My husband and I took in a semi-feral cat three months ago who was living behind my friend's house. She was always very friendly and would come down for pats when we were sitting in the backyard and then try to come into my friend's home. When we initially brought her home, it didn't take long for her to feel adjusted and she started eating, drinking, and using the litter box after the first few hours. She would jump up on the couch with us and, while she wouldn't crawl into our laps, she definitely trusted us and would let us pet her/sleep next to us on the couch.
After her first vet visit (3 weeks after taking her in) we learned she had a growth in her uterus and had to be spayed immediately. We took her in for the spay and she had a horrible infection stemming from a mummified kitten that hadn't been expelled from her uterus. This resulted in a pretty invasive surgery (during the spay) and we had to force antibiotics into her for a little over a week.
After the surgery, her behavior changed and she became incredibly skittish and doesn't completely trust us. She still sleeps with us every night and will come up and rub against my hand when I'm laying down, and sometimes let me pet her when I'm sitting, but she won't let my husband touch her. She will also occasionally bat at me, even though she's purring, but then come back in for more petting (not touching anything sensitive, just light strokes on the head/wherever she directs me). Her appetite is fine and she lets us stand near her while eating. She'll even curl up in her cat bed or on the floor next to the couch while we're there, but crawls under the couch if we move too quickly.
Does anyone have any insight into this behavior change? It's been about 2 months and she is slowly getting more trusting, but I'm worried she'll never really trust us again. Just looking for anyone who has been in the same situation and/or has some tips.
After her first vet visit (3 weeks after taking her in) we learned she had a growth in her uterus and had to be spayed immediately. We took her in for the spay and she had a horrible infection stemming from a mummified kitten that hadn't been expelled from her uterus. This resulted in a pretty invasive surgery (during the spay) and we had to force antibiotics into her for a little over a week.
After the surgery, her behavior changed and she became incredibly skittish and doesn't completely trust us. She still sleeps with us every night and will come up and rub against my hand when I'm laying down, and sometimes let me pet her when I'm sitting, but she won't let my husband touch her. She will also occasionally bat at me, even though she's purring, but then come back in for more petting (not touching anything sensitive, just light strokes on the head/wherever she directs me). Her appetite is fine and she lets us stand near her while eating. She'll even curl up in her cat bed or on the floor next to the couch while we're there, but crawls under the couch if we move too quickly.
Does anyone have any insight into this behavior change? It's been about 2 months and she is slowly getting more trusting, but I'm worried she'll never really trust us again. Just looking for anyone who has been in the same situation and/or has some tips.
