Trapped feral cat after feeding her for months had her spayed now hiding won't eat,drink,use litterb

We've been feeding a feral female cat for months trying to gain her trust,but could not get more than 10 feet of her without her hiding from us and could not trap her. Finally,we trapped and had her spayed brought her home,put her in a quiet room with all she needs and now she won't eat,drink etc...and hiding in a small cobby hole in a scratching post we put in there for her. We have done everything that this site suggests but still nothing since we brought her back from vet Thursday after spaying. She hasn't eaten anything since Wednesday afternoon when we had trapped her and took her to vet for spay which was performed the next morning (Thursday) we picked her up thursday at 1:30 pm and now it's Friday and she still hasn't eaten... We're very worried about her and don't know what to do next she seemed fine when we picked her up from vet. Just scared.

Did the vet give her a pain killer? She could be groggy from that. If not, she could either be experiencing some pain from the surgery or just having a difficult recovery. Some female cats take a bit longer to bounce back from the surgery depending on their age and overall health. She could also be very scared being out of her normal environment, which is outside. Many feral cats are not able to adjust to be confined inside and aren't able to be domesticated, and it's best, once they've recovered from surgery, to release them back outside and continue to care for them as before. Can you get a look at her surgical site to see how it looks in case there might be an infection setting in?  You can bring her back to the vet for a post-surgical appointment--most vets don't charge for those. Enlist help getting her into a carrier and either wear thick gloves when lifting her or use a towel. It's important to get fluids and some food into her soon. There are many tempting foods to offer--Gerber chicken baby food (with no garlic), tuna fish, cooked chicken, Fancy Feast appetizers, chicken broth. If she doesn't eat soon you may need to get her to a vet. Then when she's recovered, if she continues to hide and refuse food, it may be best to release her back outside, since being confined inside may be too stressful to her.  

Thank u for ur advice. She's eating some now,though not as much as I would like,she' s still hiding from us but did poop/urinate,though not in litter box. It's only been 4 days since spay,we're going to try to keep her as long as possible but after about a month if no change we will have to release her outside and hope she stays around sonwe can feed/water her ouside.

Hi there, I am new to this site and others have shared such amazing advice, but I have just read your post from a few months ago and am wondering how you got on in the end? I am in a very similiar position and interested in your experiences. The female I have is about 10 months old and I had been feeding for her for about 3 months  under our house prior to trapping, spaying.  we are now on day 6 of her recovery. She s in the bathroom,  eating daily, using the litter box and tolerating our presence before fast tracking down the back of the washing machine if we get within 4 feet of her ...to be honest if we do let her go I have no idea how we would even get her out of the bathroom! I am really keen to see this through but constantly wondering if we have done the right thing

First and foremost, you have obviously done everything you can think of to help out your feral resident and deserve a "Atta Boy (or Girl!)" for your efforts and concerns. Cats can be frustrating as they can take forever to change their behavior, but when the change comes it usually arrives without any fanfare and the cat acts like it has been doing this new behavior forever. Since your kitty makes a dash to the washing machine, you have a few options...the first is to move the washing machine, if possible. The second option, since she tolerates you to some degree, is to get a comfortable chair and a book (or movie on your notebook computer) and set up camp in the bathroom or wherever the cat is hiding. I'd let him/her get a bit hungry beforehand and open up a can of it's favorite food and sit it near the chair. Sooner or later, either you or the cat will run out of patience...hopefully it will be the hungry cat. Once out from behind the washing machine, I would try to block the escape route for behind the washing machine. From there you can try to befriend the kitty and get him/her back outside or wherever you want kitty to go.

    Patience is the key, and cats have the patience of Jobe (or Job...a religious reference) and can usually out-wait you. I wouldn't be surprised, however, if the cat came out from behind the washing machine and maybe rubbed up against you...this happened with a feral tomcat that I worked with for years without much success. One day, he decided that he trusted me and has been my buddy from then on, although he is too feral to bring inside, at least for now! You have done the right thing and I think that you will soon see rewards for your hard work. FWIW, I truly feel that feral cats that you rescue are the most devoted cats you will find...as long as they are not excessively feral in their behavior. Keep up the great work!!

Jim

U have done well,getting her spayed and keeping her inside to heal and taking care of her! We did the same with a feral female in our neighborhood. We had to let her go outside after a week inside our home to heal from the spay. Some cats are Feral and have Never been in close contact with humans and never will due to their well deserved fear of humans. We had her recovering in a room for a week and then opened a window in that room so she could get outside easily/safely,then we closed the bedroom door and left her alone for about an hour,checked and she had left thru the open window outside. We continue to leave food and water for her daily outside and after a couple of days she's eating and drinking daily and that's the best and only way we can take care of her from now on.