Hissing In The Circle Of Certain Death

Getting back to the hissy issue, I have a hisser on my hands also.  He was a stray, and showed up about a year ago.   Really skinny, we fed him and he stayed - barging into the house and hunkering down on the sofa during a storm last fall.  Took him to the vet, only because he got into the carrier by himself.  Took three people - the vet and two assistants - to hold on to him so he could be examined and get shots.  Turned out to be a totally healthy specimen, and was already neutered, 3-4 years old.  Not really a feral, but I feel he's not completely socialized.  You can pet his head, but you can only touch him elsewhere when he is hungry.

"Jinx" hisses I swear anytime he wants something.  He lets me know (sometimes in the middle of the night) when he wants to go out, first of all, by scratching the rug in the hall, and when I emerge from my room he starts his spitting conversation and I follow him down the stairs, him spitting the whole way - until we get to the door - still spitting and I let him out.  Its really interesting, its like part of his normal vocalization.  He isn't aggressive, not even with my other cats - one of them is actually the boss of him!  Its very interesting.  Not sure he has figured out any other way to talk to people.  LOL.  

@KittiesRus that is hilarious.   I can just picture him doing that now.  I cracked up at your description of -(him spitting the whole way).  I think that is video worthy communication for sure.     

My little girl cat Izzy is very vocal too, she will say, "Mewwwwww" just as loud as she can to get my attention.  One of my male cats, Sammy, makes some of the weirdest sounds I've ever heard.  He makes this sound that sounds just like a whistle. My eldest cat Malcom, who is 20 yrs old, got the nickname of Mow, Mow (pronounced like Cow) the 1st day we had him because he has meowed constantly, I mean non stop, for the past 20 years. We can't even let him sleep with us because he meows all night long, paws at our faces, and none of us gets any sleep. 

 I love to hear how everyone's kitties communicate with them because everyone of them seem to have their own little unique style.   

Hi everyone, newbie here.. I had a question and this seemed to be the perfect thread to start on. I took home a 1 yr female feral from my work place about 2months ago after she was spayed. I was going to re release but my heart said no because my work place was moving and I didn't like the unknown outcome for her. I also brought home a 3month old kitten that was hanging around with her.not sure if it was hers . He gets neutered on Monday. I already own 2 indoor cats so I have kept the ferals separated in a spare bedroom. Over the last week she has hissed and "stepped" to me more often then not. She is s getting closer then ever before. I have never been able to pet her or get near her for that matter but I sense that her being out of her "safe" space more often is a good sign. But I have to admit it scared the crap out of me the first time.she will eat in front of me if I wait a couple of minutes.this is my first feral experience. Am I on the right track or should I have re released.? Will she attack my other cats or can I introduce at some point. Thanks for any input or advice you can add

This has been very interesting! My Waffles fits this. I really like The Circle of Certain Death description! Once he got bolder to spend time in the living room, he would be under the coffee table which is about 10 inches off the floor, where he could see us and watch us. If I walked too close he would hiss, not run back to my bedroom.

Thinking of that as progress is perfect. Because he would not run, he'd stay with us to observe and be around us.

He now approaches me meowing to be scratched and brushed, which he loves loves loves. And he does the Air Rub too around me. Then gets against my legs.

Walking humans still scare him, but the Circle of Certain Death is getting smaller when I'm walking.

Thanks for all these very informative posts!

Janeofthejungle said:

Hi everyone, newbie here..

I had a question and this seemed to be the perfect thread to start on. I took home a 1 yr female feral from my work place about 2months ago after she was spayed. I was going to re release but my heart said no because my work place was moving and I didn't like the unknown outcome for her. I also brought home a 3month old kitten that was hanging around with her.not sure if it was hers . He gets neutered on Monday. I already own 2 indoor cats so I have kept the ferals separated in a spare bedroom. Over the last week she has hissed and "stepped" to me more often then not. She is s getting closer then ever before. I have never been able to pet her or get near her for that matter but I sense that her being out of her "safe" space more often is a good sign. But I have to admit it scared the crap out of me the first time.she will eat in front of me if I wait a couple of minutes.this is my first feral experience. Am I on the right track or should I have re released.? Will she attack my other cats or can I introduce at some point. Thanks for any input or advice you can add

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I think it will fine to introduce them slowly and it sounds to me like she's warming up to you.

Janeofthejungle said:

Hi everyone, newbie here..

I had a question and this seemed to be the perfect thread to start on. I took home a 1 yr female feral from my work place about 2months ago after she was spayed. I was going to re release but my heart said no because my work place was moving and I didn't like the unknown outcome for her. I also brought home a 3month old kitten that was hanging around with her.not sure if it was hers . He gets neutered on Monday. I already own 2 indoor cats so I have kept the ferals separated in a spare bedroom. Over the last week she has hissed and "stepped" to me more often then not. She is s getting closer then ever before. I have never been able to pet her or get near her for that matter but I sense that her being out of her "safe" space more often is a good sign. But I have to admit it scared the crap out of me the first time.she will eat in front of me if I wait a couple of minutes.this is my first feral experience. Am I on the right track or should I have re released.? Will she attack my other cats or can I introduce at some point. Thanks for any input or advice you can add

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Jane:  Sorry I missed answering this.  I think you've done the right thing.  We have a former feral who fit right into the cat population but who, after more than 10 years, stills hisses at humans if they get too close.  He's the cat in my avatar and he will allow me or my husband to scratch his head on very rare occasions, too.

Give her plenty of time to adjust to being inside, her new routine and all the new sights and sounds.  Leave a towel inside her room and allow her to lay on it, to get her scent on it.  After a bit, rub one end on your cats, then place the towel under her door with their scent on her end.  Feed every treats on the towel.  It will help them associate good things with the other cats' smells.

When you are ready for introductions, put up stacked baby gates or a screen door and allow them all to smell and see one another.  If there are hissy fits, close the door.  Leave it open for a few minutes at a time. This will  help them  get used to the idea of co-habitating.

Update;
The trapping failed again. The trap malfunctioned and i had to manually lift the latch. The noise startled him and he was able to back out a secind before the door fully closed.
Then, in a desperate attempt, i put a blanket over him and tried to put him in. Did not work as the entrance is pretty narrow.
I am very upset. I have spent all weekend practicing with him and had everything down. And i feel guilty for the blanket\force attempt. He now flees me.
He spent all night sleeping in a ball on my chair outside. It's getting very coldat night here,almost freezing point last night.
He is such a sweet cat and needs to be vetted badly. I suspect heavy worm infestation along with lungworms.
I need to let this go for a little while as it is causing me stress.
I have sent the SPCA an email asking if there are other solutions to get this cat to the vet. 
This is why normal people don't bother. It's so very hard and upsetting.

I, too, get stressed out every time I have to bring a new one in too. And I have done it MANY times. If you can't get him in, a topical worm treatment such as Profender or One of the 'advanced' ones for all kinds of worms, and even ear mites. JUST MAKE SURE YOU GET IT HIGH ENOUGH! I mean almost up between the ears, if you get it down by the shoulders they can reach it with their tongue and it is horrible, they foam and run. Although I haven't had any serious reactions, it is still scary. Put it on while they are eating, and stroke them to distract them, you have to be fairly fast, and get it down to the skin. That should take care of any parasites, you need your vets permission if you get it on the internet, it is a lot cheaper there, though not cheap. It really helps when you can't get them caught, I use it on my ferals. Good luck!

Oh no!  We've all been where you are, so please take a deep breath and try again when you are ready.

This sounds like the perfect time for a drop trap or using the crate as a modified drop trap.

After a time, he will return to normal routines.  It is so difficult when you can't make them understand it is for their own good!

I found a contact in a shelter for Revolution without a script from a vet. I called many vets but none would help me.
That would take care of external and internal parasites. I just hope he is healthy enough to take it. His coat is alright, be is is too thin. Might be worms, might be a more serious disease. But i'll at least try it.

Ondine said:

 
Oh no!  We've all been where you are, so please take a deep breath and try again when you are ready.

This sounds like the perfect time for a drop trap or using the crate as a modified drop trap.

After a time, he will return to normal routines.  It is so difficult when you can't make them understand it is for their own good!

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How the heck you do this several times without getting totally disheartened is beyond me. I've been crying and have no appetite. Pathetic sight.
I had a talk with him last night as he was sleeping on me, that if he could just get in the trap and get through it, i would love him forever.
What is a drop trap? I know the SPCA only takes cats in their own trap, but maybe they have drop traps, idk...

A drop trap is a big wire box that is propped up on a stick attached to a length of rope.  You hide nearby and when the cat goes under it, you pull the rope.  The trap drops with the cat under it.  Good drop traps have a bottom that latches onto the top when it drops.  Otherwise, it is only the weight of the top of the trap that holds it down.  Bigger cats can jump around and lift the top, thus giving them an escape.

Doing this will wear you down, for sure.  But just keep thinking about how much better his life is going to be.

I spoke of drop traps to the lady at the SPCA and she said they don't use those cause they might cause injury when it drops. They only accept cats that come in their own traps, or one of the same model.
Someone has mentioned that since i have tried and failed twice, the cat might be accustomed to the pattern and wont be fooled again.
Right now, the thought of starting from scratch dreads me. So for now, i will focus on getting him Revolutionized and fed, lysine morning and night. And a shelter. Its not to say i absolutely won't try again in a couple weeks, but right now we both need a break.
He hasn't come to my yard all day (to my knowledge) and wont come when i call. I was only able to feed him from the neighbor's yard (totally invaded the space) though i had to step back in order for him to go eat.
He then head budded my fist, but very shyly, and did not ask for seconds. He simply left. Sigh....I will miss our late night cuddle sessions and seeing his little sleepy face in the morning.

You do need a break.  As long as he is being fed and is cared for, he should be OK.  One of our champion trappers back in New Jersey once spent six months trying to get a cat.  She finally succeeded but it was a long process for everyone.  And that cat ended up being so friendly, after months of acting feral, he got a loving home.  We were  all shocked at how sweet he turned out.

6 months! That's one smart kitteh.

Yeah, i got better quality big cans to replace the small average grade cans my cat loves and that i had been feeding him with too. He LOVES the new stuff. So both will get better quality food for cheaper. Currently looking for better price\quality kibble.  He needs to fatten up before winter.
Plus, i'm getting Revolution tomorrow. I got a deal at a shelter, 10 doses vial for 30$ plus a small donation. It's cost me 4 times less than with a vet.
So for now, better food, and parasite control, Lysine, and cuddles. Winter shelter to come.
He totally forgave me. Was right on time for cuddles last night, and he slept on my chair outside. He was still there come morning. I did not have to miss his face long

I should mention i still want to get him neutered and vetted. I just need a break.

I never doubted you were going to complete the mission!  That deal on Revolution is unbeatable.  The least I ever paid was $12 a dose.

Glad he's back.  He knows a good thing!

Plus, i got kibble samples, and he absolutely devoured Taste of the wild kibble. He generally lifts his nose at my cat's Nutrience, and sometimes eats Whiskas (urgh) next door. But now i have foind a good quality kibble to perk him up. It'll be far less expensive and nutritious than to only feed him canned food (Wellness at 5$ a can...)

I have started another thread about a test i did today not to hog Catsnip's awesome theory thread

Hi all!

Sorry I've been away for a bit, but so glad to read all of the interesting posts and I want read back up and respond to them.  But in the meantime I wanted to say that I love that so many in our community have weighed in with their experiences!  That's really what this site is all about!

When I first started this thread, I didn't know how people would take it, especially with the title being so "odd", and there were only a few responses in the beginning.

But I'm glad that that many people have not only related to the main topic but it has also generated interesting dialog in additional directions.

Thanks to all for contributing!

Heather