feral with urinary infection hiding, I need to catch her.

sloojy

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i have a cat, originally a feral cat but tamed after 3 years. She has a urinary infection and the problem is i cannot pick her up and she is frightened of crates. Ive been trying to catch her for two days now by putting treats in the crate etc, i almost got her but she freaked and escaped. Now she seems to have lost trust and is now hiding from me. She has had a urinary infection for two days and im worried about how serious it might get if i cant catch her........Any ideas what to do?
 

ldg

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Any way to get her closed into one room? That's pretty much a must, because it sounds like you're going to have to use a trap, not a crate. :heart2: That's how many people with feral cats inside that need vet attention handle it.

The other alternative, at this point, is just wearing thick leather gloves and scruffing her to get her in the crate. Unfortunately, you can't worry about the trust problem with her health problem. :(

Please let us know what happens! Sending vibes for success! :vibes: :vibes: :vibes: :vibes: :vibes:
 
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sloojy

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Thanks for your advice! I was thinking of scruffing her so I think thats the angle Im gonna take first thing in the morning :)

Ill keep you posted!
 

kat z

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I myself have two cats who are basically feral.  We've had them since they were kittens & completely wild & now they will both be 8 this year.  One is much tamer than the other, so that I can actually pick her up if I need to.  Her sister will be petted, but does not like to be picked up & can be very skittish.  We got into the habit years ago of feeding her in carriers & cages.  This has made it much easier for me to transport her & take her to the vet when needed, & is much less stressful for her when time comes to eventually take her out simply because it's a place she associates with something pleasurable (much like I imagine crating a puppy works for dogs).  I know this doesn't particularly help you right now, but it is good advice for the future since she's young.  I would suggest not letting her eat anything unless it's in a cage.  When she finally gets comfortable going in the cage to eat, make sure you can be next to her when she goes in.  If she only goes in only when you're away from the cage, take the food away when you are not near the cage.  Once she's comfortable eating in the cage with you there, you can start closing the cage on her.  She'll flip a little bit at first & it might be only a couple days a month that you'll be successful at closing her in, but eventually she'll go in to eat & not even bat an eye when you close the cage behind her because she'll know she usually won't be in there for any longer than an hr. & then she'll be free again.  A larger crate is usually best in doing this because it gives her room to move around in & doesn't make her feel so caged in.  Small dog crates usually work great since they have full visibility & even a small one is usually still roomy enough for a cat to move around in.  This might seem very stressful & annoying at first (which it is), but once it's accomplished, it's a god-send in a situation like what you just described, when she truly needs medical assistance.  You'll also see that she'll be completely cool with it once she's used to it & will again make situations where you need her in a cage less stressful for her as well.
 

feralvr

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Welcome to the site :clap:.... Yeah, it is not an easy process trying to get a fearful, skittish kitty in a crate and to the vet. Agree with Laurie, her health has to come before the trust concern. She will trust you again... And I am sure she is uncomfortable having this infection and that is making her even more stressed and frightened. I would also try to corral her into a confined room. Have the crate turned upward and then go and scruff her and quickly place her into the crate. Please do keep us updated on how this goes :cross:. :vibes::vibes::vibes::vibes::vibes::vibes::vibes:
 
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