Making a feral into a housecat

Boris Diamond

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Wednesday the 16th of December, I took an eight month old feral male to my vets to be neutered.  I wanted to get him neutered earlier, but my vet is a friend and does this for my ferals for free and I have to do it when it fits his schedule.  I told him I was going to bring this cat into my home to live, so he tested for and gave shots for distemper, aids, leukemia and rabies.  I am happy to say this is a healthy cat.  I had a name for this cat, but I thought he was a female and the name I chose won't work for him.  Any suggestions considered.

This cat is confined to my bathroom and seems to be recovering from the surgery nicely.  Sunday (20th) he started eating from my fingers, though he would hiss first.  He gets fearful if he sees my eyes.  He likes to lie on a 5-6 inch wide window sill behind venetian blinds.  If I reach my hand around the blinds without looking, he will usually settle down.  Especially since that hand is often delivering food!  He does not want to be touched, but he will touch me.  He sniffs my hand.  He has put claws against my finger several times, just in warning I think, as he has not tried to hurt me.  He took to the litter box right away.  I have been reading in the bathroom so that he can get used to my presence.  I spend more time with him every day, though he is still a scared little kitty. 

He was born in a barn I don't use that is about 100 feet from my house, and I have fed him since his mother brought him to the feeding station.  His mother, Mollie (TNR'ed) is still a wild lady and a challenge at feeding time.  

He is dark grey with white chest and belly markings  He has a black nose and whiskers..  He has very nice yellow eyes.  

Since this cat has not been handled much, it may take some time to get him used to the indoor life and people.

I have never taken in a feral before.  Does anyone have any advice about how to make him feel at home more quickly?  Am I going too fast?

I have two other male cats who are interested in the new arrival.  When will I know it is time to introduce them?

Thanks in advance.

Here he is.

 

zed xyzed

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He is a handsome fellow. He looks like a Murphy to me. BTW people claim that the Feliway diffusers help calm a kitty  
 

shadowsrescue

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Time and patience is your friend.  You will want to try your best to be able to handle this cat in some way before you allow him out and about in your house.  I would allow him lots of time to settle into your home before doing any intros with the others. 

A few tips:

Spend lots and lots of time with him.  Sit on the floor at his level so that you are not looming over him.  Avoid eye contact Instead look over the top of his head.

You can just sit in his room and talk softly to him.  When you come to visit bring something yummy to eat.  Try plain cooked chicken or canned tuna.  Just offer him a piece.  He will learn to associate you with something yummy.  He may not eat it at first in your presence, but keep trying.

If he comes by you to sniff, you can offer him your close fits (knuckles pointing out).  This mimics the shape of a cats head and he might head butt you. 

Do you have a Feliway diffusers?  They can really help a cat to feel more calm.

I brought a feral/stray male cat into my home over 2 years ago.  He had a room of his own for one solid year.  For the first two months, I kept him in the room away from the rest of my animals.  He needed time to get used to me as well as getting used to living inside.  When I did start introductions, I started for slowly.  Things went well, but then I rushed the process at the end.  This really backfired.  I had to start over and it took months and months.  All I wanted was for the cats to learn to coexist.  This took one solid year.  After a year, the cats continued to progress and now they are best buds.  It just took so much work and baby steps.

THank you for rescuing him as well as caring for his Mama.  You are giving this little one a chance.  He may never be a warm and fuzzy lap kitty, but he has a safe loving home.  Also you never know what they can blossom into. 
 
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Boris Diamond

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Thank-you for your answers, @Zed Xyzed   and  @ShadowsRescue

Things are going well, much faster than I expected.

Yesterday, I put my hand behind the blinds and kitty rubbed his face on my hand.  I decided to rub him back and he accepted it.  After a few minutes of this, he pushed his head under the blinds and looked me right in the eye!  Then he got down on the floor.  I sat on the floor.  He came up to me, hesitantly, and rubbed his face against my hand.  I rubbed his face and neck.  Then I tried petting his back.  He was still a little shy, but he accepted it.  We had a petting session that lasted for 5 minutes!  He wants to cuddle.

Today we had several more petting sessions.  This seemed like a really sweet cat when he was living outside.  I think he is a cat that needs affection, and after a week in the bathroom with little physical contact, he was ready for some lovin'!  
  He still hisses from time to time, usually before he knows its me.  There is no one else here, he is just not sure until he sees me.

Today he made spraying motions, scratching with his feet and wiggling his tail while backed up to the bathtub next to me.  I did not smell anything.  He sprayed the night before the neutering when I had him inside.  The odor is what made me suspect he was male!  I hope he does not pick up the habit.  My other two cats scratch at the door, but haven't made a vocal ruckus.  I 'm sure new kitty can smell them.  And I'm giving extra affection to my other cats.  

Even though it's going well, I will take your advice about going slow, ShadowsRescue.  I have thought about trying to pick kitty up, but I don't think he's ready yet.

Petsmart says they have the Feliway dfifuser.  I am going there tonight to get one.  Thank-you both for the suggestion.

And "Murphy" is in the name hat, Zed Xyzed.
 

shadowsrescue

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He definitely isn't feral.  Most likely a stray with some feral tendencies!  You are making great progress.  Just give him some time to adjust before starting the intros.  I will post some articles on cat to cat intros and a video.  Just take the intros very very slowly.  I also found that using a cheap wooden screen door (around $20 at Lowes) attached to the door with tension rods is a great way to introduce cats when you get to that step.  I put a baby gate in the door way for extra protection.  It also allows the new kitty to see and hear the going ons of the household.  I only did this when I was home to supervise.  I will attach a picture of the set up I used too.

http://www.thecatsite.com/a/the-ultimate-yet-simplified-guide-to-introducing-cats

http://www.catbehaviorassociates.com/a-simple-little-trick-to-use-during-new-cat-introductions/

http://www.aspca.org/pet-care/virtual-pet-behaviorist/cat-behavior/introducing-your-cat-new-cat

http://jacksongalaxy.com/2010/10/01/cat-to-cat-introductions/


 
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Boris Diamond

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@ShadowsRescue   - The screen door is a good idea.  I have a sliding glass door between my living room and family room(used to be a porch) that is good for introductions.  I can leave it open just a little so they can smell each other, but it is too heavy for a cat to open any further - so far!  


Thank-you for the videos.

I hear what you are saying about him not being feral.  He has been sooo easy!  

But he was born around the first of May in an unused barn near my house and has lived in and around my large yard for his entire life. His mother Mollie brought these kittens to the feeding station when they were about four weeks old, about June first this year.   I have seen them several times a week since then and also at feeding time.  It's certainly possible that someone I don't know about has done work with him, but I don't know who.  I live in a sparsely populated area with only one close neighbor.  

I have fed this kitty twice a day since his mom brought him around and talked to him constantly when I saw him.  And he listened.  Maybe he was just used to me.

I'm pretty sure that I'm the first person to handle him other than the vet.  He may just be a very special loving little guy!
  I am very surprised it has been this easy.
 

shadowsrescue

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He trusts you and knows that you are his angel!  He knows he has hit the pot of gold  with a nice warm home to live in.

Your set up with the sliding door will work perfect.  You could even put a baby gate there too if you needed extra protection.

What you want to watch for is hissing, growling, posturing, ears going flat, swishing tail and chasing or biting.  These are all signs that the process is being rushed.  Some cats adapt very quickly.  It all depends on how territory oriented each cat is as well as their general disposition. 

What a wonderful life he will have with you!
 

robynandcakecat

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I have just been through this and I used the tips on how to tame a kitten. Use this link http://www.wikihow.com/Tame-a-Cat and follow the steps. I found this worked. Did you say you were looking for a name? I think Smokey would be a great name for that little fella! Also as you said he would not come out of your bathroom, try to use treats to lure him out if you need to. My cat also does not like it when she sees my eyes. I found if you just look away when she gets fearful it helps. For some cats that may not work. I think you should introduce the feral to the two male cats after she is used to humans and has calmed down. Then hopefully she shouldn't be aggressive towards you or the male cats.

Hope this helped, if you have any more questions about this just ask,

Thanks, robynandcakecat
 
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Boris Diamond

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you are a very kind person for taking this sweet boy into your home and life. 
Thank-you for saying that.  

From my point of view, I am the winner here.  I have this beautiful, affectionate creature that I have liked since I first saw him. Now he lives with me, and I will get his sweet love.  I feel almost selfish!

The experience has been very rewarding for me.  And there is no one else who would have done anything for him.

Mollie the mom is probably too wild to be comfortable inside, but If I can ever trap the bro, I will try to bring him inside also.  I hope Mollie is happy with her new life of not having kittens.  And I hope she will not miss her kittens too much.  

@robynandcakecat   and @ShadowsRescue   - Thanks for the information.  With introductions, I am nervous about my cat Diamond.  He is very aggressive to my other cat, though he gets put in his place from time to time as Boris is a very strong cat with large paws and claws.  And robynandcakecat, I like the name Smokey and I will strongly consider it.
 

StefanZ

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This depends largely on their exact health and immunology status.   So, if they are healthy ex semiferales, or fully vaccinated cats used to go outside, you can let them meet essentially very soon, as soon you dont think he doesnt carry any heavy infection.   May be good he has landed somewhat, you dont want to stress him up too much.

If they are inside only healthy cats - do take some quarantine, be sure he is dewormed and deparasited, you got him vet checked up, or at least had some time for observation and you see he is healthy - count with two weeks

If they have health immunology issues - take is slow and safe....

Cats taken if from outside are as a rule rather easy to introduce to home cats.  They are either used to meet other cats, and coexist - OR they are wanting to please themselves in into the company, being submissive to the resident.

Exceptions do occur, but not that commen.     The only big standing exception are territorial toms - be always sure you neuter the tom at least two weeks before you even try to let him meet your residents... but a full months is better.  Such a tom may be friendly to humans, but beat up your residents.
 
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Boris Diamond

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A small update - I'm thinking of calling him Romeo because he is such a lover.  He is still scared and hisses at me every once in a while.  But I can pet him at any time.  My eyes no longer scare him.  He really lays into me when I put my hand next to him.  When I am in the bathroom, he will come down from the window sill or out of the carrier and get pets.  He hides when I am not in the room.  I think he feels more confident when I am there.

When I am with him, he likes to explore the room and will sit by the door and yowl.  He wants out.  He did get out Christmas eve, but he ended up hiding in a pile of clothes and he was easy to return to the bathroom.  He first ran to the bedroom and I was able to get Diamond into the living room and shut the door, so I had no kitty interaction.  I used leather gloves and I probably would have had some small scratches without them.  Since he is so responsive to touch, I am going to try to pick him up in a few days.  He crawled into my lap yesterday and he likes to get between my arm and my body for snugs.  I really like this little guy.  I am so surprised at how well this is going!  It will be a little while before he is ready to meet the household kitties, but I am confident that Romeo will be ready before too long.  It will depend on how he is progressing and how much fear he is feeling  I hope the resident cats will be accepting.
 

I will take a fecal sample by the vets this week and talk to them about other parasitic health problems he might have.  Sometimes when I pet him I get a prickly itch on my hand or wrist.  I'm not sure what that could be.  I always wash my hands thoroughly when I finish handling him.  And I put on a robe that I keep in the room when I am with him.

I really appreciate the advice I have gotten here.  Thank you all so much.
 
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mani

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Such a lovely update. 


Romeo has definitely stolen your heart.
 

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He's a handsome boy! You've gotten lots of great advice already. I would just add to take it slowly and make sure he's really comfortable with you first before you consider introducing him to the other cats. Some things you can do to get the process started, however:

Start introducing them to one another's scents. Take something your other cats lay on (maybe a favorite cat bed?) or put a towel or old t-shirt down in one of their favorite spots, then after it's good and "scented" take that item in to Romeo and let him explore their smells. Do the same with him, take something he's been lounging on and place it somewhere your other cats can smell it.

When he's really comfortable with you, follow Jackson Galaxy's suggestion for a room swap. You put the other cats in Romeo's space and let Romeo explore more of the house.

Given that Romeo is a feral, I would suggest you control his exploration in the room swap. Rather than letting him have the run of the house right away, confine him to one room and let him explore that for awhile while the other two explore his space.

I would also suggest you start the practice of feeding them at the same time, on either side of the same door. Start getting them used to one another's presence and associating that with something positive.
 

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He's really really comming around fast! I agree - he's not 100% feral or he wouldn't have come around so quickly (I know it doesńt seem quickly at all from your end). I was giving to point you toward my toward my "sllllooooowwwwww intro" but don't think you need it! Err on the side of slow ---you can't get "slow back". You can start over, but slowers easier!!!!!!!! Treat often .”-and keep us posted often too!!!!
 
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Boris Diamond

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Another update - Over the holidays I was not able to spend as much time with him as I would have liked.  Work, travel and sick folks have occupied my time.  

He is still very affectionate.  If he is on the window sill when I come in, he feels safe and I can sweet talk him and reach under the blinds slowly and pet him.  I can then raise the blinds and look at him while petting him.  I can touch him anywhere I have tried, though feet and belly touches have been brief.  He responds very sweetly.  He nuzzles my hand and will lay into my whole arm if I put it up there.  He has a heavy purr.  I have known domestic cats that have never allowed me to pet them in the manner this cat has allowed.  I am excited about what he can become. 

Several times he has been on the floor when I came in, and he panics. He will jump up on things and fall off because he is so panicked that he is not thinking clearly.  He usually keeps this up until he is on the window sill.  If I get his attention, squat quickly, don't look at him and hold my hand out while crawling closer to him, he will hold his ground and wait to sniff my hand.  Then he nuzzles my hand and petting ensues.  I said that I can pet him anytime.  I guess I was bragging a little.  It always takes some effort, even when he is on the window sill.  I am able to pet him each time I try.  It just takes time.

Twice today when I came in he was on the floor and looked afraid, but did not panic.  I quickly squatted and did the rest of the routine successfully.  I was so happy to see him not panic.  He might get hurt!.  He did do a cute little hiss.  He needs a greeting reassurance each time I come into his room.

When he is on the window sill, I will sit on the floor and call to him.  Usually he will come down.  He goes to the other side of the room and watches me.  I hold out my hand and he comes near.  He can get pretty affectionate then.  He does not go exploring when I am in there.  He stays near me and wants physical contact.  I have more time to spend with him now, and I hope to see more progress.

I took a fecal sample to the vets and he tested negative for parasites, though he could be between cycles.  They said that since he is a feral, it would be a good idea to give him a general parasite med and they gave me Profender.  I got it just before closing yesterday and I will wait until tomorrow when they are open again to give it to him just in case he has a reaction.  Unlikely, I know, but since they say he tested negative, I see no reason to be in a hurry.

The Feliway diffuser did not seem to work for him.  Or at least, both times I left it plugged in overnight he spent the next day lying in the litter box! 


His claws are scary.  I have an extra scratching post and a scratching pad I have put in the bathroom.  I hope he learns to use them.

I have not decided on a name for him.  A friend suggested "Sammy."  It seems to fit him.  I have called him the names suggested here and the name I came up with and Sammy might fit him best.

@StefanZ   I have a purebred that is not vaccinated  so I will take your advice and go slowly.  The new kitty has been checked for aids, leukemia, distemper and rabies, and has been vaccinated against same.  I will treat him for parasites tomorrow morning.  It will be at least two weeks, one month total, until I introduce them.  It will depend on how the new guy is progressing.  

@juleska  I have put several items that have my other cats odor in the room.  I also let my housecats in that room while I cleaned it today.  They are curious, but their behavior has not changed.  I put the new kitty in my bedroom but left him in the carrier.  He would be hard to catch!  When he feels more comfortable with me I will try the room swapping and eating on the other side of the door.  He usually does not eat when I am in the room except when I put the food on the window sill.

@kittychick    - It is going well, but there is still wildness in the new kitty.  Your advice about going slow is right on the button!

Once again thanks to everyone for all the great advice and information.  I feel so much more confident and assured by it.  It has made this much easier.
 
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zed xyzed

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great work!! It sounds like you are doing all the right things and that he is going to be a very sweet guy once he gets a little more comfortable
 
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Boris Diamond

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Small update - I saw something I did not like while checking him for sign of parasites.  It was a small white mucus covered thing halfway out of his rear.  I was able to wipe it off.  I'm no expert and I'm not sure what it is, but I decided to go ahead and give him the Profender.  That was over 12 hours ago and he seems to be doing fine.

I have spent more time with him today and he is not nearly as afraid of me standing now.  He looks intimidated  -  "Man, I didn't know you were that big!"  But he does not run.  

He was in the litter box today for hours.  I will move it.  It is in a protected spot under the sink.  I will put it in the open where it is less inviting and secure and put a towel or blanket under the sink.

Thanks everyone for the good thoughts and encouraging words.  
 

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Small update - I saw something I did not like while checking him for sign of parasites.  It was a small white mucus covered thing halfway out of his rear.  I was able to wipe it off.  I'm no expert and I'm not sure what it is, but I decided to go ahead and give him the Profender.  That was over 12 hours ago and he seems to be doing fine.

I have spent more time with him today and he is not nearly as afraid of me standing now.  He looks intimidated  -  "Man, I didn't know you were that big!"  But he does not run.  

He was in the litter box today for hours.  I will move it.  It is in a protected spot under the sink.  I will put it in the open where it is less inviting and secure and put a towel or blanket under the sink.

Thanks everyone for the good thoughts and encouraging words.  
Is there any chance you can get him to a vet? That ear may need medicated drops and should be checked out. Good idea moving the litter box. Is he actually using the litter box? If not, where is he going?
 
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Boris Diamond

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@juleska     - You missed an r!  
  It is his rear (or anus) that had the small white mucus covered thing.  I thought it might be part of a worm, so I gave him the Profender.  I will ask the vet's office about it Monday.  

He has been using the litter box for elimination and lying in it.  I moved the litter box to a less protected spot.  He has not used it for a bed since then.

He is much calmer.  He is still scared when I stand up, but I don't have to sit on the floor any more.  Noises make him jump.  It will be a while until I can introduce him to the other kitties.  But we are making good progress!

His claws don't look right.  They are thick, white and very uneven looking.  If I get a picture, I will post it.  He is camera shy.   I will ask the vet about that Monday also.
 
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