Feral Reinjuired- Keeping in Basement

Hi, I previously posted about the feral cat in my neighborhood that was limping. We got him neutered and the vet said he had an abscess on his leg. We kept him in our basement For about five days in a big dog crate with food water and a litter box. Then we released him back into the streets. About last week we saw him holding up the same leg and trapped him again. We brought him back to the Vet Who said he got another cat bite on the same leg.

He is FIV negative and seems to be very calm. He has never hissed at us or tried to bite us since we have been taking care of him.When we were feeding him outside he would move over to the side when we would feed him, not completely run away.

Since he keeps getting into fights, we have decided that it is safer for him to stay in our basement. When we open the crate to put the food in he never tries to run out or scratch us. As I am sitting here typing this with him I am reading out loud and his eyes are closed.

Do you think he's going to be easy to tame? If so, we would love to be able to keep him or have him be adopted. Any tips how to go about this? We are going to move slow, I hope he knows we are helping him!

Thank you for taking the time to read this!

he uses the litter box ok? how big is your basement and is it cat-safe?

Yup he pees & poops in the litter box without a problem. My basement has 3 separate rooms and he's in one of them now. Still in the crate though haven't let him out of it since he just went to the vet yesterday

OrangePoe said:

Yup he pees & poops in the litter box without a problem. My basement has 3 separate rooms and he's in one of them now. Still in the crate though haven't let him out of it since he just went to the vet yesterday

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basement sounds pretty big. that's good. i was just asking about it being pet-safe because the next step down the road is keeping the crate door open. you are doing a wonderful thing for that feral (semi-feral?) cat. 

He may be more of a stray that went semi-feral or he may just be a mild mannered cat.  Either way, you are great to help him like this, especially because he keeps getting into fights.  That may not be from him being aggressive - he may be being picked on and fighting back.

Keep him in the crate for a bit and make sure his "room" is cat proof.  Nothing he can hide behind or under and no way he can get out.  Before you let him out into the room, you may want to invest in a screen door so that you can see him when you enter the room (so he doesn't bolt out when you try to enter the room).  Feliway is a good investment, too.  It will help keep him calm.

There are several posts here about socializing, so check them out.  (ShadowsRescue has great tips  - read her posts for lots of good info).

Good luck!

My two ferals have been living (quite happily) in the lower level of my split entry home for a year and a half  since they were 6 months old.    They started out in a room about 270 sq ft but after 6 months have had the run of about 650 sq. ft.  I think your prospects for success are quite good as your feral seems much calmer than mine were at first.  And even though they were sick and aggressive,  they came around.   Good luck!

How old did vet think he is? Have you given him a name? What's he look like? (Helps us all picture and put a little humanity in the cat!). He doesn't sound 109% feral based on the little bit you've posted (being trapped twist so quickly is a very "unferal" thing! Which means socialization could go even faster!

It's late -so short version....

I know it's a basement -but is it finished? Keep him in the large dog crate for a good week -goooood week at least. Make sure he has newspaper in the floor of the crate, a food bowl, water bowl (keep both clean as possible daily -if you can't open crate door, can offer advice later), make sure cat has box to "den" in -preferably tipped up so sides, back, bottom, & top are covered, front open. If you can -slide aboard in so he has a stable ledge to jump in for excercise. Put soft things to snuggle in in his box & on his box if possible. Cover his crate with a sheet so that top, back & sides are covered - open part is front only, and I slide it back just a bit so that a 6 inches of sides & top are exposed so it's not totally tunnel vision for the cat. Sit in front of cage & read, talk quietly. If you can pu a radio down there, leave it softly on talk radio 24/7...and I always leave small nightlight on for orientation.

Once you since comfort increasing (willingness to eat/drink in front of you...we can talk next steps!(when it's not 3 am) Keep singing softly & reading!

Everything would definitely be baby proofed, checked and sealed before he would be let out. The vet said he's about a year or so old. He has a night light and I am going to put a radio down here as soon as I get one. He still has his leg bent even as he is sitting in his crate. Thank u all so much for taking the time to respond! Grey says thanks too :-)

Here he is with his bandage off, he is usually a lot more bright eyed

I brought a feral/stray into my home almost 2 years ago.  He had a room of his own for almost one year.  He was ok with my husband and I, but not ok with our other animals.  It took him a while.  Cat proofing is the first step.  You need to get on the floor and think like a cat.  They can get themselves into the smallest of spaces.  I blocked off everything and he still managed to jump up on a book case and get behind it.  It took me 20 minutes to find him and lots of panic.  Keep his space fairly small at first.  Make sure any windows are tightly closed.

If you have electrical outlets, get a feliway diffuser.  It will help to calm him.  I also used liquid Composure max.  I mixed it into his wet food 2x a day and it helped him to feel much calmer.  Amazon is a great place to find both.

I tried to visit him as often as possible.  I work from home, so I popped up for a few minutes numerous times each day.  I would always sit on the floor at his level and talk softly.  Watch out for direct eye contact.  Try to keep your gaze low or over the top of his head.  Whenever I came to visit, I brought a yummy treat.  I would set it down as close to him as possible without spooking him and tell him it was for him.  He usually wouldn't eat it in my presence at first.  When I left, I left another treat or two.  Occasionally I would bring something really yummy such a plain cooked chicken or tuna.  This will allow him to associate you with something good!!  Visit many many times.  Start with short 5 minute visits and then move upward. 

Leave a few toys.  Maybe even some catnip toys.  See if he is interested.  Do provide him with a cozy bed and when he is out and about, be sure he does have a safe hiding spot.  A box on its side or a hiding box from a cat tree.  Some place he will feel safe. 

I also used a wooden screen door I bought from Lowes ($20) and attached it to the door frame with tension rods.  This allowed the cat to see, hear and smell the house, but was still safe in his room.  The screen was a bit flimsy so I put a baby gate in the door way for added protection.  THis was also only done when I was around to supervise.  This step is later down the road when you make progress.

Take things slowly.  He does sound like a stray so he may just take a bit of time to warm up to you.

Thank you so much for caring for him and getting him such great care.  You are his angel for rescuing him and getting him off the streets.

Sounds to me that he has already tamed you! Good for you for taking care of him.

I personally wouldn't let him out quite yet. He's obviously still healing anyway, so a little immobility isn't bad. If he's in a big dog crate he's got some room to move around. Definitely get a radio down there asap (did you say it was a finished or partially finished -basement)? Anything like that to A) keep him stimulated and B) desensitizing him to human sounds. Soon Id move on to offering super yummy treats -that only come when you enter the room. Find his "treat spot" and he'll soon get excited about you coming into the room!!!! Try things with a high "smell factor"---/warmed up chicken breast, very slightly warmed chicken baby food (gerber is generally the fave). First try putting it in his bowl (I'm assuming his bowl is placed so you can put something in it without opening door....once he gets excited about it ...offer it on a long (like iced tea type) spoon through the bars. Before you know it he'll be excited by you coming in, knowing treats will follow!

Definitely OVER BABY PROOF before letting him out. Cats fit over/under/behind etc things you can't believe! Behind bookcases that seem impossibly thin....into drop ceilings....keep mattresses on floor versus on frames....etc. Remember ---once he's out -he's out. So be VERY prepared!!!

Keep us posted on you and Grey! Good for you for saving his leg and his life!

And as @ShadowsRescue said -the more time you can spend the better. Socializing is not a quick thing----your earning the trust of a creature whose every fiber of his being (it's what's kept him alive outside!) is telling him to be careful in how much he trusts-if he trusts at all. The more time spent with him, being gentle in mannerism & voice, the better. It'll come ----it just takes time! And the more time and heart you give -the more his heart will open up!

i thank you all so much for taking the time to respond! The basement is finished and I put a radio in here with a sports constant talking station on. He has a nightlight and he is still in the dog crate. We are going to make him a play pen kind of thing that attaches to the front of the dog crate next week. It will be big and covered so he can go in/out( hard to describe- made so that he cant get out of i but can go back inside crate) I put my hand in the crate to change out the litter pan/water/food everyday and he follows my hand with his eyes. It is so temping to reach over and pet him but i am resisting! I have been down here about 2 hours a day just sitting and talking while on the computer in front of the cage. Every time I come down i bring him food and he eats when I leave.  Gave him treats and he had diarrhea He does love tuna & sardines when they were in the trap though!

Thank you all again for your advice!! I will keep posted

So far it sounds like you are doing the right thing. If he didn't like it he would have either ran out the door or hissed and growled at you. This is where time is the great healer - both for the new owner and the cat. If you plan on keeping him make him a inside cat  and both of you will be happy. Take your time on peting him, I would let him come to you, trust has to be built and it sounds like you are already doing that.

Hi everyone! I have an update on Grey! We built him a fenced In 'play pen' and put the large dog crate in. We didnt want him to be let out to roam in the basement because we still haven't seen if he is still holding his leg up. He hides behind the dog crate now and will only come out to eat when nobody is in the room and the house upstairs is quiet( we have a rotti upstairs who sounds like a horse) I haven't seen him in about a week since he hides behind the crate :-( I know he is unhappy but how can we let him out if he keeps getting into fights and was told that he lives under a rock?? Need reassurance that we r doing the right thing! I go down and talk to him every day but he won't xome out. We want to get a baby cam to see if he is walking ok!

OrangePoe said:

Hi everyone! I have an update on Grey! We built him a fenced In 'play pen' and put the large dog crate in. We didnt want him to be let out to roam in the basement because we still haven't seen if he is still holding his leg up. He hides behind the dog crate now and will only come out to eat when nobody is in the room and the house upstairs is quiet( we have a rotti upstairs who sounds like a horse) I haven't seen him in about a week since he hides behind the crate :-( I know he is unhappy but how can we let him out if he keeps getting into fights and was told that he lives under a rock?? Need reassurance that we r doing the right thing! I go down and talk to him every day but he won't xome out. We want to get a baby cam to see if he is walking ok!

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A camera is a really good idea.  I use them outside and inside.  I use Foscam and they do a nice job as long as your wireless connection in your house reaches to your basement.  If not you could try a trail camera.  You just need an SD card to put into it and then a place to read the card. 

Can you build him an outdoor enclosure?  I know that is alot, but then he could be outside and safe.  There are tons of ideas on the internet.  He is very scared and it does take time.  Lots and lots of time.  How long has he been down in your basement? 

I brought a feral/stray into my home almost 2 years ago.  He had a room of his own for one year. 

I would definitely try the camera so you can see what he does when you are not there.  The wireless ip cams are much cheaper than a baby cam.

I will definitely look into those cameras. We can't build anything in the yard cuz our Rottweiler :-( front & sides of the house is where the other cats are and they don't like poor little grey

Could you find a space for him in the main part of your house where there is sunlight and access to windows?  He might be pretty gloomy in a basement all alone.  Do you have a spare bedroom or room he could share such as an office?

Unfortunately there is no space upstairs :-( we don't have an extra room or bathroom upstairs.. He seems to like it dark with a night light but I can imagine how mopey the dark can make u over time :-(

I know you are worried about him but you are doing the right thing.  You need to make sure he's healed.  The cameras are a great idea - at the least you will see how he's doing.  But you can also spend some quiet time downstairs with him.  Sit and read outloud to him.  It will get him used to your presence and your voice.

Can you maybe get a sunlamp down there?  It may help give him the sunlight he needs, even if its artificial.  Anything is better than living under a rock!

Thank you so much for helping him!