- Joined
- Aug 21, 2013
- Messages
- 16
- Purraise
- 11
Hi! I am so glad to find this group! Long story short, my roommate and I took the neighborhood stray to a TNR clinic. The clinic volunteers convinced us to give him a new indoor home, especially as winter is coming soon. We quickly converted our garage into a kitty quarantine, spending close to $100 in a rug, scratching post, cat bed, dome cat bed, and various toys.
He has spent the majority of his time (4 days now since his trapping and neutering) in a cardboard box, coming out to eat or use the litter box only when no one is in the room (we can watch through a screen door). We've read to him and tried to coax him out, but no luck. Today, I spent at least 15 minutes with a toy that he finally grabbed with his paw...but only when I moved it into the box with him. Then, he curled up to go back to sleep.
Is it normal for a trapped stray to sleep so much? Has anyone heard of this as a fear response? I worry that over the long haul, it's going to be difficult to coax him into participating in household life. We do have 4 other cats, including 2 young boys that have already expressed interest in wanting to meet him. Has anyone had luck with strays being rehabilitated by current cats?
He has a vet visit this Saturday and will do a full workup of tests. I am very nervous about FIV because of the 4 other cats. Fingers are definitely crossed. Before we trapped him, he was somewhat friendly - would beg at the front door for food and gradually permitted petting on his back while eating. Otherwise, he was skittish of hands and movement. The TNR clinic told me he's about 5 years old and I've now realized he was probably dumped. People are cruel.
I'm going to read the previous threads to get as much help as I can. This is all new to me!
Thanks!! (here's a pic)
He has spent the majority of his time (4 days now since his trapping and neutering) in a cardboard box, coming out to eat or use the litter box only when no one is in the room (we can watch through a screen door). We've read to him and tried to coax him out, but no luck. Today, I spent at least 15 minutes with a toy that he finally grabbed with his paw...but only when I moved it into the box with him. Then, he curled up to go back to sleep.
Is it normal for a trapped stray to sleep so much? Has anyone heard of this as a fear response? I worry that over the long haul, it's going to be difficult to coax him into participating in household life. We do have 4 other cats, including 2 young boys that have already expressed interest in wanting to meet him. Has anyone had luck with strays being rehabilitated by current cats?
He has a vet visit this Saturday and will do a full workup of tests. I am very nervous about FIV because of the 4 other cats. Fingers are definitely crossed. Before we trapped him, he was somewhat friendly - would beg at the front door for food and gradually permitted petting on his back while eating. Otherwise, he was skittish of hands and movement. The TNR clinic told me he's about 5 years old and I've now realized he was probably dumped. People are cruel.
I'm going to read the previous threads to get as much help as I can. This is all new to me!
Thanks!! (here's a pic)
