Trapped cat, but confined him to room before taking to Vet - help!

Hello - I'm new here and have backed myself (and a new feral) into quite a corner. I can't believe I've done this, but here's my situation. (Before I start, we have another huge cat, age 5, and a blind dog, age 13.)
I had been feeding a beautiful black cat about a year old or less, (skinny but seeminly very healthy, behaving more like an abandoned pet than a feral cat). He was warming up to me from the regular feeding for about 2 months, but still would only come within about 8 feet of me in the backyard. I also feed squirrels and birds. One day, I saw him actually on top of the feeder eating a bird, so decided to trap him (and friend had the humane trap). I had thought to do this on the weekend when I am home, and we caught him within 5 minutes of setting out the trap on Sunday morning. We then let him into the decent size bathroom just off of my bedroom. He probably has a concussion from hitting his head so hard in the cage. After some initial panicked behavior and hissing, he had been only quietly growling at me until last night (Monday) after I went to bed, when he went WILD - howling, screaming, clawing at things and climbing, through the night while in the bathroom.
I now realize how FOOLISH I was not to plan this out so that I could trap him and then take him to the vet - not only to determine his health, get him treated for worms or other illness, get him spayed or neutered (I'm not sure he is a male), but also to get the trauma for him over with at one time!
PLEASE HELP - Should I try capturing him again now to get him to the vet? I may be able to do this by placing a cat carrier in the bathroom closet where his kitty box is now, thinking this is the darkest and best hiding place and he may go in there and then possibly I could close the cage door and capture him. OR, should i just wait this out and then capture him for the vet later when he's more relaxed? This way, the trust will be broken and set us way back. Couldn't I be risking the health of our other cat while he is with me? (My son will NEVER forgive me if something happens to his beloved cat, Scootie. I'm now questioning my sanity and common sense in taking in this cat in the first place, and I went about this in the wrong way! I really do want to give this a chance.)
THANK YOU SO MUCH for your good advice!

Your situation reminds me of the time we caught our Tiger. We spotted her under our car on a drizzy, cold Thanksgiving weekend in 2003. She was skittish but relatively friendly with us so we knew she wasn't feral. It took us three days of feeding and playing with her to get her into a carrier and into our bathroom, away from our current cats. We couldn't find a previous owner so we arranged for her vet checkup and spaying, and eventually just kept her.

In answer to your question, so far you have done the right things. It sounds like he is a lost/abandoned pet making a transition to feral status. I suggest getting him to the vet ASAP, as it is most important to rule out contagious diseases and treat parasites before your other critters are exposed. It is even best for him to get this done right away, as he won't be any more traumatized now than if you wait for him to relax. Once you know what you're dealing with health-wise, you can then decide where to go from here -- shelter, try to locate a past owner, or adopt him yourself.

This reminds me of Cyclone, a huge orange and white older tom I trapped years ago. I released him (after the vet visit) and he went nuts- actually climbing the walls and running laps around the top of the ceiling like spiderman! Hence his name- Cyclone.

They will beat their heads against the wires in an effort to escape which is why it is imperative to have a dark cloth available to throw over the top of the trap. This calms them down considerably.

You need to do several things before you can successfully trap him again. Lower the lights in the bathroom- use night lights if you have to, but turn off all harsh lighting.

Purchase a bottle of feliway spray and spray the bathroom and yourself and the carrier and a dark heavy towel. Once inside the bathroom- have the cat carrier standing nearby in the room on it's bottom, so the door is opened and pointing skyward.

Without looking directly into this scared guy's eyes- back him into a corner and work the towel ahead of you to act as a net. Be sure your hands are wrapped around the ends to the towel to protect them, get the towel around the cat (yes he will struggle) wrap him up like a burrito quickly and drop him gently into the carrier towel and all. Shut the door, make sure it is firmly attached, lower the carrier into the normal position and then drape the entire carrier with a dark blanket or large dark towel. He will panic inside (as they hate being trapped) but then get him to the vet quickly. Tell the girls he is an unsocialized stray- because if he was a true feral, he would have attacked you by now and drawn blood. They have ways of dealing with strays with feral tendencies. be sure and get him neutered.

If you want to socialize him, I will help you all I can- or you can take a peek at my blog- search for the words Room Service about how to set up a room for a stray.

Best of luck and be careful. The towel manuever will work it is just a bit tricky because you can get hurt if he decides to launch himself over the towel and you. It is imperative you don't make eye contact with him at any time- this is perceived as a threat in his world.

My blog url is in my signature- By the way, three months after Cyclone came to stay with us, my grand-daughter was able to cuddle him and dress him in doll clothes! I remember the board members being amazed because the transistion of him from a snarling, growly unapproachable cat to a mellow, loving lap kitty was astonishing to them. It can be done- but it takes time. If he is an older stray and he isn't actively sick- eyes nose draining, lack of appetite, etc- it is highly possible all that is wrong with him is worms and fleas. The diseased cats don't live very long- nature takes care of that. I have more problem with kittens and cats saved from shelters being diseased than I do outside strays.

Thank you both for your advice - I couldn't wait to get home and check the postings. Somehow I knew you would say to get him to the vet ASAP - yikes.

Hissy, in your comment - Why do I need the feliway spray? What effect does it have?

Wow, this towel capture technique sounds plausible - but tricky! It scares me! Perhaps I will plan this for Thursday morning when I can be off, hoping you will help me with some encouragement! Something tells me I should try to get him to consider the cat carrier on his own first, by moving it to the darker closet where the litter box is. Don't you suppose I could close the door and capture him this way if he backs inside when I approach? (I'm hoping...!) If that fails, I'll can try the towel trick. If all else fails, I suppose there must be some way.

Unfortunately, I have to go away for the weekend, so my son will need to be the person coming in to feed him in the bathroom. The cat has already seen him a few times, so I'm hoping he'll get used to both of us (my adult son lives with me and loves animals).

I so much appreciate all the information I'm finding and learning!

I did that with my first batch of ferals. I just kept carriers in the bathroom with them and they ran into them whenever I came into the room. Then when their spay/neuter appointments came up I just closed the carrier doors and off we went. But there can't be anywhere else to hide in the room, or they'll hide there instead. With my second batch of ferals, because I couldn't get a low-cost appointment for 3 months, I kept the females in the basement....so when the appointment came I had to catch them with towels and stuff them in the carriers.

As a feral cat caretaker for almost 2 years, (I've trapped & got 31 cats altered, kittens adopted & such), I've learned a lot. I have had many in my bathroom shower stall....when I allowed a few to be loose for whatever reason, they have always gone into open carrier to hide. It will be a timing thing, to close the door. Mine is a glass shower door slider so I could peek & ascertain they were enclosed & finish the job, cover with a towel, etc., wearing gardening gloves & long sleeves preferable. Maybe you've already solved this? I also bought/use "Comfort Zone" pheronome spray & put Rescue Remedy in their drinking water for calming. Good luck, good job!

Thank you so much for your helpful posts. I have been thinking a lot about this in the last 24 hours. At this point I think I should either (a) let this wonderful but traumatized cat go by opening the bathroom window (back into my backyard, and just feeding him there - not the best possible solution, but an option) - or
(b) this evening, buy a larger cat carrier and the "comfort zone" or feliway potions and trying to catch him to take him to the vet this way, and stay the course.

Part of me wishes I had never captured him, as he probably would do okay outdoors (except that I don't know if he's neutered or not). I just hate to see him out there in the heat (and eating my birds), knowing that he may have a short life - but then I'm conditioned to think I should try to give all of them a home (when I don't have as much time as I would like to give this with a full-time job). But I also hate to see him so desperately unhappy being inside - knowing he will have a long road ahead as well.

I will give it a little more time (and will try the carrier for capture) before trying to make any decision on this very important matter!

THANK YOU!

Originally Posted by OlderNow

Thank you so much for your helpful posts. I have been thinking a lot about this in the last 24 hours. At this point I think I should either (a) let this wonderful but traumatized cat go by opening the bathroom window (back into my backyard, and just feeding him there - not the best possible solution, but an option) - or
(b) this evening, buy a larger cat carrier and the "comfort zone" or feliway potions and trying to catch him to take him to the vet this way, and stay the course.

Part of me wishes I had never captured him, as he probably would do okay outdoors (except that I don't know if he's neutered or not). I just hate to see him out there in the heat (and eating my birds), knowing that he may have a short life - but then I'm conditioned to think I should try to give all of them a home (when I don't have as much time as I would like to give this with a full-time job). But I also hate to see him so desperately unhappy being inside - knowing he will have a long road ahead as well.

I will give it a little more time (and will try the carrier for capture) before trying to make any decision on this very important matter!

THANK YOU!

Click to expand...

If you are nervous about the capture, maybe put on some oven mitts and an apron.

And just watch your face, some lab goggles if you are worried about your eyes.

Speaking frankly it sounds like you are afraid of this cat. He will sense this and use it to his advantage. If you let him outside, you will likely never catch him again. They get trap savvy fast. If you are afraid, I am here to tell you this cat may hurt you. He won't be mean or nasty, but he will sense your fear and feed on it and use it to his advantage. He wants to escape and will do so if the opportunity presents itself.

You need the feliway because it is a friendly pheremone. Takes you from being his predator to his friend- Crucial when you are working with trapped kitties.

Thank you for rescuing this kitty. It sounds like he or she just needs to be spayed or neutered and just needs a little time to adjust to all the changes.

Please do not release him/her back outside, not without being spayed/neutered. There are so many homeless kittens already.

You've taken the big step.... if you're nervous about getting him in the crate, just put it in the bathroom and start putting his food in there, and take him to the vet after you get back. I would spray it with Feliway if you have some or can purchase it.

Feliway is a synthetic pheremone that mimics the "friendly" markers in cats' cheeks and helps them calm down.

We all have these moments of doubt about whether or not we've done the right thing by the cat. Some of us have taken on older true ferals, many of us have worked with strays or young ferals... and whether it's taken a few weeks, a few months, or a year, the time always came that we looked back and said to ourselves (or each other here ), I'm so glad I saw it through.

Of course fostering him/her to be able to adopt him/her out is an option, as is contacting foster networks in your area. But you live in the right place to find a low-cost spay/neuter. If you need help searching, let me know.

Thank you for rescuing this cat! You've come to the right place, many experienced rescuers here.

Please keep us posted.

Yesterday, I purchased a larger cat carrier and ordered the Feliway to be overnighted. (It was $45 in the Petsupermarket, but only $21 online through the link I found on your website!). We had put another older cat carrier in his favorite hiding place in the bottom of the small linen closet yesterday, but the cat reacted fiercely to it - and after we took it out, I realized it had smells of cat spray on it probably from being left in our shed (OH NO - not a good start!!). So he spent another day rather freaked out - although I can now place a treat within less than 2 feet of him and use the sink from this distance to clean water dishes without him even growling. I also took the good advice from one of your essays and purchased an inexpensive CD player/boombox, which actually fits in the other sink, and I have it softly playing classical music with nature sounds. He was curled up next to it this morning.

I took a fecal sample to the vet this morning, and will do my very best to entice him into the carrier. Perhaps the feliway will help in this process - also with putting his food there starting tomorrow. If this fails, we will try the large towel as you have so kindly recommended (wearing leather jacket, gloves, goggles...). I talked with the vet yesterday, and I will do my very best to capture "kitten" very soon and get him in for treatments, vaccinations, and spaying or neutering (still not knowing if he is really a boy). Even if we do return him to the yard, I know it is essential that he be neutered and as healthy/protected as possible.

Last night was another night of terror, with him howling throughout the night. When he does this (in bathroom close to my bed), I talk softly to him (It's all right, kitten, good boy, etc.) and this seems amazingly to have a calming effect on him. Working full time, it's hard to spend any time at all with him, but I have a cold and have decided not to go visit my elderly mother for the weekend - so I can work more on trying to gain his trust.

Thanks SO VERY MUCH for staying with me on this - I really do need your support!

OlderNow, as you can see you're definitely not alone or the first to have dealt with a case like this. I offer an excerpt from an article I wrote about catching my Tiger. I think parts of it will sound familiar:

----

The kitten watched as we opened the door and set the carrier on the porch, placing the food dish deep inside. We sat beside the carrier, calling to her with our imitation cat sounds and soon she approached, hunger overcoming her dread of the freezing drizzle. Sniffing the food, she hesitated before stepping in - one paw, pause, another, until her back legs stepped over the carrier's threshold.

I swung the cage door shut. The kitten screamed and thrashed as I grabbed the carrier and ran inside. I rushed into our bathroom and closed the door, set the carrier down and opened it. Still screaming, she bolted and leaped at the walls, knocking over the sundry toiletries stacked on our sink, the clanging they made against the tiles increasing her panic. My God, I thought, what have I done? What could she have already endured in her short life, and how much trauma have I just added? Does she see us as just more humans teasing her with food and friendship, before inflicting more pain and betrayal?

She hunkered into a corner of our bathtub, trembling and whimpering. I sat on the floor and spoke with a voice for her comfort and words for mine. "My poor girl. My sweet girl. I'm sorry. You're safe. We love you." She didn't move or look at me, but in minutes the trembling subsided. I stroked her damp fur, until her cries gave way to a steady purring.

----

It sounds like your "guest" is having more difficulty than mine, perhaps because he's been outside and on his own longer (we suspect that our Tiger was freshly dumped and spent only a few days outside.) I know it will be difficult with your schedule, but I do recommend spending as much time as possible with the cat. Not to try handling him right away, just sit in there with him and talk to him calmly. The Feliway, nightlight, boom box with gentle music and leaving the carrier in there are all great ideas, but it's also very important to gain his trust by just being present and non-threatening.

DaddyCat,
Thank you so much for your encouragement.
I got the stool sample results, and "kitten" has hookworm. I'll try to sneak the one-pill treatment into some tuna for this tomorrow. And, I'm taking the day off to spend time with "him"!
Will let you all know how things progress. I hope we don't have to do the towel thing in the way of capturing him, as this seems really challenging. I want to get him to the vet by Monday morning if at all possible. (Well, we just have to do what we have to do!)

OlderNow,

To give you encouragement, I scared up my old thread on Cyclone

here is the link

http://www.thecatsite.com/forums/sho...hlight=Cyclone

Stay with this cat, don't give up on him or on yourself. Too much depends on getting him to the vet, getting him snipped and then deciding what best to do-

Best-

MA

I just want to give you some encouragement. You have already received such great advice. I know how difficult it is, but if you have the time and patience, it is so well worth it.

Several years ago, a feral cat showed up at my husband's place of work. She had a litter of 3 kittens. I was able to catch 2 of the kittens and they went to a great home. I put a trap out to catch the third, which sadly never came back, and the mom cat returned and went into the trap. This was about 6 months later. She was taken immediately to the vet, she was so wild she cut her face on the trap. My vet firmly suggested she be spayed and ear tipped and put back outside. I just couldn't do it. It was late October and I knew I would worry about her all winter.

It took a very long time and it was even months before I could even see her, she was constantly hiding behind a fireplace. But now she is a very happy and lovable cat. She would have done anything to get back outside but I was very careful not to let that happen.

The hard part is over, he or she is in the house and safe. I hope you can hang in there, it is hard but there are alot of people here who can lend you support and give you tons of good advice.

Hello everyone - you all are such generous souls with all of your caring advice.

Status report: The cat I took in that is still hanging out in my bathroom leaps from the carrier where I'm feeding him into another hiding place whenever I come in. I've had him in the (medium-sized) bathroom for 9 days now. (The carrier is placed on the bottom of a small linen closet, but there is just enough room for him to squeeze next to it and hide there.) I must go away this weekend (as I didn't last weekend). "Kitten" is getting a little more used to me, I can tell - and I spent quite a bit of time sitting in the bathroom reading to him (and quietly) this past weekend - although I'm now back at work, with the CD player still on the bathroom for him.

When I return Sunday, I would like to plan how in the heck I will get him to the vet. If I can't figure out how to capture him in the carrier where I'm feeding him, how much longer should I let this go on? I feel sorry for the poor guy crying at night and having to "live" in my bathroom. Also, I realize that all the work toward earning his trust may have to be repeated after taking him to the vet. That being so, should I just try to capture him with a towel or blanket? (Is there some kind of leathery thing I might find to do this? Or of course I can wear all leather in doing it. The vet says he uses welding gloves in working with very wild cats.) OR, shouldn't I consider putting the humane trap - well camouflaged - back into the bathroom and feed him in it, knowing he will again be trapped and traumatized by this? One way or the other, he won't like it - but I need to get him to the vet at some point, and can't see the situation changing for a very long time. I am very willing to be patient, if you all think that his behavior will change (i.e., he might back into the carrier as I come in when he is eating there). I could also spend much more time in the bathroom with him in another week, hoping that he will eat while I am in there, which he hasn't done yet. I'll also perhaps increase the treats, as he will sit in the corner of the countertop near where I place those.

So sorry for this long post! Any ideas you have will be very much welcomed and appreciated.

Older now,

my friend and I recently inadvertently got a feral to go into a carrier in a way that might be an option for you. My friend got the feral to go into a large dog cage to eat and then just dropped the door down. When it came time to take the cat to the vet we put the carrier in the cage so it would have a cave to hide in and when the cat ran into the carrier, it dawned on us that we could just close the carrier door and remove the carrier from the big cage.

If you could put the big cage in the bathroom in such a way that the opening is facing you when you open the door, you could close the cage door the minute you open the bathroom door. Even if you can't get the cat in the carrier, you can still take the cat in the big cage although you'll probably need a truck to transport it.

Do you think that would work?

Ellsworth,
This is a great idea! Let me think about how I might go about this -it gives me great hope! I know there must be a way I haven't thought of. Thank you so much!

I'll definitely let you know if I have any success - next week, after I return. (But I may go and buy another cage before I go!)

It took my feral Scaredy about a month - and this was outside - before she would let me near her when I fed her. She would take off when I was standing across the street, much like you describe in your bathroom. But she came around, when she realized the hand that was feeding her starving bones. (To this day I'm really the only one she is totally comfortable with).

I like Ellsworth's idea, hope it works...