Crate Training to Socialize a Stray Rescue

anahidrose

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I am the mom to rescue stray,  Blanku. Blanku is around 3 years old.  He was living under my bf's house/deck for 6+ months. He was fed and watered. He was sweet and shy, clearly at one time, someone's pet.  In Nov. we made a feral cat house for weather protection. He also sawed a hole into the cellar door to allow him to come and go and put a litter box and bed in the cellar. he used it and lived there off and on. Jan. we trapped him and had him immunized, examined and sterilized. We decided to relocate him to my house to recuperate. My bf has 3 cats so his home was not an option.

I was advised by a cat behaviorist how to transition Blanku to my home. She told me to pick a small room and let him get used to it. She suggested I try to play with him and also sit in the room and read and work. I should add, I have a docile therapy older dog who is used to cats and is really a non issue from her standpoint but for Blanku, an added unknown.

Blanku proved to be a neat and clean boy. He ate and drank and peed and pooped well. He lived under the bed and only came out in the night. The door was open when I was home so he could hear the noises. 

As you may have read in another thread, Saturday, he ran into the basement and hid in the ceiling. He did not eat or drink for 4 days. I tried to no avail. A new cat behaviorist came, got him out in 5 minutes (need a new ceiling LOL) and he is now in a crate.

She recommended he live in their for two weeks so he can see our social environment. He's tucked in a safe corner of the kitchen.  It's a huge dog crate with room but privacy. I used a wooden spoon and my hands to rub his neck which he welcomed slightly. He has eaten and used his litter box.  

I have some concerns. The crate is already a mess so not sure how to clean it well. Sounds like a dumb worry but there's litter everywhere.

He looks sad and mad. I worry about his emotional well being.

I am going away for a week and have a reliable pet sitter who can care for his needs whilst in the crate.  I worry about him being in the crate a week without my socialization homework. 

Lastly, originally, we had thought to return him to his neighborhood after the winter but he's not a feral and I feel I should re home him or keep him as my own.  The concern is, I had an unadoptable foster semi feral in my home for 6 years. She peed everywhere destroying every rug, bed and piece of furniture. I was successful in finding an AWESOME forever home in a heated HUGE barn where she lives happily ever after. I am committed to supporting Blanku but stressed that this may be another cat project. 

I love my volunteerism in supporting sterilization and rehoming cats for a local shelter I am connected to but unsure I am up for this.

Thanks for reading..in short, do you think the crate will work and there is hope for Blanku and my life?
 

Mamanyt1953

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I'm not an expert in this, but many here are.  Once one person responds to a question, others see it, so I am just going to say, YES, there is hope for Blanku and for you!   Patience is going to be key.  So far, so good, and now I will bow out and just follow along as a cheering section, commenting as I feel I can be a help!

I did search "strays" here on  TCS, and there are 95 articles about all sorts of things.  Go to the top of the page, enter "strays", the hit the search button.  Once there, look on the left side of the page and click on "articles (95)."  There are also hundreds of threads listed there.  I'll bet some of them will give you excellent ideas while you are waiting for more responses!  It always feels better to be doing  something!  
 
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anahidrose

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oh gosh, I appreciate the cheering committee..I admit, I need a bit of hand holding and support. I am trying to remain positive..I just came home and the crate is a bigger mess and he looks so mad. 
 

Shane Kent

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My two feral cats I brought in were considerably younger than the cat you are dealing with. They were 9 months old when I trapped them and I had been feeding them since they were about two months old. I had gained some trust from them before I trapped them and I think it helped in taming them. The best piece of advice I got was to be extremely patient. I didn't crate them. They are at my work and there was an empty office with a closet. I left the closet door open slightly so they could fall back on the smaller space if they felt threatened. I was fortunate because they were isolated when living outside so no people managed to do anything cruel to them as that would have likely made it far more difficult to gain their trust.

I am far from an expert but I believe that nobody could tell you exactly how long it will take you to socialize the cat. Too many factors like if someone prior to you had mistreated the cat. I wish I could tell you it will happen fast but I would be lying. At times it may feel like one step forward and two steps back and can be discouraging.

My cats where pissed off at me at first and I felt horrible forcing them to stay inside. I stuck with it and persevered. My two are socialized and will be moving to a proper home in a few weeks. Right now they are in the office building I work at and they have become so affectionate I feel guilty leaving them at night.

I hope you are successful and I hope it doesn't take a long time. Please be patient, every cat should have a loving home. You are a wonderful person for taking the cat in.
 

Kieka

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I fully agree with the behaviorist on the crate training as a great method to socialize. I used it with Rocket, although she was much younger, and she socialized quiet well. It gives them safety and security while allowing them to see and get used to the sounds. For the mess, Rocket was pretty neat as was Link when I had to crate him for medical reasons. I know with Link we lined up the door of the crate with a carrier and created a tunnel with the doors and a blanket over the top. When he moved locations we would close the door and we could clean or put him back very easily. We were cleaning after every time he used the litter box, changing the towel on the bottom of the crate daily, fresh water each cleaning, but Link is a neat freak and anything less made him anxious. After a while he started wanting to stay in the carrier more than the crate because we could take the carrier with us to watch TV or while doing household activities; but Link is a very social special child. For Rocket we would wrap her in a towel and hold her while cleaning but she was only a few months old and super tiny for her age.  

I am going to go out on a limb and guess that the mess is likely because of the litter box. Cats who live outside are used to have multiple spots to potty and will pee and poop in different spots. When they come inside and are trapped in a small space with one litter box it can cause some problems for them. Is there enough room in the crate for a second litter box? I know there wasn't in mine but doesn't hurt to ask. If there is, a second box might give him the options and help him be less anxious and messy. If that isn't an option is there a bigger crate you can get or link two crate together somehow to give him more room so he isn't making as much of a mess. Does he have a safe spot in the crate where either you can't touch him or he can feel like he is hiding? That might help some. Not talking an actual hide but a loose blanket he can cover with or a shelf he can get on or under. 

For the week you are going to be gone there isn't much benefit to the crate because he won't see household activities. Since cleanliness is an issue and he won't get much interaction I would move him into a bathroom or back in the bedroom for that time period. Can you ask the behaviorist? I know it won't help with his socialization any but with you away there won't me much chance to progress it anyways. 

No one can say how long or how well he will adapt to indoor living. I wish there was some way to say for sure how it would turn out. It is harder with older ones. Maybe you can add a catio outside for him to live in if it doesn't work out inside? 
 
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anahidrose

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Super perspectives and sharing..much appreciation.

No room for another box

He has a towel he is hiding behind

Litter box making the mess

When I am gone for a week, my pet sitter will be a live in caring for Blanku and the dog so Blanku will see a lot of action still in fact, more, because I work full time

When I feed Blanku, I give his ears a rub and he does not recoil (he does not look thrilled). 

Gotta look up catio, that's a new one, sounds fun..

I am in no rush and am patient. I believe the universe sends us pets and all of the critters I have fostered or had in my full life have been amazing! I have no expectations but I cannot have him hiding in the walls and ceilings anymore. That's entirely too stressful for all. 

Keep the feedback coming...

Thanks from Blanku and me too
 

bigbadbass

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i'm far from expert, can only offer my 4 1/2 month experience with Bug, from outdoor stray to integrated indoor, beginning to end. I'm sure you've seen the thread here "Meet Buggy".  Ups, downs, twists and turns...setbacks and my own failures, mistakes and self-doubt all there in the thread. 

Like Blanku..Bug is also 3 years old, and (we suspect) a former housecat.   

My method different...following advise from experienced TCS members, simply confined him to one room only. 

I'm a total newbee at feral/stray cat domestication, this my first and only attempt ever....if I could do this...you certainly can. 

Undeniably a huge responsibility, I can further offer, I'm SO relieved the Bug will live a long, safe life now as a full family member. And I wish you the same with Blanku.        
 
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anahidrose

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Do folks prefer the solitary room vs the crate? Blanku seems brighter today and is a huge observer. We all socialize for breakfast, dog, me and Blanku. He is eating, using his litter box nicely and letting me rub his head a little.  I am away for a week so will do the crate during the time my live in is here anyway, then re-evaluate. Gotta catch up on this forum and ready about Buggy and others..I am so optimistic today..
 

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In my experience taming a semi-feral cat and kittens, it is easier to socialize them when they are confined to a small space. I'm not ever talking about a bedroom or small room, like an actual cage or small space where they can't run from you. When there are places to hide, it can extend the time in which you'd like them to get to adjust. For example, my last rescue Hazel was great in her large cage. I could pet her and brush her. Touch her paws, tail, etc. But as soon as she got loose in the basement, that all changed. She became very fearful of everyone. Just my 2 cents.
 

bigbadbass

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I'd suspect varying methods all may, or may not be "better" or "quicker" or one more effective than the other.  So many variables...cat age, background, medical, past human interaction (abuse)...on and on...what works quickly for one, may not for another.   Cats timeclocks vary, no way to predict "how many days", etc. 

 @anahidrose  stick with the methods recommended by your ongoing specialist. Given time, Blanku will come around. 

Note there will be setbacks, forward and back...frustrating and depressing for US! 

All the best to you both...good to hear you've got your chin up today!  You're gonna DO THIS!  
 

Shane Kent

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I am not sure what is preferred but when I got my stray cat Zoe the Humane Society told me to keep her in a room isolated from my other cat and slowly integrate them. They referred to it as her "safe room", somewhere for her to feel safe. I don't think Zoe was a stray for very long she was not afraid of us at all. She would lay on the bed in the spare room and didn't hide from us, right away we could sit on the bed and pet her.

Then I ended up with two little kittens and their mother on the property where I work. I fed them for several months and the mother moved on before I managed to trap them. They were feral so I knew I was not going to have the easy time I had with Zoe. I researched and seeing I had an empty office at work it seemed like the best place to do it. I used a safe room for them and it worked out well for me. I put blankets on the floor, two litters, a couple of cat toys, a few balls, and their food and water on other side of room from the litter. In the closet I put a couple of small boxes and some blankets and left the closet door open a bit. The room and closet were totally bare, not even a desk. I had to put gel in their eyes at first because of infection so having the small boxes in the closet to corner them in made it much easier than trying to corner them in a room. If I had them in a room in a house with a bed or other furniture to hide under it would have likely been extremely difficult to put the gel in their eyes.

They did make a large mess out of the litter, especially when I would put in new litter, Rusty would roll in it. In the beginning when I would sweep up and clean the litter they would watch me and probably thinking "what is that crazy human doing with our poop".


At first when I went into the room they would dart off into the closet. Poking their head out of the closet while I put out food or cleaned up the litter. When they got comfortable in the room I started leaving the door open to the office at night so they could roam the second floor of the building. Now they roam the entire building day and night. Their litter, cat tree, etc. are in my office now and Rusty spends the day laying around my office while Kitty sleeps upstairs somewhere. Kitty is still fairly timid where Rusty is somewhat confident.

Rusty and Kitty at the door to their safe room.


Rusty patrolling the building.

 
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kittylove14

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this has been my experience;
every cat is different many do not have inappropriate elimination so please don't give up on this cat based on prior cat
i have had great success with crate training. i'm glad you got the cat in.
as for cleaning. i decided to move to an xl dog crate that fits a full litter box a bed a hidey cube and a food mat with food.
the bedding I wash and switch out as needed.
the food mat helped greatly with spillage.
the full litter box with the high sides plus high quality litter was a must. i use armhammer clumpseal or dreisleys preciouscat.
that way the scatter and odor is contained.
also use the litter genie and a small scentsy plugin in the room.
i have the entire setup over an old area rug. that way if kitty kicks litter out i can vacuum it right up off the rug instead of off my floors.
i speak softly to the kitty and make "visitations" making sure kitty sees it is ME that is providing the food.
eventually.. the cat stopped giving me hooded evil eyes
the cat stopped tucking tail
the cat began to great me at the door when i brought food
the cat was able to be pet once or twice in short bursts without nips
it was then that i was able to release the cat into a small contained room, leaving her crate opened.
 

Mamanyt1953

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LOL...and THAT is why I formed the cheering section!  It seems that once one person responds, others see the post easier!  Some of that is because we "follow" people, and are alerted by email when they post, so we are aware of what's going on in many forums and threads!  

He seems to be doing a bit better, and this is all about baby steps.  I do know THAT much!  Accepting your touch is HUGE!  I'm dealing with a true feral right now, NOT in my house, or ever will be due to lease restrictions, but I want to get him to the point that I can find a home for him.  It has taken me 4 months to get him to the point that he will sit within 10 feet of me and listen while I talk with him.  I can't WAIT for him to let me touch him, but that is months away, I suspect!
 

Shane Kent

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@Mamanyt1953

I love to cheer. I owe it to this site because without people like Ondine I would not have been as successful as I was. My work cats will be going to a proper home and I owe it to Anne, Ondine and the site as a whole. I love coming here. There are lots of people on here whom I could praise and Ondine is just one of them. And of course Anne, no thecatsite without Anne.
 
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anahidrose

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How I love you all...the support here is tremendous. We had a lovely morning. Doggie Confy, Blanku and I ate breakfast. Then, Blanku laid partially in his litter box, pressed his face against the crate and started LOUDLY meowing when I left the room. LOL...he wanted attention which I LOVE LOVE LOVE.

I am going to use wet paper towel to wipe up the litter mess. The mat is in place. Replacing old towels to make a soft bottom. I too am using a XL dog crate, the one I brought my Caribbean rescue in from Bonaire. 

I am in this for the long run. I love this boy and no matter what, whether he stays with us or I re home him to a fabulous forever home, he will never have to roam the streets or worry about food and warmth.

A few obsessive worries:

1. he looks mad and sad sometimes

2. he is laying around day and night 

Will this be ok for two week or so? I supposed cats in Petco and shelters live months like this. 
 

I will be back to assess when Blanku might be ready for his safe room. I made the mistake of using a bedroom as a safe room and will use the bathroom next time and work towards a larger space. GOD FORBID he gets under a bed or downstairs, into the wall or ceiling ever again.

Funny thing, my dog walks near the crate and whimpers..do you think she senses his angst? She lived for months in a box before I rescued her so maybe she is worried.

Nite nite all
 

Shane Kent

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@anahidrose

Can touch him and he is meowing at you. Sounds like you are well on your way to being owned by a cat named Blanku.

As for being pissed off at you. That should go away with time, mine eventually forgave me. Kitty was pissed off at me for much longer than Rusty but she has totally forgiven me. Rusty was a softy and forgave me within the first few weeks. Kitty was closer to two months. And as far as time line goes, remember don't compare them to my cats all cats are different.
 

Kieka

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I had to crate Link for three weeks when he broke his leg. He was more cuddly when he came out than when he went in and there was no lasting harm to his behavior or mood. I wouldn't worry too much about the mad or sad looks because they might just be more of his bored or wishing to be out looks. The crate really is my favorite way to socialize and super effective for allowing them to adjust. There may be a little muscle decrease from the limited mobility but it is only short term and he will get out. He will regain what he has lost once he gets out and the change in safety and diet will more than make up for it. 
 

Mamanyt1953

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When they start asking for attention, and vocalizing to you, you are WELL on your way!  GREAT NEWS!
 

Shane Kent

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@Kieka  

I have nothing against the crate. I just used what I knew and fortunately it worked out for me. I don' feel there is a wrong way provided there is lots of love and patience involved
 
 
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anahidrose

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Blanku update

I tried to spoon feed some baby food but he would not eat so I gave him a spoon and he ate in front of me. Also, he is cleaning himself in front of me often. I love it. Small baby steps are pure gold. I love this boy.

I feel rather bad about Blanku. He is giving me stink eye sometimes. Also, he's lying in the same place as there is no where to go really.  I understand it's a process. 
 
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