Advice needed on stray cat please

You will need a tetanus if your skin is broken. Go to a walk in centre or A&E either will be able to give you a tetanus and look at your hand.

Thanks for all your help and advice.  Oh dear, my hand is quite a mess but has now stopped bleeding. Scratches not bites but rather deep.   I cleaned it as soon as it happened, gritted my teeth and wiped with surgical spirit... ouch!  I will give the surgery a call tomorrow first thing but will try and avoid taking antibiotics if I can.  Heck, I work in a cattery, you would think I'd have more sense than this!!

As for the crate, good idea about putting it outside except it's rather big and heavy.  It does fold up but if put outside and she trapped in it could be difficult getting it back in.  I've put it in the spare bedroom upstairs.  My plan was to place the cat in it away from my own cat and to let the stray have a quiet room.  I had a feeling this would go pear shaped but hey ho, onwards and upwards!

Oh, if you have a spare room for her, that's great! That should work out even better.

Vibes for a successful visit to the doctor...

Not much to report on the cat front.  I don't want this thread to be about my hand as my main concern is the cat but.... for those that wished me good luck, I have been to the hospital and have to go again tomorrow.  It's quite nasty but I'm sure it will be ok and I look the height of fashion with three large dressings on my hand.

Cat came tonight and was fine.  I managed to stroke her but she didn't come very far inside.  Ondine you have given me an idea with your posting about putting the crate outside.  As I said, the crate is too large to go outside but I could put my cat carrier which I use to take my own cat to the vet.  Place that outside with some food at the end and then shut the door.  This would make it easier transporting her upstairs to the large crate.  By placing the door of the crate and door of the carrier together it might just work.  Got to get her in the carrier first though.  When I can move my hand a little better I might just try this.

Good idea.  Just make sure you wash the carrier down well - you can use something like Nature's Miracle or just plain bleach.  Rinse it well and let it air dry.  The carrier may smell like your resident cat and may make the outside cat shy away from it.

Fingers crossed!

Yes, fingers and toes crossed!!

I'm glad you've had your hand properly seen to.  

Help!!!!  I've got her
isn't large, just big enough for a tray and a bit of bedding/food.  She's crying so much and is now panting.  Is best to leave her to settle for a day or two.  I can open the crate and let her out into the room maybe tomorrow?  I've got to be so careful as my hand is not good and I'm still having to go to the hospital.

So pleased though she is out of the freezing cold we have at the moment.  It was worth me getting hurt the other night which of course, was my own fault.

It might help to cover the crate with a thin sheet.  This will help to calm her down. 

When you need to clean the litter or give her food, make a divider out of sturdy cardboard that you can slide between her so she can't get to you. 

Do you plan on taking her to the vet?  Since she is in the crate it might be easiest to do it now.

Good work @kitten347

Covering the crate is a good idea, she'll feel much safer if she can't see out. Do you have any Feliway? I use the spray kind and squirt it over the blanket I cover the crates with. It does a lot to help them feel more secure. I wouldn't let her out of the crate for a while yet. If you need to take her to the vet the easiest way to move her from crate to carrier is to put the carrier right up against the door of the crate and use a tin tray or something similar to slide over the entrance while you secure the door closed behind her.

Good luck at the vets, hope everything goes well.

I also wanted to mention a few things.  If you decide to let her out of the crate be sure the room is completely cat proofed.  If there is a bed, pick up the mattress/boxsprings so she cannot hide under it.  It is nearly impossible to get a cat out from under the middle of a bed.  Also block behind bookcases or dressers.  You don't want her getting stuck somewhere.  If there are blinds/curtains in the room, put the blinds all the way up and  hide the cords.  If there are curtains you might want to remove them.  Keep the window closed at all times. 

Do provide a safe hiding spot, such as the covered crate with the door left open, a box with cozy blanket.  A small cat tree would be nice if there is room.  Also provide  litter box(es).  Dr. Elsey's cat attract works well if she is not using the litter box. 

I am so hoping the best for the sweet girl.  I hope she has calmed down and you can get her to the vet soon.

Thank you so much for all the good advice. Vet phoned me this afternoon and was so helpful too.  Said to leave her over the weekend so she might settle more.  I'm taking her on Monday lunch time to see the vet.  See if she's chipped first and then anything else that needs doing will be done.

I've covered the crate with a sheet, room is safe and keeping my own cat away.  It's not easy as she cried most of the night so didn't get much sleep.  That could be because she is used to be out all night and when light probably has found somewhere to sleep?  I'll get some of that Feliway Spray.  She's using the litter tray ok so that's good.  I get her out of the crate for food. 

Trying to help her with all the dressings I've got on my hands is a little tricky but I'm managing  

Just a little update.  She isn't chipped.  She's at the vets and will be operated on tomorrow to see if neuturing needs to be done.  She's approx about a year old.  She has settled really well at home, I even got a lick from her this morning and she came on my knee!  Happy to wander around the spare bedroom with the door of the dog crate left open, sheet over the cage and in she goes.  Not met my own cat yet.

I contacted Cats Protection again and yes, I can get help towards the cost of the neuturing.  Not much but it will help.  Looks like I have got myself another cat!  Think I'll call her CoCo

Thanks for the update.  I hope all goes well and she gets a clean bill of health.  Here are some articles and a video on cat to cat introductions.  Take it slowly and wait until CoCo is settled.

http://www.catbehaviorassociates.com/a-simple-little-trick-to-use-during-new-cat-introductions/

http://www.aspca.org/pet-care/virtual-pet-behaviorist/cat-behavior/introducing-your-cat-new-cat

http://jacksongalaxy.com/2010/10/01/cat-to-cat-introductions/

http://www.thecatsite.com/a/introducing-cats-to-cats

That's great, you've made so much progress with her already. I love the new name.

I hope it all goes well at the vets.



Let us see some pictures of her when she's settled in properly.

Thanks for those links and the video, really helpful.  I've got a baby gate and that's a brilliant idea!

She's back from the vets but hasn't been neutured because she didn't need to be done! Vet sedated her and shaved her fur and found a scar!  Vet 99.9% certain she's been neutured so didn't open her up.  She's got really bad ear mites so has drops and goes back in a week for the ears to be checked.  Had her first injections.  Vet said she is really nervous which of course I know!

She's feeling very sorry for herself and has been asleep in the crate, with the crate door open since she came home.  I wonder who she belonged to?  Not much more I can do to try to find out.

I'll post some pictures when she's more settled. 

Good news! So sorry about the mites - nasty little buggers. But it won't take long for her to settle in. Thanks for the update.

Hi Everyone!

Well things aren't going too badly.  CoCo has been back to the vets to have her ears checked for the mites.  One more week of drops just to make sure they have gone.  Week after next she has her second injection.  Still very nervous and getting her to the vets is quite a job!

I followed the advice about how to introduce my other cat to her and a couple of days ago Boo Boo met CoCo without any restrictions.  A bit of playful bopping but certainly nothing that concerned me.  I've now opened the spare room door so CoCo can investigate other rooms but she just wants to stay where she is!  I think I'll leave her for now to do what she's happy with.  Here's a couple of pics.  Boo Boo is the large cat!

Such good news.  The cats look relaxed and happy.  I am glad to hear introductions are going well.  Hopefully the ear mites will be under control soon. 

A tip for getting her in the carrier is to start feeding her in the carrier.  Start placing the food right in the front and each day move it back a bit until she is eating all the way in the back.  The day of the vet visit, go to feed her as usual (just give a few morsels) and when she goes into eat, close the carrier.  I often us a chair pad or heavy piece of cardboard to place in front of the door while I am closing the carrier.  Then cover the carrier with a sheet or towel to help calm her.

Keep us updated.

CoCo is such a pretty girl, I'm glad to hear that she is settling in well.

I use one of my cat carriers as a bed and cover it with a blanket or an old towel with a few squirts of Feliway on it. Sometimes I'm really lucky and I can shut the door and get the cat to the vet while they are taking a nap.

Boo Boo is huge! Boy or girl?