New here / new to feral cats

Hi again. Maggie is progressing well I think. I've begun sleeping in the room where she is and that seems to be making a difference. I think she's almost more comfortable when I'm with her now than when she's alone. The other day when I came home and was talking to my fiancee in the living room Maggie starting meowing from the bedroom. My fiancee said she hadn't made a sound all day so I guess she was talking to me. She getting curious about me... sniffed my hand and this morning my face. She's out sitting in the window most of the night. She's begun playing with the toys and even a little interactive playing with me. I've petted her using the fishpole toy and she didn't get upset. I could maybe pet her now as she will sometimes sit real close to me with her back facing me but I think I'll hold off for a while. I figure from what I've read here that you CAN rush things but you can't really go TOO slow (ecxcept for trapping them and getting them to the vet).

At any rate I'm very happy to see her play and stay out of her hiding place for hours at a time. I hated seeing her staying in the one spot most of the night and day as she did at first.

Maybe soon she can come out of the bedroom. I still have to see how my other cats relate to her. The two older boys more or less ignore her when I have the "screen" over the bedroom door. Our year old female kitten watches her alot but unfortunately growls & hisses. Lucy is such a dainty kitten you can hardly hear her do it. I picked her up and she was growling and "attacked" my hand. I could hardly feel it. I told her "yeah, you're real scary. I'm sure Maggie, who's been dealing with raccoons, dogs & cars is going to be real afraid of this when you meet!"

Thanks. Jamie

It looks like everything is going perfectly. You must be so excited that Maggie is playing and being so much more comfortable with you. Reading this thread is really heartwarming!

The screening of the doorway really does make a big difference. Cats are scent driven, and closed doors, cuts off most of the scents for them. Opening the door to go in and out assaults the cats because all these scents come rushing in, and most hide from it (to overwhelming) Keeping the door open and screened (like you did) works in the cat's favor and allows her to get used to the smells and the sounds and the sights that pass by.

We have two removable doors made of framed 2x4's and chicken wire. One sits at the foot of the stairs leading to the second floor, and the other at the head of the stairs. It has really helped the introduction phase of the cats that come through here to go nice and easy.

Good job! She is lucky she has found you.

Hi Jamie,
Your story is mimilar to mine; except that the cat we took in was about more than a week of being to the vet to be spayed
and is missing since last Friday. She wasn't friendly at first but her social graces progressed enormously. Graduated to sleeping in our bed_didn't seem to mind snoring_laps..and backs. We didn't push her to anything (came in when she wished, likewise let her out)
I should have kept her when she started showing signs of going in heat.
I wish you the best with Maggie, she's very lucky to have met you.

Here's Bibi le Bèbe (more on him later)

Hi Zinc.
I hope your lost cat returns and you can take her to the vet. I don't know too much about cats in heat but I suspect she may come back pregnant.

Maggie, as young as she is, had 2 or 3 litters before the people here trapped her and had her spayed. The lady who used to feed her before we moved in told me yesterday that her brother has Maggie's last 3 babies. The previous litters were adopted too. No one wanted to take Maggie in because she was feral. I'd like her to see her last 3 babies sometime. I don't know if she would know they were her babies because it's been 6 months.

again, I hope your lost one comes home.

Jamie

Originally posted by jamie100
Hi again. for anyone who likes cat pictures here's one of my favorites of one of our other cats, Ernie, adopted from a shelter. He didn't really have the police uniform on. I put his face into a picture of my brother who's a policeman using my computer. I thought it was funny. I hope I attached it correctly so it can be seen.
-Jamie

Click to expand...

You might like this thread...

http://thecatsite.com/forums/showthr...toshopped+Zoey

hi Sicycat.
Those were funny.
I liked the clown one the best
Jamie

Jamie - I've been out of town for over a week, and it was so wonderful to catch up on how things are going!!!!!!!!!!!!! This is one lucky kitty. You go girl!

Maggie update!

She let me pet her this morning... sort of.

I had one of those fishing pole toys that she plays with just a little bit but shes not too afraid of it so I used the stuffed toy on the end of the line to pet her lightly since I could get it close to her.

After a while I turned it around & started petting her with the stick end which was a little firmer.

Then I grabbed this "long" brush I had made before by taping a small hartz cat brush to a back scratcher & petted her with it before she realized I had switched to the larger item. By the time she saw it she was enjoying being petted with it so wasn't too afraid.

She kept giving me this funny look like "i don't know what this is but I think I like it"

We'll see if this can become a routine now. If it does I'm probably not too far from petting her by hand.

I don't think she's ever been petted... maybe just groomed by her mom when she was little.

Jamie

Jamie, I think that's wonderful!!!! You never quite know whether or not you're going to set the relationship back (you know, the old two steps forward one step back) when you introduce something new like that. It took a while for our kids, even after being tame at home with us and being petted by our hands, to get used to the brush. Of course they all love it and beg for it now - but they weren't too sure they liked that prickly looking thing at first. But you got her into the sensation before she saw what caused it - and it worked.

Little by little she's learning that only good things happen to her with you.

That's the way to go! Congratulations..little by little she'll let you touch her..probably she's never been petted before or if she has she might have had a scare and now distrust it..
My husband feeds some ferals that live close to his office..some of them are normally friendly (for a feral) but others hiss at him while being fed, there's one that instead of meowing like the others only hiss..that would be a way of communicating, right? We and my husband's co-workers have tried to "catch" one to adopt but couldn't; once they found a kitten and a man took it, but it was an small one and esy to pick-up. Unfortunately lately there was a rabies scare in town and the pound took most of the cats. There are no pet shelters where I live but I'll check with the vet and see what can we do about TSR

Well I've brushed maggie a few days in a row now and this morning used a shorter brush with metal bristles which she liked better...
Then I used my hand and started petting her. I even scratched her behind the ears. No hissing or swatting which I'm real pleased about (she scratched a neighbor badly in the past when they tried to pet her).

Shes also making friends with our kitten, Lucy through the screen door. Actually it's Lucy who's making friends. I think Maggie was willing right away but Lucy kept growling. Lucy kept running at the door & jumping up to scare Maggie, but after a couple of loud hisses the past few days from Maggie I think Lucy knows she can't "bully" Maggie. So now she wants to be buddies. She rolls around in front of the screen door when Maggies there which I assume is a playful thing.

Maybe in 2 or 3 more weeks we'll remove the screen door.

I haven't heard Maggie purr yet and she hasn't head butted me so I thnk shes still real apprehensive. In fact, it seems she sort of has to warm up to me everytime I go to be with her. I guess shes fighting her instincts as we introduce her to living with people.

I think it's gone real well though. She went from looking crazy in her eyes when we first trapped her a month ago, to looking suspicious the way she used to look outside & now sometimes when she relaxes she lookes like a kitten in her face. I hope we can get that look to be on her face all the time eventually.

Jamie

Jamie, you are absolutely wonderful, and Maggie's come so far! Right now, she doesn't need to headbutt you because you're giving her pets and brushes before she "asks" for them. Personally, I think this is fine. Others would probably recommend you just continue to sit and read with her, and let her come to you, but I say hey - whatever works.

I agree - sounds like Lucy is playing. I'm so glad Maggie's starting to relax a little. It must feel so wonderful!

Just wait until that first purr or headbump. You'll probably faint, LOL!

another Maggie update...
I've been petting her by hand now for about a week. That more than anything seems to be bringing her out of her shell. She's out in the open (still in one bedroom) a lot more and loves to play interactively and alone sometimes virtually all night with her toy mice! She's started to rub her cheeks on items in the room which I know is good and this morning she licked my arm! I was petting her with her back to me (my chicken hearted preferred method) when she turned around. This time I kept petting her even though her mouth was right by my arm and instead of biting me, she licked me. Then she turned back around and as I pet her more & told her she was a "nice girl" she released some gas in my direction so I corrected myself and told her "you're a nice but stinky girl" and it was.

She still hides when the door opens or when someone else comes in the room but she generally will come out after I tell her it's ok.

I now open the window about a foot high (its screened) but only when I'm with her. For a while I was afraid she would break out if she saw the outdoors so attainable but now she seems very content to just look out. I think she's getting the idea that she can see all the same stuff she used to but from a place where shes safe & warm.

The woman who fed her outside for the two years before we took her in came by to see her yesterday. Maggie was scared even though she knows the woman, but she did look at her from beneath a dresser. The woman is very happy that Maggie is being taken care of now & indoors. Hopefully someday she can pet her too. I know she really wants to.

We may change Maggies name. A guy in the neighborhood named her maggie 3 months ago. Before that she was "mom" for a year and a half. We were thinking of naming her annie (for orphan annie because she is an orphan) or trixie because she lookes like a trixie. She's very tiny. 6 pounds only and she's not all that skinny. Shes smaller than our one year old. Ultimately Ill post her picture once I think the flash won't scare her.
Thanks. Jamie

Jamie you have come so far with Maggie! Congratulations on all of your progress so far. I hope she gets that kitten look in her face all the time too.

YIPPEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!! Jamie, that's so wonderful!

Hi. More progress with Maggie who we've just renamed Annie.
She gets on the bed with me now and this morning was even rubbing her face into my chest while standing in front of me. She's getting more & more relaxed although she still has her times when she hides. I believe now that she's definately happier inside than she was before and that she likes me.

All our other cats still growl at her at some point when I bring them in the room and let her come up to them. I can tell she would really like to become friendly with them. I hope to get over that hurdle soon so she can be out of the bedroom when she wants.

Thanks again to everyone who gave me advice. The most important thing I think that I learned in this experience is that there aren't neccessarily "bad cats" & "good cats". Annie (Maggie) scratched a lady in the past who reached for her so everyone in the neighborhood felt she was too wild to take in although they adopted her babies. As it turns out it seems it was just a matter of taking a slower approach.

Now she can have a home just like all her babies got to have.
Jamie

How wonderful! Bravo to you for taking a chance (and the time) to adopt this sweet girl!

Jamie, you know how wonderful I think you are!!!! And your kitties will all get along eventually. We have one kitty, Spooky - who just FINALLY accepted Flowerbelle - a rescue who's been living with us for months. And they've had access to each other 24 hours a day for 2 weeks, and all hours of the day - just not at night (because no one was awake to keep an eye on things) for MONTHS. The getting along will happen too.... as you've already learned - it's just a matter of time - and patience.

Go!Go!GO! So wonderful hearing about your updates..looking forward to her picture
Zinc