I think I adopted a formerly feral cat... HELP!

The absolute best thing to try is Gerber stage 1 baby food in Chicken or Turkey.  This is just meat and water with nothing extra.  Cats go crazy for it.  You can let her try some on a plate and then see if she will lick it off the spoon or your fingers.  My cats go crazy for it.  I can hide the worlds most awful tasting pill in it too!!  I used a lot of baby food and cooked chicken when I was socializing Shadow. 

It took months and months for him to be interested in toys too.  I found this very true as well when I moved Marvin inside my house.  He would eat, but had no interest in toys.  I had to try so many different types.  I finally hit the nail on the head with a string.  I just made sure to take it with me when I left so he didn't try to eat it.  Today, string is still is favorite.  Now my outside boy, Shadow loves the laser, but Marvin never took to i. 

Laying on her side does sound very relaxed. 

This is going to sound like the dumbest question ever... this morning, I found that during the nite, Roxie had thrown up... all over my office chair where I sit, the rug under it and on my computer... Is there any significance to where she chose to throw up? This morning, she is eating with me in the room, too, I left to go get my glasses, and she was eating, she paused, but went right back to it when I sat down.

jseltzer said:

 
This is going to sound like the dumbest question ever... this morning, I found that during the nite, Roxie had thrown up... all over my office chair where I sit, the rug under it and on my computer... Is there any significance to where she chose to throw up? This morning, she is eating with me in the room, too, I left to go get my glasses, and she was eating, she paused, but went right back to it when I sat down.

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I really have no idea???  That is a good question.  Our indoor only cat, often throws up on my sons bed.  He is my sons cat and sleeps in my sons room.  Did she throw up a hairball or do you think something has made her sick?  Glad she is eating this morning. 

jseltzer said:

This is going to sound like the dumbest question ever... this morning, I found that during the nite, Roxie had thrown up... all over my office chair where I sit, the rug under it and on my computer... Is there any significance to where she chose to throw up? This morning, she is eating with me in the room, too, I left to go get my glasses, and she was eating, she paused, but went right back to it when I sat down.

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:lol3: Nope, not a dumb question. Chalk it up to being lazy and not wanting to get down from where they are to . Depends on the cat, in my experience. Some will try to make it to their litter box to vomit, some to the floor, and other's wherever they may be, which could be your couch, their cat tree, or your bed. :slant:

Wonderful to hear how well your Roxie is now adjusting. Poor thing, the life she had before - and a four-paw declaw. :sobbing: Well, she couldn't have found a better home than she has now. In time, you will be rewarded with her complete trust. Eating in your presence - excellent first sign.

ShadowsRescue said:

  I finally hit the nail on the head with a string.  I just made sure to take it with me when I left so he didn't try to eat it.  Today, string is still is favorite. 

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This gave me a giggle. :lol3: Because, I found out my Pipsqueak LOVES to chase my dental floss. It cracks me up. Each night, he waits till I am finished brushing my teeth and then he knows the dental floss is coming out. BUT - of course, never, ever do I let him have it nor do I let go of it. I let him catch it and chew for a second. OH, and of course, this is AFTER I have already flossed my teeth, not the other way around.

My mother uses a piece of ribbon for her kitty at night. String, ribbons, dental floss, great cat toys, but again, don't leave them out!

Thank you so much! I am trying to be patient, but it's hard when I've not had a cat this fearful before! People keep telling me to take her to the Humane Society, but I know that would be a death sentence! Any other advice you have to offer is most appreciated!

jseltzer said:

 
Thank you so much! I am trying to be patient, but it's hard when I've not had a cat this fearful before! People keep telling me to take her to the Humane Society, but I know that would be a death sentence! Any other advice you have to offer is most appreciated!

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Oh, I hope you don't take her to the Humane Society.  It will take time and lots of time.  Marvin took at least 4 weeks to adjust being inside.  He is still is really fearful of alot of noises, strange sounds, my dog, and people who come to the house.  Marvin will have been inside my house now for 5 months the end of October.  I figure it will be another 5-6 months before he is completely adjusted.  I have no idea what he had been through living outside on his own. 

Just keep doing what you are doing.  Lots of visits.  Do you have a cat tree where she can look outside?  I have a small one for Marvin that is right at window height.  He can lay on top of hit and it also have 2 other layers.  It is his safe spot.  He is out and about in the house most of the day, but when he gets scared he runs to his room and climbs in the cat tree.  I have a gate with a small pet door that is on the door frame.  This keeps my big dog out, yet allows Marvin to get away if he needs to.  He still stays in his safe room at night as he and my resident cat are still not to the point of being unsupervised.

Do you play soft music for her?  I use an old ipod that I downloaded cat harp music from Amazon.  It sounds really cheezy, but the music is quite nice and very soothing.  All of my animals love it.  When my feral, Shadow used to come inside the house for short visits, I always played the harp music and it calmed him right down. 

I have no plan to take her to the HS... as I said, at this point, she's not adoptable, so it would be a death sentence for her. NOT ACCEPTABLE. Went to the store on my way home and got chicken, turkey and beef baby food... read the labels, no added stuff. Its sitting in front of her right now... no response yet. She did finish her breakfast, and no more puking so far. She's used her box, and drank a lot of water. I"d bought one of those long skinny felt toys on a stick, just looks like a very skinny snake, and tried it with her again last nite putting it gently near her... she growled at me! 

I will continue to work with her... I cannot believe that her previous owners completely lied to me about her being a loving lap cat... I am hoping she's just totally stressed from the sudden change, and has gone back to her feral ways as a defense. I have to continually remind myself that this is a completely new experience, I've never adopted a cat I didn't hold and pet first... really dumb move on my part, I trusted these people; they seemed so concerned for her wellbeing. They wouldn't give her to the first person who arrived, they didn't like her; she had ferrets, and there was something they said they didn't feel right giving Roxie to her.

I find that my two vomit on spots that I sit when they are trying to let me know they feel bad.    It's hard to explain, but I really think it's their way of saying "Help!" - the one that does this the most is the cat I tamed as a feral kitten.   In a weird way I think it's actually a good sign that your cat is doing that.    Again she is so lucky she found her way to you!

OK, Here's another "silly" question, given I'm in completely uncharted waters... Roxie won't have anything to do with me... she's eaten the food I bring, including the baby food I put out last nite. If I get too close she growls or hisses, somtimes she just meows... at night, she's been crawling around on top of my desk and knocking thngs off onto the floor. Found both Spirit Essences bottles on the floor this morning with some papers. Is this a good sign?

jseltzer said:

 
OK, Here's another "silly" question, given I'm in completely uncharted waters... Roxie won't have anything to do with me... she's eaten the food I bring, including the baby food I put out last nite. If I get too close she growls or hisses, somtimes she just meows... at night, she's been crawling around on top of my desk and knocking thngs off onto the floor. Found both Spirit Essences bottles on the floor this morning with some papers. Is this a good sign?

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I would think it's a good sign as she is out and about and exploring.  You could even start to put some treats in different places and see if she finds them.  Put some on your desk, under your desk and other places you know she is exploring.  She feels safest when alone and at night.  It will take awhile for her to adjust.  Do you go into the room and just sit and talk quietly with her.  If you are too close and she hisses/growls, back up.  Even start outside of the door if necessary.  Have you tried the soft music or composure treats or liquid?  Composure really helped Marvin to settle down at night.  I would also play the music very quietly whenever I was not in the room and especially at night.  Does she have a safe place to hide?  You can use old boxes.  You can also place some mice, balls, catnip toys, etc.. scattered about the room.  She may decide to play with them at night too.  Remember it's all about baby steps.  You are doing so well.  Just take it day by day.  She will soon grow to trust you.  Her world as been rocked.  Who knows what her life was like before and now she is in a strange place and I am sure she smells your other cat too.  Just give her time and lots of love!

Again, thank you! Your replies are so helpful. I got her a small Two tier cat tree from a lady who said her cat wouldn't use it... so I've sprayed the dickens out of it with Felaway and Stress stopper and put treats on it. It's right behind my desk chair, by the window so she can look out. Also I've been playing soft harp music, and trying to make that trilling sound that mama cats make to their kittens when I come and go. (not very good at it) Have placed a few toys near her hiding spot, maybe they're too close. Sprayed them with Stress stopper too. Will leave treats on my desk tonite, too. Please keep the suggestions coming! Have started giving her a spoonfoul of baby food at nite with the Feral Cat Rehab in it. putting that on her treats, too.

Thank you for your patience with me, this is all uncharted territory and I feel lost.

Hi Jseltzer, mainly it's a sign that it is going to take a long time and lots of patience.    Have you thought about contacting those you got Roxie from to try to get more information?    They definitely were misleading but if they could tell you anything true about her (what she likes, her habits, types of hiding places that comfort her, favorite foods)  it might be helpful.    

Bestfriend,

I took your advice and called them AGAIN, and either they're really good actors or they are as surprised as I am... What I did find out is that she takes a long time to adjust to changes, she was born in a barn to a feral mom, and brought inside as a very little kitten. She lived with their daughter and her roommate who had one of Roxie's siblings... she took a very long time to adjust when they moved, but also adjusted to a dog (who was apparently more scared of Roxie) They have had people come feed Roxie when they are away, and have been told they never see her. They insist she LOVED sitting in a lap, her favorite activity and are surprised that she's gone this long without any interaction.They are going to call their daughter to see if she has any insight, and although they are headed to the beach this week, have volunteered to come see if they can get her to come out, I don't know if that's a good idea or not, and told them I'd reserve that for later discussion... 

jseltzer said:

 
Bestfriend,

I took your advice and called them AGAIN, and either they're really good actors or they are as surprised as I am... What I did find out is that she takes a long time to adjust to changes, she was born in a barn to a feral mom, and brought inside as a very little kitten. She lived with their daughter and her roommate who had one of Roxie's siblings... she took a very long time to adjust when they moved, but also adjusted to a dog (who was apparently more scared of Roxie) They have had people come feed Roxie when they are away, and have been told they never see her. They insist she LOVED sitting in a lap, her favorite activity and are surprised that she's gone this long without any interaction.They are going to call their daughter to see if she has any insight, and although they are headed to the beach this week, have volunteered to come see if they can get her to come out, I don't know if that's a good idea or not, and told them I'd reserve that for later discussion... 

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To me it is REALLY weird you've made this little progress with her if she really was a lap cat.  Sorry I don't want to read the whole thread again- has she seen a vet since coming home with you? If this behavior truly is weird for her and she has vomited, maybe she is sick?

Sorry you are struggling with this.  I probably couldn't do it at this time in my life- so frustrating, I really do know.

Other than that keep on as you are :/ You are doing everything right.

Any feedback will be appreciated... Last nite after talking to Roxie's previous owners, I spent a long time with her, trying to coax her out or get her more comfortable with me... I got as close as I could,  laying on the floor so she could see me and I could see her. Feet first, she doesn't seem to be threatened by my feet... sprayed my clothes, hands and feet with Stress Stopper,  and just talked to her. She laid on her side, relaxed. So i tried to give her some of her baby food on my finger, moving very slowly, and talking gently. She batted it away (hit my fingers with her paw) twice, and growled at me... I laid my empty hand on her pillow while she growled softly, (not threatening, but "I don't like you) hoping that if I just stay calm and show her I am not going to hurt her or leave, she'll figure it out... then I laid on the floor with my head near her, about two feet, and sang to her while she growled softly, again to show her that I'm not going to hurt her or leave... she stopped growling, so I stayed and talked and sang to her. When I finally got up to leave, she growled some more, but again, softly... I wonder if growling is her conditioned response, knowing I've never hurt her, she doesn't know what else to do?

This morning, she was out of her favorite spot, looking at her empty dish, so I gently pushed her breakfast toward her, and sat at my desk... she's eating! Didn't go hide, I'm playing the harp music, and typing this as she eats. I was even able to snap a picture of her... 

I left treats on my desk last nite, and she did eat some of them. Since I've been told she like strings, I left my knitting on the chair, with the yarn hanging down... it's all attached, she can't swallow it! 

Did I push the envelope too far by staying even though she was softly growling? I want her to learn that i'm not a threat, Watching her eat, she seems to be not rushing, enjoying her food, will stop and look around and go back to eating... finished eating and went back into her hiding spot. 

Oh that sounds like great progress to me.  Roxie would have let you know if you had pushed too far.  She would have growled louder, lunged at you or retreated.  You are teaching her about trust.  What a great sign that she ate in front of you and is eating more slowly.  She also is exploring her territory at night since she found the treats. 

Would love to see a picture of her!

This article may be of great help at this point - even though Roxie is not a truly feral cat, these suggestions will come in handy. http://www.catnipchronicles.com/may2012/laurie.htm

I want to ask the same question as Tulosai above. Has Roxie been examined by a vet? This is just a thought on my part but one that may be worth investigating. Roxie is a four paw declaw, correct? It is possible that one or more of her "claws" are trying to grow back if the surgical procedure was not done correctly. Sadly and sickly, a declaw can go bad This would be causing her great pain on and off and could be part of her "angry/fearful" disposition. At the very least, I would have a vet check her out. There may be something pain related can be either rectified or ruled out. Also, not a bad idea to get full blood work done on her as well. Best to make sure she is feeling healthy and well before we consider that her behavior is just from being "feral or even possibly mistreated", one never knows.

p.s. I would NOT recommend having the previous owners come out to see Roxie, that may confuse her AND possibly upset her. I mean, they gave up on her basically. So no love lost. Just get as much information from them as you can and possibly take what they say with a grain of salt. It is very possible that at times she preferred a lap on her terms. They mention that it takes her a very long time to adjust to new things and I am thinking that is true. So, as we always tell caregivers, turn off the clock!!! Don't think in terms of days/nights right now. Just the moment your are in with lots and lots of patience/love, which I can tell you have. :heart3:

Hope this works, here's my girl...

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