Please help! 6 month old feral kitten

Hi, everyone!

I'm in need of some help. I found a stray 6 month old kitten living in a gutter by a busy intersection. She looked very hungry, and the animal lover in me went into "rescue mode" right away. When I first saw her, she was very frightened and wouldn't come out of the hole. For five days, I brought her fresh water and food and I would sit down on the ground by the hole and talk to her so she could get familiar with me. I would usually go out there 2-3 times a day and sit for about 15-20 minutes each time. She was eventually getting to the point where she would come out of the hole and eat, even with me sitting there but as soon as I made any sort of movement she would duck back down into the hole. With school starting (even more traffic at that intersection!), and colder weather approaching, I knew I needed to do something different as she wasn't warming up to me as fast as I'd originally hoped. I've worked for a vet clinic for 6 years, so I know these things take time, but I was afraid I was going to run out. 

Yesterday, I went out and bought a live animal trap and put a can of tuna in it in hopes of catching her. It was a success and I took her in to the vet where I work. She was VERY terrified after initially being caught. But I was able to take her by the scruff after we got to the clinic and put her into a carrier (which then went into a cage with food, water & litter box) without any hassles. She is currently in quarantine, for 10 days as per vet protocol. 

About 5 years ago, I rescued a stray cat that I named Hewbie. He was about 6 months old when the vet brought him in (he had an upper respiratory infection that we had to clear up before he could even be neutered) and asked me if I wanted to keep him if we were able to get him fixed up. All went well and after about 3 months of living at the clinic, I was able to take him home. He was so sweet. It took about 3 years before he finally was able to get completely past his stray ways, and he has become the best cat ever. 

This new kitty I rescued, which I have named Nermal, I have become quite fond of even though I haven't been able to pet her or touch her at all aside from the rescuing. So, here's where my question comes in.... 

If she passes her quarantine, with no issues, and is able to get fixed up with vacc's and spayed, how should I go about bringing her home? I only work very part-time, so I am home most days, all day. My biggest concern is, I don't want my 4 year old son to get hurt or to make the new kitty more afraid. Hewbie and my son have been best friends since the day he was born and Hewbie rarely leaves my sons' side. I'm also concerned about how Hewbie and the new kitty will get along and how & when to introduce them. I don't have a spare bedroom to set up for the new kitty. Any advice or tips would be greatly appreciated!

She really does need a place of her own.  What you CAN do is get a large fabric Port-A-Crate and set it up for her wth litter box inside etc.  Cover it with a blanket or sheet to make it be a safe cave for her and let her get used to living inside.  Don't let your son scare her, and she will learn the crate is a safe place.  In time, you can leave it open and she can explore, but she will probably usually go back to the crate.  I have 4 kittens in my back bathroom in a crate like that, and they are still very spooky but getting used to me, and they do go back into their crate when startled.  I never force touch on them in the crate.  They will come to me eventually but they were just trapped a couple of days ago.  I took in another rescue the same day and he turns out to be fond of the kittens.  I think he might play too rough but they totally changed when he arrived.  They have never seen an adult cat that liked humans before (their mom and sister from earlier litter were feral) so they are puzzled, but when he started purring, they finally started purring, and I think he will be a great help.  It's quite possible your other cat will be a great help as well.  It sounds like you had enough patience to let the other one come around, so this one should work out too.  The Cat Goddess will bless you for this rescue.

Thank you! That's a really great idea. I had planned on setting something up in my bedroom, as it's very unused throughout the day and would be a quiet place for her. Even my older cat uses my son's bedroom for his daily naps. My only concern about having something set up in my room is, most of the research I've done about this subject has said to eliminate all hiding places in the room that they're kept in. But we're not able to place the bed directly on the floor, and we have electric heaters in our bedroom so, our dresser isn't able to be pushed up flush against the wall. 

If you have a spare bathroom, that works well as cat room. Otherwise, I would set up a large crate in your room and keep her locked in there. For the first few weeks, she will be too scared to do any running around and playing anyway, so it's better to have her hunkered down in a corner of a cage than under a bed where you can't get close to her.

When she does start getting confident enough that you can leave her out by herself, I would do something like putting a fitted sheet securely around the underside of the box spring, because they love to crawl up in there and it's very stressful to get them out!

I really like this page if you're looking for a thorough guide on socializing a feral: http://bestfriends.org/resources/socializing-cats-how-socialize-very-shy-or-fearful-cat

I think it will be a while before she can start interacting with your son. Every new experience will go best with a slow introduction process, and that will be one of those processes, probably in between introducing her to the other cat and introducing her to the rest of the house. But you can adjust the order to whatever seems to work best for her! Some ferals get overwhelmed easily by another cat, but for some meeting other cats really helps them come out of their she'll a lot faster.

In my experience, getting cleaned up and getting medical attention, care, and healthy food goes a long way towards making a feral feel better and happier, and when all that happens at the same time that they start living in a house with people, they really understand that you're helping them and it goes a long way towards building trust.

Thank you for the tips! I never had to worry about any of this with my other cat, Hewbie as he spent 3 months at the vet before I could even bring him home. So he was pretty socialized and friendly just from the time he spent there. I don't have a spare bedroom or bathroom, so I would have to use my bedroom for her quiet place. I'll definitely check out that link you posted as well. I've been trying to do all the research I can, so I can give it my best shot.

Update on Nermal.

Nermal's 10 day quarantine for Rabies observation is over. So, now the task of vaccinating and spaying begins. She has been staying at the vet clinic since I rescued her, and her surgery is scheduled for next week unless they can find time to squeeze her in this week. 

Exciting news! She has started to come out of her shell quite a bit. She's been coming out of the carrier that's in her kennel to play and run around. I dropped off some toys for her to play with this morning and I heard her little meow for the first time (so adorable!) Hopefully, once we get her home and settled in she'll continue to make progress. I'm definitely looking forward to bringing her home and being able to work with her one on one. 

   Wonderful news about Nermal's quarantine and CONGRATULATIONS on the successful rescue!  I agree with RedTop Rescue about having a crate/cage (for Nermal - her own CAVE, just like bobcats & cougars have) is a great plan. It will be her own territory and also her "safe zone".

As for your son, I think that he would enjoy learning, and then observing, how to read cats' body language. My father taught me at an early age & in turn, I showed my kids & grandkids, and as soon as they could talk well, they loved commenting on the animals' nonverbal communications - just like little sportscasters!  I find it very entertaining to eavesdrop on their commentaries, esp. for things like "she's happy to see me - her tail is up!" (cat); or "that horse doesn't like that man - look at that flashing tail! those ears are back!", etc.

I look forward to reading updates on Nermal's progress and prayers for blessings on you & your household for caring for His creatures! You are a real angel 

~ Susan

Exiting news for Nermal! She was able to have her surgery this week, and came home today! She enjoys being played with, and is a very silly little girl! She loves to be petted and purrs whenever I reach my hand out to her. A few pets and then she's done, though as she is still on the skittish side. She has ventured out into the bedroom a couple of times, but she doesnt get too far before she gets spooked and goes back into her "cave."

I'm so glad to have her home and to see her love being loved!

Nermal has now been with us at home for two days. She has made wonderful progress. She is so sweet and loving and really enjoys being petted (she can't get enough of it!) and playing with her toys. She wants so desperately to explore the house, but she's still having consistency issues with using the litterbox, I imagine from living outside and being able to go wherever she chooses.

Hewbie on the other hand, is not too fond of our newest family member. He seems to be very upset with me. He's been giving me the cold shoulder and doesn't come to me for his nightly pets & chin scratches like he usually does. He sits in the livingroom outside our bedroom door and growls and hisses when he hears Nermal meow or do anything, really. And then he turns and looks at me with the "death stare."

I hope they can learn to get along, or at least be tolerable of each other. Hewbie is my big baby, and he will always have a very dear and special place in my heart. But I am growing fond of little Nermal too, and I hope one day he can share me with her.

I've been trying to think of ways to do things with just Hewbie so he doesn't feel left out or replaced. He's never been one to play with toys or anything like that. I tried for years to get him to play, with all kinds of different toys/objects and nothing worked. He does love being brushed, though. So last night I gave him a nice long brushing and he thoroughly enjoyed it. He did hop up on my lap before bed to get a quick chin scratch but then he quickly decided he was mad at me again.

He's like an only child that is upset after a sibling is born. Which I can relate to, because I was very mad at my parents when they brought my brother home. I was a horrible big sister haha. Does anyone have any tips, suggestions or what worked for them to ease the tension with the older pet after bringing home a new family member?

I'm surprised that Nermal is still having litter box problems. Most cats, feral or not, instinctively use it as cats are so clean. What does your vet say? Each cat should have one box & then one for spare. Does she maybe not like the litter? A lot of cats don't like scented litter, e.g.

Socialization between cats can take time. (Some cats click immediately.) Keep brushing Hewbie - my cats can't get enough of that. If Nermal is in the bedroom, but Hewbie can hear her, but not see her, I can see how that could be upsetting. Obviously he is jealous & confused. Sometimes it's just better to let them see each other for short periods of time. I'm sure it will work out. You could also buy Feliway (Google it), which is excellent at calming cats.

Thank you for the tips. She's been using the litterbox consistently now that I discovered she likes A LOT of litter. Even more than Hewbie does. She was in our bedroom the first night we brought her home, but Hewbie wouldn't move away from the bedroom door. He would sit there for hours and just stare at the door until he eventually fell asleep, so we moved Nermal's crate into the livingroom. That really made him mad. Now he sits and stares at her in the livingroom. He's mad at me and doesn't care to have to do with me anymore. But he wouldn't eat all night last night because he refused to walk past her crate to get to his food. I had to have my boyfriend walk him over to his food dish. Hewbie does it on his own, but he has to stop and hiss at her first.

We had this problem with Hewbie when I lived with my mom and she brought home a new kitten. He snapped out of it pretty quickly and my moms kitten ended up being a bully and stole Hewbie's bed constantly. So, there's hope for him. I just hate seeing him so upset.

I'm sure he'll learn to tolerate her eventually.  Maybe they'll even become friends.  One day you'll probably walk into a room and they'll be cuddling then Hewbie will see and you run off and act like you didn't see him being nice.  And that will be the beginning of the end of their issues.  

heatherdyonne said:

Thank you for the tips. She's been using the litterbox consistently now that I discovered she likes A LOT of litter. Even more than Hewbie does. She was in our bedroom the first night we brought her home, but Hewbie wouldn't move away from the bedroom door. He would sit there for hours and just stare at the door until he eventually fell asleep, so we moved Nermal's crate into the livingroom. That really made him mad. Now he sits and stares at her in the livingroom. He's mad at me and doesn't care to have to do with me anymore. But he wouldn't eat all night last night because he refused to walk past her crate to get to his food. I had to have my boyfriend walk him over to his food dish. Hewbie does it on his own, but he has to stop and hiss at her first.

We had this problem with Hewbie when I lived with my mom and she brought home a new kitten. He snapped out of it pretty quickly and my moms kitten ended up being a bully and stole Hewbie's bed constantly. So, there's hope for him. I just hate seeing him so upset.

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How much time does she spend in the crate? I've never done that with a cat.

I found a kitten on the 4th of July. It take me 4 days before I was able to grab him. Long story short, he had such a rough beginnings that he has warned up to us all extremely fast. My five year old Max will hiss at Casper when he's on a roll but won't hurt him. He's so traumatic with being outside that if I open my window or front door (I have a glass door)he runs upstairs and hides. He is dead afraid of even waking near the door if its open. Only makes me wonder what on earth was being done to him since he had burn marks on his face, paws and back. I did setup a crate for him so he can hide in it. Well he doesn't, it's the dog who likes it. Your kitten should be fine.

Hey everyone! Just wanted to give another update on our Nermal and Hewbie chronicles. Nermal is doing fantastic! She's been exploring the house and using her litterbox consistently now that I know she likes extra litter. Her and my son are getting along great! She will come up to him when he's sitting down but she's still not ready to let him pet her. But they play together with toys and chase each other around. He enjoys having an animal friend that matches his energy level.

Hewbie on the other hand, is still not taking it well. I had to take him in to the vet to stay for a couple days because he got so stressed out he got a urinary blockage again, even with the special food he is on. He even stopped eating for a couple days. They're trying to catch a UA on him now so they can find out if it's just crystals or an infection as well. Poor guy. I feel so guilty. He has never liked canned food, and he will refuse to eat for days until I give him his dry food. Even mixing the two together doesn't help. He still refuses it. We do keep water around the house for him, since he won't eat wet food. I'm hoping once we bring him home from the vet that he will start warming up to her a little bit and not get so stressed out. My heart just breaks for him. I hope he can learn to tolerate her so we don't have to give her up.

I am looking into getting a cat tree to put in the house to hopefully try and give them space.

Here's a picture of Nermal in her bed. I think she's starting to like it here.

Cat trees are a wonderful solution.  It gives them both a place to be above it all.  If you can, get two or one with multi levels.

I have seven cats and five cat trees.  One of them has five levels and another has six.  At any given time, someone is always on one of them.  Each cat has his or her favorite, though.

heatherdyonne said:

Hey everyone! Just wanted to give another update on our Nermal and Hewbie chronicles. Nermal is doing fantastic! She's been exploring the house and using her litterbox consistently now that I know she likes extra litter. Her and my son are getting along great! She will come up to him when he's sitting down but she's still not ready to let him pet her. But they play together with toys and chase each other around. He enjoys having an animal friend that matches his energy level.

Hewbie on the other hand, is still not taking it well. I had to take him in to the vet to stay for a couple days because he got so stressed out he got a urinary blockage again, even with the special food he is on. He even stopped eating for a couple days. They're trying to catch a UA on him now so they can find out if it's just crystals or an infection as well. Poor guy. I feel so guilty. He has never liked canned food, and he will refuse to eat for days until I give him his dry food. Even mixing the two together doesn't help. He still refuses it. We do keep water around the house for him, since he won't eat wet food. I'm hoping once we bring him home from the vet that he will start warming up to her a little bit and not get so stressed out. My heart just breaks for him. I hope he can learn to tolerate her so we don't have to give her up.

I am looking into getting a cat tree to put in the house to hopefully try and give them space.

Here's a picture of Nermal in her bed. I think she's starting to like it here.

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• heatherdyonne
• Sep 28, 2016

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Poor Hewbie. Ask the vet what he thinks about maybe prescribing Prozac or some such for Hewbie. If he would only relax & go with the flow --- but that's men for ya.

MAXandCASPER said:

I found a kitten on the 4th of July. It take me 4 days before I was able to grab him. Long story short, he had such a rough beginnings that he has warned up to us all extremely fast. My five year old Max will hiss at Casper when he's on a roll but won't hurt him. He's so traumatic with being outside that if I open my window or front door (I have a glass door)he runs upstairs and hides. He is dead afraid of even waking near the door if its open. Only makes me wonder what on earth was being done to him since he had burn marks on his face, paws and back. I did setup a crate for him so he can hide in it. Well he doesn't, it's the dog who likes it. Your kitten should be fine.

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Poor little guy. Can't imagine what was done to him outside. People are evil. Keep him safe & kudos to you for rescuing him.

Primula said:

Poor little guy. Can't imagine what was done to him outside. People are evil. Keep him safe & kudos to you for rescuing him.

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I don't even want to try to imagine it.  People are horrible and disgusting and I'm honestly ashamed to be human anymore.  I wish I was a cat.

@Alicia88 that's so sad! It's hard to say, and even harder to think of the possibilities. People can be so cruel. And it's heart breaking that there aren't harsher punishments for cruelty to animals.

@primula yes! If only he would! Haha. Thank goodness Nermal is female. Now I'm not the only girl in the house! We're trying him on some stress food to see if that helps first. I'm also ordering some feliway spray as I've heard good things about it.

Last night was Hewbie and Nermal's first night together with both of them roaming free. I was honestly a bit nervous as to how it would go. I didn't want to wake up to a dead cat in the morning. But both of them are alive this morning! Neither one ate more than a few morsels of food. Nermal decided her food is no good and wants Hewbie's food. Hewbie decided his food is no good and wants her food. This may be tricky.

Hewbie would growl and hiss everytime Nermal walked by him. He did corner her in the laundry room once, and I broke it up before anything could happen. She is an instigator though. She likes to push her limits with him and pounce on his tail. Hewbie does not appreciate that.

After I put my little to bed and the house was quiet, both cats went to their beds and napped. Nermal ended up sleeping in bed with me for most of the night. And Hewbie wanted in the bedroom with my son. And that's okay, because Jonah is Hewbie's person and they usually sleep together most nights. Hewbie doesn't seem to be angry with me personally anymore. He comes up to me for pets and to be brushed or to just rub against my legs. I suppose that's a good sign.

I'm anxious to see what today brings in the Nermal and Hewbie chronicles.