a routine now is important, to start establishing the trust - unless you are not sure the kitty is eating at all...

Are you absolutely positive the kitty was dumped by someone and not a lost pet? Just wondering since the cat was fixed already especially and age is unknown. If the kitty was dumped, that is very sad and thank you for giving the kitty a home. However if you're not sure, it's really in best interest of kitty to see if you can find the owner. If you put up Found Kitty ads, do not show the kitty photo - you want the owner to be able to identity the kitty with a distinguishing characteristic, so a random person just doesn't claim the kitty as theirs. I hope this isn't coming across wrong, but I Just want to be sure no one is looking for their pet.

Good luck with this kitty! And thank you for giving this little one such a good home!

Killerapple's advice is spot on.

Since she was either TNR'd without having the ear tag (top of ear snipped off or a notch in ear) or someone's pet, I agree - good idea to at least up notices around the neighborhood and at vets in a radius of about 5 - 10 miles or so.

Since she's eating, I think starting to do everything on a schedule is a great idea - the routine really helps.

I'd leave the radio on 24/7, very low. I'd also leave a night light on in the bathroom for her.

It helps to knock on the door lightly and tell her you're coming in.

I would also wait at least a few weeks before trying to have her directly interact with any of your kitties. That said, I don't think having them in the bathroom for pets or brushes is a bad idea. Kitties can get used to each other's scent - and she can watch in her protected place. Kitties learn a LOT from watching us interact with our already socialized cats.

...in the meantime, I'd also spend as much time in there as you can, reading out loud, folding laundry - whatever you can find to do - just letting her watch and get used to you (and DH if he wants to participate. ).

And actually, best not to look her in the eyes at all. This is a sign of aggression. Best to look at the top of her head or her forehead or over her head - if you look her direction at all. And when you reach toward her for any reason, do it palm down.

Side sideways to her, on the floor if you can. Always go for the "least" threatening - from her perspective. And turning your head with your eyes already closed and "looking" at her with your eyes closed is always good. You can "slow blink" at her later.

...as to when to get rid of the cage, you're just going to have to trust your instincts on this. See how she reacts when you open it to clean litter or feed her - and keep an eye on her body posture and such and how she reacts when you come in.

OH - I'd also get a t-shirt good and sweaty, and put it under her food dish. This will help her associate your (or DH) scent with wonderful things she loves. You can get another one sweaty, and put treats down on it before you leave the bathroom when you've spent some time in there reading out loud or whatever.

I don't know the article, but I'd still put a sweaty t-shirt under her food dish, even though you're in there with her.

You're doing great, and please keep us posted!

Kudos to you and your DH for taking in this little girl! I think that if you take it slow and easy, you'll have yourself a wonderful little kitty!

I'm sure you're already doing this, but when you go into the bathroom to visit with her, talk to her calmly and in a quiet voice (not too loud, not a whisper, but a nice, calm volume). Read to her, sing to her, talk to her, tell her about your day, and etc. That way, she'll become comfortable and familiar with your voice. If you give her treats, she'll associate good things with you.

You can also take one of your shirts that's dirty (think old around the house shirt) and put it in her sleeping area. That way she'll also associate your smell with her warm bed, another wonderful thing.

Awwww............... It sounds like she's settling in. Keep up the good work!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I'm wondering if she's wanting to explore more. She may also be lonely especially knowing her humans are "out there" as well as other cats. You might try getting her a little stuffed animal "pal". Also, do you have a night light on for her?

Could you move her to a bigger space like a spare bedroom where she could have more space, but still be contained?

When my ferals just started to warm up to me they started doing what I call "drive bys" where they would come out of hiding and streak past me. Maybe that's what your kitty is doing.

I hand fed my ferals and made them subject to being pet while eating. Can you get your girl good and hungry and try that? Even my most scared cat didn't mind being touched while she ate.

I started them from day 1 when they were still in the cage. They hissed, sniffed and ate. I did not feed them between hand feedings so they were good and hungry.

Afterwards, when they were out in the house, I got a wide soup bowl, put canned food in it and sat on the floor and hand fed whoever came up. As I hand fed one, the bolder or hungrier ones ate out of the bowl. I pet each one and lifted each one around the bowl as they ate. If one was too scared to eat, it ate at the next feeding. No one starved.