Thank you all for this forum and your participation here. I've learned a lot from reading your posts and am thankful to be able to come to you tonight as I am loosing sleep over how to solve my still-pretty-darn-feral cat's major dreadlock issue.
Background: My cat and I took in a 4 month old foster feral over one year ago and getting her transitioned has been very slow. She was part of a small, single mama colony that my boss and I progressively trapped, altered, vaccinated, and then released back into our yard to be fed at watered every day. She came home with me in an idealistic effort to provide a better life, and I managed to foster out a second kitten as well.
Problem: My domesticated and feral cats get along super well, and I had been feeding her since she could eat kibble, but I'm rarely allowed to touch her. This is becoming a huge stressor for me as the summer heat turns the kitties into grease balls and they require human intervention in their grooming. My feral has huge mats running up her spine like a stegosaurus. She is very easily frightened and traumatized (one run in with a plastic grocery bag stuck on her foot for a moment has lead to an absolute fear of all things plastic bag like). I think the other animals at a vet or groomer would really stress her out, and she's at risk of becoming defensive-aggressive, so I'd like to be able to cut them out at home....
Is that worse tho? How can I get a cat that won't let me love her to let me groom her? She already runs from me; I don't want her to live in fear of me. Should I just find the best professional groomer possible and take her in? Maybe they'll sedate her and gently shave off the mats, turn her into a temporary little lion, and it will be great (rather than muzzle her to comb them out, which I can't get behind). I'm afraid if I tell a groomer she's a vaccinated in-door feral cat they'll charge me an arm and a leg, but they need to know her disposition and history in order to better work with her. Bottom line is that these massive mats on her are unhealthy and need to go.
My hope is that once she is more physically comfortable she will be more open to love, and that perhaps a good grooming will boost her confidence so she'll be less timid. Even if just a little bit. What do you guys think is my best course of action to get this little dreadlocked stegosaurus 1.5 year-old in-door feral back into healthy kitty condition?
Background: My cat and I took in a 4 month old foster feral over one year ago and getting her transitioned has been very slow. She was part of a small, single mama colony that my boss and I progressively trapped, altered, vaccinated, and then released back into our yard to be fed at watered every day. She came home with me in an idealistic effort to provide a better life, and I managed to foster out a second kitten as well.
Problem: My domesticated and feral cats get along super well, and I had been feeding her since she could eat kibble, but I'm rarely allowed to touch her. This is becoming a huge stressor for me as the summer heat turns the kitties into grease balls and they require human intervention in their grooming. My feral has huge mats running up her spine like a stegosaurus. She is very easily frightened and traumatized (one run in with a plastic grocery bag stuck on her foot for a moment has lead to an absolute fear of all things plastic bag like). I think the other animals at a vet or groomer would really stress her out, and she's at risk of becoming defensive-aggressive, so I'd like to be able to cut them out at home....
Is that worse tho? How can I get a cat that won't let me love her to let me groom her? She already runs from me; I don't want her to live in fear of me. Should I just find the best professional groomer possible and take her in? Maybe they'll sedate her and gently shave off the mats, turn her into a temporary little lion, and it will be great (rather than muzzle her to comb them out, which I can't get behind). I'm afraid if I tell a groomer she's a vaccinated in-door feral cat they'll charge me an arm and a leg, but they need to know her disposition and history in order to better work with her. Bottom line is that these massive mats on her are unhealthy and need to go.
My hope is that once she is more physically comfortable she will be more open to love, and that perhaps a good grooming will boost her confidence so she'll be less timid. Even if just a little bit. What do you guys think is my best course of action to get this little dreadlocked stegosaurus 1.5 year-old in-door feral back into healthy kitty condition?