Feral cat in outdoor enclosure

Hello,

I am new to the forum and I am hoping someone can help. We captured a stray cat several months ago and she was staying in our back yard enclosure. She escaped after only a few hours and it took several months to catch her again. We live overseas and our backyard enclosure is quite large and is like an extension of our villa with windows, doors, and a chicken wire roof and chicken wire above the door. It has been secured even more in the past few weeks.

When we caught her the second time we took her to the veterinarian and they spayed her and tested her for all virals. She has been vaccinated and after one week she came home with us. Because we have four kitties and one foster, we felt it would be best if she was in the enclosure. She has tried to escape several times, but luckily we were secure. I feel guilty for not letting her go since I know she really wants to, but they are doing a cull here soon and she might be caught Plus, I feel committed to giving her the best chance at finding a home, even if it takes a long time. When/if she trusts us, we can move her inside. In your opinion, is this a lost cause unless I get her inside?

Thanks!

Tanya

Hi, Tanya.   I'm new to cats and this site also, but I took in a feral cat also a few months ago.  (I put up the post,"Feral cat, Niles.") I learned some helpful pointers on how to socialize cats in this article:  http://www.straypetadvocacy.org/socializing_a_feral_cat.html  Best wishes!

As long as she had adequate shelter from the elements and you are providing her with food and water, I see no reason why she can't stay outside.  Of course she wants out, but it is in her best interest to stay confined.  Make sure she also has a litter box or appropriate place to eliminate. 

Do you spend time with her?  In order to socialize her and possibly bring her into the house, you will want to socialize her.  Spend time with her even if it is just sitting with her in the enclosure and reading a book aloud to her.  Try and engage her in play.  You can give her toy mice, use a laser pointer, wand toys and ultimately the da bird toy. 

Does she have places to climb and places to hide?  When she is scared, she will need a safe place to hide.  You can get an old box and place a towel/blanket inside or get her a cat tree with a hidey box. 

You might want to try some calming treats or liquid.  I have had good success with a product called Composure.  You can get feline treats or the liquid Max formula.  It helps the cat to calm.  You can also try Rescue Remedy or other flower essences.  Jackson Galaxy has a line called Spirit Essences.

You said you were overseas, so I am unsure if you are able to get Gerber Stage 2 chicken/turkey baby food (aka kitty crack).  Cats go crazy for it.  You can use it in helping to socialize.  You can start by putting some on a spoon and moving to having the cat lick it off your fingers.  Just make sure the ingredients are only chicken/turkey and water.  No added salt or spices. 

Thank you for caring for her.  She may take a bit to calm down, but being safe is best.

Hi, 

Thanks so much for your reply! We are determined to give it our best shot, but some days are just not as easy as others. She has been trying to find a way out today and when she cries off and on, it really makes me sad for her. Plus, I hope my neighbours don't hear or, if they do, they don't know where it is coming from. I know the enclosure is the best thing for now and she has only been out there 8 days. I have been spending time in the enclosure, but have to admit that I have not been out there as much as needed. Three of my cats were at the vet within the past two weeks and the result for one cat was a serious surgery. She had to go back today after only coming home on Thursday. All these things are likely leading me to worry even more. 

I will try to find the Gerber food and will make sure the ingredients are okay. We are in the Middle East, but lots of baby items are available here. Fru (outdoor kitty) likes to hide under the barbecue and yesterday was the first day that she hung out a lot on the patio chairs. She goes under the barbecue whenever I go out. She has a kitty cage and a kitty house, but I will put the tree there tomorrow. We have an extra one. We rarely get rain and tonight it rained when I was bringing it outside so hopefully tomorrow will be good. I think she will like it as it seems more like a hiding spot. Thanks again for your reply, It helps to chat about it and hear from others. 

Take care, 

Tanya

Do you know how old she might be?  She is exhibiting alot of feral cat behaviors.  This may be because she truly is feral or is a stray that was on her own long enough to develop feral like behavior.  Below is a video (part 1 of 3) that shows a rescue of feral kittens and the use of the baby food.  If you watch all of the videos in the series ( I am posting just part 1, but they are available on you tube) you can watch tips on socializing.  Even though it is with kittens most of the suggestions will work on older cats as well.  It will just take a bit longer.  The first feral I socialized was over 7  months old when I started the process.  He still lives outside on my deck with 1 and sometimes 2 other ferals.  They have a wonderful shelter.  I am able to pet him, brush him and he even sits on my lap.  I can pick him up off the ground, but he doesn't like to be held.  It was a process, but very rewarding.

 

davidvigon said:

 
Hi, Tanya.   I'm new to cats and this site also, but I took in a feral cat also a few months ago.  (I put up the post,"Feral cat, Niles.") I learned some helpful pointers on how to socialize cats in this article:  http://www.straypetadvocacy.org/socializing_a_feral_cat.html  Best wishes!

Click to expand...

Did you know that site was created by two of our members (and former moderators!) - @valanhb  and @LDG  

Thanks, everyone! My four cats came from the streets of Qatar, with one being very feral. It took more than a year to make any progress with our most feral cat, but she was living in our home. Her friendship with one of our other cats definitely helped. If we can eventually get Fru to where she is able to live inside (even a little begrudgingly), she will likely come around a little better. For now, she is in the enclosure and we will take  your suggestions and put them into practice. To answer questions I might have missed, Fru is about 18 months old and had been eating in our front garden for about 6 months before we caught her. She was accustomed to us feeding her, but she still wanted her freedom. She would rub into items in our garden, but always stayed a little bit away from us. Where we live is not the best place for feral cats with respect to neighbours requesting a cull and also in terms of weather. The temperature is about 16 degrees Celcius (60F) today and that is as cold as it should get for the year. Summers can be unbearably hot and cats who are dependent on people have difficulties since most people travel back to their respective countries during those months. I will try spending more time with her, but it will have to wait until tomorrow. One of my cats just came home from the vet and needs to be in the doggy kennel and monitored closely. I spent some time with Fru earlier today, but she needs to hear my voice more and realize that I am a constant. I'll update again soon and hopefully, I will have positive things to report. 

Thanks again!

Tanya