I need help now!

hugs? all in good time - I bet you will end up getting lots and lots of cuddles from your new little one

its hard having a new scared kitty, but you came to the right place - you have had such wonderful advise so far. This kitty will do just fine once he realises that he is safe - poor things life has been turned upside down.

dont worry about the eating and such at this stage. Again he is traumatised so he will eat when he calms down a bit. Just leave the food there while your not in the room.

I have seen your other post

Originally Posted by lilleah878

My husband said no one will reply to that because you sound like a noob.

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Noob? That's one I haven't heard before!
I agree, the people here are wonderful. Welcome aboard!

And watch the door. He may try to escape, so the best place is in a bedroom or somewhere where he would have to sneak out two doors to get outside, so he is in a good place now. If someone sleeps in that bedroom, chances are, one night they will wake up with the kitty cuddled beside them in the bed. Don't be scared of him, because if you are not threatening the kitty, he will not attack or scratch you. (I know you didn't mean to scare him, but trying to get him out from under the bed did scare him!)

I had a foster cat who primarily lived in a closet for several weeks. Just be sure a litterbox is nearby, and maybe put some dirt on top in case he never used a litterbox before. If he does make a mistake and poopy somewhere, just put the poo into the litterbox and he will understand.

Give him lots of time. And although tuna is ok as a treat, be sure to make a balanced cat food available to him, too.

Congrats on your new kitty!

Originally Posted by Beckiboo

And watch the door. He may try to escape, so the best place is in a bedroom or somewhere where he would have to sneak out two doors to get outside, so he is in a good place now.

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He is in our bedroom where we sleep. I sure am hoping he gets the nerve to come cuddle with me, or at least smell me. I am just afraid because of what i seen earlier, he might flip out and do that again. But I am doing everything to make sure that doesnt happen again.

you guys are so wonderful. I also had another post going because I needed someone to answer and quick. It was in Behavior i think. And this is so awesome.

It was like calling kitty-911.

I love the help I have recieved, and I have been able to calm down and stop being scared of him now that i know whats really going on in his poor little head. Now that I know there is place I can come for cat help, I am refering this site to everyone I know. I am just seriously so happy for all the help I have gotten.

I am so happy I now know that he's just terrified, and needs me to chill out before he can even start to chill out.

Thank you so much...I just hope everything turns out good, and he's not scared of everything for the rest of his life. I am still a little worried about him being on the top shelf, but people say if he got up there, he'll get down somehow.

When he jumped up there, it was crazy, He jumped like 5 feet in the air, grabbed our clothes and ran up the half-wall to the top shelve. It was like nothing I have ever seen before. He climbed one wall, and brought down 2 pictures with him.

Now, there were no shelves on this wall, he actually climbed it. Something I will never understand.

I merged your two threads together so that it would be less confusing.

I'm glad things are going so much better.

I was so confused about the threads being merged together. Kind of hurt my brain. lol
But i get it now. Thanks so much. I will pop in sometime tomarrow hopefully with good news.

Originally Posted by lilleah878

When he jumped up there, it was crazy, He jumped like 5 feet in the air, grabbed our clothes and ran up the half-wall to the top shelve. It was like nothing I have ever seen before. He climbed one wall, and brought down 2 pictures with him.

Now, there were no shelves on this wall, he actually climbed it. Something I will never understand.

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Years ago I saw a cat crawl up the outside of a house, which had a one foot roof overhang. The cat went straight up the house, up and over the roof overhang, meaning it was actually upside down at one point! I am still amazed and surprised it made it up onto that roof-it was like a little spiderman!

You truly do not need to be afraid of your cat, unless you "attack" it. I had a sort of wild (feral) cat. I was bitten and scratched several times-when trying to shove her into a cat carrier, when worming her (aka squirting poison in her mouth), and again when trying to grab her and catch her. Each time I was acting like an aggressor to her in her eyes, like you were to your kitty when scaring him out of his chosen spot. Jill NEVER attacked me or anyone else. I'm sure your cat won't either.

Scared kitties are less threatened by someone laying down. At our house, our sign for when a new cat is feeling safe, is when they jump in bed with someone-usually my 9 y/o daughter. Yes, Jill eventually got in bed with my dd. No, I never kept her away from my kids, because she was a sweet gentle soul. But if she felt I was threatening her by totally grabbing her, she would defend herself. As soon as I let her go, she quit. Most importantly, each time I made a major mistake with her taming process, she quickly forgave me.

Simba was the same. We made the mistake of letting him loose in the whole house the day we brought him home. He hid in the basement and would only come up to the kitchen level for food and water and would run like mad back to the basement if we came near him.

My husband found this cat site and we came here for help and got all the wonderful advice you youself have been given. They told us to isolate him in one room, etc. Well, first we had to catch him. We cornered him in the kitchen and my husband grabbed hold of him and he bit my husband very very hard and my husband let go. Then our daughter grabbed him as he tried to pass her and he also bit her very deeply and she let him go, then I grabbed him as he tried to run past me and he also bit me very hard but I hung on and raced up to our bedroom with him and closed the door. I tried to hold him and calm him and he was terrified. I loosened my hold on him and he jumped from my arms and in the process his hind feet scratched my chest and down across my nipple (ouch!). Then he hid behind the bed for the 4 weeks. After he came around he was the most loving of cats and as I said he had to be on my lap even when I went to the bathroom. He never scratched or hurt any of us again. Unfortunately our daughter got blood poisoning from the bite he inflicted on her and had to have antibiotics, but he loved her dearly after his socialization. He sat either on her lap or mine. He would always prefer mine but he was a sweetheart. He also liked to be carried around upside down in our arms just like a human baby. He was awesome. Unfortunately he lost him after only 5 years to liver failure and I still wonder if I had more knowledge and noticed earlier if we could have saved him, but only God knows that and I know he is no longer suffering as he was in his last days with us.

I can just sense that this little guy you have is going to be a love as soon as he gets over his fear. Hang in there and definitely keep us up-to-date on how he is doing. We really, really want to know how you all are doing.

ok, today. No change. In fact, I have went in there and checked on him a bunch of times last night, and slept in there, and woke up for work this morning, and did all my things, and when i came home from work. He HAD NOT moved at all from the exact same spot that he had when he jumped 7 feet in the air to get up there.

And now, it smells like like kitty pee pee in my bedroom. So i am sure he peed, and didnt still yet did not move for that.

We know he isnt injured, weve had an injured cat before. Our little kipper broke his femur in half and had to surgery, and a cat in pain, i think, would act different.

He did stare at us all night long. which was good because we were obviously laying down, and he must have been checking us out all night.

My husband just went in there for something, and he said he was cleaning himself. So, that is as much as he has moved in the past 24 hours.

Hasnt touched his food. Poor little guy must be so hungry. I want to help him so bad, but he gets real wide-eyed when we approch him within a couple feet.

We both have to work tonight untill late, so he will be here all by himself all night.....

Any tips on maybe puttting the litter box up in the closet? It would SCARE him to death, and Im afraid he'd freak out again. Maybe some music? Lights or no lights?

I could care less about the towels he's peed on, I just want him to be comfortable, and I wouldnt think pee soaked towels are any fun....but moving him would be a mistake.

hey has anyone used this one product called Comfort Zone for Cats??

I am very interested in it, and am almost ordering it. I am in need of ANYTHING that can help this poor baby, including "magic calming potions"

I don't know about Comfort Zone, but I've heard nothing but good things here about Feliway. It's not cheap but apparently it works very well.

I believe Comfort Zone is Feliway. It's definitely worth a try.
I wouldn't try putting a litter box up on the shelf, unless it's a small disposable one. You could put some potting soil and/or sand in a flat cardboard box (you can put silver foil or the like on the bottom to prevent leaks) or a square aluminium foil pan. He's probably unfamiliar with litter. It might be a better idea to move a fairly high piece of furniture in front of the closet, and put the pan on top. Maybe he'll use it if nobody is around.

I just checked - Comfort Zone is the Feliway plug-in.

Originally Posted by jcat

I believe Comfort Zone is Feliway. It's definitely worth a try.
I wouldn't try putting a litter box up on the shelf, unless it's a small disposable one. You could put some potting soil and/or sand in a flat cardboard box (you can put silver foil or the like on the bottom to prevent leaks) or a square aluminium foil pan. He's probably unfamiliar with litter. It might be a better idea to move a fairly high piece of furniture in front of the closet, and put the pan on top. Maybe he'll use it if nobody is around.

I just checked - Comfort Zone is the Feliway plug-in.

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Thanks Jcat for checking our the Feliway/Comfort Zone thing.

just checking in... poor little fella. How wonderful you are to be doing all you can for this little guy.

(((vibes))) being sent your way from across the ocean.

ok day 3 with this little guy with no name.

Last night sometime when we were at work he ate!! YES!! progress step #1 that I was most concerned about, complete.

I bought "comfort zone" which is in fact Feliway, just in a little plug in to help the phoremones (spelling probably wrong), get into the room quicker, and this way I wont have to spray him with the spray. I also bought one for when he decides to roam the rest of the house, just to be safe.

He came down from the TOP shelve in the closet, and is now on the hangers which hold our clothes. I really have no idea, how he managed to make the hangers not fall, but he's sleeping on hanging hangers. I will have to get a picture and post it.

I hope that I can come here often and post about this little guy, because I am still worried about him, and still need all the help I can get.

His eyes are less "mean". He has opened them bigger, and actually looks around now. He wont let us come near him yet. But I can understand that. This is like something Ive never experienced. But it's so awesome how I feel that Im helping him.

Where he came from, he wouldnt have lived much longer. And he would have been cold all winter. I'm in Wisconsin, so it gets nasty. I am so glad Im able to help him. I just hopes he loves us one day, and loves being here.

Once again, if anyone has any more tips on what to do on day 3....of weaning a feral cat to a warm home, let me know. I am hoping this "comfort zone" thing works.

Thanks Huggles for the (((vibes))). lol, I need them. I also have another cat, and a daughter, and 3 jobs, and my husbands car broke down. So I am real real stressed, but the funny thing is...now I can go into the bedroom, and talk to the cat about my day, and he kind of likes it. lol. Because someone said to talk to him so he can know my voice, and if it is a boy cat, he's probably like "does this lady ever shut-up?"
But if it's a girl, she's like "girl, I feel ya, Im stressin right now too"

thanks everyone. I hope to get to know everyone better throughout the next few weeks.

You sure can keep posting as we are all anxious to know how you are doing. When Simba came out of hiding on a couple occasions, he also went into the closet and would lay across the hangers with our clothes on them. I guess they feel it is a safe place.

Sounds like you are doing all the right things, and I really believe he/she is going to be coming around fairly soon. As long as you let him/her go at their own pace and not force it, I think it will work out fine.

Sorry about your car troubles - been there, done that and no fun. But with folks as good as you are, I'm sure that also will work out for you somehow.

Keep us posted please.

OK, so what day is this? I'm thinking Day 4 with my scared little buddy. Or maybe 5. Anyhow, Today I put his food (he's been eating) on the top shelve of the closet like always, he looked at me with "thank you" eyes, but did not come anywhere near me or he food untill I left the room.

When I came back into the room like an hour later, all the food and water was gone, and he WAS NOT in the closet. Which was a big jump, I dont know how he did it, but he managed it. Maybe he had all kinds of strength from eating and drinking all the food.

So, once again, he is under the bed. He finally pooped up in the closet on a towel, which worked good, because I put the poop in the litter box, and made it point that he seen me do it.

I have not seen him scince he went back under the bed. Kind of makes me a little sad because I liked seeing him everyday. Hopefully he decides to explore the room and I see him. That will make me feel better.....Because right now, my thinking is he's just going to stay under there forever. But the food & everything is down now with him.

My comfort zone stuff should be here tomarrow or the next day. I ordered it online, WHAT A PRICE DIFFERENCE from pet stores and online. Man Oh Man! There was only one pet shop that had some in our area within a 50 mile radius, and they wanted me to pay 65 bucks. I told the manager she was crazy. lol.

So, online I bought one for 23.99. duh, obviously 65 bucks can be lowered if I can get it for that cheap.

Petguys.com is the place I got it from if anyone needs to know where to get it the cheapest. Even on Ebay they wanted at least 25 bucks.

So I am hoping that helps even a little bit. I almost want to put up my video camera and record him when I'm gone to see if he explores when we're not in there. I'm just worried he's going to never let us touch him.

Tomarrow is another day, see you all then

Sounds like it's getting better. Just be patient and I bet he'll come around. Are you sitting on the floor or laying on the floor reading to him or talking to him in a quiet gentle voice? I would do that for a time every day.

Now you really must keep us up to date. I don't know about the others, but I REALLY, REALLY want to know how you are coming along.