Taming the Feral Kitten in My Bathroom

If you scent swap, make sure to give them each something yummy on their side of the gate.  They already know each other's scents but this will help them associate good things with them.

I would keep allowing Luna in the bathroom, as long as you are nearby to intervene.  Luna is acting normally.  She's still not quite sure what the heck this little thing is but she is intrigued.  The kitten, like all young ones, is just ready to make friends.  Luna will eventually recognize she has a friend and playmate.

Good job!

Oh good, I'm glad you think she's acting normally. I was worried that we'd never get there (and we still might not, but we'll see) and the more time I spend with him, the more I want to just keep him instead of following through with the foster program...

I'm also thinking about letting him into my bedroom after it's been somewhat kitten proofed, just so he can explore a new area. Whether Luna would see this as an affront to her space (she sleeps with me every night) or not is the thing holding me back. Perhaps I should just continue with the bathroom encounters for now...

I would wait on the bedroom until you know Luna won't attack the kitten. If she does, no telling where he'll end up. Keep the status quo for another week or so and see how it goes.

No shock - I agree completely with Ondine. Slower is best - because there will always be something you don't expect when they're actually "together in the flesh." Little things you & I don't get or here - they do! So just take it easy a bit longer - you're doing SO MUCH RIGHT!!!!!!!!

You are doing a great job. I wish i I could say the same for the ferrel kittie I adopted. The situation was similar in that my sister tricked a beautiful siamese mix female kitten into a cage, and into her bathroom. I retrieved her from under a cabinet and didn't like being held at all. At home she retreated to a remote corner and would behave like a banshee whenever I would try to pick her up. I needed to get her spayed and had almost enticed her into the carrier when she charged the cage door so fast and with so much energy I couldn't keep her in. Ever since then, she stays very leary of anything that looks like a cage. She got out once and gave me 4 little babies. I made sure they were held early even though she would hide them in the most impossible to reach places. I kept 2 and they are very affectionate. BUT Momma cat Blossom has yet to let me near her. That was 6 years ago, but I'm not giving up. At least she lets me look at her for about 10 seconds!

Thanks for the encouragement, everyone! Juliesbabys, I'm glad you were able to give her a safe home though; it must have been hard trying to socialize her. How old was she when your sister caught her?

I think I got lucky with Theo in terms of age; if I understand correctly, a lot of times at six months it's kind of a toss up whether they'll be super responsive to humans or not... but I also assume a lot of that depends on personality and obviously their experiences. He still won't let me pick him up, so when I reach for him -if he's on the bathroom counter- he'll lay down and roll so he can scratch me if necessary.   Other than that, we're doing really good still. (And jeez, I can't believe how much energy he has!)

I am glad to give her a safe home, but it breaks my heart knowing she is so distrustful of me. She was only about 8 weeks old but from what I know she was born in a trailer park from a feral mother. She ended up at my sister's by hopping a ride on top of her handyman's engine and hung on for a 30 mile ride on the freeway. When he pulled into her driveway he saw a streak of white dashing under the car. Since there were no other cats in the neighborhood we figured she came from his place since there was a feral momma with kittens about her size. When I took her home, she was quiet until I got on the freeway and sped up. She began to freak out yowling loudly. Since the ride was about 90 minutes, we were both stressed. I have spent hours talking to her in a gentle calming voice, but to no avail. The only thing that has gotten better over the past few months is that she waits with the other kitties when i I feed them, but she will duck back out of sight if I walk by. Time and lots of patience and understanding. The only thing I can figure is that she has that feral blood and instinct passed down from he mom and dad. But her kittens were socialized easily by my early intervention. It is sad to think after all this time she can't allow herself to feel safe.

There really is no such thing as "feral blood." She is reacting to her environment and may never feel completely comfortable. But she may also have been this way at her old home. You will never know. What you will know is that even if she doesn't seem to adjust, she is safer and more secure with you than where she was.

Like you said, time and patience. She may never be a lap cat but she will learn to trust that you won't harm her.

I live alone except for her two offspring, so I think she was never humanized. The few times i tried to hold her to try to calm her she reacted with legs outstretched and claws bared. She actually scared me. So I leave her alone and talk to her letting her know she has nothing to fear. Thats all I can do for now. Thanks for the input. Juliesbabys

Ondine said:

What you will know is that even if she doesn't seem to adjust, she is safer and more secure with you than where she was.

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Well said.  She's in a MUCH better environment now than before even if she doesn't seem to realize it, with someone to care for her and a place that's warm and food is always just a meal away. I think that's huge.

That is just what I tell her. She is a piece of work, but a very beautiful girl. She would have been a cat show queen if I could ever get close enough to touch her.
Regarding Theo and his energy, you haven't seen anything yet
l am amazed how much they have. Even the ferral momma will race through the house after I go to bed, playing with her toys.
I have another problem. Ginger, her pretty calico female offspring, gets a little nasty around her sometimes. Ginger and her brother, Munchkin, are spayed and neutered, but Blossom is not. If Blossom has a favorite place to lie down, pretty soon Ginger will run her off.

@Coneja  Sorry this is off topic, but I was wondering how your kitty reacts when you take a shower, flush the toilet, etc.  unless this is a spare bathroom that you don't use.  I am using my bathroom as a safe room for a new kitty right now and I was wondering if he'll eventually get used to these things.  

Sorry to not get back to you right away! He didn't like it at first -it is my only bathroom- and would hide when the toilet flushed and I opened the shower curtains. He's gotten used to it pretty much now, though he occasionally still runs behind the toilet mostly when I turn loud faucets on. One thing I would do is turn the shower on gradually instead of suddenly, and talk to him right before I flushed the toilet so that it wouldn't be a sudden loud thing and I could give him kind of a warning. I don't know if it helped or not, he just sort of had to endure some of it to get used to everything. I don't know if having a "bolt hole" like a box or open carrier for your new cat to go in when they're scared would help or not... I'm sort of learning everything as I go! 

And congrats on the new kitty! Is it a stray or one you're getting ready to introduce to other cats/the household?

My kitties still run when I flush the toilet. They don't like the shower because they're afraid a drop of water might touch their fur. I think your kitty will be more used to faucets and showers. I had a kitty who liked to sit with me in the bath and bat at the bubbles. I won't bet on the toilet. It depends on how loud and force it has . I have one of those tankless models and it is quite startling even to me.

Thanks for getting back to me!  I am working on introducing a new cat, Kyubi, to my resident cat.  He is also a former stray but is well-socialized and friendly.  This is also our only bathroom.  He seemed pretty scared at first and would cry a little and try to hide in the corner.  However, it has only been about 4 days and I think he is already getting used to it.  I am also trying to bring him food when I have to shower so that he can associate the loud plumbing with snacks.  Thanks for the advice!

I've been following your thread so can't wait for updates. :]

Ruaryx said:

 
  I am also trying to bring him food when I have to shower so that he can associate the loud plumbing with snacks.

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Good plan! I'm trying to do the treat association with my less-than-enthused resident cat, Luna, when she deigns to come into the bathroom or associate with Theo at all. That is exactly what I would do to help him try and get over it...

Ruaryx said:

I've been following your thread so can't wait for updates. :]

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Thanks! That makes me really happy, ha ha! Good luck with your own cats' introductions...

So, had quite a scare today and may not be totally back to normal yet... But Theo threw up this morning five times in the space of less than twelve hours, including the kibble I fed him (he wouldn't eat his wet food last night.) Long story short(er), I left work early after my sister who was watching him said he'd thrown up again. After trying multiple foods and getting concerned about dehydration, I got him to a vet and they figured out he has a roundworm infestation. This came as a shock to me (both of the cats are indoor only and have had limited contact with each other) and was really disturbing (I felt like a bad cat mom!) but turns out he probably had them when he was outdoors, and the de-wormer he was given before he was placed with me didn't get the encysted parasites, only the mature ones... And he wasn't re-treated, only given his booster shots. So now I am trying to get him to eat after he was injected with anti-nausea meds but he only ate a tiny bit right when he came home and is now no longer interested... Hopefully he'll eat by tomorrow morning or I need to call the vet again and figure out how to proceed...

On a behavioral note, unsurprisingly he freaked out when both the tech and vet tried to hold him. It was like he completely regressed so they had to sedate him. But getting home, as soon as he was out of the carrier he was coming over cautiously for lovies and let me remove the bandage wrap they'd put on his leg. So he handled that like a champ, which makes me very happy and more confident that he'll find a good home. Now if we can just get through these next couple of days, I'll be really happy...

Oh no!  I'm sorry to hear that.  Kyubi, the bathroom cat, actually has roundworms as well.  He already had two dewormer syringe things and will be getting the third one on Thursday.  Two weeks after that, we are supposed to take in a stool sample to have analyzed to make sure it is all gone.  

I'm sorry that poor little Theo had to go through that.  Maybe offer him is favorite foods heated up a bit to make it stinkier?  Maybe tuna since it's already pretty smelly.  

My cat is usually a bit jumpy after a trip to the vets, but she calms down with some time and peace and quiet.  It's good that he already feels good enough to come to you!  Good luck with everything!  I hope the little guy feels better soon. 

Thanks, and good luck with yours as well. It's so stressful trying to fix these little critters sometimes... I hope you're able to give Kyubi his medicine without too much trouble.

We are doing a little better. Last night was a terrible struggle getting a pill down (I have to give him one every 24 hours for anti-nausea or he may start vomiting again). It was traumatic for both of us, and I actually cried out of frustration but we got it down. So now that I know it can be done, tonight should be easier...

Still having issues with food; he's eating a little and I'm calling the vet to see if it's sufficient or if I need to bring him back in. Tuna seems to be a winner, and so does his dry food. And by winner I mean he eats a little of it. At least I'm now into my weekend so I can stay with him for the next two days instead of making my sister watch him.

Have you tried pill pockets for giving a pill?  I had to give a pill to my feral/stray, Marvin when he first came inside.  He tested positive for "Cat Scratch Fever" aka Bartonella.  He had to have medicine for 21 days.  We tried liquid, but he refused the tuna, salmon and chicken flavors.  I had 2 options left; try the pill in a pill pocket or have a vet tech come to the house each day for $10 and give him the pill.  Fortunately he loved the pill pocket.  I had to cut the pill in half and give 2 pill pockets, but it worked. 

I also have used chicken flavored gelatin capsules.  I just cut the pill in 1/2 and stuff it in a very small gelatin capsule and bury it into the wet food.  I have given worming medicine Dontral this way to my outside ferals. 

I hope he is feeling better soon and begins to eat.

Thanks, ShadowsRescue. Yeah, I tried the Pill Pockets, but he wouldn't eat at all. So the first two days we did it the hard way, although the second day was much easier and he handled it like a champ. I just scruffed him and he didn't freak out until I was actually pushing the pill into the back of his mouth and by then it was two late. Then he started eating freeze dried food and I stuffed a pill in that for the remaining two days. On Tuesday we finally got over the worst of it and he started eating again. Now we're back to Theo the Bottomless Pit, and I am so relieved! I was so stressed trying to get the poor guy to eat and it was obvious he wasn't feeling good. But he's come through and I think we're mostly back to where we were (although now he is less inclined to eat wet food, for some reason...)

So, maybe it's too soon to tell after all this, but Luna was still having trouble dealing with him when she'd wander into the bathroom. I don't know if we're going to get to a point where he's not bugging her a bunch. (Hopefully in a larger space like the living room, he'd be less inclined to try and tackle her every five seconds.) I haven't let Luna back into the bathroom since the roundworm incident, because I'd like clean things first, though I'm not sure how to sterilize the floor without bleach or other harmful chemicals... I'll have to do a little thinking on that.

Thanks again for the well wishes, everyone!