Working on taming a feral, quick advice needed...

Vibes for Tuesday; and vibes that Tuesday comes fast!

I live on the top floor of a three story building; if Ritz somehow jumps, it is probably a death drop.  Make sure screens have no holes in them; learned that the hard way.  Ritz got out onto the balcony through a small hole in the screen.  One, five, ten? hours later when I came home from work, she was looking inside from outside the balcony.  She could figure out how to get out, but not back in.

Though I heard about a cat that survived a 19 story drop....

For Gabby's vet visit Tuesday!!! LOVE THE NAME . Please be very careful with opening up any window. Even if it is the top window that you have open an inch. She honestly could jump up that far, grab hold of the window and pull it down - possibly. I never leave a window open with a feral cat in the foster room. Somehow, they just manage to find a way to push those windows open. It is like they are SUPERCATS with monster strength.

BTW - for summer and open windows, we use the coated wire closet shelves - I think one brand is Rubbermaid - anyway, they do provide sturdy bars, come in various sizes.  In some cases I use bungie cords to secure things even more.  We have windows that slide sideways, makes good for pressure fit - and I can put a lock (stick) in the window track to keep the window from opening on accident.

GloriaJH said:

BTW - for summer and open windows, we use the coated wire closet shelves - I think one brand is Rubbermaid - anyway, they do provide sturdy bars, come in various sizes.  In some cases I use bungie cords to secure things even more.  We have windows that slide sideways, makes good for pressure fit - and I can put a lock (stick) in the window track to keep the window from opening on accident.

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Great idea!!!!!! :bigthumb:

Hi all - just an update on how the vet visit went.  In a word - SPLENDID!  Gabby is the picture of health according to the vet.  She's got nice, white, sharp teeth, no parasites, no worms, nothing negative at all.  They gave her a bath, clipped her nails, got off that nasty smell, put on the first dose of Frontline, gave her all her shots - the works.  She didn't treat me as a traitor after we got home and all is well.  I couldn't be more pleased.

It will not be until the end of May that Gabby will have full run of the house. That is only because of the vacation that I'm taking. Otherwise, she'd be able to wander anywhere inside now. Still, she seems pretty content inside the computer room - that cat reality show and all.    Didn't hear a peep out of her last night after I went to bed. I think she was exhausted and probably slept through the night.  Didn't hear anything out of her the night before either, so maybe she's gotten the hint that we don't get chatty after 9 p.m. in this house. lol  I think tonight or tomorrow night, will turn off the lights after our last visit and see how she does. 

Gloria - you will have to take some pictures of your windows so I know just how you have the cake coolers situated - I just can't picture that in my mind.

Anyway - it's all good and just wanted to post the good news here for y'all.  I know there are lots of success stories on here and it's been fun going through a lot of them, but it feels great to be one of them.  Hopefully I can attach a picture of her - we'll see.

Will chat soon, and thank you again for all your support!

So glad to hear she checked out with flying colors!   Why the Frontline - I thought she was inside only?  

It was someone else that suggested a quick fix with the cake racks - I suggested getting the coated wire shelving from a home supply store, like Home Depot, or Lowes.  

The brand I think I have is Rubbermaid.  The store would even cut the shelving to fit better, I would think - but there are a lot of sizes to choose from.



Below is Buddy's "window guard" - (includes the window screen behind it).

If I was afraid of him climbing the guard (shelf) I'd have it the full height of the window - but we close all the windows if we leave - none of them have attempted to climb over the top - if they do, they still have the screen to contend with - but, If you're going to be gone - I'd sure have the shelf cover the full open space - and maybe even try to find a way to secure the shelf in a more permanent way (?) other than just a pressure fit.  



Hope the pics help. 

Gabby is a beautiful girl, and so fortunate to have found you!

I took the liberty to post her pic here -- when I clicked on the link it automatically downloaded to my computer. 

Here she is:

Gloria - thanks so much for your pictures, that puts it all together for me now. Thank you also for posting Gabby's picture. I wasn't sure how to do it and ran out of time. I see now there is an "insert picture" icon that should work pretty nifty. lol Thank you though.

Gabby will be (is) an indoor only cat but I have two dogs that come and go from outside and even though they're also protected, I just think it's going to be an awful year for fleas in my area. We barely had a winter and not enough to kill off bad stuff, so I just wanted everyone protected. Might be some overkill, but it makes me feel better. ;-)

Thanks again for showing the racks. I will definitely be checking into that as I love having the windows open. I'd close them when I left, but I like having them open at night too, so this is a perfect solution.

Take care.

Kelley

Kelley, FABULOUS news about the vet visit! :bigthumb: Aw, that's just GREAT!

And she is BEAUTIFUL! :love:

Gabby is a real beauty!   So happy for your vet visit and for hearing Gabby's progress!!

Wonderful report from the vet visit!!!!!!! Gabby is a real beauty :love: So happy for all the great news

Hi all - just a quick update on Gabby.  So far, all is continuing to go well.  Poor Gabby seems to be a bit bored.  I would love to let her out of the computer room to roam around the house, but I really don't want to give her that freedom only to take it back when my sister gets here with her dogs at the end of the month.  She sleeps an awful lot which makes me think she may be a little depressed. Even though I've had domesticated cats before, they seemed a little more alert than Gabby can be. We've played a bit, but she gets bored with that pretty easily.  I have Pandora on when I'm in the room with her, so I sing to the songs I know just so she continues to get used to my voice.  I did some major spring cleaning when I took a day off on Friday and washed all the curtains and windows, so now Gabby has an unobstructed view of the bush right out front.  Her favorite place to lay and watch continues to be right in front of that window.  She loves to be brushed and I do it often - amazing how much she's shedding!  Thank goodness we're on top of it.    She really is a very, very sweet girl and I'm so happy to have her.

One concern, though it's really minor at this point.  She was very used to my dogs when she was outside. Now, they both come in the room when I'm in here and she seems much more guarded, like she's never met the dogs before.  One of my dogs stays in here with me almost the entire time I'm in here and while Gabby doesn't hide or anything, she looks very wary.  Any suggestions?

Otherwise all is well and I wouldn't change a thing about what I did. 

Kelley

Awwww.... I agree - I wouldn't introduce her to the rest of the house until after you come back. She may well be bored and/or a little depressed because she's bored. That said - I've also found that the older kitties we rescued did a LOT of sleeping the first ... month to two months. It seems they're just so relieved to be safe and fed, they have a lot of "catch up" to do on stress free rest. :dk: Mine were all former ferals though, so they also had to adjust to life inside. But just wanted to share that thought with you, because it's possible that may be a part of it. :dk:

As to the dogs... it's just new environment interacting with them. She's in a room with no escape, and she knows it. Outside she had options, you know? I suspect it's just a matter of time. I don't have dogs, so am clueless. But maybe this article will help? http://www.thecatsite.com/a/introducing-cats-to-dogs

Gabby is such a love :heart3: :rub: I agree also in that you should keep her in that room until you return back from your trip. :nod: It was different when she was outside with the dog's, she always had an escape and never felt confined, you know? In the computer room, she IS confined and really has no way out and no way to get away from the dogs and feels stressed about that. I would back off a little and keep the dogs out, if you can. IF one of the dogs is just quiet and lying down in the room, then go for it. As long as the dog is not staring down the cat and acting hyper. Eventually, Gabby will realize that she has nothing to fear from the dogs. It all just takes time. You just don't want any bad experiences between her and the dogs in the beginning as that could be very difficult to correct. Again, if the dog is well behaved and couldn't care less about Gabby, then let the dog in the room. BUT it is still a good idea for you and only you to go into the room with Gabby without the dog a couple of times a day. Your dong a wonderful job and Gabby is just a doll. :heart2:

Awwww. You guys are so great!  Thanks for the advice and tips.  It just didn't occur to me that Gabby had options outside to get away from the dogs if she felt threatened, but now, not many choices.  Both dogs are very calm around her, but one is more curious than the other.  Will keep them out until I get back.  On a positive note - I've heard Gabby having a great time playing with some of the toys I've got in her room, late at night.  She's doing a lot of chasing - would love to have a video camera in there to catch the good time it sounds like she's having.

Will keep you posted.  Thanks for all the positive support. It's most appreciated.

khomaha said:

Awwww. You guys are so great!  Thanks for the advice and tips.  It just didn't occur to me that Gabby had options outside to get away from the dogs if she felt threatened, but now, not many choices.  Both dogs are very calm around her, but one is more curious than the other.  Will keep them out until I get back.  On a positive note - I've heard Gabby having a great time playing with some of the toys I've got in her room, late at night.  She's doing a lot of chasing - would love to have a video camera in there to catch the good time it sounds like she's having. :lol3:

Will keep you posted.  Thanks for all the positive support. It's most appreciated.

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YEP - I am sure that is why Gabby is behaving that way around the dogs. AND don't you just LOVE LOVE hearing the kitties play with toys in their room at night!!! Then you know for sure that she is settling in and enjoying her new life. YOU DID GOOD saving her !!!!!!!!!!!!! :bigthumb:

Feralvr said:

YEP - I am sure that is why Gabby is behaving that way around the dogs. AND don't you just LOVE LOVE hearing the kitties play with toys in their room at night!!! Then you know for sure that she is settling in and enjoying her new life. YOU DID GOOD saving her !!!!!!!!!!!!! :bigthumb:

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Exactly! Whenever we had a new rescue, not being able to sleep because of noise from playing, it was always TOTALLY worth it, and such a happy reason! :lol3: Aw, that's just GREAT! :bigthumb:

LDG said:

Exactly! Whenever we had a new rescue, not being able to sleep because of noise from playing, it was always TOTALLY worth it, and such a happy reason!

Aw, that's just GREAT!

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There are those that wouldn't understand, but a playing cat is a happy cat - and knowing that about them helps me sleep better at night - even tho' one is yelling LOUDLY out the window at other cats, one is running through the house making a lot of racket, or talking to a toy - my new go-to-sleep music.   Hugs for Gabby!

I totally agree. It's a great sound.

SO!! How is Gabby doing??!!! Just thinking of you and her