Extremely Difficult Feral Cat

[AnakinDovahkiin]

Hello! A little backstory: My husband and I recently adopted two cats in O'ahu. We adopted two cats because the feral cat population in Hawaii is absolutely insane and heartbreaking, with a population over 300,000+ kitties roaming the islands. One cat is a Siamese mix (Dovahkiin) and the other an Orange British Shorthair (Anakin). . We picked these two up at our local spca shelter. We were told that these cats were feral, and then brought in by a lady who I believe took in a bunch of cats. For some reason the cats were separated, and Dovahkiin had separation anxiety and began licking the back of her legs until she had no fur left. For unknown reasons, she surrendered the cats at shelter.

Fast forward to today. The cats are both 9 months old, and they do not get along. They do lick each other from time to time and play fight, but Anakin mostly chases/scares her, which causes her to hide under our bed during the day. I'm a bit confused, because the backstory claimed they were inseparable, yet Dovahkiin avoids him at all costs. Anakin is extremely problematic. When we first took him in, he was pooping and peeing on everything, completely ruining pieces of our brand new furniture. We were patient and understood that he needed time to adjust to living a domesticated lifestyle, and he no longer constantly goes to the bathroom everywhere. He meows NONSTOP. He will meow in different tones and lengths constantly throughout the day. I cannot begin to explain how much he meows, especially at night. He is well taken care of -fed multiple meals throughout the day, has his own litterbox, and I spend a lot of time with him.

Our main issue is with him is the constant meowing at night. We tried keeping him locked out of the bedroom, but he ruined our door from scratching it, plus it only makes him meow even louder/longer. So unfortunately we have to keep him in the spare bedroom at night in order to sleep. I hate doing that, and we always try to give him the benefit of the doubt and try to ignore his meowing. Last night he didn't have to be locked away, and we slept through the night with minor interruptions. I'm currently writing this at 2am as I wait for my sheets to be done in the washer, because he just pooped on our bed as we were sleeping. He has done this once before when we were sleeping, he jumped right up and took a very very wet poop right on top of us. He also constantly scratches the furniture. I bought a spray to potentially deter him, but it didn't work. Each time he scratches the furniture I push up on his legs to get him to stop.

Anakin is a very sweet cat when he is not being a jerk. He will lay on top of me for hours, purr endlessly, stare into my eyes, and pet my face with his paws. He is very social and loves attention. I have been reading that he might have gone to the bathroom on our bed because he is angry we were ignoring him. I believe that Anakin does have severe attachment issues with me. He always has to follow me around and be touching me in some aspect.
He is causing so much stress in our lives, but we refuse to give him up. Why does Anakin constantly meow? What can we do? We're on our last limbs. I can't trust him to freely roam the house at night because he will defecate on top of us. I can tell dovahkiin is afraid of him because I hardly see her during the day. When we lock him away at night, Dovahkiin turns into a completely different cat. She hops up in bed with us, purrs immediately, and loves to be scratched. During the day she is antisocial, and wont let you touch, or even look at her (she will run away!).
Edit: I wanted to include some things that I had forgotten. We do try to ignore Anakin every time he meows, but it doesn't provide much of a result. Since he is meowing all day, we do have to eventually acknowledge him while he is meowing in order to interact with him. We have also tried setting up a playtime routine before bed to exhaust him, but it doesn't seem to make a difference.
I'd also like to ask for some recommendations when it comes to feeding the cats. We usually keep dry food out throughout the day, and we give them a big can of cat food to split in both the morning and dinner time. No matter what dry food we purchase, they will always cry for the wet food whenever we walk by where it is stored, which seems normal to me. Should we be feeding them this much? Should I stop keeping dry food out during the day? Anakin seems to calm down a little bit more when he has open access to food.
Here they are pictured on the day we first adopted them, scared and hiding in the bathroom. Anakin is on the left, while Dovahkiin is on the right. These first few days were the only time they were getting along.

 

[shadowsrescue]

When you brought the cats home, did you give them a room of their own to adjust to living inside a new home? The protocol is to keep them in a cat proofed room for a few days or a week or longer so they can adjust to you and their new surroundings. If you just plop them down and allow them the full run of the house so soon, it is very overwhelming for them.
Have you used any Feliway plugs in or tried Composure calming treats? I love both products. With the Feliway the trick is to be sure you are using enough. One plug in is never sufficient for the entire house. I prefer Composure liquid max. It is a non sedating calming supplement that can be placed into wet food. You can double the dose to begin with. I have used this with some of my former feral cats that first came into the house and cried all night. It does take a few days to work, but it has really helped. You can find both products on Amazon.

I assume, that both of the cats are spayed/neutered? I ask because the crying at night is often seen in unneutered males that are wanting out to roam and find a mate.

Working with unsocialized cats takes time, patience and lots of effort. The cats are not being "jerks". They were not raised with the early social skills that are necessary. Their reactions are almost always based off a fear. Please do away with the thinking that the cat is a jerk.

Do you play with the cats to help them boost social skills as well as boost their confidence in the home? Since the one kitty is afraid and hiding under the bed, she really could use some play time. The da bird toy is fabulous and used by many. There is a protocol called Hunt, Catch, Kill, Eat, Groom, Sleep. The idea is to play with your cat so that he/she can hunt, catch and kill the toy. You want to play until the cat is really worn out. Next you offer a special snack that is for the Eat part. This should be something yummy like a bit of tuna or plain cooked chicken or extra special treat. Next if the cat was tired out from play and ate a bit, he/she will groom and sleep. This process helps a cat to feel more confident. This should be done a few times each day.

As for feeding, I am not a fan of free feeding. Scheduled meals help a cat to stay away from being over weight. If a cat has access to food 24/7 they will often eat out of boredom. It is best to break meals into 2-3 smaller meals per day. Dry food can be given, but wet food is best. When I had 2 cats, they each got 1/4 of a 5.5 oz can 2x a day and a very small amount of dry food. Your cats are younger and active so they may each require a full can.

Remember that this is a process. Here is an article that might help with some ideas to work on shy cats
Socializing Cats: How to Socialize a Very Shy or Fearful Cat

 

[AnakinDovahkiin]

Thank you for your response. Of course I use the term jerk lightly, I do not actually think negatively of my cats, despite my initial frustration while I was typing the thread out. Keep in mind I was a little upset from waking up to poop all over me at two in the morning and having to wait for the laundry to finish. I was just in a bad mood, so no need to go over the top there with my phrasing, but I do respect your concern. I was referring to the 'jerk' cat as the one that destroys my furniture and defecates on me in the middle of the night Anakin, not the shy one, Dovahkiin. Dovahkiin is the perfect cat, and I was stating that she hides from Anakin during the day, but is a social butterfly at night when he is put into our spare bedroom - the issue there is with him constantly scaring and attacking her. I believe she is very afraid of him, and her shy behavior is linked to avoiding Anakin. I'd also like to add that Anakin seems to get very jealous each time I interact with Dovahkiin. If I am petting Dovahkiin, Anakin will begin to rapidly meow, run over to us, and push her out of the way. If he hears me even talking to Dovahkiin upstairs, he will run up and do the same thing. When Dovahkiin naps on the couch during the day, Anakin hops up and begins attacking her. I understand that he probably wants to play, so I bring out his bird toys, but Dovahkiin has already scattered off.

Thanks for your recommendations on the feliway and treats. For some reason, both of the cats don't react to treats, they sniff them and walk away (we've tried many different flavors and brands, and have five full bags of cat treats now sitting in our closet). I'll try to do away with the free feeding. I like to keep some food out for Dovahkiin because she is very skinny and I'm afraid she doesn't eat enough. I will give them a big can of cat food, and split the food and half and spread it to opposite ends of the plates, so they each get a portion and don't have to fight for space. She doesn't ever seem to eat enough wet food, only licking the juices and taking a few nibbles before walking away, and then Anakin nearly finishes the entire plate. Are there certain times of day I should feed them? A can when we wake up, a little dry food during the day, and another can at dinner time? Should I wait to feed them their second can of the day before bedtime, hoping that it calms them down for the long night?

We have had the cats for almost six months now, and yes when we first brought them home we followed the one room suggestion. When they were comfortable enough to explore on their own, that is when Anakin began going to the bathroom everywhere. I understand he was stressed and scared at the time, so I'm not concerned about that. Both of the cats were sprayed/neutered in the shelter.

We have several toys and scratching posts scattered around the house for the cats. Anakin loves to play with toys that are attached to string. We will play with him a few hours before bed for a good amount of time, but it doesn't seem to effect his routine, and he will still be up for all hours of night. Dovahkiin has no interest in playing with toys when we are involved, but she will play with toys by herself around the house. I don't know how I could incorporate the treat portion, because they just snub them.

It seems that no matter how long we keep up with a routine, it eventually restarts at some point and turns into a never ending repeating circle. Hopefully this new, strict wet food routine will help out.

 

[AnakinDovahkiin]

I just came across a product called Sentry Calming Collar. Would they be beneficial to both of my cats? I figured it can help Anakin with his meowing and aggression, and Dovahkiin with her timid, anxious nature. I'm thinking about picking up those along with the composure treats.

 

[shadowsrescue]

Some people have really good luck with the collars. I would only use them if they are break away collars as I am always worried my cats will get themselves caught on something when I am not home.

As for the Composure I mentioned, it is found in both treat form and liquid. I find the liquid works better, longer and faster. It is called Composure liquid max. It can be mixed into wet food.

Are your cats eating off the same plate? It is really best if they have their own bowls/dishes. I feed my cats away from each other as some of my cats eat slow and some fast. I even place one of my cats in a room with a baby gate to keep the others away as he is a very slow eater.

I feed morning and dinner time. I then give a small snack (just a few pieces of dry food or treats) before bed. I do not leave any food out during the day. My cats would be fat fat fat if I did that as they are major chow hounds! You can adjust the feedings to whatever works best for you and your family. This of course can change as they get older and don't need as much food. You could try morning, then split the evening meal between evening and bedtime. Just be sure they each have a bowl of their own.

Also, how many litter boxes do you have? The golden rule is one per cat plus one extra. That would mean you would need 3. Sometimes, you can get away with just two. I have 3 inside only cats and have 3 boxes. I did have 4, but one was rarely used so I took it away. The boxes should also be cleaned every single day. Cats hate dirty litter boxes and will find other places to go if the box is dirty.

Also are both cats spayed/neutered?