What I will do to get Blanche to the Vet

medicinehat_cat

TCS Member
Thread starter
Kitten
Joined
Jun 14, 2011
Messages
16
Purraise
0
Location
North America on the East coast
First, thanks to you all for the wonderful welcome in the Newbie introduction area... I'm moving Blanche's story to here where it is on topic


To quickly recap, Blanche showed up under my son's car about a year and a half ago during flooding rains. She was starving, bloody, missing part of her tail, had few teeth and was terrified of people. After all this time I was finally able to touch her a couple of weeks ago and decided I could now get her safely to the Vet without traumatising her mentally.

Thanks for all the good ideas for getting a feral safely captured. I knew about havahart traps (but didn't have one and didn't know whom I could borrow one from) so I developed a plan where I would be able to get her in a crate by me placing her there... Keep in mind that Blanche was not touched at all until two weeks ago. That said, she has "known" me now for almost two years and we have a "relationship" even if it didn't not involve touch prior to two weeks ago. Our relationship has involved food every day, twice a day, an outdoor shelter during the snowy winter and company when she wanted to lie down in the garden near where I would be working outside. Actually now her favored spot is on our front porch - she has become a part of our family - sort of like the autistic child who wont be touched but still longs to be near.

I'm at the stage now, with less than two weeks until the Vet appointment, that I can softly hold Blanche a couple inches off the ground (just for a moment) while she is at her food bowl. This is in preparation for when I put her in the crate on the morning of her visit to the Vet. I want her used to the brief "capture". I'll talk to her while she is in the crate and during her exam. Thankfully the Vet we are supposed to get has delt with ferals before. Blanche has notches cut out of one of her ears so it looks like she was already fixed.

I really believe that trust has already been establised because we have gone from no touch to the brief lift (seconds) in just a few days and she seems ok with the sudden change in our relationship. She purrs when I briefly massage her shoulder blades.. makes me glad! I still have to be careful that I don't catch whatever skin ailment and bugs she has (poor thing) so all will be brief for my sake as well. I am barehanded but clean my hands right after just in case her mange is the type that humans can get. I'm barehanded because I am sure that gloves would pull on her skin and fur and I don't want to hurt her during the trust building.

It really looks like all is going well so far. I'll post more as the date for the Vet trip nears. Thanks again for letting me share Blanche's story.
 

ldg

TCS Member
Veteran
Joined
Jun 25, 2002
Messages
41,310
Purraise
842
Location
Fighting for ferals in NW NJ!
Oh! Here's what we do when we don't want to use the trap.


Spray the crate with Feliway. Start putting her food bowl in there. Use wet food - feed her one or two meals a day in it. Make sure the door is SECURE in the OPEN position. Make sure you're there while she eats in a position where you could quickly close the door.

When she's used to eating in the crate, and it's time for the appointment - just hold the door open. When she goes in to eat, close it really quickly.

We have cats we can pick up and hold - and those paws and claws quickly turn into windmills with scissors when you try to put them in the crate.


In fact - we get the crate out two days before a vet visit (for our indoor cats!), we do not MENTION the vet - don't talk about the appointment - try not to even THINK about it. (Though we don't actually put on tin foil hats or anything LOL). One of us just says - "it's time" and we call for treats, close off all access to other rooms (and thus hiding places), and quickly lift and shove into top-opening crate. And that is our PET cats.


If your feral will eat in your presence, it's MUCH easier to just get them relaxed about eating in the crate, and then spring it on them that the crate has a door from which they cannot exit.
 

feralvr

TCS Member
Veteran
Joined
Dec 30, 2010
Messages
18,474
Purraise
689
Location
Northwest Indiana
!!!!!! I have done this exact same thing with three barn ferals over the years. They would allow me to pet them while eating. Then I knew it was time to bring out that crate and start feeding the wet food in the crate. A medium sized crate is best. Just leave the crate down ALL the time now until the day of the vet visit. Prop that door open with something heavy and feed in that crate each day. Then on vet trip day (already haved moved the heavy object away from the crate door, before you feed) you just quietly close the door. I also practiced petting them while they were in the crate eating two weeks prior to the vet trip. This system works VERY well (better than the hav-a-heart) when you can pet the stray/feral cat and they eat in your company and it is less stressful for them than the trap. Good luck and keep us updated
 

momofmany

TCS Member
Veteran
Joined
Jul 15, 2003
Messages
16,249
Purraise
70
Location
There's no place like home
I'll add 2 thoughts: When you get her in the crate, drape a towel over the top so that she doesn't see anything during the ride. This seems to really calm down feral cats.

Even though you have a specific appointment, call the vet and explain that there is a chance that you won't be able to catch her on that day and find out if there are any times when you can bring her in at the last moment. When I was getting feral cats speutered at my last vet, I found out his surgery days and would trap cats on those days. If I happened to show up, he made room for me. If I couldn't catch any, no loss. He was very flexible once he understood my situation.
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #5

medicinehat_cat

TCS Member
Thread starter
Kitten
Joined
Jun 14, 2011
Messages
16
Purraise
0
Location
North America on the East coast
Thanks for all the excellent ideas... the food in the crate idea is exactly what we did to get her to go into her "shelter" last winter. The shelter was one of those larger plastic clothing storage bins... cut out a "door" and she would have nothing to do with it until the food appeared. Thank goodness she did go in.. it was one of the snowiest and coldest winters on record!
For the crate we have a few challenges... it is a small crate but even so it has been POURING here every day and there isn't a dry place to leave it. SO... I have taken the crate out with me at feeding time. I open the crate door while she is eating but can see what I am doing. I also pick her up and let her squirm a bit for maybe 10 seconds and put her down to eat again - all with the crate there. My gut feeling is that she will be upset, but fine. But we will find out on Saturday!
 

feralvr

TCS Member
Veteran
Joined
Dec 30, 2010
Messages
18,474
Purraise
689
Location
Northwest Indiana
yes the weather puts a damper on trapping!! Wow, that is great that you can pick her up for a few seconds
. I think you will have no trouble on Saturday
Blanche sounds like a very good kitty.
 

minka

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
May 4, 2011
Messages
2,437
Purraise
49
Location
Denton, Texas
Have you tried putting the food inside the crate while you are out with her, wait till shes done, then remove the crate? Even though you cant leave it out there, that should help.
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #9

medicinehat_cat

TCS Member
Thread starter
Kitten
Joined
Jun 14, 2011
Messages
16
Purraise
0
Location
North America on the East coast
I haven't bothered with trying to feed her in the crate for a few reasons.. the main reason is she has very few teeth and throws the food around and I don't want any mold to grow inside the crate during this very warm and wet weather. She takes a LONG time to eat with the few teeth she has so it just isn't practical to leave it. If she doesn't finish all the food the bugs come along and then there are ants and flies in her food.. only seems to take an hour or two for them to discover any leftovers.
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #10

medicinehat_cat

TCS Member
Thread starter
Kitten
Joined
Jun 14, 2011
Messages
16
Purraise
0
Location
North America on the East coast
With less than 24 hours until the Vet trip we have hit another milestone.... Blanche walked up to me for the first time today and pushed her head into my leg in that dance we humans fondly associate with the domesticated cat. Made me tear up a bit knowing how far we have come to this little sign of affection. Tomorrow will set us back just a bit, but I really believe she has turned the corner and has found some trust for fellow beings in her life. I'm glad I was there to provide this small comfort.
 

minka

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
May 4, 2011
Messages
2,437
Purraise
49
Location
Denton, Texas
Originally Posted by MedicineHat_Cat

I haven't bothered with trying to feed her in the crate for a few reasons.. the main reason is she has very few teeth and throws the food around and I don't want any mold to grow inside the crate during this very warm and wet weather. She takes a LONG time to eat with the few teeth she has so it just isn't practical to leave it. If she doesn't finish all the food the bugs come along and then there are ants and flies in her food.. only seems to take an hour or two for them to discover any leftovers.
That can easily be remedied by cleaning out the crate with a hose.

Just sit out there till she is done/check up every 10 minutes and take the crate away when she is done.
But I guess it's too late for that anyways now...
 

ldg

TCS Member
Veteran
Joined
Jun 25, 2002
Messages
41,310
Purraise
842
Location
Fighting for ferals in NW NJ!
Oh how amazing! I think she's letting you know she's ready to go!
In addition to covering her crate with the light blanket, talk to her all the way there, tell her why you're doing this, that she's coming home, &etc.


for tomorrow and AT the vet!
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #13

medicinehat_cat

TCS Member
Thread starter
Kitten
Joined
Jun 14, 2011
Messages
16
Purraise
0
Location
North America on the East coast
Ok... so I couldn't resist trying the food in the crate just to see what Blanche would do....hehehe.... and of course she walked right in.
The crate is small enough that with the bowl in there her tail was sticking out so I didn't try to close the door. But, thanks again to all that offered all the great advice. You have been "spot on" with everything Tomorrow I will remember to cover the crate with a towel
 

minka

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
May 4, 2011
Messages
2,437
Purraise
49
Location
Denton, Texas
!!!
I would definitely catch her that way if she walks in the crate so easily!
Even if her tail sticks out a bit, just give her a push in the butt and then close the door and ready to go!
 

ldg

TCS Member
Veteran
Joined
Jun 25, 2002
Messages
41,310
Purraise
842
Location
Fighting for ferals in NW NJ!
How'd it go?
Were you able to close the door? Get her to the vet? What happens next? Are you bringing her inside or... ????? Was she already spayed? Did she get spayed? A dental? So many questions!


for you both!
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #16

medicinehat_cat

TCS Member
Thread starter
Kitten
Joined
Jun 14, 2011
Messages
16
Purraise
0
Location
North America on the East coast
On the morning of her appointment, I walked outside to feed her as I do normally, but with the carrier in tow. I called her over and asked if she was hungry, which of course she was... put the food bowl in the carrier and she sniffed, put her head down a bit but walked right in. As soon as her body went inside I CLOSED THE DOOR. And of course all hell broke loose.

She panicked instantly and banged around the inside of the carrier enough in a few seconds to bounce the door off its hinges! One of the side clips was missing and I hadn't noticed it... I held the door in front of her so she couldn't escape and she showed me her little face which had a little bloody nose from bagging into something. I thought my heart would break. Here we were trying to take her someplace to feel better and we were injuring her before she got there! I called to my husband to help me get the carrier back together and got into the car. The trip is only about 10 minutes but seemed like a lifetime. Blanche was catatonic, no pun intended. She was back to being silent. She had been like that when I first met her - no meows or purring. In an instant she was back in the darkness, no longer trusting anyone.

I knew deep inside this would happen but it was still hard to know she surely felt so utterly frightened that the only way to survive would be to block out the world.
 

ldg

TCS Member
Veteran
Joined
Jun 25, 2002
Messages
41,310
Purraise
842
Location
Fighting for ferals in NW NJ!
Oh we know this feeling so well!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! But the good news (I know, you feel none of this is good!) is that you kept her in there.
At least the trauma resulted in getting her to the vet.


So... how is she? Where is she? How are YOU?
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #18

medicinehat_cat

TCS Member
Thread starter
Kitten
Joined
Jun 14, 2011
Messages
16
Purraise
0
Location
North America on the East coast
...and we drive for what seems like forever but we do get there and park the car and get out. I'm holding the carrier together top to bottom for fear that the whole thing will fall apart, but it doesn't.. someone opens the door for me - not my husband, but someone else and I can't remember what they look like. It is all a fog to me now - "hey, she's just a cat" I keep saying to myself - but somehow I'm feeling that if there is something that measures what we are it is what we do for the insignificant ones.

We sign in and wait. And wait. There seem to be many dogs of differnt sizes and shapes there.. Blanche stares out at them blankly. I'm hoping I haven't broken her. I waited long enough to take her here. Please don't give up now.

Finally we are in the examination room and someone comes in. I say, " You aren't the Veterinarian we are supposed to have!"

"That's right... I'm the vet tech."
I was a fool. Calm down and let the folks do their job...

After a few questions about "why are you here today", and I'm thinking, "she's wild (Blanche) and needs help! and she would have died last year! and she is so afraid of everyone! how does a creature get to be that way!"

But I answered the simple questions. At last the Vet arrived. It was indeed the Vet we were supposed to see. I was adamant about the Vet being someone familiar with ferals - I wanted someone to know how difficult it was to get her there and how hard it was for Blanche to stand being there.

They knew.. of course they knew. I was just brainless, brainless in the way mothers become when they have a child. My children are grown but the "stupid" factor wasn't buried too far beneath the surface.

The tech had Blanche steadied while the Vet examined Blanche. The hair was parted. Now, my eyes are really bad. I need glasses and never wore them around Blanche. Blanche always wiggled a bit out of focus for me, but when the hair was parted I could see.... there were things wiggling there.. tiny tiny... but wiggling... more parts... they were EVERYWHERE.

She was covered with tiny lice. But NO fleas. Still can't figure that out...
But covered...covered. How could I not have seen before?

That's why you took her to the Veterinarian, dummy.

...and so they finished up the exam and gave her some shots. Then they took her away for "the first of several visits to get a bath and take care of the lice". They picked her up and left the room..
 
Top