Do cats remember - Bad vets trip

[catwoman707]

 
Well Nanook has been out of the cage for just over a week now and is confined to out living/dining area.

Things seem to have taken a backwards turn over the last 3 days.

He seems to have gone back to old ways, hiding and hissing and not letting me touch him much.

I really don't know what has happened, but I am really worried that he will never be right.

I guess I am feeling quite upset by it all having put so so much time into it ........2 months of intensive work seems to have gone down the drain!

I don't really know what the answer is anymore.

I am not aware that I have changed my behavior to him in any way so I just don't understand.

He will still come to me for food but is not eating as much as he was now he is out.

He has also swiped at me a couple of times when I try to pet him.

I  am worried and think my partner is close to the end and is getting increasingly frustrated by him.

The change in behavior is just really weird.

Not sure where to go from here....

I can imagine how upset you must be feeling!! You have made such tremendous efforts but it's all been so worth it!

It sounds to me to be one of two things to cause this.

Either he has too much space and freedom now all at once and it's still feeling overwhelming to him, or something frightened him or he is uncomfortable with someone in the home or comes over.

Whatever the cause, don't despair, he will move forward again after he feels more sure from the reason he has taken a step or two in the wrong direction.

 

[jtbo]

Cat remembers about 10 years, according to scientist.

Their working memory is around 16 hours, compare that to human's less than 15 seconds!

So, in worst case it would take 10 years until he forgets and no anything like that reminding him from that event should happen during that time.

Good thing is that it probably won't take 10 years, it might take 1 year, sometimes much shorter time.

One of mine saw / heard bad things and it was something around 6 months of square 1 until he decided that it is ok and he learned more about socializing and handling in few weeks than he had done before the set back in several months, so there is chance that after some period of setback there will be rush in learning.


This kind of cases have lead me to believe that cat owner should have a trap and any attempt to get cat trapped into carrier should be avoided.

Of course if cat is trained with play (for example tossing treats into carrier) to get into carrier and getting 'trapped' then released so that cat learns carrier being good place and getting trapped into it is not really so horrible, then it is viable option, but for cat not used to, it is problematic.

In my point of view, ferals do differ in this point from those born into human family. One should not force or make feral do something, it will end up to tears or at least setbacks / not reaching as deep socializing as possible.


I try to shed here some light of how I see ferals work in situation where they need to be put into carrier and taken to vet. Please, note that this is just general way how I see it, it is not directed to anyone specifically and my view is not absolute and certainly not only truth, it is just my current understanding based on my experiences and what I have learned during the years, but it might give some ideas how to avoid this kind of things, however your experience may vary, cat's are not robots, some of them work very differently from some other of them, cat's are very much individuals.


Ferals are interesting in there that one really needs to lure/seduce them to do things, trying to look into their mind and pulling all the right strings to get feral himself to make a decision to act way I want is great part of why I really do like my ferals, they are raw, untamed, but ever so sensitive and kind of obeying when I manage to read them and pull all the right strings.

Problem arises when there is scheduled time to meet, their senses are really good, they do sense increased heartbeat, change in chemical composition telling them human is experiencing stress and for them it means hunt, they get then bit too alert, maybe feeling they are one being hunted and then nothing works, there is no way to get them co-operate and forcing still will lead to tears, so only thing to do is time out, sit back, relax, it will take time it will take, there is no rushing it, just focus on playing with them, get carrier into play and don't attempt to get cat into carrier but let cat have possibility to get into carrier by throwing some treats in and then comes success.

They know signs of stress in us before we do, their hearing and whiskers are so good, they probably can even smell change in our breath, but they do know before we do and get more alert, so wanting cat soon into carrier is not going to happen because they are too close to edge of fleeing.

Lure, seduce, cheat, bribe, beg, pray, those are means I would recommend to try.

Making, forcing, moving, are ones not so well working.


Think about those guys with flute and the basket, there is a snake in a basket, they seduce the snake with movements of flute, dancing on path canyon on either side, carefully adjusting movements to stay within limits the snake allows to them. Feral cat has similar features, there is path and canyons on each side, it is kind of window where in you can coax cat, go wide and you step into canyon, it means cold back or even blood tripping if pushing enough far.

So what I do is to get cat into correct mood, with play, petting, sometimes with treats, where he is more accepting, purring cat is very much more tolerant towards coaxing than one with eyes like a plates and ears scanning 360 degrees around.

I feel it is kind of art where I play instrument (a cat or cat's mind actually), you don't make violin to play those notes, you must feel the violin, you gently ask from violin to get that note out from it.

Maybe that has help for some, maybe test it, maybe it is silly, it is how I have learnt to deal with mine. Of course there was one accident where I was bitten, it did happen when I had not really understood this what I wrote so I too attempted to make a feral to bend into my will by physically restraining her so I could apply Revolution on her neck, well restraining did not work out and I paid from that by loosing lot of trust from that cat and also feeling lot of pain when four long teeth sank to my arm at their full length repeatably.

To put it into single phrase, working with a feral cat is fencing with a feather against a real beast, predator with claws and fangs.

One of my most difficult ones currently is such that single wrong sound, wrong move or even wrong look makes him spook, jump and hide, that is thrilling, captivating, exciting, challenging and frustrating to work with him all of them at the same time, but also fulfilling and satisfying when I manage to find just the right combo to make him purr on my lap, but move just one finger wrong and *poof* a magic trick, cat disappears and bit later on your lap is that painful feeling where his claws dug into skin to provide more grip for bolting into light speed.

That is how it is, just enjoy the ride, there are many new surprises coming, probably much more pleasant what you have experienced recently, sometimes they just take time to happen, providing food and ignoring cures them fast, when ready they show it

 

[nacho]

Up and down like a yo yo at the moment.

He got better for a few days, was even jumping up onto the cat scratcher when i asked him to.

He is still in the room and really want to let him out to see the rest of the house and maybe eventually he can go outside.

So he let me put a collar on him with an id tag. Then he freaked out at the sound of the tag, he seemed to calm down by the time we went to bed.

Pay back came when he peed on the sofa. He has not done this for ages. Unfortunately my partner sat in it and hit the roof.
I have now taken the collar off again hoping it was the cause for the miss behaviour.

Fingers crossed this will work or i fear little Nook will have to find another home as my partner will not put up with anymore.

 

[nacho]

I thought I had better give a progress report as it has been some time since I posted, and the last post seemed so negative.

Nanook is now coming on lovely.

We have had MANY ups and downs but in the last 3 weeks he has really started to settle in to being one of the family.

He now sits with us and watches the TV in the evening, loves being petted and is constantly purring........as well as trying to trip me up, as he follows me around like a shadow!!!

He has also had a second vets trip....unlike the 1st.  They did not even have to sedate him to cut his claws and put in his microchip.

All I can say is what a different cat.

I guess it is worth all the hard work and tears......of which there have been many.

For anyone reading this and currently going through bonding with a semi-feral cat what you get back is worth the hard work you put in.

Pic of confident Nanook.

nook1.JPG

• nacho
• Jan 15, 2015

 

[catwoman707]

What a wonderful update, and a gorgeous, stunning looking cat he is!!

So happy it has all come together and as you said, so well worth the stress, tears ups and downs.

 

[jtbo]

He has also had a second vets trip....unlike the 1st.  They did not even have to sedate him to cut his claws and put in his microchip.

Do you mean declawing?
http://www.humanesociety.org/animals/cats/tips/declawing.html

 

[misterwhiskers]

Oh!! Cute cat!!! Nanook could be my cats twin, except for the nose and legs.

image.jpg

• misterwhiskers
• Jan 15, 2015

 

[nacho]

No just a nail trim JTbo.

 

[catmomjulia]

I think they do remember some if it, but I don't think he will have any Trauma from it, atleast I hope not! Jonah has had a lot of scary vet visits in his short life so far (URI when I adopted him, a bad eye injury due to him scratching himself and a UTI) and he is still very good and calm at the vets office, he doesn't bite or scratch, he hissed once but only because we had been there for hours and he was hungry and exhausted, and he is very friendly with the staff and lets them hold him, pet him, kiss him, hug him. He does cry when he knows we are going to the vet, but he doesn't cry once we are there. He must not have that much trauma associated with the vet or he would probably have more anxiety there, hopefully the same is true for you baby

 

[evamilly]

Lovely story, well done! And what a beautiful cat

 

[mani]

I am SO THRILLED to hear this.  What a journey you have been on with this little guy.  Your persistence, care and love has paid off.

Well done you!.

 

And he's so gorgeous.