I support a charity and have fostered ferals, strays and abandoned kittens gaining their trust simply by providing warmth, food and shelter. I have had cats frightened of shoes, boots, brooms doors but, I am at a loss with my latest protégé. She is a calico, 2 to 3 years old, who has been misused as a kitten-producing machine. She has always been fed, kept warm but must have been so badly treated that she just shuts her eyes and trembles when approached.I'll called Lucinda for now.
She was the last cat to be rescued from a multi-cat household. The rescuer had recognised the dreadful conditions the cats were living in from photos placed on the Internet in order to sell the kittens. The couple concerned wanted to move home, and by promising not to involve the authorities, the rescuer managed to remove and, with our help, rehome 14 cats! The last cat to be handed over was Lucinda. I was consulted at that time because it was thought that Lucinda was expecting more kittens and my last brood of kittens were approaching the 12 week deadline, when they could start new lives in new homes.
When we arrived, Lucinda had hidden on the top of a high cupboard. We had to get a ladder to get her down. She didn’t protest just trembled violently from head to tail. We took her into the smallest room in the house – the bathroom - where we found that she was probably not pregnant but that she was still lactating. Her kittens had no doubt already been sold. So her rescuer kept her and over the next 6 weeks we paid to have her dewormed and spayed. I was told she “got on well” with the schoolboy in the family and was sleeping on his bed, but since she was terrified of the other cats in the household she was handed over to me to foster as soon as the last of my kittens had left.
Lucinda has been with me for 5 days. I was told to expect problems with litter boxes. I had 2 – with 2 different types of cat litter, but she chose to ignore them and use the cat baskets which I have since removed. I then brought out my oversized litter box filled it with a bio-litter plus a litter-box with hood, but she still preferred the floor. I then gave her a fifth box with only a scattering of cat litter. These 5 boxes more or less covered the area she’d been using as her toilet-area. She is now using one of the 2 original boxes! I think that this problem at least has been solved.
Feeding was a problem – she seemed to be starving so I gave her too much. It was no doubt nervousness. She had tummy pains so we are now on smaller portions 4 times a day!
She is being kept in solitary confinement as she wasn’t happy with other cats. My partner sits with her for a few hours every afternoon and I sit with her in the evening, till the early hours. If we are lucky she will come out from behind the dog crate and sit and look at us, or crouch down keeping her eyes closed “I won’t do anything to you, so please leave me alone”. She will sometimes come out and sit on the window sill. I know that when we are not in the room she sits on the couch or on the cat tree. We hear her jump down and hide before we enter the room and we can feel the warmth from her body on the places where she feels comfy. On one occasion she sat on the cat tree and rubbed her head against it – I managed to stroke her gently but, the next time I tried, she ran back into hiding.
The animal charity put a picture of her on the website. I had taken the photo while she was in the arms of my colleague – when we were examining her in case she was pregnant. She has her eyes closed. We immediately had phone calls asking for appointments to see this charming cat. The photo can’t show how she was shaking with fear! The first visitors came yesterday. Fortunately, they were a lovely couple and horrified at Lucinda’s story. When they tried to approach Lucinda she fled into another corner of the room, shaking. When they left she vomited in her hideout. They do not want to take responsibility for Lucinda in her present condition but they will keep in touch.
So, I have insisted – no more visitors. Her photo will be removed from the website until I give the go-ahead, which won’t be until I’ve gained the confidence of this poor abused cat. I don’t really think solitary confinement is the right answer. She doesn’t play with the toys and ignores us when we try to entice her out to play with her. I have asked the charity to consider giving us the next suitable stray cat who turns up so that she’s got some company. My other cats unfortunately caught the calici virus from a foster, so I can’t allow them to mix. She’s got enough problems to deal with, without getting sick.
My Feliway dispenser has been refilled. I may try Bachblüten therapy but I’m not optimistic about these methods for such a disturbed cat.
Any success stories out there?
She was the last cat to be rescued from a multi-cat household. The rescuer had recognised the dreadful conditions the cats were living in from photos placed on the Internet in order to sell the kittens. The couple concerned wanted to move home, and by promising not to involve the authorities, the rescuer managed to remove and, with our help, rehome 14 cats! The last cat to be handed over was Lucinda. I was consulted at that time because it was thought that Lucinda was expecting more kittens and my last brood of kittens were approaching the 12 week deadline, when they could start new lives in new homes.
When we arrived, Lucinda had hidden on the top of a high cupboard. We had to get a ladder to get her down. She didn’t protest just trembled violently from head to tail. We took her into the smallest room in the house – the bathroom - where we found that she was probably not pregnant but that she was still lactating. Her kittens had no doubt already been sold. So her rescuer kept her and over the next 6 weeks we paid to have her dewormed and spayed. I was told she “got on well” with the schoolboy in the family and was sleeping on his bed, but since she was terrified of the other cats in the household she was handed over to me to foster as soon as the last of my kittens had left.
Lucinda has been with me for 5 days. I was told to expect problems with litter boxes. I had 2 – with 2 different types of cat litter, but she chose to ignore them and use the cat baskets which I have since removed. I then brought out my oversized litter box filled it with a bio-litter plus a litter-box with hood, but she still preferred the floor. I then gave her a fifth box with only a scattering of cat litter. These 5 boxes more or less covered the area she’d been using as her toilet-area. She is now using one of the 2 original boxes! I think that this problem at least has been solved.
Feeding was a problem – she seemed to be starving so I gave her too much. It was no doubt nervousness. She had tummy pains so we are now on smaller portions 4 times a day!
She is being kept in solitary confinement as she wasn’t happy with other cats. My partner sits with her for a few hours every afternoon and I sit with her in the evening, till the early hours. If we are lucky she will come out from behind the dog crate and sit and look at us, or crouch down keeping her eyes closed “I won’t do anything to you, so please leave me alone”. She will sometimes come out and sit on the window sill. I know that when we are not in the room she sits on the couch or on the cat tree. We hear her jump down and hide before we enter the room and we can feel the warmth from her body on the places where she feels comfy. On one occasion she sat on the cat tree and rubbed her head against it – I managed to stroke her gently but, the next time I tried, she ran back into hiding.
The animal charity put a picture of her on the website. I had taken the photo while she was in the arms of my colleague – when we were examining her in case she was pregnant. She has her eyes closed. We immediately had phone calls asking for appointments to see this charming cat. The photo can’t show how she was shaking with fear! The first visitors came yesterday. Fortunately, they were a lovely couple and horrified at Lucinda’s story. When they tried to approach Lucinda she fled into another corner of the room, shaking. When they left she vomited in her hideout. They do not want to take responsibility for Lucinda in her present condition but they will keep in touch.
So, I have insisted – no more visitors. Her photo will be removed from the website until I give the go-ahead, which won’t be until I’ve gained the confidence of this poor abused cat. I don’t really think solitary confinement is the right answer. She doesn’t play with the toys and ignores us when we try to entice her out to play with her. I have asked the charity to consider giving us the next suitable stray cat who turns up so that she’s got some company. My other cats unfortunately caught the calici virus from a foster, so I can’t allow them to mix. She’s got enough problems to deal with, without getting sick.
My Feliway dispenser has been refilled. I may try Bachblüten therapy but I’m not optimistic about these methods for such a disturbed cat.
Any success stories out there?
