HELP: Feral Brought in

Hello All:

I brought into my home, what I believe is a 6-9 mnth old female kitty. Someone had been caring for her as her ear is tipped and she was clean. I believe the person who was feeding her moved, leaving her behind.

We noticed her hanging about our office garden door. Very friendly, very hungry. A couple times she almost walked into office.

It was no problem getting her into a carrier, to and from vet-clean bill of health!

I had her in a safe room for about 5 days. After which I let her free roam the apartment. She is cooperative with litter box, good appetite, not aggressive or destructive.

She USUALLY allows petting when she is eating her a.m. feed. Aside from that touching is NOT allowed. Though yesterday,she took treats from my hand and allowed vigorous rubbing and petting. Not so today.

The local cat rescue woman suggested I re confine her-which I have done since Friday. SO while I thought we had a break through yesterday, she was very skittish again today.

I can afford to be patient and know she may never be a lap cat. one BIG complication:

She has a weepy eye !!! How can I treat that if I can't touch her. I'm getting very nervous any advice appreciated

Am I doing right by confining her or am I stressing her more?

ANy ideas on how to treat that eye?

I'm not sure what the point of confining is if she's not being destructive or scaling the walls and windows trying to get back outside. I don't think confining her to one room will make her more sociable towards you, it will just stress her out. Usually new cats are confined to a room if there are other cats in the house so they have time to get used to each other. Your cat sounds more like a semi-feral than a true feral because she allows you to touch her at all, and because she's not going nuts trying to get outside your house. I've socialized a female feral I took inside over a year ago, but she still swipes at me sometimes, and freaks out when I have to catch her and pick her up to trim her claws or groom her, so socializing a feral or semi-feral takes a lot of time and patience. I recommend you get a wand toy and try to get her to play with you. Play therapy does a lot to help the cat bond with you. With socializing ferals and semi-ferals, it's often two steps forward and one step backwards! 

Did the vet say anything about the weepy eye? My outdoor feral has a blocked tear duct and allergies, so his eyes are often weepy.  If you're concerned about her eye, maybe you should call and ask your vet about it? You could even take a picture of the eye and email it to your vet. Since the cat is known to your vet, they may be able to give you some direction about whether or not she needs to get treatment for it. If it is infected, there will be yellow or green puss coming out of the eye. If the discharge is dark, then it's likely not infected.

It's great that you've taken in this kitty and are giving her a home!

Thanks for the reply.

The weepy eye appeared a week after her initial vet visit. Since she is very leery of me, it is hard to get a good look at the eye-again the eye contact is a threat.. Some days I think it's better, than next I'm not sure. Could the discharge be a bit reddish?

I've been giving lysine for last 7 days-no change

I have called the vet and she is willing to give an Rx ointment.....Just how do I manage that?

I'm told the concept of confining her, is to force her to deal with me and rely on me rather than darting from room to room. I'm not convinced as she seems angry with me.

Odd: she will sleep in front of me, when out and about sleep in middle of my bed or laundry. AT night sleep next to my bed.....Yet won't allow a touch

You can't force a feral or semi-feral cat to deal with you. They will deal with you on their own terms, in their own time. Most people don't have the patience for this and just want a cuddly lap cat, which is why ferals and semi-ferals are not considered to be adoptable pets and are generally euthanized by shelters. You've only had her for about a week or two, and the fact that she's sleeping on your bed and allowing you to touch her at all is very good progress! If she's stressed being confined to one room and has done well having access to the rest of your house, then allow her access again. You don't want to needlessly be engaged in a power struggle with her, especially if there are no other pets in your house and you don't have to worry about cat fights.

If she needs the medicine in her eye, you may need to pick her up in a towel and restrain her while putting the medicine in her eyes. Do you have someone who can help you with this? She won't like it and may be angry with you, but she'll get over it. You are still the person who rescued her and who feeds her every day. Sometimes we have to do stuff to our pets that they don't like in order to properly care for them. I'm sure there are others on this board who may have some good ideas about how to get the eye medicine in her. I've never heard of red eye discharge, so I can't help you with that. See if you can take a picture and then email it to your vet.

Thanks again.

Yes, I knew the cuddles weren't in the picture.

I do consider myself patient-with critters, not people. I had a diabetic Maine Coon and that was before the progress with diet and feline insulin.

No one to help restrain kitty.......I'm on my own with that

Excellent advices by MsAimee.  I agree on the tip of using a towel.  Much better than holding her by force - which is practically impossible AND causing traumas you do fear.

Wrapped up in a towel is much milder, they usually cease resistance.   You can also try with helding her by the neck behing - like cat mommas do, as addition to the wrapping.  So yes, its easiest if you do have help of someone. begin and wrap up yourself, you who are her human.   And later on somebody helds her package, and you do the adminsitering of the medicine needed.

Re confining to one room.  In addition to MsAimee.  The point may be, they usually have one room as their security room.   So it may be wise you let her have some zone where you usually not fetch her.  Say in her igloo...  If she wants to retire there and be left in peace, she may be there.

But you CAN reach her there if necessary.

Something like that.

Good luck!

Confining her to one room can help her adjust. That one room becomes her area, where she learns that this place, and this human, are not dangerous. When she feels more comfortable, she can expand her territory, at her own pace, to the rest of the house. Plus it does help you when you need to catch her for any reason.

I hate giving meds. It stresses me out, sometimes more than the cats. If you can get the antibiotic in pill or powdered form, mix the dose with a little chicken baby food. Crush the pill and mix it in.

Many cats can't resist the baby food - get the chicken only, no onions or other ingredients. Try it first, before you put the antibiotic in it, though, just in case she's one of those cats who don't care for it.

You can also crush or hide a pill in raw meat if she likes that. My kibble addicts won't touch raw meat, so that's not a choice for me.

Unfortunately, oral medication that could be hidden in food is not an option. $50 eye ointment and I can't get NEAR her to apply it ! I have made a deal with the vet tech to come over today and give it a try.

If that fails....there is nothing I can do

Oh, boy.  I hope the vet tech is successful, then.

I did think of something else - there is some controversy but there is an antibiotic shot they can give.  It has some issues, as the antibiotic itself stays in the cats body for about two months, so if there's a reaction, it can be serious.  There have also been reports of injection site issues.

Talk to the vet tech today and see what he or she thinks.  It probably is too much for this infection but something to be aware of, in any case.

I will be thinking of you today!

I've given that long term antibiotic injection to two of my cats now, dosing with pills was WAY too stressful for all, and they have done fine. It cost me 50.00 dollars but to me it was worth every cent not to have to put them through all that. Good luck!

Well, $50 for antibiotic ointment that I was in NO way getting near her eye. So I opted for $10 a vist for vet tech to come to house and do it for me.

only getting dosed once a day, but already looks better

I have a semi feral that was a feral kitten that was tamed, and sent out to be adopted.  She was returned, got ill and spent 8 wks with me with dirreah, completely dehydrated and wild as sin hiding under a bed with 2 other kitties, one very tame one semi feral.  

I had a vet come to the house to give fluids (what a battle!) twice.  Flash forward.  After about 6 months she came out from under the bed and would join me on my bed at night only for 30 minutes of petting.  I was NOT allowed to pick her up.  I still cannot, only in rare circumstances, pick up the cat, then only to put on the bed, NOT to carry.

She uses her box, sleeps in front of me, but still sometimes shys from my hands, runs from me etc.  But sometimes she comes, meows and demands pets.  Or grooming.  She is her own unqiue cat with quirks.  I gave up having her as a lap cat.  My other cats semi feral from my colony, are all pickupable, petable and don't run from me.  But none of them got "tamed" then "adopted and frightened out her wits".... so none are as scarred as she is.

Please consider that if you give her time and respect her, she will come to trust and eventually ASK for attention and love.  Especially if you have other cats she watches getting attention.  Cats are great learn by observation animals.

Taming a feral is hard work, and in my opinion, you shouldn't try, just accept what they are, and let them bloom at their own pace.

It has been one month ! The eye has cleared thanks to the daily visit from our new friend and vet tech. Thank God he was available to help.

Baby Cat remains aloof; not interested in playing or affection. The only times she is a approachable is when I put food down. If she wants to be a ghost cat, I guess I can live with that, knowing she is in a safer environment.

I do admit I feel sorry for her as it seems a lonely life :-(

Siriusallien said:

 
It has been one month ! The eye has cleared thanks to the daily visit from our new friend and vet tech. Thank God he was available to help.

Baby Cat remains aloof; not interested in playing or affection. The only times she is a approachable is when I put food down. If she wants to be a ghost cat, I guess I can live with that, knowing she is in a safer environment.

I do admit I feel sorry for her as it seems a lonely life :-(

Click to expand...

It's a lot better life than the other options.  It's wonderful that she has you to care for her. 

She may even surprise you one day.

This is such good news! So happy the vet tech was so helpful. I agree with Mani. The cat sitting on my lap right now would not let me near her for weeks when she was brought inside. Your kitty is far better off than she was.

This is such good news! So happy the vet tech was so helpful. I agree with Mani. The cat sitting on my lap right now would not let me near her for weeks when she was brought inside. Your kitty is far better off than she was.

This is such good news! So happy the vet tech was so helpful. I agree with Mani. The cat sitting on my lap right now would not let me near her for weeks when she was brought inside. Your kitty is far better off than she was.