Do I need to be honest with the vet about newly tamed kitty being an ex-feral?

A feral (DC) I was TNR'ing escaped his recovery cage and into the house back in May. Instead of retrapping him, we decided to tame him.

For about a month or so he has been more or less completely tame. Very affectionate, likes to sleep by my leg, will even let me kiss him all over his face. I recently began picking him up, which he tolerates. His personality is and always has been very submissive, both to humans and other ferals, even when he was unneutered.

Sometimes big/quick/certain movements cause him to be skittish in that feral sort of way still (if that makes sense) but he rebounds quickly.

He will essentially do and allow all of the same things with my boyfriend as he will with me now (despite seeing him much less than he does me), though we've not had a chance to see how he does with any strangers yet.

So here is the dilemma.

Now that DC is tamed and has willingly slept in his open carrier for the past week, I want to have him microchipped and tested for FIV/FeLV.

We have a new, wonderful vet. The two ferals we've taken to her she didn't even need to restrain. She just very slowly, calmly, and methodically handled them. Unfortunately, her office doesn't microchip, so I figured we'd take DC to our old vet just this once.

The thing is, a big reason we stopped taking cats to this clinic is that the staff is very rough with cats. Our resident kitty is 17 with CKD and other health issues and is incredibly laid back - the kind of cat who is unafraid of the vet and really just wants out of his carrier to explore and sniff and say hi to everyone. However, they constantly scruff him and make him scream and hiss with their restraint and "distraction" techniques.

Our incredibly laid back and senior fosters also received the same treatment and reacted similarly.

For this reason, I am really tempted to omit the fact that he was feral just a few months ago, as I am certain they'll be excessively rough simply due to knowing he is an ex-feral vs. believing he is just a scared/stressed house cat. The only time my cats have ever reacted violently it has 110% been due to their handling, so if not mentioning DC was feral can set him up for slightly better handling, then I believe he will act less defensively and it will be a more tolerable experience for all.

At the same time, I'm never a fan of being dishonest with a vet. I don't want to put them and their staff in a potentially harmful situation (no matter how unlikely I believe that would be, as DC has never so much as hissed at me before). While I believe the rougher he is handled the more likely he will be to cause harm, I admittedly have no way of knowing how DC will react in this situation.


Part of me knows the right thing to do - be honest. But I just know the word "feral", even with "former" in front of it, will absolutely seal his fate of a particularly unpleasant visit and I feel terrible doing that after earning his trust to the extent I have.

So basically, I'm hoping to be told one of two things:

- it's okay to simply say he's just another one of my stray fosters now that he's tamed

- OR be honest, and that I don't need to feel guilty because it is a temporary, one time thing that he will survive and get over and is in his best interest and just needs to be done (similar to the attitude required of TNR'ing).


Thoughts?

http://www.catvets.com/cat-owners/find-vets-and-practices

You and your cats will benefit from finding a feline friendly practice.

My regular vet would be enchanted if I brought in a former feral that we were taming and taking responsibility for not get out the whip and chair.

I would refer to him as a stray that you took in and now is a member of your household. He most likely was anyway as a true feral has no trust of humans and takes much longer to tame if at all.  Just the fact that he settled so quickly means he has interacted with humans, either by being dumped long ago and fending for himself, or he could be born in the wild to a stray mother who I have found passes on their trust in humans and makes them much more prone to be tamed easily. Even the most laid back house cats can revert back to feral-like when those vets approach, my calm Burt hisses and yowls every time, so I wouldn't be worried if your cat gets upset, they can handle it. All the luck!

I agree with Di and Bob. I would say stray. I have an old feral. I have feed him for years. This year is the first year I can even make eye contact with him. I got within a couple feet of him yesterday and he let me know in no uncertain terms that I was too close.
Does your local shelter offer microchips at a discounted rate? Could be an option to take to the nice vet for all vetting and have humane society place chip?

@Kittens Mom I do have a feline friendly vet who is AAFP approved. She just doesn't microchip.

I live in a very rural area and there are not many options here. The nearest feline friendly practice is over an hour away, which I feel could end up being equally stressful for DC who has in the past dealt with being confined quite terribly (hence his escape).

I actually can't wait to bring DC to our new vet (well, hopefully it won't be too soon!) as I feel she'll react similarly to yours. I just wish they microchipped there, I've never been to a vet who doesn't do that before...

It does make me nervous because I know this won't be the last feral, former feral, or stray that I will need to have microchipped



@Di and Bob, you are probably right. After about two weeks this cat began vocalizing (distressed vocalizing, and not exactly meowing, but vocalizing nonetheless) and part of the reason I tamed him was due to TCS members suggesting he may not have been born feral.

He certainly acted like it though. I work and mostly go to school from home, so even though it was only about two months, I was able to spend a substantial amount of time with him every day.

He also had a bad case of tapeworm and was extremely food motivated, which was paramount in accelerating the process.

And you are probably right that they are equipped to deal with all sorts of situations. Withholding information or lying to doctors and vets is just ingrained as being a no-no to me, but perhaps the differences between a former feral and a stray are essentially negligible.

@KittyMomma1122 - Our new vet did refer us to our local ACS for microchipping the two ferals I brought to her (I had wanted to chip them while we had their vaccinations updated, which is when I found out she doesn't offer that) , but when I called them they said they would not chip ferals or aggressive cats due to lack of proper equipment, i.e. feral torture box. From the responses here I could probably pass him off as a stray, but while I've never seen him be aggressive, I would be seriously concerned if he ended up biting someone at an ACS facility.

The nearest humane society is an hour away and DC does not do well with confinement. Both our new vet and old vet are only ten minutes out. The nearest rescue is the organization I use for TNR but they will not chip ferals (I always ask). Unfortunately they have a record of DC since I just took him in on May 2nd, so I can't pass him off as stray there either.

MoxieWild said:

 
@Kittens Mom I do have a feline friendly vet who is AAFP approved. She just doesn't microchip.

I live in a very rural area and there are not many options here. The nearest feline friendly practice is over an hour away, which I feel could end up being equally stressful for DC who has in the past dealt with being confined quite terribly (hence his escape).

I actually can't wait to bring DC to our new vet (well, hopefully it won't be too soon!) as I feel she'll react similarly to yours. I just wish they microchipped there, I've never been to a vet who doesn't do that before...

It does make me nervous because I know this won't be the last feral, former feral, or stray that I will need to have microchipped



@Di and Bob, you are probably right. After about two weeks this cat began vocalizing (distressed vocalizing, and not exactly meowing, but vocalizing nonetheless) and part of the reason I tamed him was due to TCS members suggesting he may not have been born feral.

He certainly acted like it though. I work and mostly go to school from home, so even though it was only about two months, I was able to spend a substantial amount of time with him every day.

He also had a bad case of tapeworm and was extremely food motivated, which was paramount in accelerating the process.

And you are probably right that they are equipped to deal with all sorts of situations. Withholding information or lying to doctors and vets is just ingrained as being a no-no to me, but perhaps the differences between a former feral and a stray are essentially negligible.

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I'm sorry if I missed part of your post. My vet is an hour away. It is worth the trip. I find time in the car is less stressful than vets and their henchmen who think a normal visit with a cat includes brutalizing them to get anything done.  I'm really lost on why a vet would care if the cat is a formal feral or stray.  Your feline vet should be able to recommend a place that can handle your needs.

If you wanted to read my story here I used a local vet and my cat paid with her life. I have a very dim view of many rural vets. Which is probably an insult to many good honest veterinarians. I would avoid the humane society as they have many cats through daily many of them ill.

Is there a specific reason your vet doesn't chip ?  

MoxieWild said:

 
@KittyMomma1122 - Our new vet did refer us to our local ACS for microchipping the two ferals I brought to her (I had wanted to chip them while we had their vaccinations updated, which is when I found out she doesn't offer that) , but when I called them they said they would not chip ferals or aggressive cats due to lack of proper equipment, i.e. feral torture box. From the responses here I could probably pass him off as a stray, but while I've never seen him be aggressive, I would be seriously concerned if he ended up biting someone at an ACS facility.

The nearest humane society is an hour away and DC does not do well with confinement. Both our new vet and old vet are only ten minutes out. The nearest rescue is the organization I use for TNR but they will not chip ferals (I always ask). Unfortunately they have a record of DC since I just took him in on May 2nd, so I can't pass him off as stray there either.

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I am beyond confused as why it should matter if the cat is ex feral or stray ?

From what you are saying the cat is no longer feral. I trapped my two feral cats at the beginning of May. I took them to the vet right away so they were still feral, thank god I did not get the same as you are getting. Actually, I considered my cats semi-feral when I took them in because I had been feeding them for several months and they had human contact to some degree. I got them shots, spayed and neutered and micro chipped at my vet. Nothing crazy was done, some leather gloves the first visit to be safe but no feral torture box. I know longer consider my cats feral, they don't meet the definition anymore so it is not like I am lying. I wouldn't call your cat feral if you have had it since May.

Don't tell them. Wow, your story makes me feel so fortunate to have the vet I have. They admired me for caring for the cats, they told me few people do something like this and were very pleased with me.

With my cats I feel like I got a golden horse shoe up my behind. I had read many stories and was ready for some grief, my used-to-be feral cats have brought me nothing but joy.

Good luck!! At least the chip is one time thing and you can go on afterward with the vet of your preferance.My formal ferals react to me in a kind loving manner, but to a stranger in a trapped situation they are teeth and claws. I take my semi-ferals to a different vet than my house cats. My vets staff have not had the exposure or training to grab a cat that may not be that tame. The vet that deals with the ferals has a fearless staff that is not afraid to reach in a cage and scruff them tightly. They work TNR and I have seen the way they have to do it. I don't see it as too rough, but they have control over the cat so they can give vaccines and sedate them so no one including kitty gets hurt.

KittyMomma1122  >> I think it depends on what they want to do with the cats in the end. If you are looking to adopt them out I don't think a cat with claws and teeth is a good idea. I could appreciate that if they continue to live outside, as you don't want them easily approachable by people that mean them ill will. My vet did not treat my feral cats like that, I want mine to be sociable to the people I work with. They were treated with kid gloves as the saying goes.

@Kittens Mom - I definitely agree with the drive being worth it to avoid the brutalizing - it's only that this cat has continually hurt himself in confinement situations :/

On a personal note - In all honestly, I almost just offered my condolences about your Kitten. But then I thought, whatever happened to this kitty deserves to be acknowledged, so I dug up your threads and I'm glad I did. It really hit home. I've PM'd you regarding this.

I don't know why she doesn't chip! I find it so weird and intend to inquire more about this the next time I visit her.

Strays/tamed cats aren't an issue. It's that the term "feral" (even if preceded by "semi", "former" or "ex") carries a certain connotation to people. If I say former feral, they will assume he is only tamed to me (like what KittyMomma said) or that he is still essentially feral and cannot be trusted to not act out violently and thus must be restrained to the highest degree as to prevent injury to staff, clients, and other animals.. House cats can also react violently, sure, but ferals are pretty much assumed to be a giant hassle, even if they no longer meet the exact definition of feral anymore.
 

The difference between our new vet and our old one is that the latter will assume extreme restraint is required based on the word feral alone, whereas the former will give every individual cat a chance no matter what and go out of her way to ensure the cat is comfortable.
 

She showed so much more kindness, respect, and patience with our ferals than our old clinic's staff did with our utterly chill senior house cats (save for ONE tech who is amazing and created an actually enjoyablevet experience for our guys when she was working with them and expressed her understanding that rough handling provokes a defensive fear-response in cats and should be avoided).

ACS's issue is that they simply do not have the equipment or training to handle a feral or potentially aggressive cat in any meaningful way, so they won't microchip one.

As for the low cost spay/neuter clinic I use for TNR... I've only been going there for a short time, but I always request to pay extra for the packages they offer for non-ferals with add ons like defleaing, deworming, microchipping, ect... the only reason I assume they won't do it for ferals is because they want to allocate their limited resources to pets - so it has nothing to do with handling them.

@Shane Kent -  I agree with your last statement! We really love DC and consider keeping him on and off.



@KittyMomma1122 - Thank you! And I understand what you're saying, however, I am speaking specifically of the treatment of house cats by this clinic.

Roughly scuffing multiple times, scruffing while leaving their rear unsupported (even if it is only for a few moments), scruffing and "stretching" by holding and extending their hind legs, scruffing while forcefully pushing their bodies completely against the table, contorting their bodies in difficult positions, using distraction techniques like "lightly" bumping their head on the exam table over and over or repeatedly tapping their nose with a finger is not acceptable to do to a 17 year old, completely docile house cat with heart/kidney/thyroid problems... it's not even acceptable for healthy seniors... or for any non-agressive, calm cat.

It shouldn't be the automatic go-to move and cats should be treated according to their specific individual needs. My cat is 99% less difficult with the one tech at this place who respects cats. He loves her and likes being cradled and held by her more than he ever has me.

However, a feral that is being TNR'd, or a relentlessly aggressive, fearful cat, certainly calls for some amount of restraint. Even though our new vet has made me a firm believer it can be done more humanely for at least some ferals, I would find it understandable if some amount of restraint was used. I just think vets/techs who use excessive restraint are doing so because of laziness/lack of patience or a need for undue dominance.