Advice and Support Needed!

Hi Everybody,

I just joined. Although I've been rescuing and fixing/homing strays in my area for some time, I've never come across a situation like this and at the moment am feeling pretty low.

In March this year I discovered a small calico in my garage. I put food and heated cat shelters in there every winter, because our winters are severe - they last from October to May, and can drop down as cold as -40 Celsius.

Anyway, this winter I discovered Rosie, a tiny calico, up in the rafters of my garage. She wouldn't come down and she hid from me, so I fed her plenty but basically left her as was, since I wanted her to feel safe, and not leave the shelter of the garage.

It took me May to July to start to get close to her - I used toys and treats, and I put a bed up in her favorite corner of the rafters . I couldn't pet her or pick her up but she would come to the back door for lunch and dinner when she heard me call her. Sometimes she would play with me out in the yard, as long as I didn't get too close.

 I lined up a foster home for her with an amazing cat mom, and we were able to catch her and bring her there. The idea was to get her fixed and used to a home environment. After two days Rosie popped the screen of a second floor window, and then made the 3 mile trek back to my house. 

We have a lot of strays around here, and I was anxious to get her fixed. We used a humane trap next, and somehow Rosie got out of that.

Trying to help, my  neighbors put a drop trap in their yard, and Rosie stopped twinkle-toeing through their garden.

My vet tech came by and tried to catch her, and that ended in failure too. Now she is definitely pregnant and we think may be due soon. It was not what I wanted for anybody, (myself included) but -  

Trying to be practical, i cleared out a small shed. I put in her favorite bed, a queening bed, a couple of small caves to burrow in, climbing post and toys. On Sunday she walked in out of pure curiosity, and I just quietly closed the door behind her. She may be due in a week and I am not - truly not - wanting to wander around God's half acre looking for kittens in what will likely be bad weather. It will also be cold soon.

The shed will keep her kittens safe from predators and will give them clear access to food and socialization. The problem is that Rosie is bored and frustrated. Yesterday was ok - in the evening she crawled into her bed, and I gave her pets and scritches til she got sleepy. She was super affectionate and seemed to be settling. She even fell asleep with her front paws clutching my hand. It was amazing. Today was a different story - she hid from me and would barely eat. She cried so pitifully it left me feeling like I've flushed all her trust  down the toilet. I've been using the calming spray, extra treats, toys, arrgh. Nothing worked today. She was inconsolable.

I've never really dealt with a slightly 'wild' cat before and am just wondering if I've missed something or just need to calm down a bit and stop overthinking things. Any advice or support is most welcome. I love this little girl and just want to help her.

Thanks!

Auntie

I'm not sure what to do if she is a "wild" cat, but it sounds like you're doing the right thing. Maybe the babies are coming soon and that's why she's acting like she is. If you have her in the shed still maybe have the vet try and check on her, if they make house calls. It sounds like you're doing everything possible for her.

Thanks for the reply ape48066. I'm pretty sure Rosie is a young feral, that's I mean by wild. I can pet her briefly, and she talks to me. She's just so unhappy in the shed, I feel badly. I don't know how long it takes for ferals to come around. Neighbors have been telling me some never do, so I'm stuck as to how to gauge the situation.

You may be right - if she's going to have the kittens soon, it could affect her behavior. Not sure my vet would come out to see her, but the vet tech will. I suppose that would be a start!

Do you (or does anybody) know of any resources for people who are trying to socialize ferals?

Thanks!

Ev

I just did a quick search and found http://www.wikihow.com/Tame-a-Feral-Cat.  Hope this helps a bit.  Have you ever seen the TV show "My Cat From Hell"??  The cat behaviorist Jackson Galaxy does some amazing things to turn all kinds of cats around.  Maybe you can try and reach out to him somehow and see what he might do for her.  Maybe after the babies come she might change.  Try putting and old towel or shirt of your in with her so she gets your sent, and then try building her trust again.  Take it slow.  Give her, her space and let her come to you. Try different toys or treats. Make her comfortable. I hope she comes around for you and for the babies.  April "Little Kitty's" mom >^^<

Thank you so much for the help. Every bit counts. I printed out the article you suggested, and found one also at StrayPetAdvocacy.org that was pretty helpful too. I think the gist of it is go slow - be nice - give it time.

Last night was a better night. I remembered that when I first met her, Rosie loved chicken flavored baby food. So I brought some in, and she allowed me to spoon feed her. She ate half a jar; Rosie then decided to come out of hiding, at least for awhile. She discovered the climbing post and looked out the window. (She also complained pretty loudly about being inside, but that's ok).

This morning she allowed me to pet her for about 15-20 minutes while she was lying in bed. I feel badly that she is bored in the room - so I downloaded a cat video (birds, mice, etc) on my ipad mini and left it playing for her. She'll either find it interesting or really annoying, ha ha. Tonight we'll try more chicken baby food and maybe I can get her to play a little with me. Maybe!

Your suggestion of a behaviourist is a good one. Jackson might cost more than I can afford, but I found one in Toronto who does phone consults and is not too expensive. Might be worth a chat.

I'm really hoping that Rosie settles ok once she has the kittens, which is in about a week. I'm hoping she'll be too busy with her babies to care about being out in the yard

The first big step is helping her through the next seven - ten days.

My old boy, Henry, a 16 year old grey and white tuxedo, seems to miss her company - they would hang out in the garden together - so I'm hoping I can socialize Rosie and then introduce her to the house, she and Henry can keep each other company.

Thanks again for your help, it's nice to be able to talk to someone about this.

Ev

I reached out for help with my baby girl and got someone to help. So I looked for someone in my shoes to help and that someone is you   Talking things out get them out of your head and see it from someone outside point of view.  I'm glad I can help.  IKD if you try and reach out to Jackson like I said if he will charge you anything.  It can't hurt to try. (You might get on TV LOL)  Please post some pics of Miss Rosie and her babies if you can I would love to see them.  I also wonder if she would let you bring Henry in to see her.  Whenever you need someone to talk too I'm here.

Rosie may also like wet kitten food and it will certainly help with nutrients for the babies.

I am hoping that by the time the babies arrive, she will be more trusting about you. If she's allowing pets, she's not truly feral, so that is going to help when it comes time for her to get spayed.

I think it's an excellent idea to get her used to staying inside. Once she is spayed, her hormones will calm down and she should be easier about staying in.

Thank you for helping them all!

I was thinking the same thing as @ape48066, maybe if she gets along with Henry and he came in the shed, she would be happier.  Below my signature you will see the story of a cat i call Grey Boy.  He was completely feral, had been hanging around for 3-4 years, got injured an actually came to me, into the house.  He had surgery, was healed, went out again, decided his damp leakiy man cave was not as nice as the house once fall came, and became an inside-outside cat.  For awhile he and my other male that was neutered later in life clashed but at some point Greey Boy decided he LOVES Bigfoot and follows him everywhere.  Because of that, grey Boy started allowing me to pet hiim -- as long as Bigfoot was present.  Otherwise no, too scary.  But we are working on that.  It took 2 year for me to be able to pet him at ALL, and only because of Bigfoot.  Maybe Henry can help Rosie feel more comfortable.   Now is the time to try because after she has the babies, if she isn't used to him being there, she will surely drive him away to protect her babies.  I agree with everyone else, once she has the babies there, she will be very happy with the situation.

Auntie Ev said:

Hi Everybody,

I just joined. ...
... She may be due in a week and I am not - truly not - wanting to wander around God's half acre looking for kittens in what will likely be bad weather. It will also be cold soon.

The shed will keep her kittens safe from predators and will give them clear access to food and socialization. The problem is that Rosie is bored and frustrated. Yesterday was ok - in the evening she crawled into her bed, and I gave her pets and scritches til she got sleepy. She was super affectionate and seemed to be settling. She even fell asleep with her front paws clutching my hand. It was amazing. Today was a different story - she hid from me and would barely eat. She cried so pitifully it left me feeling like I've flushed all her trust  down the toilet. I've been using the calming spray, extra treats, toys, arrgh. Nothing worked today. She was inconsolable.

I've never really dealt with a slightly 'wild' cat before and am just wondering if I've missed something or just need to calm down a bit and stop overthinking things. Any advice or support is most welcome. I love this little girl and just want to help her.
Thanks!
Auntie

Click to expand...

The shed is her safe harbor... sometimes it is hard not to transfer our own worry about boredom and about the "awesomeness" of sheds onto kitties (ahem.... "a SHED?!" sayeth the Cat!), ESPECIALLY a momma kitty just about ready to give birth. But that shed is so needed for her! Just remember that any momma kitty, in the best of circumstances or in any state of tameness or feral-ness, can be RESTLESS, uncomfortable, bored and agitated as she waits for The Big Day which provides a brand new pile of hopefully healthy kittens!

You'll make it through! She is lucky to have you helping her out

I just got through the new kitten thing. I picked up a pretty much feral stray who had just had kittens thirty minutes ago. I think you're doing the right thing personally. What we did was get a dog crate (a large one) and covered it with a sheet so it was like a little cave and kept her in our house, but that may not be an option if you have other cats. I've only been through one litter, but it honestly sounds like a perfect situation given the circumstance. Im not sure if mom cats are anything like humans, but I've heard those last few days are extremely uncomfortable.

I think once she has her kittens you'll be reassured. For the whole first week our cat barely moved. She definitely wasn't worried about being bored; it was all about the kittens. We put food and water in her cave so she could stay by them at all possible times. Our kitty was pretty mean (growling, swatting, hissing), so you can maybe expect that. They really take care of everything though. I think she's just a little overwhelmed and needs some time to adjust. I was constantly asking questions and still am at five weeks. There are so many things to worry about, but in my situation the mom really did have it covered.

Thank you so much ****overwhelmed in a good way by the support **** This is Miss Rosie. The photos make her seem bigger than she is, she's really much daintier. And she's tiny compared to my boy Henry Wallace, a 16 year old, 15 pound Teddy Bear....I've included his picture too, just because!

Thank you everybody for the support and suggestions!  Great to have everybody to talk to!

ONDINE - Thank you so much!!  I do indeed have Rosie on kitten everything. I even have her on a supplement for queens, 10 bucks a can but whatever (there's a reason I didn't take a summer vacation after all)! I am hoping too that if we take everything in small steps, it will help her acclimatize to the indoors. If I can do that, I'm hoping I can integrate her into my household. She may not be truly feral as you say, I wish I knew her full story. It's my hope too, that once her hormones level off, she will calm down about being inside. And by then it will be winter, if that isn't incentive to come indoors, I don't know what is! Our winters are unbelievably hard.

RED TOP RESCUE - Thank you for sharing your story!  Rosie and Henry definitely got along with outside together, and I know she misses him - she would  often kiss his face until he complained - so I tried bringing him in the shed to help us out a bit, and he was all snarls and growls. (?)  I am wondering if it's Rosie's hormones, because I do know that Henry dislikes kittens. I am still hoping though, once she is fixed, and I can get her into the house, that Henry will help Rosie adjust to "life with people".  He'll be a good example, he's well socialized and well-behaved. And clicker-leash trained!

PUSHPURRCATPAWS: LOL - It wouldn't be the first time I was over-thinking something. When she cries, I remind myself of all the things that the shed protects Rosie from, and will protect her babies from. I read somewhere that classical music calms cats, so I put some on (thanks, Sirius) and she actually fell asleep. I think I've sorted the feng shui with the litterboxes, and she is using her climbing post. Other than just spending some casual time with her, not sure there's much else I can do right now.   She'll just have to put up with it. And if i find my mellow, I bet I can too.

AGP027 - That's my big hope, that it'll be an uncomfortable week, week and a half for her, but once she has the kittens, it will be all about them. Once I can get her fixed, and the kittens to foster care, then we'll see how she does in the house. I'm always asking questions, thankfully I have a vet and a vet tech who are happy to take my calls - so far    Another volunteer in my rescue group said the same thing - that Rosie will more or less look after everything, I can just leave it to her for the first little while.

Oh, you guys. I just went into the shed to check on Rosie - we had a real downpour, and the shed has a leak! FUDGE. There was water all over the floor. Just checked the forecast and tomorrow is supposed to be nice - tonight I'm calling the handyman at my church - we are pretty good friends - going to see if we can shore things up to make it more weather-proof. FUDGE. Wish me luck!

Cher

Oh, bummer about the leak. Hope you can get it dried out OK.

Both the kitties are gorgeous.

RED TOP - Just went through Grey Boy's story. He's so lucky to have found you. Your story gives me hope that even the most dyed in the wool streeter can make the adjustment to housecat. Rosie doesn't have that much experience, so her adjustment will hopefully be easier with a little time. The company of another cat will help too, I'm sure. Grey Boy reminds me of my  Henry, who is grey-black and has similar white markings.

Hi Ondine,

Thanks! These cats are my darlings. I've mopped everything up, although it seems to have affected the front half of the shed only. I double checked Rosie's bed and it was dry. Looks like there's a crack in one of the window casings. Anyway, my friend Ed has been keeping our 110 year old church going with what seems like a hammer and a bit of string I've no doubt he can help me get things tidy for Rosie. Fingers crossed.

Hope Ed gets the leak fixed for you. Both the kitties are so cute. Henry has eyes to die for. He's so handsome. I'm hoping Rosie will be a good momma and the litter isn't to much for her. She's beautiful. Thanks for posting pictures

Your momma cat looks like my momma cat!
I hope that you get your shed window fixed. When the kittens come, I would love to see some pictures if the mom will allow it

Thanks, Ape48066!  My dad is coming to help me to reinforce the window. He also wants to winterize it so it will be more comfortable. He thinks we can easily get it done in a day. I checked the forecast and the weather is supposed to be nice for the next two weeks, so we'll have time to tweak any last minute problems. The shed was never meant to be lived in so there are a few things to fix, but they are small.

We call Henry "the politician' because he poses whenever someone takes his picture

Fingers crossed for Rosie. As soon as I can get pictures of the kittens, I'll post them.

Ev

Hi, Agp027!

They do look alike. I love muted calico's, they are just so beautiful. Your cat has a sweet face.

My dad's coming to fix the window today, and he will also help me winterize the shed a bit. He's handy like a shirt pocket, Rosie will be ok.

I'm going to try to get pics of Rosie's kittens for sure

Ev

Thank you so does your's. I think that it's great that she's able to get used to her new environment before she has her babies. Does she have a cave in there? Momma cats love caves. I'm glad the shed is coming along I'm sure she'll love it. It's like she has her own little house haha