Hi all. First, I've read through many of the posts on this site, and I do have experience with kitties, stray, feral, and otherwise, but I have found myself in a situation now that I do not know how to handle.
A girl who found me on CL by my post offering help for orphaned kittens, who eventually abandoned hers with me, has done it again. Apparently, there was a kitty wandering about the apartment complex she lives in, who was trying to go into people's homes, including hers. She felt sorry for it, told me it was very skinny and young. She had let it come into her home a few times, and apparently the kitty would come in the door, walk around a minute or so, and quickly run back out. She had been taking it into the community laundry room and feeding it to get it out of the cold. She had been able to pet it, etc., but it was skittish. The other tenants were getting aggravated with kitty, and had called Animal Control, who surely would have put the kitty down. She of course called me and asked me to help, as many do, and I do not mind. However, considering that I have a litter of orphans in residence as well as 2 fosters and my own kitties, I told her I was at full capacity and could not responsibly take any other kitties in. Long story short, I came home to find a very hostile and terrified cat on my back porch. She had just dumped her there while I was out. I've never met a cat that did not like me, until now. She started off hissing and growling at me and has not stopped. I tried bringing her in the house in a carrier, transferred to a kennel that I use sometimes for the postop ferals I sometimes rehab (which is how I fell in love with my 3-legged kitty, Trevor, and we bonded and you'd never know he was once feral). She went nuts. I gave her 7 hours to calm down, with a sheet over the kennel and without, in a quiet space, talking to her quietly, offering food, everything. She only escalated and began biting the bars and hanging upside down from it. I was terrified she was going to hurt herself. My friend let her outside while I was sleeping because she was just going nuts.
So, now, kitty is out in my backyard. I leave food and water out for her until after dark (I have a coon and possum invasion, but that's a whole nother story!) She comes to eat in the morning and just after dark. The past two nights, she has been lingering on the back porch, and by the back door, wanting to come into the house. It's breaking my heart. She still hates me, and I've been sitting out on the porch with her at night, talking to her, and she growls at me while she eats and acts like she is going to bite me when I hold my hand out to her with treats. Tonight, she got brave and rubbed up against me, but it was fast and she growls at me any time I get close to her, all while trying to get into the house. It's really cold out tonight, and it's killing me that she is out there, especially since she's just sitting by the back door crying to get in. I'm also concerned about the possums and coons out there that come to my back porch around 3 a.m. daily. They're as big as dogs.
So, what do I do?? There's no way she can come into the house freely. I have a grumpy diva cat who would rip her to shreds, and she's pretty hostile as it is, not to mention I have no idea of her health status without a combo test. I do have the kennel, IF I could get her into it (I tried putting some mackerel in there to get her to go into it, but she's too smart for that). I would have to pick her up to get her into the kennel IF she would let me, and then she is going to go nuts when I do that. I do not have a spare room that she could be isolated in, but could maybe make something up for her, but then there's still the issue of HOW to get her there, or am I just worrying too much?
Sorry for the long post, just not sure what to do with this little girl, and it is breaking my heart.
Thanks, all!
A girl who found me on CL by my post offering help for orphaned kittens, who eventually abandoned hers with me, has done it again. Apparently, there was a kitty wandering about the apartment complex she lives in, who was trying to go into people's homes, including hers. She felt sorry for it, told me it was very skinny and young. She had let it come into her home a few times, and apparently the kitty would come in the door, walk around a minute or so, and quickly run back out. She had been taking it into the community laundry room and feeding it to get it out of the cold. She had been able to pet it, etc., but it was skittish. The other tenants were getting aggravated with kitty, and had called Animal Control, who surely would have put the kitty down. She of course called me and asked me to help, as many do, and I do not mind. However, considering that I have a litter of orphans in residence as well as 2 fosters and my own kitties, I told her I was at full capacity and could not responsibly take any other kitties in. Long story short, I came home to find a very hostile and terrified cat on my back porch. She had just dumped her there while I was out. I've never met a cat that did not like me, until now. She started off hissing and growling at me and has not stopped. I tried bringing her in the house in a carrier, transferred to a kennel that I use sometimes for the postop ferals I sometimes rehab (which is how I fell in love with my 3-legged kitty, Trevor, and we bonded and you'd never know he was once feral). She went nuts. I gave her 7 hours to calm down, with a sheet over the kennel and without, in a quiet space, talking to her quietly, offering food, everything. She only escalated and began biting the bars and hanging upside down from it. I was terrified she was going to hurt herself. My friend let her outside while I was sleeping because she was just going nuts.
So, now, kitty is out in my backyard. I leave food and water out for her until after dark (I have a coon and possum invasion, but that's a whole nother story!) She comes to eat in the morning and just after dark. The past two nights, she has been lingering on the back porch, and by the back door, wanting to come into the house. It's breaking my heart. She still hates me, and I've been sitting out on the porch with her at night, talking to her, and she growls at me while she eats and acts like she is going to bite me when I hold my hand out to her with treats. Tonight, she got brave and rubbed up against me, but it was fast and she growls at me any time I get close to her, all while trying to get into the house. It's really cold out tonight, and it's killing me that she is out there, especially since she's just sitting by the back door crying to get in. I'm also concerned about the possums and coons out there that come to my back porch around 3 a.m. daily. They're as big as dogs.
So, what do I do?? There's no way she can come into the house freely. I have a grumpy diva cat who would rip her to shreds, and she's pretty hostile as it is, not to mention I have no idea of her health status without a combo test. I do have the kennel, IF I could get her into it (I tried putting some mackerel in there to get her to go into it, but she's too smart for that). I would have to pick her up to get her into the kennel IF she would let me, and then she is going to go nuts when I do that. I do not have a spare room that she could be isolated in, but could maybe make something up for her, but then there's still the issue of HOW to get her there, or am I just worrying too much?
Sorry for the long post, just not sure what to do with this little girl, and it is breaking my heart.
Thanks, all!
She never came back tonight after her dinner and treats and water, and I do have a little shelter I made out there for her, with an opening big enough for her but not the coons and possum.
