Questions about a recovered stray/feral(?) cat

Okay, another update. There are drops of blood on the floor. My roommate thinks she's menstruating. What does that mean with regards to kittens, both inside and out?

Thanks,

Jason M.

I see no problem with moving the litter box, although you may want to just clear the door for the first step and then move it gradually.

Blood? If she's pregnant, she may be starting to give birth.  If not, she may be hurting herself trying to escape.  Check the room and see if there's anything sharp she can cut herself on.

If you find a lot, it would be best to get her to the vets.

If in fact she is menstrating, the cat is definitely Female! And the drops would be very very tiny, and means she's in heat; if she is in heat, she might be more affectionate and perhaps 'calling' (sometimes more like yowling) for male attention.
But I'm with @Ondine--first make sure there isn't anything around she could have hurt herself on. And yes you can move the litter box; it's important you have easy access to that room if medically necessary
I would set up the camera, more to monitor her behavior than to determine its gender. If about to deliver, she may become quite restless.
Perhaps put out another box, with lots of towels, blankets: a nesting box.
My gut (desire, hope) tells me she isn't pregnant, I would think you'd notice her rapidly expanding side and more restlessness on her part.

Thanks for the replies. There were only a few small drops of blood. I don't see anything she could cut herself on, although there might be edges on the back of the washer/dryer. She's calmed down over the past couple of days. She's still calling, but not as franticly and not as loudly. It seems like she's calling for another cat or a human, so I'm thinking that it's more likely she's a stray. My roommate and I have also seen her twice on the windowsill. She is startled, but doesn't jump down before we can even open the door (which she did before). Hopefully someone will claim her soon. If not, then maybe we can take her to the vet in a few weeks or so.

One more thing. Before I told my roommate that we had to keep her from touching noses with other cats, she let  our female cat in and they seemed to be getting to know each other. No growls, no hisses, just "cat noises", according to my roommate. So that's another good sign.

Thanks for the help,

Jason M.

Hi.  I am a newbie, but have already experienced two major difficulties with bringing in a feral kitten which I did not take to the vet immediately that I feel you should be warned.  One was fleas, which were extremely hard to rid from my home, and the other was Cat Scratch Disease (Bartonella henselae) which is spread from cat to cat by fleas, inflicted on humans through scratch or bite, and if the wound is not thoroughly cleaned, starts as a painless but red blister at the inoculation site then shows up as a painful swollen gland a month later and lasts up to four months as it did for me.  Fortunately, the infected victim will build an immunity to it henceforth.  From what I read, both of these are very common in feral cats, and trust me, you want to avoid, and I wish someone had warned me about.

When it is time to take her to the vet,  if you cannot lure her into a carrier with food or toy, wear layers of  long clothes,  hooded sweatshirt, heavy long gloves ( I use welders' gloves that work great), and goggles if possible.  Have someone to help you if you can.  Throwing a towel or blanket over her may calm her right down as it does my 7 month old male feral cat, and then I can scoop him up without him putting up a fight and place him in the carrier, blanket and all.  I've recently heard of some calming treats that I wish I had heard of earlier, but I haven't obtained or tried them with my cat yet.     

@gjarboni do you still have your little stray in the laundry room?

Sorry for not responding. Yes,  @Susank521  the little one is still in the laundry room. She seems to be getting a little braver. I put some toys in and she plays with them. She calls for attention a lot and I spend a fair amount of time with her. She came out of her little house an hour or so ago, but just moved behind the washer/dryer, a little closer to my voice. I heard her moving and looked over the washer and saw her, but when I tried to get a picture she was back inside the house. So more progress. Do feral cats play with toys? Also, if I could pick up the cat house and put it in a large crate to take her to the vet, would that be less threatening/scary for her?

@davidvigon  - thanks for the info about Bartonella and fleas. I got Bartonella from a tick bite myself and it was no fun, so I totally understand and won't get infected again. Not sure if she has fleas or not.

Thanks again for all the help.

Jason M.

It does sound as though you're making progress.  Thanks for hanging in there.

Honestly, I would do what ever it takes to get her to the vets. I believe she is in heat, and that takes a lot out of a cat.  The only cure is spaying (and well, mating, but that is so not an option!)  I was co-fostering a cat and we couldn't get an appointment to get her spayed for about a month.  She cycled in and out of heat, it seemed, every five days.  She lost a lot of weight and, perhaps NOT related, developed very itchy skin.  Plus you need to get her tested for FIV/FeLK, dewormed, spayed, etc.   If you can pick up the cat house to get her into a cat carrier, I would do so.

I think once ferals get over the initial scare of being inside, and get use to being warm, fed 24x7, they will play with toys.  Ferals are so consumed with finding food and surviving on the outside, they don't have time/energy to play.  Use the type of toys that have a wand so you don't get so close to the cat.  A feather is good--you can start brushing lightly the cat's back with a feather, to get them use to touch.

Getting the house into a crate is an excellent idea!   Ritz is right, she needs to see the vet as soon as you can get her there.  If she's fighting an infection, or going in and out of heat, she needs the attention.  Thanks for the update!

Do you think you'd be able to quickly grab her house with her inside and get it into the crate? I've done the quick grab them, through them in a carrier, slam the door trick. Sometimes it works, sometimes you get bit. Don't know that I'd suggest that you try that. If your successful, great, otherwise you lose serious ground in the trust department.

Is the crate currently in the laundry room too? If so, you could try turning that into her "safe place" . Right now her "safe place" is behind the washer and/or in her house. I wouldn't take her house away, but try to make the crate more enticing than the house. Cover the crate, soft bedding and blankets inside, even another house, and best of all a heating pad (preferably a K&H low-wattage). If you use the heating pad, keep the room generally cool so she'll be reluctant to leave that heat. Then one day, hopefully very soon , she'll be inside the crate when you go in the laundry room and you'll quickly close the door.

No matter how you get her to the vet, it's going to be scary for her. But the great thing is that you are a big time hero when you bring her back home. Huge trust points earned then.

Here's my idea for getting the house into the crate. The house has a small opening -- a triangle that's 8" x 8" x 8" (roughly). I'm thinking that I can grab the house by the opening and close it, then lift the house and get it into the crate. The only problem I see is that she'll be upside down for a little bit. and that would probably freak her out. But she'll be freaked out anyway, so I'm not sure that would make a big difference. Anyway, I'll call the vet on Monday.

Thanks again,

Jason M.

You're right, upside or backwards, that won't make any difference. When you grab the house, her reaction may be similar to when she was trapped, so prepare yourself mentally just before you do it, so it won't startle you into letting go. Best wishes for success!!!

OMG !! You save this cats life! What inspiration to hear how kind and caring you were to do this for this poor cat!! Once the initial shock is over the cat already made some social eye contact with you and she knows you. Remember talk soothing, blink never stare, just stretch, yawn and act casual, turn your back to her and she will begin to feel safe & come around. You know the drill because you are a loving cat owner already! Good luck! PS: you may want to bring her to a vet when you can of course.

@dsue  thanks for the praise. I really appreciate it. Things seem to still be improving. The last three times I've spent time with her, she's moved from her house (on the right of the washer/dryer) to the left side, which is about 6 feet. I've looked over the washer and seen her and she hasn't bolted right away. I even got a few pictures, but they're not very good quality. Also, today she was crying for attention and I called out "I'll be right there" and she stopped immediately So she does like me spending time with her, which is reassuring.

Jason M.

That's progress! Good for you for being patient and caring.

Soooo Glad you found my feedback helpful in any way. Sounds like shes making very nice progress connecting with you ..thanx to you!! She was comforted by your voice..I will speak for her saying she thanks you for giving her such a warm and loving home off the streets. She will come around, but in what I call "cat time." LOL

One more question. I'm thinking of using a neighbor's dog crate to transport her in. Do you think the scent of dog would matter? My cats don't seem to notice if I pet a dog or two, but I don't know if all cats are the same.

Thanks,

Jason M.

gjarboni said:

 
One more question. I'm thinking of using a neighbor's dog crate to transport her in. Do you think the scent of dog would matter? My cats don't seem to notice if I pet a dog or two, but I don't know if all cats are the same.

Thanks,

Jason M.

Click to expand...

Wash thoroughly this crate with soap water, they it should go OK.

Sprinkle at least thoruoughly and profusely with hot water

Okay, I went and bought a new crate and Viola (that's her name now) is going to the vet tomorrow. I've told the vet to plan on sedating her so she'll fast starting at 10pm tonight. I've been spending lots of time with her and she comes out of her house most of the time. I assembled the crate today and even put in the bolts to make it  Airplane ready so I don't think she'll be able to break out Wish me luck..

Best of luck! She is one lucky kitty that she found you to help her because she knows you really care...They do have their way of choosing us humans!! LOL