Stressing about feral brought inside

narelle

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Hi all. I came across this forum reading about turning ferals into indoor cats, but I'm getting worried about my new kitty so I thought I'd ask for input.

So I work at a public aquarium, working with the animals, and grew up around cats my whole life. I had a wonderful kitty that basically taught me cat language, so I feel I have a pretty good understanding of feline behavior.

At work, there have always been cats around here and there. Someone at a neighboring business feeds them, so they always find their way over to us. I fell in love with one particluar cat, who I named Astrid, and started feeding her and talking to her whenever I saw her, planning to get her used to me enough that I could get close and snatch her up and drop her in a kennel.

But cats can carry diseases that otters can contract, which means as Astrid got comfortable enough that she was noticed by management, they decided she needed to go.

A week ago today they caught her in a cat trap and gave her to the local TNR group (though her ear was clipped, so she was obviously already spayed). Everyone at work knew I wanted her, so they made sure the right person got ahold of me and told the TNR group I wanted to adopt. They took her to their vet and had her tested for FIV/FeLV (negative) and gave her a rabies shot, and then I picked her up from there.

Everything went great for most of the week. She was eating and drinking consistently, and even using the litterbox right off the bat! (We have a couple reasons we suspect she may have been a pet at some point, and not a true feral.) Friday I went back to the vet that had seen her to ask about oral flea medication that I could hide in her food, and they gave me Comfortis.

Since she had been doing well, I've started spending a little time in there with her singing and talking to her every time I go in (twice a day to clean litter, replace food and water, and make sure she doesn't have wet food out for too long).

The last two days she's pretty much stopped eating. Two days ago she didn't touch her wet food but ate two bites of dry and the treats I left out for her. Yesterday she just ate some of the treats. She has still been using the litterbox consistently and everything looks pretty normal in there.

Last night I slept in the room with her and while I think I noticed her in the bed at one point while I was there, she didn't eat or drink or use the litterbox all night.

Definitely concerned. Not sure if I'm pushing too much or if the Comfortis made her sick (trusted the vet and didn't research the drug, now all the horror stories have me really stressed). Right now I'm planning to give her two days of minimal interaction and see if maybe I was moving too fast for her.

Other things that have come up - since she was suddenly trapped and had to be picked up, I didn't have time to cat proof the room, which means she's been living under the bed. I do plan to try to gradually block things off, but it won't be easy the way its set up. But for now I haven't even seen her since I set her loose (other than the tip of her tail poking out briefly this morning).

She also hates the blinds? I cleared a windowsill and pulled the blinds up enough for a kitty to comfortably look out. The other day we heard her from the opposite end of the house tearing up the blinds, so I pulled them pretty much all the way up and out of reach. This morning she jumped to reach them and grab them (must have been off of furniture, they are very high off of the ground). I put them all the way up and tucked everything in, I can't possibly get it further out of reach without removing them from the wall entirely, so I hope that's enough?

Since the windows are wide open though, my mom was able to sneak around to the window and saw her sleeping in the middle of the bed the other day, which is why I thought she was comfortable enough with her surroundings for me to try to move forward a little with getting her used to me.

I've never really been around feral cats before. Difficult cats, but not ferals. She was so comfortable with me at work, let me get pretty close and we slow blinked back and forth a lot. Now she's home and seems so stressed and I just want to make her happy. :( I have been giving her calming treats (and one of my resident cats that's been on edge since she realized there's something in that room, and they've definitely had a positive effect on her), but I don't know if they're helping Astrid at all.

I don't know, I'm just worried. Any opinions or advice? Am I stressing too much or do I have cause for concern? I can't really get her in to the vet as things are and I haven't seen her to confirm that she's okay, so I'm kind of stuck just stressing and hoping she eats. I might stop and talk to my vet (who hasn't seen her yet) today anyways, though I'm sure they'll tell me they can't really do anything unless I bring her in...
 

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I remember one stray cat in our neighborhood I called Timmy (see my pics, he was the kitty behind those glowing orbs!)  He wasn't exactly feral, but he sure acted like one when inside.  He showed up one day with a wound over his right eye.  Some IDIOT in my neighborhood - I can't say for sure but I strongly suspect the redneck across the street who hates cats - may have shot him with a BB gun or something.  I finally got Timmy into my garage and had plans to take him to the vet for treatment.  He went ape.  I mean ape.  I had to let him out or else he would have torn up jack, and injured himself in the process.  It was sadly the last time I ever saw him.  Either that idiot finished him off or he died from the infected wound.  

When I brought my feral kitties indoors, I had trouble with the younger ones because they'd never known anything but the outdoors.  But they did adjust.  It just took time.  I had already kitty-proofed the house because I had had Sammy and Garfy for years by then (Garfy just died that same year.)  

Be careful opening doors, of course, they can slip out quickly!  I don't know why she has stopped eating.  That is really concerning.  She has to eat and drink.  Can you call a mobile vet to see her?  
 

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It sounds like you are doing everything right, but I would call the vet and say you can't bring her in because it would stress her too much, but could her medication be causing the lack of an appetite? She has to start eating, you might entice her with tuna or canned chicken, or even cut up hot dogs, you can worry about her diet later. If she will eat treats, give her treats.The calming treats may have something to do with it too, half the dose or quit it completely for a while and see how she does. Sitting quietly in the room and speaking softly to her will help her get used to you, but I have seen cats take WEEKS to come out from under the bed, only coming out at night to eat and explore. She is going through a tremendously stressful time right now, so none of what you are going through is unheard of, patience and time is all you need. Sleeping in the same room is a good idea, as long as it doesn't prevent her from exploring.  I would almost bet that the medication may be to blame.

She may also be stressed out from your resident cats, when she is more normal and is eating and allowing you to pet her, a screen door or something to allow them to see each other would be helpful. I found one for 20.00 at a building center, it worked perfectly. Just make sure it is very securely installed (screw holes can always be filled in with colored putty) and it has a latch that can be locked, I had a determined cat that hit it so hard it came open, and the attack that happened then was not good at all, and set everyone back to square one! There are many threads about introducing cats, please look at these when you are ready.  One good thing, cats seem to be much more receptive towards a female then they are towards a male, so that is on your side. Your resident female is going to feel threatened though, she's been 'queen' of the house, so make sure there are high places that everyone can get to if they need to get away. Bless you for loving her and trying to help, she just doesn't realize how lucky she is right now. I send you my prayers, I hope everything turns out, keep us posted! 
 
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narelle

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Astrid only has issues with the blinds so far and otherwise seems to be relatively calm, aside from the expected nervousness. I am very confident she will adapt very well to indoor life given time. The vet that saw her thinks she is 3, definitely an adult, so she is outside the normal window that is usually used when bringing in a feral cat. But like I said, she seems like she might have had a house at one point. She also was living at an aquarium, so she was around a lot of people and busy foot traffic.

I do have a barricade up between her and the door so I have a buffer zone, but I do always open the door slowly and carefully in case she gets past it.

Some of the side effects of Comfortis are "anorexia" and lethargy, so it very likely could be the meds. I am really freaked out by the Comfortis though because there are a lot of stories of people's perfectly healthy cats dying after taking it, especially petite animals (overdoses). I definitely won't be using it again. Which is a shame, because an oral med is much easier to administer in this case.

I'm definitely going to try more kinds of foods for her and try to get her to eat something. Before I looked into the drug's side effects, I was wondering if she might have realized she didn't have to worry about the food going away and was holding out for foods she liked better. So I'll be picking up more of the food she's already eaten to try some of that too.

I think I'll hold off on sleeping in there again until she's back to eating consistently. I think I freaked her out and she hid all night, with me sleeping on top of her base camp. I may have imagined it or dreamt it, but I swear I woke up at one point and felt little kitty footsteps on the bed next to me. So hopefully she at least checked me out while she had the chance to, which was the main goal.

I was planning to wait to introduce her to my other animals until she was more used to people. I was worried that might be extra stress on her. The cats are very affectionate so I know I smell like them, which is at least a bit of an introduction on that end. Max and Suzie, my other cats, have smelt the bag of waste scooped out of her litterbox a couple of times and don't seem too fazed. Suzie was a little nervous at first, but Max was just curious. He's a pretty chill cat. Suzie's an odd cat, but not the most dominant personality. Her brother is the boss of the house. He'll be the first to meet Astrid, but I don't think Suzie will be too much of a problem, she just might need to get used to Astrid a little longer. Max is very curious about what I do in the room with Astrid and more than once has waited at the door to try and come in with me or tried to open it while I was in there.

We do also have an older medium+ dog, but she will be the last to meet Astrid. I don't know what kind of experience Astrid has with dogs, but my late cat Sally (a petite tortie like Astrid) was not big on dogs and bullied Emma, our dog, when she was a puppy. She isn't too bad with cats, but she does growl and lift her lip a bit if they get in her space when she doesn't want them there. (Max is madly in love with her and sings and rubs on her. Suzie mostly ignores her, but Emma thinks she'll play with her. So she tolerates them and sometimes shows some affection, even if they bug her sometimes.)
 
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narelle

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Yesterday Astrid still only ate a couple of treats, and where she had at least still used the litterbox like normal on the previous days of not eating, only left one clump of pee. I was really worried and ready to catch her up and drag her to the vet if there was no change, as difficult as I knew that would be for everyone.

I had been leaving wet food out during the day, and only dry food and treats out at night, but last night I left her a wet food she had already eaten once and a ton of treats.

And she ate! :D I'm so relieved. She ate the whole plate of wet food, some of her dry food, and about half of the treats, and drank a notable amount of water as well. (And filled up the litterbox like she had been doing before.)

I had been prepared to bait her with anything she would eat, so I brought a bite of cooked chicken and a can of the same brand of wet food with me this morning, so I left them for her anyways and topped off her dry food and treats. I'm wondering if she was eating too much at once and if I need to start portioning her food? She didn't empty the bowl of dry food, so I didn't think she was quite in eat while its available mode. For now she still has plenty available, I don't want her to stop eating again.

I read about the Feliway diffusers when I was doing all the reading about feral cats that brought me here, but was not excited about the price tag on something I was unsure of. (I wasn't confident it would make any difference and I was worried it might have something in it that would set off my terrible allergies.) But I was desperate, so I bought one and added it to the room yesterday. I don't know if it made a difference in her eating or not, but I will definitey be keeping it on until she has been fully worked into the house.
 

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I have found Feliway to be very helpful especially when bringing in a new cat.  At first I wasn't sure if it was the Feliway working or if time and patience were just making things better.  Then I started to notice different behavior issues and more skittishness.  I finally figured out the Feliway was empty ( they only last 4-6 weeks).  Once I popped in a new one, things were back to normal. 

I find that you can find the refills much cheaper online.  Check Amazon or EntirelyPets.  Both often have really good deals.
 
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narelle

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Thanks for the tip on the Feliway!

Astrid is back to eating regularly. :) Whatever caused her to stop seems to have passed?

Though I am still a little bit worried I'm letting her eat too much? She has a bowl of dry food out all the time that I keep filled and in the mornings I give her a whole small can of wet food. She usually eats all of the wet food and some dry food over the course of the day, and then up to about half her little bowl of dry food overnight. And a few treats. That seems like a lot for a little 6lb cat. But I don't really want to cut back her food too much until she starts coming out...I'm not sure. I need to check serving sizes.

I'd prefer to have her on meal feeding, but the family cats free feed and so far I haven't made any progress getting the rest of the family to agree on changing. (They are overweight, so they would definitely benefit from portioned meals...)

I am slowly starting to block off hiding places like the closet and under the bed, and have some new cave style cat beds coming in the mail for her. So hopefully that will help with getting her out and about a bit?

Definitely open to any suggestions as I am new to this. I want to go more at her pace, not push her too much unless she seems to have stalled, but I am dying to at least get a peek at her again.
 
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narelle

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Ah! I'm not home during the day often, but today I am off work and was doing a project outside. So I went to sneak a peek in the window and I saw Astrid!

She was eating or drinking, but turned away from the bowls towards the bed and froze when she saw me. I only looked for a second then left (I wanted the be the one to leave her, not have her run off scared). I wish I had thought to slow blink at her first.

She looked like she might have been a little puffed up? I think I startled her. I was going to pay her an extra visit today since I'm home, but I think I'll give her space in case I really did spook her. I don't want her to be scared to eat or to push too much at once and overdo it.
 

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I usually find it's ok to "push it" a bit as far as just "being around." I never push picking up (since most of the time it's out of the question) or petting - but I do spend lots of time with them even from the very beginning. I work from home which helps :) You probably did startle her, but it will lessen only with exposure and time combined. Time alone will rarely do it. I know - I hate seeing them scared. But I remind myself it helps in the long run.

I'm probably not the one to ask about the portioning/free feeding since, as my husband points out, even several of our feral kitties have gotten to be a bit beyond the "pleasingly plump" category. We actually even free feed the ferals in the winter (no raccoons then) with hard, and supplement with soft. But, again - "pleasingly plump" probably isn't the best "outdoor shape" to be in. :)

Definitely block off as much as possible if you truly are socializing - limiting what she can "cave in" to things you can control - - the beds sound perfect. It is a process...but it sounds like you're a compassionate person willing to work with her slowly!

Off to feed our always-hungry indoor bunch and check on the wide-range-of-girth outside guys :)
 
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narelle

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Since you thought I could be around a little more without overdoing it, I decided to spend another night in there. I slept in there last night and she moved around like normal despite me being there. No change in her eating this time. Definitely thinking it was the Comfortis.

Now I have a dilemma with the bed though. I know that letting her hide under the bed is not a good thing. So I was planning on taking that hiding place away from her.

But the bed is in a tight place and has a trundle (+ memory foam layer) underneath it. Between the two, there's not really any visible space between the floor and the top matress. She seems to be squeezing in anyways.

So my plan was to remove the top matress, then the bed skirt, then with the frame exposed we could at least see each other, which I figured would be enough. I wouldn't be able to reach her, but I haven't even pet her yet so I'm not too concerned. If that wasn't enough I'd remove the frame and just stack the matresses, but that wouldn't be easy and would be very disruptive of her safe quiet space, so I'd rather not do that if I can help it.

My dilemma is that taking away the mattress as planned would mean that I couldn't sleep in there anymore. But I really feel that sleeping in the room with her is a very beneficial thing to do. Its the most time I get to spend in there.

So which has more value? (Or I guess, more value at the moment?) Not letting her hide under the bed or sleeping in the room with her?

My family did suggest that we could remove the trundle and then block off under the bed, but I'm really not so sure that we can get it out, and certainly not without scaring her. Not crazy about completely throwing away whatever trust I've built with her so far.
 

kittychick

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I'm torn about the bed. I'm curious what others will say. We always keep our fosters - and any kittens/cats we're socializing - in a huge full basement spare bedroom. And once we didn't take the bed frame up/put mattress on the floor --- just thought we'd block it off well---or so we thought. The kitten kept finding tiny ways in under the bed. I do like to sleep with the kitties I'm socializing as much as I can, so we finally decided to take the bed apart & put the mattress on the floor, even though it involved chasing the kitten out & hammering, etc. You can guess - TOTALLYterrified the kitten. In fact, then she then found her way into two tiny "weak spots" in areas we thought we had blocked off - under a dresser, and wedged behind & under a TV. Needless to say - more chasing. Poor kitten was beyond terrified - even though we tried to be as gentle in possible when "displacing her" both times. But once we truly had everything blocked but her kitty carrier (& a box in top shape of it we call "the kitty condo") - she actually came around more quickly (eventually sleeping with me when I stayed down there. We had made such baby steps so slowly till she truly was relatively "forced" to deal with me sharing her space.

So I guess my short answer (after a long explanation) is that Id block her from getting under there by the least terror-inducing way possible. And that means truly blocking (cats fit into AMAZINGLY tiny spaces- after doing this for years I still am periodically shocked by the tiny spaces they can wedge into). Even if it means disassembling the bed. Definitely do it the least panic-inducing way for her -- but do it completely. Having to repeat the process will just stretch it out. Because generally in my experience (but others may disagree!!!!!) they longer they can hide, they longer they WILL hide! I know you hate losing her trust by making noise, changing the space and forcing her out. But usually they forgive more quickly than you'd believe.

Anyone else have thoughts?
 
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narelle

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I think I've decided that the bed has to go. I know its only been 2 weeks, so its still very soon, but I am off again today and spent a lot of time in there and she doesn't seem to have the slightest inclination to be anywhere but completely hidden under the bed when I'm in there.

On my first visit, I put out her wet food and then sat and read to her for awhile. No response, so I left so she'd have a chance to eat the food before it sat out too long.

Second visit I didn't say much or move much, just quietly layed in bed surfing on my phone. After awhile I dropped treats down beside the bed on three sides to lure her out. Still nothing.

I didn't expect her to come out and see me, but maybe a quick peek? A paw reaching out to pull the treats to safety? Something?

I know that's still probably expecting a lot, but I feel like I'm not really going to make any progress at this rate. Today my dad needs to get something big out of the room she's in, which will already be really disruptive, so if we have enough time I think I might see about getting the bed situation sorted out too. Its going to go all at once if possible, just mattresses on the floor. Depending on how easy that is to do. That way its one big change at once and then nothing else major to bother her.

[I worry that I am still rushing too much. I am impatient to get to the real bonding stage, where she's comfortable enough to come out around me and we are getting to know one another. I try not to let my excitement about having her here influence my decisions too much. But it certainly doesn't help that no one around me seems to understand that this takes time. My family asks every time I visit her if she's come out yet. Since she came from my work place, everyone there knows I have her and asks about her. But even though all of these people work with animals as well, they seem to expect her to have already turned into a house pet, and when I tell them how far we've gotten they act like she'll never be close to tame. It is discouraging and frustrating. I think I'd be a lot better at this if it weren't for the peanut gallery rushing me.]
 
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narelle

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Well we did it. All the big, scary disruptive moving. And it was terrible and traumatic for everyone involved.

We had to turn the light on to see, as we were only both home in the evening. We got the first stuff moved around, then dismantled the bed down to mattresses on the floor. She was hiding under the trundle, so we had to totally remove that too.

When we took that away she was terrified. She ran and jumped at the window, trying to claw her way up it. She fell a couple of times (on her side not her feet, but on the trundle which hopefully cushioned her), but eventually managed to scramble her way up the window to cling to the curtain rod. She was barely hanging on, staring at us, completely terrified. My dad took the trundle out and I closed the door behind him and moved the mattresses back. I'm sure I was radiating anxiousness, which didn't help, but I did try slow blinking at her and she made a point of blinking back. Not really slow, but pointed. I didn't let my dad back in. I left out wet food and treats and left her to find her way down.

This morning she had used the litterbox, drank water, and ate her favorite of the treats. I added a cat tree and warm bed to the room and left treats on those too. It was hard to tell, but it looked like she barely touched either wet or dry food, if at all. She didn't come out.

I was just in there for her evening visit and what I found was basically the same as this morning. I don't think she touched the wet food at all, but she did have a bite or two of dry. I stayed for a little bit and sang to her. I heard her moving around a lot, but it looks like she found her way onto the closet now. So all that fuss accomplished nothing because now she's even more inaccessible. (Removing what my dad needed meant changing the way I had the closet blocked off. It has no doors, so we had to build things up in front of it. He did the barricade this time, and during this last visit I found where he missed blocking off one spot that made a perfect little cat door for her.)

I'm so upset with how things went
So upset that we made her that upset. That scared. That was so terrible. I'm really worried about her.
 

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Oh dear!  I'm so sorry for how things went!  When a cat's safe place has been taken away, they go ape.  I saw this too when I moved my kitties to my current place.  My eldest sibling (who hates cats) helped me move the sofa, she had the bright idea to flip it over really fast knowing fully well they were all under there and would go scattering.  I did not protest but I really wish I had!  They went flying everywhere at breakneck pace.  Ned cut his lip trying to get through a closed window.  It was horrible.  Later that day, again, they were under the same sofa now in the new place.  This time, it turned out much better, so I learned a lesson.  Never move cats with a sibling who hates them. It won't go well.  

They got better!  It took about a week with just me here at the house, no one else and no sibling.  Your kitty will get better.  She just needs time, and peace and quiet.  
 

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I know how it feels - we've had very traumatic "maneuvering of hidden holes"  like the one I described a few posts back - in reality it was MUCH more traumatic than my short description - - we actually resorted to pushing her out with a broom ---again, real description would take forever - -but suffice it to say, we beyond terrified this poor cat. And - a lot like your kitty and the closet - -after the terrifying removal of the bed frame - - the panicked kitty wedged herself under and behind a tv. It was so small a space that we actually thought somehow this cat had just vanished (we logically knew she couldn't have -  but we searched that room for about 40 minutes before finally having a calm, cat-loving neighbor come help us look. Took the three of us over an additional 30 minutes of searching to finally find this kitty (so in total it took three adults almost an hour and a half to find one small cat in 15 x 25 room where everything was - - or so we thought - totally blocked off. What's that saying "people plan and God just laughs?" - - that's how we felt. And afterward - like your kitty, we got so worried about her as I think it was almost 3 days before she ate more than one or two bites of hard food in a full day.

So I COMPLETELY understand your worry - - your frustration - - your panic that you've screwed this little one (and your relationship with her) up beyond all recognition. I can almost guarantee you (although of course nothing is 100%) that you didn't!!!!!! Make sure she has one or two good "hiding places" that you approve of :) We usually have a very select few things a kitty can actually "hide" inside within the kitty socialization room ---all things that I can really look into to keep tabs on them during the socialization process. Small areas (vs the vast expanse of under the bed). We always provide the kitty with  a cat carrier (we use a medium sized one lined in blankets with a beach towel draped over the sides (covering all the side/back holes) so it feels more cave-like and they feel more secure. Then (depending on the cat) we either tie open the crate door or remove it entirely before we put it in the room (plus of course we provide cuddly softness inside the crate for them to curl up on). We often also provide (depending on size of cat/kittens - - sometimes we put a box (like with a pair of kittens we usually use a shoebox) on top of the kitty carrier (with cut up soft fleece blanket fabric inside) - as most of our socialization kitties end up using that rather than the carrier once they get a little more brave. Then we always provide one other "hidey hole" - - we use one section of a soft-sided small  "cat condo" from Walmart. It was really cheap - has mesh on two sides so they'e a bit more exposed, plus we can see them, and a hole in the front for coming and going. A box with a large hole cut into it, filled with soft towels/blankets is just as perfect. Places like I describe/we use offer them security - - they feel like they're still hiding - - but I can see them easily, and can eventually with most even graduate to starting to pet while they're in their "caves.": Under a bed or in a closet they have all the advantage. 

I realize that the closet is a hurdle now. But not an insurmountable one. Without seeing it - - I can only offer basic advice. It may involve actually moving things around and scaring her a bit to force the move. But don't try to force her to vacate till she has another "hide hole" to go to. 

And she will eventually eat and drink. Her hunger will eventually force that when you're not around. I'd give her a bit more space (time) for the next day or two - - - but don't leave her alone 24/7. It's important for her to start to understand that you're part of her world now. Come in, sit in the room but a ways away from her/the closet - -and the food/water. Continue the quiet talking/reading/radio. If you can at least 3-4 times a day - for at least a half hour each time (if possible - if not - do what you can). When you come in, start softly talking before you even enter the room so she isn't startled by you just coming in. Let her have a little warning. And I'd come in every time with something REALLY yummy and fragrant (I know some people use things like Kentucky Fried Chicken bits with the coating  peeled off)- - - put it in her bowl, then go to your "reading/chatting" spot. 

Don't wait too long before providing the other "caves" and rousting her from the closet. She will forgive you. And once she starts to - I know it's hard to believe now - but it will be faster than it would have under the bed (or in the closet)>

You didn't do anything wrong :) 
 
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narelle

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Thank you both for the reassurance.

Unfortunately, I am a bit low on good hiding places for her. As per a suggestion in my "Products for Bush Dwellers?" thread, I picked up some camo netting and draped it around her cat tree and some of the furniture this morning, so hopefully that helps her feel a little more comfortable. Unfortunately, the nice cave-like beds won't be coming until the end of February! No idea why its going to take so long, I ordered in early January. I've been meaning to locate a nice box for her and to make her a diy tent out of a shirt that smells like me, I probably ought to make that a bit more of a priority now that the bed has been taken out of the equation.

She did eat a whole plate of wet food the other day, but then stopped again. Last night she ate half of a small portion. So that's something I guess. As much as I don't want to be feeding her unhealthy things, I caved and brought her home a can with fish in it, since she seems to be a fan. I just don't want to get her hooked on fish and give up on poultry entirely, since she already seems to be becoming a picky eater. She turned her nose up at the healthiest food I've gotten ahold of so far, which I wanted to make one of her main staples.

With my work schedule, I don't have a lot of time most days to spend in there. Maybe two half an hour visits max, if I have the time for a long visit before work. That's why I really wanted to make sure I could still sleep in there. I also can't set a routine for my visits because my schedule is a bit variable. But I do announce myself before I enter every time, so she at least has a little warning.
 
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narelle

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This morning when I went in to take care of Astrid, she must have been on the bed (opposite side of the room from the closet) and dove into hiding when she heard me about to come in. She snuck her way back to the closet while I was in there, but then jumped up and climbed the barricade around it! (Nothing short of doors on the closet will keep this cat out...but they're thoroughly buried in the attic.) She froze on top and looked at me (the sound of the plastic bag as I went to scoop her litterbox startled her I think) and I slow blinked at her a couple of times, but otherwise tried not to look her in the eye and just spoke softly to her.

I was excited all day because this felt like huge progress!

But then when I went in for her evening visit, I found that she hadn't eaten a thing. Not even a single treat! No water either. She did at least use the litterbox.

I am back to being very very worried. I had stopped and got a bunch of new things for her, including stocking up on canned food, so I left some food she had previously eaten out for her. Also cat grass.

I also got a sweet new toy and waved that around for a bit, though I wasn't sure where she was or if she could even see me.

Fingers crossed she eats tonight. I think she's switched to a nocturnal schedule, so it might be a little more likely that she'll actually eat overnight?
 

molly92

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I always recommend adapting some of the strategies from this page: http://bestfriends.org/resources/socializing-very-shy-or-fearful-cats. It really helped me turn a scared semi-feral older kitten into a loving pet. It sounds like you're doing a lot of things right!

For the eating, she probably does feel safer at night and maybe that's when she would prefer to come out and eat. I use baby food (chicken or turkey Gerber or Beechnut in jars) when I'm worried about a cat not eating, because it smells enticing, it's easy to eat, and it's mild on the stomach. You can also try sprinkling some parmesan cheese or mixing in a little tuna with her food to get her more used to it. Sometimes cats don't like a food, but sometimes it just takes them time to adjust to the texture and taste.
 
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narelle

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Great progress with Astrid!

Last night, for her evening visit, she was out and about again and I heard her scramble up into the closet as I came in. (I gave her a moment to get situated so hopefully she wouldn't feel quite so ambushed.)

I expected her to be burrowed in hiding somewhere, but when I finally glanced that way I saw kitty eyes shining in the dark! She sat and watched me the whole time I was in there.

I pulled out that toy I had bought her and did a very convincing rendition of a prey animal (or at least I think so). And she was all about that! Super interested in the tiny thing moving around in her room, just still not quite sure about me being in there with it. (This toy.)

So I slept in there last night. I didn't realize she was behind the mattresses when I came in, so I think I really freaked her out when I went and sat down on them. She rushed back under all the safe places to get to the closet. But it wasn't too scary because she still moved around in the night while I slept, though she still didn't eat much.

I put the toy and a bag of treats under my pillow, so when I woke up this morning I pulled it out again. She was back in her spot in the closet, watching!

I think this toy is going to be what gets her to come out. She doesn't seem very motivated by free food, but a tiny thing to catch is super exciting.

Food is still an issue. She still barely eats most days. I think I need to give in and stop trying the healthier food options - she likes nutro (max cat and perfect portions), I guess I'll just have to stick to those for now and try healthier food again after she becomes however much of a house cat she'll turn out to be.

I'll finish the stock of foods I just brought home (which does include quite a bit of nutro) then mostly just stick to the ones she eats. I did find somewhere locally, though a bit out of the way, that sells tiki cat, so she'll have to put up with me trying to get her to eat those. Hopefully she likes them.
 
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