Feral integration advice ...

[spotty4]

Thank you so much for the encouragement!

We opened the door this morning.  She immediately ran out b/c Milton was there.  But once she realized what she had done (i.e. left her safe spot), she darted back into her room.  They played in there for several hours before I left for work.  She is curious and hangs out by the open door but has as of yet to leave.  My husband was home w/ her all day while I was at work so I look forward to an update soon!

 

[spotty4]

By the way, Jimmy is a handsome fellow!

 

[jcribbs]

Thank you so much for the encouragement!

We opened the door this morning.  She immediately ran out b/c Milton was there.  But once she realized what she had done (i.e. left her safe spot), she darted back into her room.  They played in there for several hours before I left for work.  She is curious and hangs out by the open door but has as of yet to leave.  My husband was home w/ her all day while I was at work so I look forward to an update soon!

What she is doing is exactly normal...... She will slowly increase the size of her safe spot until it includes your entire house.   She will just do it at her own pace.  You did awesome by this kitty!!  She is a little doll..  She will watch Milton and he will help her feel safe, since she likes him.  You watch and see and  mark my words --  one day you will see her just sitting in the living room thinking little kitty thoughts..

, and you'll wonder "When did she come in here".......... hahaha

And thank you for the compliment on Jimmy.  I think he is a hunk of chunk too..

 

[sweet sally2]

She is settling in quite nicely!  Yes, I agree with everyone that she should get to roam, just be sure that she still has her "safe place" to which she can retreat if need be.  We adopted a little feral about 8 months ago now and, thanks to this site, I can now say that she is growing more confident each day.  Our older cat really helped her to socialize and now she is just a sweet little butterball.  I have always had strays, but usually very tame, this is my frist feral and she is just as sweet. 

 

[spotty4]

UPDATE: Our little girl is assimilating nicely into our home.  She gets along swimmingly w/ our cats and greyhound.  She is not so convinced about us, though.  We still only pet her on rare occasion.  However, the safe distance she likes to keep b/t us and herself is minimizing.  What used to be 10+' is now 3'-ish.  When Milton, our young orange tabby, is around, she will come nearer to us and sometimes allow us to pet her.  Here is another cute video of them playing.

She was spayed 3 weeks ago today.  While she was under anesthetic we also had her vaccinated and dewormed.  She tested positive for round and whip.  They sent us home with 2 doses of Feline Advantage to be given at 3 weeks and 6 weeks to kill of any remaining eggs.  Well today is 3 weeks.  The trouble is we aren't really at a point where we can easily apply the Advantage like we can do to our other cats.  Any suggestions?  She allows us to pet her but only at her invitation and that is rare.  How much of a risk is it if we delay in the application of the Advantage?  Our 2 other cats and greyhound are treated for these parasites so we aren't too concerned about them being infected.

Thanks!

 

[feralvr]

Just seeing this now! If you can pet her then you should be able to apply the Advantage. It can be tricky to hold the applicator between the thumb and forefinger and pet/part hair with the other fingers of one hand. If you bring up the other hand that would be more overbearing and might not work. I would not wait to get the Advantage!!! Has to be given exactly three weeks apart.

Great to hear how good things are going. She is SO CUTE!!!!! :heart3:

 

[spotty4]

Thanks for the advice!  We managed to get the Advantage Multi applied one day late - not too shabby!  So now we have 3 more weeks to build the relationship further for dosage #2 to ensure all of her wormie eggs are killed off.  Yuck!

She also needs her boosters for vaccinations.  Those are due this week.  Again, we are not at a stage where we can handle her w/o instilling the fear of god in her!  Getting her in the carrier and off to the vet will be no easy task.  Do you know if there is a problem in delay of boosters?

Thanks!