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Hello. New to the forum and I am attempting to socalize a stray kitty for the first time. At this point, I need a little support and/or guidance.
Here's Moonshine's story:
My Back Story
I have had previously feral kitties as pets before. I enjoy the fierce bond and loyalty tamed feral cats are capable of. In the past, I had always adopted a kitty that someone else had already taken the time to socialize. The stray/feral kitty I have now is the first I have ever attempted to socialize on my own.
Moonshine
She was a tiny little kitty when I first spotted her, dashing in front of a car in the parking lot at work. For weeks I watched as different people tried to catch her, and although she'd let you sit close by while she ate any food left for her, she would run off if you got too close (or if you tried to chase her down as some people tried). My coworkers nicknamed her "White Lightning" because she was small, white, and quick. I preferred "Moonshine" since it rolled off the tongue better. I have worked at this same company for years and never saw another cat hanging around so it didn't look like she was part of a colony, just lost. But I know how tough it can be to tell feral apart from lost kitties and I know taming a feral is almost impossible. But I just kept thinking she looked more lost than feral, and had just been on her own for so long. Plus I thought she might still be a kitten, as small as she was. Not just skinny, but proportionately tiny.
I decided to catch her last week and take her to the vet. I was surprised to hear them estimate her to be about 2-3 year old (based on she had all her adult teeth and some gingivitis), and yet she was so tiny - she weighs under 5 pounds! I was worried that maybe she might be a lost cause since she was an adult and I read that feral adults were impossible to socialize. But then, I saw no evidence of a cat colony, and she would be seen darting around during the day and eagerly ate food with humans close by. So I thought, maybe she was just lost and had been lost for so long she started acting feral?
Ultimately, I felt she deserved a chance, knowing it would take time and patience. I set her up in my private home office in a large dog crate my aunt gave me. It was large enough for a make-shift bed (made from an empty paper box and towel), litter pan, and room enough for food and water. I brought her food every morning and night, then sat at my desk for 1-2 hours each time to get her used to my presence while effectively "ignoring" her. For 3 days, she stayed hidden inside her box-bed, only coming out to eat when I wasn't in the room. Then she seemed to light up and actually start talking when my oldest cat slipped in to check out the strange smells. It was only for a few minutes, but little Moonshine was very eager to get out after that. She kept knocking over her water and food to make a horrible mess after that (I'm guessing because it got in the way of her attempts to figure out the latch on the crate door).
The Rash Decision
After 2 days of cleaning up a wet disaster, I decided to let her out into my office and see if that would stop her from spilling food and water everywhere. The first night was pretty cool. She spent an hour investigating every bit of the small 10x11 office, and at one point even walked under my chair next to my feet. Her favorite part is a full length mirror propped against one wall. She sat by that for several minutes, "talking" to her reflection. It was hard to coax her back into the crate. She did not want to go back in. I had to move a couple of boxes around to keep her from darting around the side of the crate. I did this for 3 nights - let her out for a couple of hours, listen to her talk, eat, drink, explore, and then spend an agonizing 30-60 minutes gently coaxing her back into the crate. Two nights ago was the worst because she stopped at the opening and cowered - as if she was terrified of me but couldn't bring herself to go back in. Ugh. It broke my heart. The last thing I wanted was for her to fear me.
Last night, I decided to go ahead and cat-proof my room so she could use the entire office. I brought in a couple of storage bins and packed away all loose items, hazards, etc. I then put a second litter box in one corner with fresh litter and let her out. She didn't seem too startled about the slightly altered office, but when I removed the giant, clumsy dog crate from the room as I left for the night, I think that was too much for her.
The Upset
It's such a small office that I wanted the extra space back, plus I thought she'd feel more reassured that I wouldn't try to trap her in the crate if it was gone. I now believe I was completely wrong. This morning, she had pooped outside the litter box and wouldn't come out to eat. She had also peed on a little fleece litter mat that had been in the crate with her. I calmly cleaned up the poop and threw out the fleece mat. I then went digging in my kitchen trash can for the litter I tossed out when I removed her old litter pan from the crate. My thinking was that if the new litter box contained the smells from her old one, she might be more inclined to use it. So I put the old litter on top of the new litter (sans cat leavings) and left her be this morning. But oh, I'm already fretting over how I may have potentially upset all the progress she has made by doing too much at once.
I feel like she may never trust me again. Not only did I trick her by catching her and taking her straight to a scary place full of humans who poked and prodded her against her will, but I have brought her to another strange place where, just as she was getting used to her surroundings, I go and change things around only 9 days into having her home!
I have been obsessed with on-line articles which all give conflicting advice. For example, one person wrote giving her plenty of safe hiding places in the room was good, but another person wrote she shouldn't have but one hiding place so it would force her to interact more. One person wrote visiting only 2-3 times a day was ideal while another wrote shorter more frequent visits were better. I feel like I'm ruining my chances of socializing her because I can't figure out which advice to take, but I don't dare change anything else again and just keep things as they are now. Then I think, it's only been 9 days and I may have already ruined any chance I ever had!
In Need of Guidance or Just Reassurance
Has anyone else ever socialized a feral/stray and made mistakes? Should I stick with the schedule and routine I have now or change things up to speed up her socialization? I am tired of reading generalized articles that outline only possible scenarios and would really like some real stories from people who have been in my shoes. I really don't want to give up on her. I'm just hoping all is not lost and there are things I can do (or not do) to salvage this upset and still socialize this little kitty.
Here's Moonshine's story:
My Back Story
I have had previously feral kitties as pets before. I enjoy the fierce bond and loyalty tamed feral cats are capable of. In the past, I had always adopted a kitty that someone else had already taken the time to socialize. The stray/feral kitty I have now is the first I have ever attempted to socialize on my own.
Moonshine
She was a tiny little kitty when I first spotted her, dashing in front of a car in the parking lot at work. For weeks I watched as different people tried to catch her, and although she'd let you sit close by while she ate any food left for her, she would run off if you got too close (or if you tried to chase her down as some people tried). My coworkers nicknamed her "White Lightning" because she was small, white, and quick. I preferred "Moonshine" since it rolled off the tongue better. I have worked at this same company for years and never saw another cat hanging around so it didn't look like she was part of a colony, just lost. But I know how tough it can be to tell feral apart from lost kitties and I know taming a feral is almost impossible. But I just kept thinking she looked more lost than feral, and had just been on her own for so long. Plus I thought she might still be a kitten, as small as she was. Not just skinny, but proportionately tiny.
I decided to catch her last week and take her to the vet. I was surprised to hear them estimate her to be about 2-3 year old (based on she had all her adult teeth and some gingivitis), and yet she was so tiny - she weighs under 5 pounds! I was worried that maybe she might be a lost cause since she was an adult and I read that feral adults were impossible to socialize. But then, I saw no evidence of a cat colony, and she would be seen darting around during the day and eagerly ate food with humans close by. So I thought, maybe she was just lost and had been lost for so long she started acting feral?
Ultimately, I felt she deserved a chance, knowing it would take time and patience. I set her up in my private home office in a large dog crate my aunt gave me. It was large enough for a make-shift bed (made from an empty paper box and towel), litter pan, and room enough for food and water. I brought her food every morning and night, then sat at my desk for 1-2 hours each time to get her used to my presence while effectively "ignoring" her. For 3 days, she stayed hidden inside her box-bed, only coming out to eat when I wasn't in the room. Then she seemed to light up and actually start talking when my oldest cat slipped in to check out the strange smells. It was only for a few minutes, but little Moonshine was very eager to get out after that. She kept knocking over her water and food to make a horrible mess after that (I'm guessing because it got in the way of her attempts to figure out the latch on the crate door).
The Rash Decision
After 2 days of cleaning up a wet disaster, I decided to let her out into my office and see if that would stop her from spilling food and water everywhere. The first night was pretty cool. She spent an hour investigating every bit of the small 10x11 office, and at one point even walked under my chair next to my feet. Her favorite part is a full length mirror propped against one wall. She sat by that for several minutes, "talking" to her reflection. It was hard to coax her back into the crate. She did not want to go back in. I had to move a couple of boxes around to keep her from darting around the side of the crate. I did this for 3 nights - let her out for a couple of hours, listen to her talk, eat, drink, explore, and then spend an agonizing 30-60 minutes gently coaxing her back into the crate. Two nights ago was the worst because she stopped at the opening and cowered - as if she was terrified of me but couldn't bring herself to go back in. Ugh. It broke my heart. The last thing I wanted was for her to fear me.
Last night, I decided to go ahead and cat-proof my room so she could use the entire office. I brought in a couple of storage bins and packed away all loose items, hazards, etc. I then put a second litter box in one corner with fresh litter and let her out. She didn't seem too startled about the slightly altered office, but when I removed the giant, clumsy dog crate from the room as I left for the night, I think that was too much for her.
The Upset
It's such a small office that I wanted the extra space back, plus I thought she'd feel more reassured that I wouldn't try to trap her in the crate if it was gone. I now believe I was completely wrong. This morning, she had pooped outside the litter box and wouldn't come out to eat. She had also peed on a little fleece litter mat that had been in the crate with her. I calmly cleaned up the poop and threw out the fleece mat. I then went digging in my kitchen trash can for the litter I tossed out when I removed her old litter pan from the crate. My thinking was that if the new litter box contained the smells from her old one, she might be more inclined to use it. So I put the old litter on top of the new litter (sans cat leavings) and left her be this morning. But oh, I'm already fretting over how I may have potentially upset all the progress she has made by doing too much at once.
I feel like she may never trust me again. Not only did I trick her by catching her and taking her straight to a scary place full of humans who poked and prodded her against her will, but I have brought her to another strange place where, just as she was getting used to her surroundings, I go and change things around only 9 days into having her home!
I have been obsessed with on-line articles which all give conflicting advice. For example, one person wrote giving her plenty of safe hiding places in the room was good, but another person wrote she shouldn't have but one hiding place so it would force her to interact more. One person wrote visiting only 2-3 times a day was ideal while another wrote shorter more frequent visits were better. I feel like I'm ruining my chances of socializing her because I can't figure out which advice to take, but I don't dare change anything else again and just keep things as they are now. Then I think, it's only been 9 days and I may have already ruined any chance I ever had!
In Need of Guidance or Just Reassurance
Has anyone else ever socialized a feral/stray and made mistakes? Should I stick with the schedule and routine I have now or change things up to speed up her socialization? I am tired of reading generalized articles that outline only possible scenarios and would really like some real stories from people who have been in my shoes. I really don't want to give up on her. I'm just hoping all is not lost and there are things I can do (or not do) to salvage this upset and still socialize this little kitty.
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