Helping to settle feral with half feral and flea issues

satya

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Sorry, this will be bit long, history useful

I live up a mountain in wilderness,only a few of us 8 miles from a power line or street.

Cats could never survive the trip up there. But 4 weeks ago, one did. A tiny 5 month old,at a guess.Still with kitten coat.

My feline companion of many years had died, and I had just taken in 2 half feral 9 month old males, not socialized till 6 months of age, when she showed up.

We bonded at a distance, and she came closer. Then one of the males began to chase her away and patrol the yard so she could not come in.She hung out in my neighbor's yard and came over for food when the 2 boys were locked in the house.

This week she let me pet her and I confirmed that she was pregnant.

Luckily the assertive cat's foster family was missing him so back he went this morning, leaving his much more passive brother.

And just now I brought her into the house into a room I prepared for her.

She is settling well, within 20 minutes, she ate, explored and climbed into my lap for the first time.

Then the passive cat came into the house, and he has to pass the door of the room where she is to get in or out.

On the other side of the door, she started to yowl and hiss, and he was scared to walk by the door. I got him in, petted him and when he left again, there was no reaction. He is very sensitive and shy, has only been here for a few weeks and is just getting settled himself and now another cat has come in to the house he is just getting used to calling his own.

I felt I had to move her in now, the temps drop into the teens at night, my neighbors need her out of their yard and we are surrounded by coyotes and other wildfolk. As she gets heavier, she cannot scale the 8 foot fences to come over to see me and has to walk through unfenced property to come. I was losing sleep worrying for her safety. And wanted to get her into a good place for the birthing

How can I help Kriya, the male, to feel safe and okay with this situation?

My idea is to keep her sequestered until after the kittens are born. No idea when that will be, but could be within a couple of weeks, by her bulk.  Could also be longer, I only saw her starting to show at the end of last week.

I thought that the cats could get used to each other through the closed door.

Is this a viable plan? Is there a better one?

How  will I know that they are ready to meet in person?

Once the kittens are old enough for her to leave them for short periods, I figured that would be a good time for her to be out and about in the house and outside, since their presence will bring her back.

How can I deflea her so that neither he nor I nor the house have to deal with her fleas?

No neurotoxins please, does anyone know of a safe and effective product that I can either put in her food or on her body that will not harm her or the kittens, as she is bound to ingest some of it.

I will be reading posts about the birthing process, since I am as new to it as she is, and will probably post questions in that section.

Thank you for your advice. I am grateful to have help understanding the feral behaviors and mindsets.

Satya
 

ondine

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Hi!  Thank you for helping all these kitties.  The female is most likely a little feistier than normal because of her pregnancy, so she may be less-than-friendly to poor Kriya.  They can learn to co-exist but most likely, you will have more success introducing them after the kittens are weaned.

In the meantime, placing her in her own room will help them both feel safe.  The formal introductions can take place later.  You can try a few things, thought.  Rub her with one end of a towel and him with the other.  Please the towel under the door with his scent on her side and her scent on his side.  Feed them treats on the towel, so they smell the other cat while enjoying treats.  They learn to associate the smell of the other cat with pleasant things.

You can also separate them by using a screen door in the door way between them.  That way, they can see and smell one another but not get to one another.

You can use diatomaceous  earth, which is fossilized sea shells, for the fleas.  It has a texture like flour, so you can sprinkle it on their food and bedding.  Be careful, it is easy to ingest.

If she will let you, a bath with Dawn dish soap will also kill them fleas.
 
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satya

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Thank you for your response, Ondine.The cat in your photo looks like Kriya!

I appreciate your wisdom. That makes sense that her pregnancy increases her aggression to protect.

There have been no more incidents of growling through the door. I did put a towel there for awhile to diminish the direct contact. Kriya still looks very anxious when he comes in, but several hours of concentrated loving last night have helped him to feel more secure.

I figure I am doing a version of the towel routine since both sit on my lap and smell each other on me.

I like the idea of the treats on the towel and will implement that one pronto.

My house is tiny, she has now taken over a full third of it - I have only 3 rooms with doors, including the bathroom.

So they will have to make their peace without the screen door. However the space under the door is really quite big, about 2 inches so paws and toys can be passed through and they can look at each other if they want to.

I am not so sure it is fleas, as I consider.

Kulu (the female) has what I though was a wound on the top of  her head, scabbed over. As I have been watching it, the scab has dropped off, the skin underneath looks healthy but the hair around the area keeps receding. I am thinking it might be some form of mange that is causing her to scratch so much. Hopefully not the kind I encountered in India on the street dogs!

I thought about diatomaceous earth but because it is unsafe to ingest or inhale, I was not sure.

I do not think I will try the bath, because.........

New issues on day 2

She finally used the litter box to my immense relief!

However she is really feisty and needy, which is a tough combination.

She wants endless attention - when I come into her room.

She rubs against me constantly, making it impossible to walk.

She tries to follow me out every time, and it is really hard to get out the door and keep her in.

I try to remember to bring in a treat so i can divert her, but that room holds my home office and storage and library and clothes so I am in and out all the time.

She is now comfortable in my lap, and let me pick her up briefly. She lets me touch her all over.

She offers me her belly, and has started to lick/nip, all of which is fine.

But she is also starting to use her unsheathed claws alot, to try and grab my hand or leg or any part of me that is close when I bend down, including my face. Her claws are needle sharp, and this is not fun.She reminds me of a kitten that has not learned how to sheath, although when I sit with her and pet her she is good about keeping her claws in.

When she got my face I yelled ouch, and she backed off for a moment, looked at me, noted my reaction.

After less than a day, I am scratched up and not sure how to work with this behavior. Suggestions are welcome.

Truly, I think she is bored and lonely.

She cried alot when she was outside and she cries alot now that she is inside. Hours at a time.Needy kitten cries.

Where I live is a haven for animals - in her month outside she had her routine of visiting various areas.

I have tried to play with her  with string and toys but she does not respond.

Her room has windows so she can look out.

But I understand she wants company,all the time.

Do cats bond with stuffed animals? How can I give her entertainment?

Although I cannot see an option, it seems so harsh to keep her in a room for however many weeks it may be until the kittens are born and settled.

Every day she looks bigger, I need to read up on the stages of pregnancy. I think she might be in the later stages.

Which makes this a high risk situation. I am giving her everything her body is asking for but she has probably been very malnourished throughout her entire pregnancy and before .

I assume she ate some greens outside, am going to pull some young grasses and put them in with her on a container - Is there another way that might be better?

How about something to scratch on? It seems I might need that also.

Thank you so much for your help. I have had cats for years but this is my first experience with ferals and young cats and pregnancy.

Blessings

Satya
 

ondine

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Regarding the diatomaceous earth - they sell what is known as food grade.  ALWAYS use that when you sprinkle their food with it.  Anything else (like the version they use for pool filters) will have harmful chemicals in it.

Kula sounds typically pregnant.  Her hormones are raging, poor dear.  As time goes on, and especially once the kittens are weaned and she is spayed, she will calm down.  By then, both cats will be used to the idea that they will be sharing their territory, so they may settle in and accept it.  Just don't rush it.

She could probably use some kitten food now - it is higher in fat and nutrients, so it will help catch her up.  As for entertainment, balls, mice, anything she can chase will help keep her occupied.  If you have or can get a round-d-round, that will help too.  It is shaped like a circle with a track on the outside that had a ball in it.  She chases the ball around and around.  Some have corrugated cardboard in the center, which is a good place for her to sharpen her claws.
 
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