Hi! First let me say I am very happy to have found this forum and hope that you'll kindly let me tap in on your expertise.
About six months ago I became interested in TNR, obtained a trap from a local group, and caught Suzie on the very first day. She was spayed and I got a combo test done on her ... it came back negative for all ... I found I was pretty good at trapping and neutering but terrible at releasing! In short, Suzie is here with me and my 2 older tame females (they are 12 and 14). I don't know how old Suzie is, but the vet at the spay clinic indicated that she was at least one year old. So at this point she is at least a year and a half old.
Suzie is living in a spare bedroom. There's a baby gate on the door but it is a psychological barrier to delineate Suzie's "safe place" since a reasonably spry kitty can jump it easily. The two older females show little interest in Suzie and she isn't too interested in them, either.
I've made some progress with Suzie. She's gone from cowering behind furniture to a point where she's comfortable with me being about two feet away. She plays and rolls over in my presence. She will approach me for catnip and treats. However, I've not yet been permitted to touch her.
Suzie is getting very interested in the world beyond the baby gate. When I'm around, she'll jump over it and explore the room on the other side. I assume she does that when I'm not there also.
My question is ... should I keep her confined in the room (i.e. close the door so she can't jump out) until I can touch her? Or should she be able to roam around and maybe even make friends with the other kitties now? I can see where it might be beneficial to her to see how the other kitties and I interact, but I don't want to wind up with an "indoor feral." My fear is that she will get sick or hurt, and I won't be able to handle her enough to get her to a vet, so my goal with her at this point is to be able to touch her.
Thanks!
Sara
About six months ago I became interested in TNR, obtained a trap from a local group, and caught Suzie on the very first day. She was spayed and I got a combo test done on her ... it came back negative for all ... I found I was pretty good at trapping and neutering but terrible at releasing! In short, Suzie is here with me and my 2 older tame females (they are 12 and 14). I don't know how old Suzie is, but the vet at the spay clinic indicated that she was at least one year old. So at this point she is at least a year and a half old.
Suzie is living in a spare bedroom. There's a baby gate on the door but it is a psychological barrier to delineate Suzie's "safe place" since a reasonably spry kitty can jump it easily. The two older females show little interest in Suzie and she isn't too interested in them, either.
I've made some progress with Suzie. She's gone from cowering behind furniture to a point where she's comfortable with me being about two feet away. She plays and rolls over in my presence. She will approach me for catnip and treats. However, I've not yet been permitted to touch her.
Suzie is getting very interested in the world beyond the baby gate. When I'm around, she'll jump over it and explore the room on the other side. I assume she does that when I'm not there also.
My question is ... should I keep her confined in the room (i.e. close the door so she can't jump out) until I can touch her? Or should she be able to roam around and maybe even make friends with the other kitties now? I can see where it might be beneficial to her to see how the other kitties and I interact, but I don't want to wind up with an "indoor feral." My fear is that she will get sick or hurt, and I won't be able to handle her enough to get her to a vet, so my goal with her at this point is to be able to touch her.
Thanks!
Sara
