Taming 9-10 month old feral

I just found this site and it looks like a wonderful resource.  I could use some advice.

I've been doing some TNR behind a pet sitting clients house.  About 6 weeks ago I caught a 9 month old female who had a severely broken leg.  She was spayed and the leg was amputated.  I had her in a double dog cage set-up and after 5 weeks transferred her to a Tokyo cage with a large dog cage attached.  I could pet her with a glove on and she played with feather toys.  I just released her into a regular room.  She still plays with the toy but I can't get near her.  How is the best way to get her to trust me and let me pet her (if this is even possible)?  I didn't want to return her to the feral colony because of the loss of her leg so I'm hoping to either keep her or get her adopted.  She's been checked for FEIV/FIV and is negative.  She got her first FVRCP booster and has her rabies vac. 

Also, I have 7 cats of my own.  Would it be advisable to let one of the calmer cats in to see if that would help get her more social?

Thanks so much for any information you can give me.

Barb

Thank you so much for helping this cat. I think you are right not to release her again. I would give her a few days in the room by herself, so she can re-adjust to the new surroundings. Then, once she feels a bit more secure, you can try intros. I usually use a screen door at the entrance to my foster room, to give the cats the ability t see and smell but not yet interact. That should work for your situation too.

If you think one fo your cats would help be an ambassador, by all means try introducing him or her first. What ever approach you take, go slowly. Allow them all to adjust at their own pace. Remember she may never be a lap cat but she is certainly better off inside with you!

Welcome to the forums!  Thank you so much for all of your work with TNR and especially for rescuing this sweet 9 month old.  You have done her a favor and hopefully she will adjust to indoor life.  To start with here is a link to a series of 3 videos.  They begin with the rescue of some feral kittens, but continue with socializing.  There are some really great tips.  I socialized a 7 month old feral using many of the tips from this video.  The Gerber stage2 chicken/turkey baby food is one of the best tips.  It also gives a tip on how to get them used to touch.  http://www.urbancatleague.org/TamingVideo

A few other general tips that come to mind. 

1.  Be sure the room is very cat proofed.  If there is a bed in the room, pick the mattress/box spring up or lay them flat on the floor.  Block of hiding spots under and behind dressers, book cases or other furniture.  Do provide appropriate hiding spots such as hiding boxes from a cat tree or simple old cardboard boxes with a blanket or towel.  A cat tree or perch in front of a window is a great tool.

2.  Visit the cat numerous times each day.  Always sit on the floor so that you are not looming over the cat. Start by bringing in something delicious to eat.  This can be plain cooked chicken, tuna, salmon or the baby food.  Also offer a treat so that she will associate you with something yummy.  At first she may not eat it in your presence and that is ok.  I used to use chicken.  I would toss a piece as close as possible and hope he would smell it, eat it and want more.  I would then toss a piece but not as close to him.  This tactic worked well.  Keep the visits short at first (5-15 minutes) and gradually increase them.  Talk softly.  You can even read aloud if you have nothing to say.  It gets her used to your voice.  When you leave the room, leave another small treat behind.

3.  Provide catnip toys and other stand alone toys for her to play with.  Does she like the da Bird?  Wand toys are great too.

4.  Play soft music for her 24/7.  I have some cat harp music I put on an old ipod that I downloaded off Amazon.  It is very soothing.

5.  Get a feliway plug in adaptor.

6.  Try some Composure feline treats to calm her and keep her fears at bay.

Remember ferals take a lot of work.  It's often 1 step forward and 2 steps back.  Yet keep plugging along.  The rewards are so worth it.

When she is better socialized with you, you can try some cat to cat introductions.  Take it slow.  Here is a link with some tips.  http://www.thecatsite.com/a/introducing-cats-to-cats

Thank you both so much for the great information and links.  I will definitely check them out.

She is now in an exercise room so there aren't really any good places to hide.  I do keep the TV on all day so she gets use to voices.  I bought Composure and she doesn't eat them.  I have done a lot of the other suggestions.  Will try Feliway.

I so want this to work.  I'm not a patient person and want to love her up.  Hopefully she'll someday at least let me pet her (did a few times without a glove when she was in the cage).

Thanks so much again for the advice.

Barb

Try the Composure liquid Max.  The feral I brought inside the house last spring at the treats for a while and then refused them.  I bought the liquid and mixed it into his wet food.  I believe it worked better than the treats and faster too. 

Patience is your friend when working with ferals.  I too am not a very patient person, but when you work with ferals you have absolutely no choice.  If you rush the steps, they will let you know and it's back to the beginning.  It took me over 6 months of working each and every day with my feral before I could pet him.  I used the tip from the videos I sent you by using a wand toy.  At first he was so scared and did not like anything touching his body, but each day I would try.  I then decided to move to using a feather wand.  This was very light to the touch.  He started to like it and loved having it rubbed under his chin.  I then would start with the feather and gradually pull the wand towards my body while moving my hand closer to his.  One day, it was my hand on him and not the feather.  He mildly freaked, but by that time he enjoyed the touch so much. 

My feral who uses the Composure is now fully integrated into our home.  He likes to be pet, but hates to be picked up.  He will sit on your lap for brief moments.  Yet just this past month, he finally decided to leave his "room" behind and be out and about all of the time.  He has even ventured into sleeping in the bed with Dh and I.  Unbelievable!  Yet loud noises and sudden movements still scare him to death.  The vacuum sends him completely into a tizzy.

One of my other ferals, who I started to socialize at 7 months, continues to live outside.  He is now more semi feral.  He has not interest in living inside, but will come inside for short visits.  I can pet him, he will sit briefly in my lap, he loves to be brushed and I can lift him off the ground.  Yet, even a glimpse of an unfamiliar human sends him running for the hills.  He and another feral live full time at "The Cat Palace" aka as my deck!  All have been TNR'd.  Unfortunately the cats never seem to stop coming.  I have a very unwilling intact male hanging around that refuses to go anywhere near the trap.  I do believe a Drop trap is in my future.  Then just this week another one showed up.  I am hoping he is just passing by or someone else's cat.  Every spring/summer there seems to be a fresh batch of cats.  I always get the intact males! 

Keep plugging away.  Even if she is never a social lap kitty, you will know she is safe and loved and far better off in your house that outside especially with only 3 legs.

I will get the liquid.  She's a really good eater.  I'll be buying baby food right away too.  She loves to be rubbed with the feather toy and another soft toy on a stick I have.  She rolls on her side and back while I rub her with it - she's so adorable.   I will definitely keep working at it and so appreciate your help.

I've been trying to trap some of the other cats at this same colony and they are just too darn smart.  My last 3 attempts came up empty - even with different types of food and even sardines.  The owner's of the house are older and went ballistic when I tried bringing a drop traps some years ago.  They don't get the whole idea.  They won't not feed them for the day previous to when I want to trap either so that makes it harder too.

Barb

Barb, I took in a 10 month old female feral last summer who had gotten shot. The bullet broke her leg, but the leg healed on its own, but not straight. She walks with a bit of a swagger and cannot jump more than the height of my bed, and with some difficulty. She's also a bit mentally slow (though this has improved a lot with good nutrition). Once I learned she'd been shot, and saw the xray of the bullet still lodged in her pelvis, I made the decision that this cat would never be an outdoor cat or left to fend for herself again. I'm pretty sure that the only reason she survived was because my male feral, Muffin, brought her to my porch and shared his food bowl with her last summer and I trapped her a few weeks later.

She's not a cuddly lap cat, but she tolerates and sometimes enjoys having her head and chin rubbed and petted. She frequently sleeps on my bed by or on top of my feet. The other 3 male cats inside used to bully her, but now they pretty much leave her alone. Her brother from another litter doesn't like her to go downstairs and chases her back upstairs, so she has a litter box and food bowl upstairs. Sometimes I think she'd be more relaxed and better off if she were in a household that didn't have any other pets because she does get anxious with the other 3 cats. However, I would never give her away because not many people have patience for a cat that won't be a cuddly lap cat, and because I doubt anyone would ever love her as much as I do! Although my situation isn't ideal for her, it's a lot better than when she was outside on her own. She loves to play with me and the wand toy, and we have at least 2-3 sessions of play each day. She's very loveable, and I accept her for who she is. In time, you'll feel the same way about your lame little feral. Because you kitty has had an especially rough life surviving as a feral, I think she will appreciate being indoors and being cared for, and she will bond with you, but it will take some time.

MsAimee, thank you for sharing that wonderful story. 

My kitty  looks like she could be lovable just by the way she plays with the feather toy.  Loves to rub the side of her face on it and rolls around, belly up.  I look so forward to the time I can get close to her.

Thanks again.

Barb

I don't have any advice for you, just wanted to offer a little moral support.  I've been working with four 10-11 week old kittens for three weeks now and making slow progress, but progress nonetheless!  They'll tolerate minimal light stroking (three of them, anyway, as the shiest, most submissive of the group is slowest to make progress) while eating something yummy.  I'm an impatient person, too, and there are times when I start to lose hope and wonder if we'll ever get to the point where they actually enjoy being handled, but then I remember how wild they were a mere few weeks ago and how much less trusting.  It helps put things in perspective when it feels like we're moving forward at glacial speed.

Best wishes to both of you!  It really sounds like your three-legged sweetheart is doing very well.

Thank you the3rdname for your support.  It is a long process but hopefully it will all be worthwhile.  Best of luck with your kittens.