Feral or stray?.. its in my linen cupboard...

Do you have a pet carrier?  Our deaf cat likes to sleep in the carrier because its closed on top and three sides, so she feels protected.  It is helpful to have her like her carrier so when we need to take her places, we just tap the top of the carrier and she is happy to climb right in.  Its a safety spot for her, and she doesn't feel like she is being punished.  Not sure if the feral will go in it at first, but if you put some comfy bedding down and always leave her a nice little treat or two inside she may come to like it - and you might like it better than her hiding behind the washer!

You have all become my mentors! day 6 today ... (I dont count when I bought her home unconscious!) she stayed on the washing machine all day, yes- in her box that is open to the room, but she has not gone down the back of the washer! this despite a floor being layed in the room next door, me cleaning the bathroom and the floor and looking in her cupboard for something and my partner taking a long bath whilst watching something on his computer! I reckon its progress!!! oh and she's  using the dirt box with just kitty litter- no dirt! Dare I feel hopeful???

Amazing progress!

Really, I think it's only a matter of time before she's letting you pet her. Are you trying the slow eye blinks? Is she responding? One thing you could try is getting some really tasty food and offering it to her on a long handled spoon. Once she's licking the food off the spoon you can slowly try, one day at a time, moving your hand closer and closer to her until she take food from your hand. 

She's so lucky to have been taken in by you.

That's definite progress! It sounds like she feels pretty safe with you.

Sounds like you are making great progress! It took 2 years to get to touch my latest project, Callie, but it is well worth it. Once I got to touch him, which took two years of patience, he progressed very quickly to the point that he now meets me at the door going outside and swirls around my feet and ankles...all within a month or two! I think you have gone over the "hump" with your kitty trusting you...now just take things slow at your kitty's pace and you will probably have a new buddy before you know it. Once they associate you with bringing home the bacon, they seems to get a lot friendlier after a while.'

  Keep up the great work and keep the photos coming...I always love happy endings when it comes to stray cats. My next project is to try to make a cat shelter for Callie to use in the winter. Last winter was brutal and I didn't see him from December until April...he was pretty skinny by winter's end. I'm hoping he will learn to use it...he currently is enjoying the summer perched on my picnic tables, under the umbrella. Good luck!!

Jim

Hmm... question... she has been using the dirt box without fail until this morning... I picked up a small pile of dirty clothes from the floor in the bathroom and a couple of nuggets fell out! she has pooed onto our dirty clothes! this means she is prowling the bathroom when we are asleep and its good to see her investigating... but does this mean she wants to own our smells because she likes them, or she pooed on them to tell us she hates us!!! so much easier with a dog!!! 

I am not surprised by your little present...after all, there has been a lot of change and first you used dirt, then litter...a little "experimentation" isn't surprising!   Once cats get used to a certain litterbox, changes can sometimes result in results like you found. From your kitty's point of view, her whole life has been turned upside down...trapped/spayed/vets/laundry room/multiple litter...all in a little over a week. I don't think it is anything to worry about unless it gets to be chronic or accompanied by other changes in habits, etc. Changes like this could indicate a health issue, but I think it is just the change in her lifestyle.

   Obviously, your cat is exploring the premises when she feels most comfortable. Using your clothes as a litterbox isn't a fun idea, but Kitty might associate your smell that is on the clothes and feel somewhat comforted by it...after all, you are feeding her and making life easy, which I'm certain they recognize in their own cat way. You never know when you are going to find a hidden treasure, but with my four cats, I'm no longer surprised or offended. Cats thrive on routines, so once you get everything in the preferred order, try not to change it too much or too quickly and you will find that you will be the recipient of many less tokens of appreciation!  

Jim

There is something about dirty clothes that some cats find attractive. If there is any laundry ever dropped on the floor in our house, Susy pees on it. She doesn't bother climbing into the laundry basket to get to it and she doesn't pee on anything else, but dirty laundry on the floor is hers.

On the plus side, it has been a great way to train my husband to pick up after himself.

So after reading your comments I have put another litterbox down, so she now has one in the bathroom and one in the laundry room/cupboard and she has been using both of those now and not  the dirty washing! we are now leaving the laundry cupboard door wide open all the time, and even when we have  showers she stays in the box, which suprises me because its noisy water! today I sorted washing, got linen from the cupboard, did some work on the computer in there, and touched the side of her box, she went to sneak out the side of the box to get down the back, but then stopped and just watched me, I stopped and slow blinked and backed away and she went back into her box.... I cannot even imagine being able to touch her at this stage or have her feed from my hand, but 2 whole days and she has not hidden out of site.. that has to be progress???

Yes, that's great progress.

Here's another trick you could try. Get some cat treats, maybe a few different kinds so you can find out what her favourite are. Stand about arms length away from her, talking to her softly and giving her slow eye blinks as you put a treat down in front of her. Move your hand back to your side while she eats. Put another treat down and move your hand away but keep it in her view while she eats. What you want to be able to do eventually is to put treats down for her and leave your hand resting near her while she eats. This is the first step in getting her to take food from your hand, she learns that your hand = something tasty. 

It might take a while, some cats take a few days to get to where there comfortable eating with your hand just inches away.

Let her chose how fast you go. If she hisses or won't take the treat move your hand back a little further until she is happy again. Keep your hand balled in a loose fist. Cats see outstretched fingers as claws coming to get them. A fist is less threatening.

You're doing really well with her.

Looking forward to seeing a photo one day.

Oh my gosh... I am losing hope... I know I need to be patient and throw the clock out of the window but it is 1 step forward and 2 backwards and I just dont know if we are doing the right thing... she just will not come out of her box... just watches us silently, she burst the excitement of her not disappearing behind the machine for 2 days this morning.. my husband put some food gently nto her box with his hand, she hissed and vanished. It took her hours to re apppear..Do we keep doing what we are doing? or are we somehow making her more miserable than ever? I keep reading your posts and messages of encouragement but I am losing hope that she will ever be confident enough to show herself.. she continues to eat and use litter box but it feels like a roller coaster at the moment. My husband says to just keep going and not give up, she will come round.. what are your thoughts please? its been 10 days? I have even thought about letting in the resident cat who has completely ignored the fact that there is another cat through the door... to see if that would help? 

It's only been 10 days and that's a very short time to have made this much progress. Working with feral cats is very much a 2 steps forward 3 steps back kind of job. It took me a couple of months of daily feeding before I was able to touch the cat in my avatar photo, and I'm pretty sure he'd been someone's feral before he found me.

Even with feral kittens that I trapped when they were a 2 ~ 3 months old I sometimes had to spend weeks giving them slow eye blinks and feeding them at arms length before I could get them to come any closer. 

You've done really well in such a short amount of time, so please don't feel discouraged. If she hisses or backs away that's a sign that things are going too fast for her, so just back up a little until she gets comfortable again.

I don't know if letting your cat into the same room as her at this stage is a good idea. Maybe you could start getting them used to each other's smell. Put a blanket that he has slept on in her room and put something she has used just outside the door so he can come and sniff it and get to know there is someone new in there.

No need to rush things, take it all really slowly.

Thanks for that Norachan! I shall breathe slowly and take heed! a new day today. Yes, we have definately gone 2 steps backwards... shes down the machine again.. but eating more frequently and earleir so maybe thats a tiny step forward! I keep telling myself she (at 10 months according to vet ) is so young and has a life ahead of her so we cant give up on this process... I am doing my washing elsewhere at the moment! lucky its just the 2 of us at home now!

Have you tried some igloo type cat beds, or even boxes turned on there side? If you keep the opening to the box or bed facing the wall, she will feel that she is hidden! Cat trees with places to hide are also useful in helping cats feel that they can escape!

Good luck, sounds like you have made lots of progress already - cats take ages to acclimatise to new surroundings and people so don't give up, you are doing all the right things :nod:

 

It's almost been two weeks since she had her operation, she's probably starting to get her energy back. Last week she was probably too sore and tired to worry about the two giants who were keeping her locked in the bathroom. Now she's probably a little bored, and keeping herself amused by by fretting about your intentions. This next week or so will probably be the hardest, but you if you can rigg up a cat toy (hang string with a knott or small plushy at the bottom or get a wall mounted toy) for her to play with then you're not there it might help. I would mostly let her rest and recover over this next week, but spend the week AFTER that trying to coax her to play with you using an interactive cat toy. She may not trust you enough to play with you the first couple times: in the first couple play sessions, your goal will be to get her interested and to the point where she's tracking the toy's progress with her eyes. Sit in the opposite corner of the room and wave the toy. Don't bring it to her, she has to come to you. Watch her reaction so you can learn how to maneuver the toy to keep her excited and engaged, and you'll also begin to pick up on her body language.

 

If you want to try giving her something to chill her out, there are options. My cat has issues with anxiety, so I've tried a quite a few of them: kitty Prozac works but it's expensive and having to catch her and give (or force feed) her the stuff, would probably undermine the trust you're trying to build. We've found catnip works the best to mellow my cat out, but it's not something you should be giving at the moment just in case it hypes her up and she ends up injuring herself. I would try camomile as a temporary measure. You can get it in drops from the pet store or even brew a really weak camomile tea, and put some in her water (just make sure you're changing out the tea water every day).

 

You're doing awesome. Just keep being patient- especially over this next week. To building trust involves proving to her that you are consistent and dependable. Also cats tend to be a little narcissistic, so outrageous flattery and adulation will go a long way.

Thanks for that! I have some chamomile at home so I can try that today. I have a couple of toys but she has shown no interest at all.. so will save it,, she is eating more consistently- I have found food that she loves, so very time we go in the batroom we leave a little behind for her and it is always gone on the next visit, so hopefully the association between us and yummy stuff is being made! I will She is very watchful- we just see 2 big green eyes peering out of the darkness of her hide hole.... we are trying to be very aloof with her, very matter of fact! which is hard cos she is so darn cute! I just cant wait for her to be laying on the couch in the sun, purring......

Feelng with you, but yes patience always. My new rescue is the same, and progress will be slow. First she was almost buried alive with her newborns, then in a very fine small rescue with the two kittens untit they were rehomed then here to a strange house with a HUGE black and white cat... After the mumsy hormones faded, she reverted to feral and is at present resident under my bed, emerging to feed and use her tray.  The rescue had her on earth so she has made the transition to sawdust and sand perfectly. Last night I woke in the night and when I put the light on she was sitting on the table at the end of my bed. As soon as she saw me, back under the bed...today a small confrontation with my big cat but that is needful too. I love watching them and the house here is open plan so that is fine too. If she comes to be petted that is fine, if not, fine too .   She clearly has had to fight for survival before so that battle has gone as with yours.  And yes, totally watchful and alert all the time.   

How's everything going? Any progress with your girl yet?

Hi Norachan, thanks for asking...very slow ! she is venturing out into the main bathroom when she is alone, and is eating more frequently- not just waiting untill we go to bed anymore. I have moved her food bowls further away from the laundry cupboard to encourage her to leave her cave, and she is using both dirt boxes, one in her cave and the one in the bathroom... I saw her half poised yesterday, about to jump down the back of the machine, but she stopped and watched me, I ignored her and walked out and I am pretty sure she just went into her box... I am thinking about leaving the bathroom door open tonight and putting some food outside the door to see if she will have a little explore in the house- its basically one room so she cant disappear,.. I am pretty sure she is not as far back in the box either but that could be wishful thinking on my part! I think she is peering out as opposed to slinking back and hiding, but its hard to tell!  thoughts and advise welcome!

I cant see her to get a photo just yet, her cave is too dark! The feliway watzit arrived so have that going 24/7.

Its too soon to admit defeat just yet isn't it? she is not even a year old according to the vet. 

I will go back and check my records, but it was several months before Sky even peeked out from under my bed. I did hear him moving about if I woke up in the middle of the night. There were signs that he was out when I was gone. But, it was months, remember that, months. You are doing just fine! If you go getting tense, she's going to feel that and wonder what is out there making you tense. Cats can pick up on feelings we don't even know we are having!

When it takes time to win trust, that bond is even stronger than it would have been. Imagine how much more thrilling it is going to be when you get to pet her, to hold her. Believe me, it is worth it!

Now will you knock it off with that negative word- defeat.