Assurance Needed w/new Feral Kitty

Hello!  I am new here, seeking some support for my new kitty, Baxter.

After euthanizing my elderly cat of 16 years (adopted at 6 months) I wanted to fill the opening in my 2 cat household.  My remaining cat, 11 yr old Boo, is an energetic, peppy part-Siamese female - so friendly towards people, she's almost like a puppy.  I got Baxter just as much for her as for me and my boyfriend, both committed animal lovers - Boo is not "only cat" material, she needs a buddy to play with.

Baxter came from a very good foster home - now 9 months old, foster mom had Baxter since he was 2 months old.  He had gotten very comfortable in her fairly active, multi-cat household - just hiding when new people came into the house.  No biggie, my late cat Houdini did that, and he was NOT feral!  Boo, on the other hand, was found as a feral stray, and she is terribly outgoing.  Go figure.

My issue: It has only been a few days since I brought him home, which I know is not much time.  BUT, I was prepared for the hiding, not the hunger strike!  He is confined to our master bedroom, which has a small master bathroom.   Our house is more quiet than the one he came from.  I am taking a hands-off, give him all the time he needs approach.  He has everything he needs: deep hiding place (closet) water, litter box (which he HAS used), dry food, wet food (stinky fish flavor, alternating with baby food).  I go into the room a few times a day, quietly going about my business, talking to him.  He can take all the time he needs to slowly come out of his shell..but:

Don't freaking starve to death on my watch! 

THAT is my concern.  I would imagine a healthy feral that has gotten this far has the "will to live" and is resilient.  I have had a traumatized cat before that went through weeks of hiding before she came out (feral female then tramatized by a very aggressive housemate), but at least  she would come out hiding to eat in the middle of the night, then go back into hiding.

So, folks who are more experienced with rehoming ferals that I: WILL a feral choose to starve rather than adjust?  I can't imagine being more "hands off" than I already am, short of moving out of the house. I do sleep in the room - I figure how intimidating can I be while asleep, and a good way for him to get used to me.  He does start meowing in the middle of the night - and I meow back!

Some assurance please that this feral will not decide that getting adopted into my quiet, loving household is a fate worse than starving to death!

April 

I would think that he would choose to eat once he feels more settled.  Have you tried feliway adapters or feliway spray?  Also you might want to have some calming music playing for him.  Canned tuna (not cat food) is really stinky and is often enticing to cats. 

Flower essences are also helpful in stressful situations.  Rescue remedy can be put into his food, applied to the skin/fur or spritzed around the room.  Since he isn't eating and doesn't want to be touched you could spritz some around the room.

I would also come into the room and sit and talk with him in a soft voice.  Allow him to watch you or at least hear you.  I would do this many times each day so that he becomes familiar with you. 

Also keep your other cat away.  Introductions should be done slowly. 

I am sure he will adjust it may just take quite awhile.  Ferals are slow to change. 
 

Thanks so much for the response.  I do have to enter the room throughout the day - I usually stay a few minutes and talk to him softly.  He originally took up a post in the bathroom behind the toilet, which I thought odd as it was not the best hiding place; then into the shower stall (door removed), which was even worse.  Since then, he's burrowed into the closet, which is probably better as he's totally hidden from view which probably makes him feel better.  I also added a cardboard box with a towel over it in the shower stall, so if he opts to go back there, the hiding place is improved. He is travelling between the closet and bathroom, so might end up back in the shower stall.

We both work from home so are home all day.  With a huge yard, greenhouse and garden - I alternate the short visits with long stretches out of the house since I have so much to do this time of year...so plenty of very quiet time for him to explore the room if he wishes.

What do you think about my sleeping in the same room and my theory that I am not that threatening while sleeping?  I CAN snore - lol, don't know how scary human snoring is to cats!

Oh, and yes...sloooow introduction to the new cat.  It's been so long since I've done this, but I want to see the two playing "paws under the door" before I do the big introduction.

Wet food is mackerel or sardine flavor - as stinky as I can get as my other cat lacks interest in more mild smelling foods.  Probably just as stinky if not more than the albacore tuna I eat.

Thanks again.

Have you tried other flavors. I have one cat who refuses to eat fish of any sort. Only chicken for her, thanks. Ask the foster mother what he ate - he may just be used to one kind of food and coupled with the other changes, he's just overwhelmed. I can assure you, however, he will not starve himself to death.

Visiting with him, and perhaps, sitting and reading aloud to him, will help him feel more comfortable. Thanks for helping him.

Thank you...I just need to be talked down from my irrational fears that he'll opt to starve!

The dry food he has is the same he is used to and the "constant" - the foster mom fed a variety of foods due to the different needs of her "pride" and from the sounds of it, Baxter did quite a bit of sampling.  Thus he had a variety of canned foods, one being Tiki Cat - which is very seafood-heavy.  He has also been fed a little raw as well, so outside of the dry food, a varied diet.  But the baby food I tried was chicken, so I have tried chicken and fish.  We do have a stash of raw in the freezer, but raw barely smells at all - but maybe I'll try some of that too.

Thanks again for your input folks.  I am a terrible worry-wart; a bit of a curse.

See, you have been ahead of the curve, recognizing he might like different things. It's funny sometimes that we worry so much when we've done everything we can! Good job! (except the worrying - no need for that!).

Yay!  Evidence of eating and using litterbox once more!  Whew.  That worry wart thing - I'd cure it if I could.  I think he feels better since he found his own hiding place - a place I have yet to find.  It is only by checking the windows a few times ("Yep, screens intact - no one escaped") and knowing I've watched the bedroom door like a hawk that I've assured myself he's still in there.  He's burrowed into my closet - which is fine. 

I think its a point of kitty pride to be able to outwit a human like that by hiding so thoroughly.  Good job Baxter!

Thanks so much to the people who took the time to respond - it really helps a lot.

April

So glad to hear Baxter is coming along! I am in the same boat as you. I brought home a feral cat 3 weeks ago. She's docile as can be and knows me as i've been feeding her for 6 months, so i don't really classify her as feral as she has never hissed and lets me pick her up and pet her, etc. Let me know how your intro goes with your existing cat. That's where I am having some issues. My existing cat doesn't like the idea of a new cat in the house. I hope i am just being impatient and she will come around. Please keep us updated with Baxters progress!

Good luck to you - I hear the female-female cat pairing can be tough to pull off.  I have only done the male-female pairing.  Hopefully, the two girls can learn to coexist even if they are not thrilled with one another.

I've had cats that sound like Baxter, not eating for days, staying hidden for months, etc. but eventually they come out and start to trust. Don't give up, he'll come around! Good luck!

Predators must be able to go into a type of "low calorie" state where they can survive on little; makes sense in terms of survival if you consider they might not catch prey every single day out in the wild.  I kept trying to rationalize: "OK, if he was a young male feline out in the wild, nature would have equipped him to withstand the stress of fighting over mates, territory and food.  Brutal, to the death fights.  Thus - being cooped up in your house is LOW on the stress scale, when you put it all together."

I do NOT know how full time foster parents do it.  I did a lot of shelter work in Seattle years ago, and have met many, many foster parents.  How you guys withstand the anxiety of bottle feeding, sickly strays, traumatized cats....daily.  Nothing short of amazing.  I would never sleep or get a moment's peace!  Too high strung and fretful.  Maybe having real human kids helps.

       Hi Aprilprey,, don't worry, my two were feral kittens and they have turned out such loving cats. Just be patient and all will work out. Good luck.