3 ferals : Need advice/help re getting one to eat

peggiesue

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My MIL fed several ferals and since her passing as no one else would agree to feed them, we brought 3 who continued to come to be fed into her house and they seemed to adjust as far a feeding, using litter, etc. We recently began trapping them to get them checked by vet, spayed/neutered and moved them to our permanent home 4 hours away.  The youngest, Poly, 10 mo, was caught, spayed and then transported home; she did not eat at vet or home for 3.5 days and then I enticed her with tuna and KFC and she now is eating regularly and of course cat food. She still hides when I go into her room but will come out occasionally to watch me or one of our other indoor cats if they come by; I know loads of patience is necessary to build trust etc. and we will proceed very slowly with this.

Hans, age 1.5 years, who may be Poly's dad, was trapped on Valentine days, brought to the vet near our home so this meant a 3.5 hour drive, neutered and given rabie and distemper shots as well as med for round worms, and then brought to his new home the day of his surgery and travel as vet said this would be better than in hospital with dogs barking,etc.I reallize all this change has to be very, very tramatic for him and that he has to still be very scared and disconcerted.  He stayed in carrier overnight and was released in same room as Poly the next morn. He did not come out of carrier for few minutes and then slinked away and hid. He continues to hide and I do not believe he is eating much but hard to tell as a little food is gone each day but it may be Poly eating it. I do see he is urinating but not lots. I have tried his fav food  - cooked shrimp, tuna and even KFC, but do not see much dent in it and perhaps Poly is doing all the eatig. I know Hans must be very scared with all he has been thru and now in a new home too. I honestly do not know how to discern how much he may be eating. He wants to hide and he has moved around the room to different hiding spots and I do not want to invade this privacy. How might I tell if he is getting enough food, etc.?  Just not sure what to do without frightening him even more.

Note: We have one more feral adult (probably Poly's mom) to get to vet, spayed and brought here but I want to be sure Hans is doing OK at this point before introducing the 3rd and final of MIL cats here. Our house cats are curious/interested in their potentially new buddies (way down in the future perhaps)  but of course keeping them away at this point vice scaring the newbie feral clan.

Forgive the length. Anyone gone thru anything similar and any advice to be sure Hans is eating would be appreciated.
 

whaler

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i would just keep offering him every tasty thing you can, eventually he will eat a normal amount. you could try some grilled salmon, that is the only way i can get one of my feral cats to take the antibiotic she is currently on. you also could try putting fortiflora on some of the canned food, most cats find the enzymes in it to be irresistible.


thanks for taking care of them!
 
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peggiesue

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Whaler, thank you for your reply. I have tried a variety of foods already (people canned tuna and salmon; the cat food he loved and shrimp which was his fav food) but will try the grilled salmon. I believe he ate some of a higher quality dry food last night - the other feral girl did not like it,  so this was good.

I understand per our vet that fortiflora is used for diarrhea, could this create a possible other issue for him?  I assume I would sprinke just a little on the wet food?  I guess I could sprinkle on the dry too?  Thanks again for your help.
 

whaler

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being that fortiflora is a probiotic there would not be any real risk of creating an issue for the cats. the main benefit in your case is that it contains digestive enzymes that most cats love. i remember reading something from dr. pierson on catinfo.org - she said that her cats "would eat cardboard" if she sprinkled some fortiflora on it.

i have used it on occasion when i was trying to transition a cat to a healthier food than what they were accustomed to as well as after i tnr a cat, but in the later case i do it to try and help their tummy after getting an antibiotic.

when used for "flavor", what i do is mix a little bit into the canned food and then i sprinkle a little bit on the top. i end up only using about 1/4 - 1/3 of a packet, but don't hesitate to use an entire packet if needed.
 

feralvr

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I understand per our vet that fortiflora is used for diarrhea, could this create a possible other issue for him?  I assume I would sprinke just a little on the wet food?  I guess I could sprinkle on the dry too?  Thanks again for your help.
I use Fortiflora. It has helped me get my cats eating raw, especially my very finicky girl. It is safe to use but is addicting. I would stay away from people tuna. There are many canned cat foods that are just as enticing as real tuna such as Best Friends Feline and Fussy Cat but those are a bit more pricey although well loved by most cats. It takes much, much time for them to settle in. "Patience is a virtue" is only the tip of the iceberg with feral cats. :lol3: Thank you SO much for taking care of these kitties who need you so much. :heart3: :vibes::vibes::vibes:
 
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meowmmy_aprile

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I sometimes notice that some of the ones I bring in want their food in tee tiny pieces with a bit of liquid. They shun pate and shredded foods. So I will sit there and cut up chicken in tiny pieces and mix with some chicken baby food mixed with some warm water. (make sure the baby food has no onions or garlic, you can find just plain chicken baby food processed with water) I always offer a small bowl of dry food and when I notice that they are eating my chicken meal regularly I start adding wet canned food to the chicken mix and slowly wean the chicken and baby food back but still keep mixing with warm water. 

Once they are eating regularly I also mix in Llysene paste. If they are not eating any commercial food with the required nutrients you may have to sprinkle some kitty vitamix over the chicken mush until you have them on something that already has it in it. 
 
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