Our New Family Member "Sushi"

Last week on Tuesday, we picked up our new family member "Sushi" at our local shelter. The paperwork said "stray" although people there said that she's most likely a "feral". She's a domestic shorthair, super adorable and they estimated her age to be roughly 7 months. We got her spayed and vaccinated at the shelter.

First day was a rough one. We had all the supplies and everything, and when we brought her home she jumped out of her carrying box and started looking around the bedroom right away. She soon found the bed and hid under it. The first day when we tried to feed her, she hissed at us and ran out of the room and tried to hide behind the refrigerator in the kitchen. We decided to give her all the space she needs. Sooner or later she was back in the bedroom under the bed, although she would still not eat for 2 days. Finally, on the third day we decided that we'll duct tape a spoon on the end of a broom stick and try feeding her with some chicken baby food. She seemed OK with us slowly pushing the spoon towards her. When it got very close to her she finally smelled it and dug in. This was our first breakthrough with her.

For the next day we started feeding her with some canned food: kitten formula, chicken, tuna, etc. She would only eat from her bowl when we were not around, but it seems like a week later she's finally eating with us being present on the other side of the room.

She's still very afraid of us, and I try to give her as much space as possible, but she's been under the bed for over a week now, and she won't come out even in the middle of the night. At least we don't know of her coming out. She might when we're not around, although I feel like she's just under the bed 24/7.

The room was cleared out from anything she might be scared of or she could break, and we have a new cat tree, scratchers, toys and water fountain for her in the room. I try to talk with her with a soothing voice whenever I'm in the room by laying on the ground with her level, and I also try to play some soft relaxing cat music. This makes her sleep like a relaxing kitty. But she won't nudge from under the bed. Maybe she needs a few more weeks?

Are we currently on the right path? Should we change something about how we take care of her? Any tips would be appreciated.

Thank you! 

Congratulations on adding a new family member. 

It depends on the cat but this can be normal. It is a new place and it is scary. She is still young. She needs to feel confident. So I think building confidence will be key. Toys and food help in that.

First off, is she using her litter box? Is her litter box under the bed or elsewhere?

Do you have a little cat bed hideaway or something like that in the room? Could you get something like that along with an open cat bed?

Some people also swear by the cat calming aids with Feliway.

I would guess she is coming out from under the bed when you are gone and she is exploring. Make sure your scent is in the room, especially near the food and water.

You have the cat tree, is there anything else of height like a dresser in the room?

I like using food and treats but also toys can be used. They have a stick with feathers on the end and that can be used to get her out from under the bed. Playing with that and her "hunting" should help build confidence.

You can use treats as a trail out from under the bed.

When she is out close your eyes slowly (cat kisses).

It seems like you love the cat and I think the cat will realize that. Just talk to her, play with here, make sure your scent is present, she is well fed, her litter box is clean etc and she'll come around. She will feel the love. Just don't corner her or make her feel pushed, let it be on her terms. She'll come out and eventually rub on you then it will progress where she wants you to pet her eventually,

Do you have any other cats or dogs? Any noises in the house? Loud music, kids playing?

Keep up the good work

You need to put the bed flat on the floor or pick it up.  If she keeps hiding under the bed, there is no way for you to work with her.  You really don't want to give her space, instead you want to work with her.  If she is constantly hiding this won't work.  She does need a safe hiding spot like a cat tree hiding box or a small box, but it must be out in the open.  For right now, she needs to be confined to just her room.  The run of the house is just too overwhelming.

Here are some tips:

1.  No direct eye contact.  Feral cats find this very threatening.  Keep your gaze over the top of their head or look down.

2.  Talk softly.  You want them to get used to your voice.  Carry on a conversation or even read aloud from a book or magazine.

3.  Sit on the ground so you are not looming over the cat.  You also want to keep your movements slow.

4.  Food rewards are the way to a ferals heart.  Find a special yummy treat such as plain cooked chicken or turkey, salmon, tuna or sardines.  I would start by giving them a very small plate with some of the special treat.  I would then have small pieces beside me and begin to toss the treat towards the cat.  Each toss I would get the treat a little closer to me.  I would do this activity each day.  After a few weeks, the cats are often getting quite close as long as you keep your movements slow and gaze down.

A very special food reward I stumbled across is Gerber Stage 2 baby food.  Cats love the chicken or turkey.  The jar is very small with a blue label.  The ingredients are chicken or turkey and water, no added spices.  I started with a bit on a plate and as time went by, I  offered it on a spoon.  When working with young ferals or kittens, they can often be coaxed to lick this off your fingers.  Just remember this is a treat reward and not a meal replacement.

5.  Remember that when working with ferals it is often 1 step forward and 2 steps back.  Just take it slow and steady.  Also celebrate the small advancements.  I remember the day that Shadow first meowed to me.  He had been with me for 3 months.  I cried tears of joy that morning!

6.  Jackson Galaxy of Animal Planets, “My Cat From Hell” series is the cat guru.  He has a line of flower essences that are specially designed for cat behaviors.  He even has one for feral cats.  I have used this essence with great success on all of my feral cats.  Here is a link.

7.  Here is a great video that might help too:

http://www.urbancatleague.org/TamingVideo

CalicosRSpecial said:

 
First off, is she using her litter box? Is her litter box under the bed or elsewhere?

Do you have a little cat bed hideaway or something like that in the room? Could you get something like that along with an open cat bed?

Do you have any other cats or dogs? Any noises in the house? Loud music, kids playing?

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Thank you for the reply. She does use her litter box. At first it used to be outside the bed, but she ended up peeing and pooping in her soft cat bed. So I moved the litter box on the other side of the bed where she doesn't usually hide, and she started using the litter box. I've tossed a few clumps of pee and poop out already.

We have a few cat hideaways. One of the hideaways is under the bed, and she uses that sometimes. We have the litter box cover, which is currently not on the actual litter box. This could potentially be used as a hideaway. The cat tree has two boxes with cutouts that could be used as hideaways. We also have the kettle in the room that has our clothes in it for a hideaway.

I have another cat, but he's back with my parents, and he's an old cat (around 20 years old). I've lived with him for 10+ years, although he's always been very gentle, slow and friendly. There are no real noises in the house besides the cars outside in the parking lot. People walking around outside, us watching TV on low-to-medium volume.

Glad to hear she is using her litter box.

Has your other cat been in the room recently that Sushi is in currently?

It sounds just like she is getting use to the new home.

There should be enough hideaways so you should be good with that.

Cats like to be up so anything that can be high and stable would help in addition to the cat tree.

Shadows Rescue gives great advice.

I have had great success with warm chicken (thighs). They smell that and tend to want it. Just put a plate halfway to her and let her smell it and get tempted. And then the next day a little further away from her etc.

Hope this helps. We are here for you so please do not be afraid to ask anything. 

it is completely normal for a shelter cat to hide for weeks or even months even if you are doing everything right. i had one male like that, we didn't see him for 3 weeks but food was gone and the litter box was used so i knew he was ok. he slowly came out but it was a long time before he would let us pet him but he ended up being the sweetest, most loving cat! he was never really a lap cat but he wanted to sit right beside us and he slept at the foot of our bed. he used to wake me up by patting my cheek exactly 3 times--everytime---and if i didn't respond, he'd repeat that until i got up. he was always afraid of strangers but he loved us! so it is just going to take some time, hang in there..

Shadows Rescue,

I was thinking about the bed. Do you think peti1212 should try the food and toys before moving the bed? I worry that moving the bed might be a bit traumatic right now. I was also thinking at some point of using boxes or something to shrink the area under the bed available for hiding adn eventually eliminating the area but again I worry it might not be the best timing. I totally agree not having the bed as a place to hide is a good idea I just don't know how to pull it off right now. Now if the cat would be able to be moved to another part of the room or to another room temporarily and then have the bed flat on the ground or removed that would be good but not sure it is possible given how the cat is acting. Just want to get your thoughts on that. Thanks

CalicosRSpecial said:

 
Shadows Rescue,

I was thinking about the bed. Do you think peti1212 should try the food and toys before moving the bed? I worry that moving the bed might be a bit traumatic right now. I was also thinking at some point of using boxes or something to shrink the area under the bed available for hiding adn eventually eliminating the area but again I worry it might not be the best timing. I totally agree not having the bed as a place to hide is a good idea I just don't know how to pull it off right now. Now if the cat would be able to be moved to another part of the room or to another room temporarily and then have the bed flat on the ground or removed that would be good but not sure it is possible given how the cat is acting. Just want to get your thoughts on that. Thanks

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The longer she has access to under the bed, the longer it will be before she can try to socialize.  It might be traumatic for the cat during the process, but she will be ok.  Under a bed is just not a good idea.  The sooner the better.  All hiding spots should be out in the open where she can still be seen.  As soon as the bed starts to move, she will run out.  Just be sure the room to the door is tightly closed.  Talk calmly and make it as easy as possible.  The sooner the bed is moved, the sooner techniques can be worked on.  Also watch that she cannot get under or behind other large furniture.  When I brought a feral cat inside ( he was 3 years old) the bed was up, but he squeezed behind a large bookcase.  It was so hard to get him out.  I have always heard to get on the floor at the level of the cat and look for hiding spots.  Cats can squeeze into very small places. 

Possibly the cat can be lured out with a toy or food and then placed in a carrier for temporary while the room is prepared.  If the cat is more feral like than just scared then no toys or food will lure her out.  Yet you never know.  The key is to get her out from under there and take care of the bed.  Blocking it off, rarely works as the cat will push or move whatever is there. 

Shadows Rescue,

Thank you for the additional advice. I think peti1212 will find it helpful.

Thank you for all the responses. We have a few toys, like feathers on strings and such, and we tried to lure the kitty out before, but she seems to be more scared of the feathers than we though he would be. Maybe she realizes it's not a real birdie and thinks it's some threat. I don't know. This was a week ago though. It might be different now. 

It might be difficult to take the bed off of it's legs. The only thing I can think of is disassemble the frame and put the mattress on the floor directly. Other option is to try to stuff lots of stuff under the bed where there is no way for her to get under. We'll take these tips into consideration and hopefully it will help.

Initially we had the bed in the corner of the room, but we realized that she would hide in the corner by the wall where there was no way for us to get to her. So we moved the bed towards the middle of the room and now we can access her from either side, although now she's sticking to the middle back portion of the bed.

How about trying to place the food outside the bed. If she is truly hungry, I feel like she would come out of hiding in order to eat. Do this for a while to see if she starts exploring and looking around by herself, and maybe she'll realize that she can go outside of the bed area.

You are welcome. Try the toys again.

Glad to hear you have moved the bed already and that she was fine with it. Sounds like that is an option. I also like the blocking off of below the bed as much as possible (as long as she can't move it)

I would definitely try to have the food out from under the bed all the time. When she is hungry she will come out and eat. Monitor her and make sure she is eating and drinking but the drive to eat and drink should overcome the fear especially if she is alone in the room. If she isn't eating and drinking then make sure you get her food and water and then try to disassemble the bed.

Cats are naturally curious so I am sure she will at times start exploring especially when she realizes there aren't any threats.

She'll come around. Just be careful and don't grab for her or try to pull her out (which I don't think you would do anyway but thought I would mention it). 

Can't wait to hear how things go. Good luck.

You need to block under the bed or move the bed.  Do not feed her under the bed.  That is now her safe spot and one you do not want.  Ideally the bed does need to move.  When I did the bed, I just picked the mattress and box spring along with the metal bed frame and propped it up against the wall.  You could place the mattress and box spring back on the floor and just leave the frame against the wall.  Just be sure it won't fall. 

In the spot she is now under the bed, can you reach her and pull her out?  Will she come out on her own?  If not, the bed has to be dealt with.  She will not choose on her own to come out especially when you are providing food there.  The food should be far away from  under the bed. 

Blocking underneath a bed is hard unless you use cinder blocks.  Most cats will push through pillows or blankets or even books.  The last stray I brought in was a very spur of the moment.  I did not have time to cat proof the room.  I tried blocking off under the bed and she found every way possible to get underneath.  I had to take the bed up once again. 

You really need for her to be out in the open so you can start to work with her. 

We managed to take apart the middle section of the bed frame to be able to place the mattress on the floor. She was not happy about this at all because her sanctuary was now gone. She cannot really hide anymore where we cannot get her although she has several box like hiding places around the room where she could hide if she's really afraid.

I fed her right after and she ate her food, but she meowed all night last night. She did hide right next to us by the bed in her kettle carrying box. I brought her some food this morning and tried to be as slow and calm as I could be. I did talk to her softly as I pushed the food towards her. She was hissing the whole team but as soon as food was in her reach, she once again dug in and started eating.

Throughout the night she did use her litter box because I could see two wet spots where she peed. So that's good.

What's next? Did we do well the first day with this change?

peti1212 said:

We managed to take apart the middle section of the bed frame to be able to place the mattress on the floor. She was not happy about this at all because her sanctuary was now gone. She cannot really hide anymore where we cannot get her although she has several box like hiding places around the room where she could hide if she's really afraid.

I fed her right after and she ate her food, but she meowed all night last night. She did hide right next to us by the bed in her kettle carrying box. I brought her some food this morning and tried to be as slow and calm as I could be. I did talk to her softly as I pushed the food towards her. She was hissing the whole team but as soon as food was in her reach, she once again dug in and started eating.

Throughout the night she did use her litter box because I could see two wet spots where she peed. So that's good.

What's next? Did we do well the first day with this change?

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Fantastic that the bed is now flat and she is out in the open.  Do you have a Feliway diffuser?  It might help her.  I also found Composure liquid to help.  IT's a non sedating calming supplement.  You can mix it right into the wet food. 

The next step is to visit often for short bursts.  If possible go in every hour and spend 5 minutes.  Sit on the floor so that you do not loom over her.  Talk quietly and calming to her.  You can even read aloud from a book.  I also would bring her something yummy.  I have used plain cooked chicken, canned tuna or canned salmon.  Just a few pieces.  Toss them in her direction when you first arrive.  After time, she may start to move towards you to get the yummy food.  Allow her to approach you for now.  I like to come often but just  a short time as this gets her used to you coming and going. 

I also like to play music.  I just find a station that plays classical or even just soft rock.  I like for their to be some talking on the station too so that she hears lots of different sounds. 

When I brought one of my feral cats inside, he yowled, meowed and carried on at night for about a 5-7 days.  Once I found the composure it really helped him.  The feliway diffuser helped too.

peti1212,

You did fantastic, very well done.

It was great that you fed her right after doing the bed. Food = good stuff = happiness. Did you stay in the room when she was eating?

Totally normal she meowed all night. So good that she is using the litter box as well.

The hissing is just something they do sometimes. Just watch for any of the other signs that aggression might be coming (ears pinned back, tail moving rapidly, the eyes) but I am guessing her hiss was not a sign of aggression coming. Just a way for her to say "whoa, just wait a minute".  Great sign that once the food was there she started eating. That is key, you are bringing her good things. They like that.

I think things are progressing well. Good job.

Shadows Rescue gives great advice in the post above.

Just spend time in the room, give her some cooked chicken and/or treats. Talk to her, make sure she knows you are not a threat. She'll get interested in you and probably want some love. She'll then want to rub on you, eventually she will, then eventually she'll want you to pet her.

I tend to sit near the new cat. Just watch the body language to see how close you don't want her to feel threatened or cornered. Then talk to her, let her get use to your scent, feed her with you nearby. She'll get curious, they want to explore.

I will add, be confident when you are with her. Confident and calm. Cats get the vibe you send off so if you are confident then they tend to be. If a person is nervous they will be nervous. Sounds like you are confident with her though which is great.

Really good job. I can't wait to hear how things are progressing. Keep up the great work. 

ShadowsRescue said:

 
Do you have a Feliway diffuser?   I also found Composure liquid to help.  IT's a non sedating calming supplement.  You can mix it right into the wet food. 

The next step is to visit often for short bursts.  If possible go in every hour and spend 5 minutes.  Sit on the floor so that you do not loom over her.  Talk quietly and calming to her.  You can even read aloud from a book.  I also would bring her something yummy.  I have used plain cooked chicken, canned tuna or canned salmon.  Just a few pieces.  Toss them in her direction when you first arrive.  After time, she may start to move towards you to get the yummy food.  Allow her to approach you for now.  I like to come often but just  a short time as this gets her used to you coming and going. 

I also like to play music.  I just find a station that plays classical or even just soft rock.  I like for their to be some talking on the station too so that she hears lots of different sounds. 

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I just got a Feliway diffuser yesterday and had it plugged in a few hours before we took the bed apart. We have been visiting her pretty often. My girlfriend works from home so she spends some / most time during the day with her, although keeping mainly to herself, and taking care of her if she uses the litter box or when it is time to eat.

We try to talk to her as much as we can. Other times we put on some "cat music" from youtube. They have some 8 hour long versions which are great when we leave the room and she's alone. She falls into deep sleep that way and she's very comfortable.

We haven't tried giving her real "human" food, but I'll try to piece of chicken, tuna or salmon. That sounds like a great idea to build confidence with her with us.

I'm also going to look more into the Composure liquid you mention in your reply. Thank you!

CalicosRSpecial said:

 
Did you stay in the room when she was eating?

The hissing is just something they do sometimes. Just watch for any of the other signs that aggression might be coming (ears pinned back, tail moving rapidly, the eyes) but I am guessing her hiss was not a sign of aggression coming. Just a way for her to say "whoa, just wait a minute".  Great sign that once the food was there she started eating. That is key, you are bringing her good things. They like that.

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We did stay in the room with her while she ate.

Speaking about staying in the room with her. Since we live in a one bedroom apartment, is it ok that we sleep in this room at night? I feel like this would help in building trust with her, because most of the time we're quiet, calm, sleepy anyways, and I'm sure she understands this as us being comfortable with her.

I'd like to think the hissing was more to let us know to stay back, because she's still not comfortable with us 100%. I think she realized that I didn't mean harm, I was calm, and I brought her food. It might not have helped that I was on the bed and she was on the bottom by the bed, although the location where she's hiding right now is between the wall by the window, and the bed. There is not enough space for me to get down to her level, so I try to stay as low on the bed as possible to not intimidate her.

Here are some pictures of our little "Sushi". . First one is at the shelter, the one next to it is from last night when we got rid of the space under the bed. And the one on the bottom is when she got too comfortable under the bed, and just poked her little ears and eyes out from her cat bed.

She is absolutely precious!   Thank you for sharing pictures. 

Just be careful about looming over her from the bed.  It is very frightening for a cat to be loomed over.  Hopefully she will start to come out of her shell soon.  I bet something really delicious just might lure her too. 

Thanks for sharing the pictures, she is adorable!!

It is great that you stayed in the room with her while she ate.

I think it would be fine for you to sleep in the same room. She is not between the bed and the wall or anything, correct? Where she would be trapped in while you are sleeping? As long as where she is hanging out/sleeping in her basket etc and the path to her litter box is clear I think it should be fine.

Shadows Rescue is absolutely correct. Make sure you are not above her. Cats like to go high (trees, etc) and survey the landscape. That gives them a confidence. But they don't like a person above them. Humans use "looking down" as a power move as well so it is understandable.

I think you are right about the hissing. Not a big deal.

Keep up the good work.

Day 2 after dropping the mattress from the frame to the ground. Sushi spends 99% of her time in the cat carrier, although she will come out to eat, drink, and use the litter box. We usually place the food in front of the cat carrier, and she will eat up all the food. I'm thinking I will start moving it further and further away each day so she would have to come out more and more to get to her food. The water by default is on the other side of the room, and we have it in two forms, one in a small cat feeding bawl, and a water fountain for cats. I cannot be 100% certain if she drinks out of it, although I think she is. She didn't meow all night yesterday, and I couldn't hear any meows at all. She did come out and use the litter box while we were laying in bed, and I think she did get a little bit to drink, although I'm not certain. It was dark in the room, but I think I saw her looking around a bit before she ran back into her cat carrier by us.

The carrier has a small gap between it  and the bed, so she doesn't have to climb over us to get out of that corner of the room. She can just squeeze through that little gap and go use her litter box and water that way. That's what she's been doing these last two nights.