Miss Lucy

Hi everyone,

Hoping for some advice. I've been trying to socialize a one year old feral kitty named Lucy for about a week and a half now. I had trapped her and had her spayed and tested and she came back negative on everything. I have her set up in a larger crate in my bathroom. She's still scared of me and wont come near me but I've noticed slight progress and have been trying to read to her everyday and interact with her as much as I can. I even keep a radio on all day while I'm at work.

I'm wondering when I should let her out of the crate to walk around the bathroom? Should I let her out at night so she can explore?

My resident cat Portia has also walked in the bathroom a few times to sniff around and she hissed a bit but seemed more curious than anything.

Hoping for advice! Would love to keep Lucy as an indoor cat if I can get jer to come around.

Good for you for taking care of her so well! She will have a much better life because of it.

It sounds like you've got a great set up. If it seems like she wants to come out and explore a bit, first be sure that any and all possible hiding places are completely cat-proof, because she will try and find somewhere dark and small to hide and if she succeeds it will be difficult to interact with her enough to make progress. The crate, perhaps cover by a towel, should make a good hiding place for her where you can still see each other. If she doesn't want to come out of the crate at all though right now, that's normal. 

This is a really thorough, step-by-step guide that I like for socializing ferals: http://bestfriends.org/resources/socializing-cats-how-socialize-very-shy-or-fearful-cat

I also find it helpful to get a shy cat used to humans by doing things around her where she is not the focus and that make a little bit of noise. Typing on a laptop, cleaning, rustling papers while reading through them, etc. If you were an animal that was going to attack her, you would be watching her attentively, but if you're clearly more interested in something else, she might start to feel that she can relax a little more. The light noise makes it so she feels like she can move around a bit without you hearing her, and also she can tell that you're still busy if she turns her head away for a second. She may not come out the first few times you do this, but eventually when she decides you're not that much of a threat, she may pop out of her hiding place for a moment, especially if there's something she wants that you brought into the bathroom with you and set down far enough that she has to walk out of the cage to get it, like a treat or a toy.

Hi Molly92, 

Thank you so much for that link! Very helpful and definitely helped me realize she needs to remain in the crate and socialize a bit more. I will try all of your tips!

These are all great ideas, She is so enamored with my 2 yr old male cat she literally follows him everywhere and crawls into his covered bed with him...and since he adores me and follows me everywhere she sticks with him she has been getting better she will sit next like three feet away from me..and watches my every move but runs and then comes back

Just an update... I still have her in the crate and now when my cat Portia comes in to sniff around she hisses. Any thoughts on this? She's also hissed a few times at me and still wont let me get near her to touch. She's been in the crate for two weeks. When is a good time to at least let her walk around the bathroom? She also won't stop meowing because I think she is tired of being stuck in the crate.

Hi @PortiaKitty  Thank you so much for rescuing this girl.

It can take a really long time for cats to get used to each other. I wouldn't even think about getting Lucy and Portia too close to each other yet. Here's an article about cat introductions, but please bear in mind this might be something you do a looooong time in the future.

 [article="32680"]How To Successfully Introduce Cats The Ultimate Guide​[/article]  

Lucy is meowing because she is in a strange place, not just because she is in crate. It's OK to let her out of the crate but you need to be sure there is no way she can escape from the bathroom. In order to socialise her you will need to go in there every day. If she is loose in the bathroom can you still get in and out easily? If the bathroom leads out to another enclosed space you should be able to herd her back in if she gets out. Don't risk it if there is a chance she could be loose in your house though.

Is there another room you could move her to while she is still in her crate? Somewhere that's easier to make escape-proof? 

I agree, it might be too much right now to get used to the new place and the new cat at the same time. Sometimes a cat will connect with other cats so easily that the other cat helps the socialization process along, but that is not Lucy.

You can let her out, but make sure the crate or another option like a cardboard box are the most appealing hiding spots available so she will choose to go back to these when she is nervous. Keep cabinet doors blocked or securely fastened! (Once I couldn't find a feral kitten I had in the bathroom after looking everywhere! Turns out he crawled into the cabiet door and up into a nice cozy little drawer.) I would limit time with the crate open to small periods of time when you are in the room first at least until you get a good sense of her habits.

Thank you for the advice @Norachan  and @Molly92!! I live in a one bedroom apartment, so the bathroom is really my only option to separate Lucy from my other cat Portia. I'd put her in my bedroom, but that's Portia's prime sleeping spot and I don't want to do that to her.

I've actually had Lucy in the crate in my kitchen for about a week now. The woman I worked with to help trap and neuter Lucy suggested it. She's been a huge help, so I figured I'd give her way a go. I think its been beneficial in terms of interaction for Lucy because she's able to watch me more in the kitchen and there are more sounds than the bathroom. Portia has approached her a few times and they sniff each other. Lucy will usually hiss, which makes sense from what you've said previously. I think it's been helpful for her to watch Portia interact with me. In fact, I was sitting on the floor right by the crate before and I was feeding Portia some ground turkey pieces and put a few pieces at the front of the crate for Lucy and she went to the front to eat the pieces and then hung around for a minute to check me out. Some progress!

She still hisses at me when I open the cage to clean things and give her food and she does this low growl sound which is a new thing for her. Any thoughts on that? She isn't aggressive at all though. Just a scared little kitty. 

I'm wondering how to tell if she is better off outside? I don't want to keep her inside too long if she prefers to be outside. I don't want her to forget how to fend for herself. She's been in that crate for three weeks now. 

Would love some thoughts on this!

The growl sounds like just her expressing her fear. She's still not very comfortable with you in her space, but like you said, progress is being made!

I think it is very rare that a cat is "better off" on their own outdoors. They are constantly picking up parasites and diseases and have to deal with the uncomfortable and sometimes dangerous weather. There is always the threat that a wild animal or another cat will disrupt their life or attack them. An escaped neighbor's dog with a high prey drive can kill a cat in seconds, not to mention how often cats are run over by cars. It is a harsh world out there.

It can take months to get a feral acclimated to domestic life, but if you have the time, patience, and resources, it's a very worthwhile thing to do. Even if a cat remains on the skittish side, they will be grateful to know they don't have to worry about where or when they will eat next, that they are safe and warm and dry and healthy and they have a nice routine to rely on. If a cat is on the restless side, leash training is a great option.