Injured and stressed stray

mizzyjane

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I took in a cat about two months ago from a warehouse district in a near by town. I wouldnt know whether to describe him as feral or stray because for the most part hes really good but he has a few really big issues and wanted to see if i could get any advice

first of all hes about a 1.5 old, and he has all four legs, but one of his front legs broke and reset itself leaving it kind of mangled. He was kept in foster by a friend for awhile where he got slightly better with his spraying and aggressive behavior. I have him now and hes doing okay but his stress levels are very obviously high sometimes. his tail is always going back and forth in an irritated manner and the smalest things will trigger him. he will be looking a my cat lying asleep and if she moves in her sleep he will growl. if hes on my bed with me and i shift my weight and it effects him his tail will start going and he makes his stressed meows. 

but also, im thinking possibly because he was on the street for so long theres a possibility his vocal cords and under developed? because that would explain his meow, its always that kind of shaky, deep meow and its hard to tell if thats his meow or if he only meows when stressed and it is a stressed meow. also his bad leg twitches a lot which leads me to believe he has some kind of pain in it.

im working on getting him a home, but for the time being i was just wondering if anyone had any tips on dealing with a heavily stressed cat besides the basics, putting him in a dark room, keeping it quiet etc. he hates being alone and gets way more upset that way
 

msaimee

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Has he been seen by a vet? Has he been neutered? Once he's neutered, his aggression will lessen. He may also be agitated if he's in some kind of pain. A vet visit is essential.

It sounds as if this little guy has been through quite a bit of trauma. Two years ago I took in a 10 month old feral female that my feral tom had brought to my porch to share his food bowl with. Upon veterinary exam, it was discovered that someone had shot her in the leg when she was younger--x-ray revealed that the bullet is still lodged in her pelvis. However, it was determined from the exam that it was not causing her pain at present. The leg had broken and healed on its own, but slightly crooked, so she's unable to jump very high and has an uncoordinated gait.  She is bossed around by my two young alpha male cats and ignored by my two geriatric cats, and stays upstairs and seldom ventures downstairs. She is not affectionate, but tolerates a little petting. Her main love is to play with the wand toy with me as often as she can. She's likely never going to be an affectionate lap cat, but I have a lot of satisfaction knowing that she's safe living with me and will never be hungry or hurt again. She's really adorable and I love her, even though she's got some really rough edges personality-wise.

Your little guy has also been through a lot. It will take a lot of time and patience. The sooner he is settled into a forever home, the better. Cats don't handle transitions and changes very well. You're already his second "home" now, and going into a third will be yet another change. I strongly suspect that once he is settled into his forever home, after about a year, he will settle down and be content and his true personality will come out.  He may never been a cuddly lap cat, but he will be a truly grateful and loyal cat who will love his forever owner in a unique way.

In terms of socializing, after he's been to a vet and it's determined he's not in any kind of pain, I would suggest play therapy. I have socialized two ferals inside my home by spending time each day interacting with them with wand toys and catnip toys. It sounds to me like your cat is a stray or semi-feral, not a true feral, so it will take far less time to socialize him. Just be around him as often as you can. It's good that he isn't fighting with your other cat--that's a very hopeful sign.

Good luck and it's wonderful that you're taking care of him. His life is already so much better.
 
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