Feral tomcat finally trusts me, advice on behaviour, how to proceed and some questions

[feralsrule]

Trap is here! 1m (3ft) long is quite a bit larger than I expected, it could easily trap a fox let alone a cat. Hopefully the length won't be a problem by allowing the cat too much room to move around while at the vet's office.

Now to schedule an open-day appointment with the vet and sweet Mith will soon be on his way to recovery

On to more questions!

1) Can anyone tell me how long it takes after the neutering until his behaviour starts to improve after neutering (since testosterone will drop)?

2) Apparently he's in heat and prowling for lady-cats. Is it OK to ask the vet to neuter him now or should I wait?

3) Same as (2) above, only since he'll be getting dewormed/deflead, will it be OK to neuter on the same day (and vice-versa)?

4) From your experience, can I keep him in my room while he's recovering or will he yowl and complain constantly? I'm not living alone so it's kind of a big deal

5) What should I expect as soon as he's trapped and immediately after that? I want as few surprises as possible!!!

6) Need tips to keep him calm in the car while on our way to the vet!

 

[JMJimmy]

 
Trap is here! 1m (3ft) long is quite a bit larger than I expected, it could easily trap a fox let alone a cat. Hopefully the length won't be a problem by allowing the cat too much room to move around while at the vet's office.

Now to schedule an open-day appointment with the vet and sweet Mith will soon be on his way to recovery

On to more questions!

1) Can anyone tell me how long it takes after the neutering until his behaviour starts to improve after neutering (since testosterone will drop)?

2) Apparently he's in heat and prowling for lady-cats. Is it OK to ask the vet to neuter him now or should I wait?

3) Same as (2) above, only since he'll be getting dewormed/deflead, will it be OK to neuter on the same day (and vice-versa)?

4) From your experience, can I keep him in my room while he's recovering or will he yowl and complain constantly? I'm not living alone so it's kind of a big deal

5) What should I expect as soon as he's trapped and immediately after that? I want as few surprises as possible!!!

6) Need tips to keep him calm in the car while on our way to the vet!

1) It varies per cat, some changes may happen within 48 hours but overall 4-6 weeks for it to clear his system.  It's not a 'fix all' for behavioural issues so be prepared to deal with some quirks.  Most cats have at least one

2) Male cats are always 'in heat' they'll mate at any point in the year so long as they find a female who's receptive.  Neuter away.

3) A product like Revolution which will work on fleas & heartworm is ok, the L50 isn't significant enough to be an issue.  I would hold off on the deworming for tapeworm/roundworm/etc as it is a poison.  It will affect the cat's health negatively - it's just more toxic to the worms than the cat so the cat will recover after a couple days.  Personally, I would wait 2 weeks after surgery before giving the deworming medication which you can do at home (Proformer Allwormer on the back of the neck or a pill form hidden in some tuna/salmon).

4) If he's a yowler he will likely yowl regardless of whether or not he's in your room or free to roam the house.  Not all cats will vocalize like that, especially after surgery, it really depends on his personality.  I would keep him in your room to start as it'll help you control the situation.  Just make sure he has a safe space in your room to chill - this is going to be stressful so a nice dark closet, under your bed, or a box will be a great refuge for him.  Make sure the litter box, food, water* are somewhat near to that location but not in it - you want him to be able to get to them easily but still have to come out of his 'safe spot'.  It'll encourage him to test his boundaries.  Some people have issues with cats going under the bed and being difficult to entice out. If that's a concern for you, remove the metal frame & drop the bed onto the floor before he gets there (if you're ok keeping under the bed accessible for him, make sure you clean under there - to keep the incision site from getting dirty). 

*I'd recommend something like http://www.petsmart.ca/cat/bowls-fe...6-catid-200010?var_id=36-6055&_t=pfm=category as a bowl will likely get tipped over and leave your new cat without water until you return

Talk with your house mates, explain what your doing, let them know there may be some issues for a couple weeks but they should go away.  Since he's been on the street for a while, also expect spraying.  Anything 18" above any surface that can't be cleaned easily should be removed as it will likely get sprayed on at some point.  When I say any surface, I mean that the cat will find it's way onto just about any surface (I've seen them jump onto a 6' high fridge from the floor).  If you have a dresser beside some curtains, expect the curtains to get sprayed.  If you have bookshelves and they can fit on the lip, expect the books on any shelf to get sprayed (but especially the bottom two shelves).  They can also direct their spray so they can stand beside something and spray to the side (their accuracy is actually quite impressive lol).  Have water+bleach and some gloves at the ready for daily spot cleaning until you can break the cat of the behaviour.  Some Fabreeze wouldn't hurt either. 

The issues that 'should go away' may not go away at all though, be prepared for that.  Our wonderful Scotty is very very vocal - he likes to announce what he's doing or that he wants something which has meant some sleepless nights for us.  Every cat has their own personality and 'issues' that will present.  Some are mild and easy to live with like Sissy, my new alarm clock, who wakes me every morning by demanding I pet her, some are quite challenging like Mama's daily spraying... for months on end.

5) He'll be upset, he'll hiss/spit at you or try to move back and forth in the cage... the fact that it's so long is not great, the more they can move around the more opportunity they have to hurt themselves.  Can you post a picture of the trap?  There might be some ways to improve it without impacting the ability to catch him.  Either way, have a towel at the ready to cover the cage with.  This will calm him as he won't be able to see what's going on.

6) Just keep the towel over the cage - that's all you can really do.  With the cats we've done, the worst part is actually walking to and from the car where things are a little unsteady.  Once in the car they've all calmed right down once we get moving, just like a baby.

 

[feralsrule]

 
1) It varies per cat, some changes may happen within 48 hours but overall 4-6 weeks for it to clear his system.  It's not a 'fix all' for behavioural issues so be prepared to deal with some quirks.  Most cats have at least one

That's why we love them

 
4) If he's a yowler he will likely yowl regardless of whether or not he's in your room or free to roam the house.  Not all cats will vocalize like that, especially after surgery, it really depends on his personality.  I would keep him in your room to start as it'll help you control the situation.  Just make sure he has a safe space in your room to chill - this is going to be stressful so a nice dark closet, under your bed, or a box will be a great refuge for him.  Make sure the litter box, food, water* are somewhat near to that location but not in it - you want him to be able to get to them easily but still have to come out of his 'safe spot'.  It'll encourage him to test his boundaries.  Some people have issues with cats going under the bed and being difficult to entice out. If that's a concern for you, remove the metal frame & drop the bed onto the floor before he gets there (if you're ok keeping under the bed accessible for him, make sure you clean under there - to keep the incision site from getting dirty). 

The bed is solid with no spacing. I'll make him a nice (clean) dark cave under the desk where he can hide

 Talk with your house mates, explain what your doing, let them know there may be some issues for a couple weeks but they should go away.  Since he's been on the street for a while, also expect spraying.  Anything 18" above any surface that can't be cleaned easily should be removed as it will likely get sprayed on at some point.  When I say any surface, I mean that the cat will find it's way onto just about any surface (I've seen them jump onto a 6' high fridge from the floor).  If you have a dresser beside some curtains, expect the curtains to get sprayed.  If you have bookshelves and they can fit on the lip, expect the books on any shelf to get sprayed (but especially the bottom two shelves).  They can also direct their spray so they can stand beside something and spray to the side (their accuracy is actually quite impressive lol).  Have water+bleach and some gloves at the ready for daily spot cleaning until you can break the cat of the behaviour.  Some Fabreeze wouldn't hurt either. 

But won't bleach emit noxious smell? I can do it but I'm worried since it's a fairly small space and it will have to remail closed to prevent Mith from escaping

5) He'll be upset, he'll hiss/spit at you or try to move back and forth in the cage... the fact that it's so long is not great, the more they can move around the more opportunity they have to hurt themselves.  Can you post a picture of the trap?  There might be some ways to improve it without impacting the ability to catch him.  Either way, have a towel at the ready to cover the cage with.  This will calm him as he won't be able to see what's going on.

Pic can be found here, dimensions are 32x32x102cm (12.59x12.59x40.15in) so a bit on the large end. I was thinking of placing a towel near the far door and on the floor to make it smaller and provide cushioning (and well, to prevent him urinating in the car while on our way to the vet)

I'm kinda worried and very anxious since today is trapping day and the vet will be able to see him tomorrow morning at the earliest. Hope he doesn't become too agitated or sad after spending the night in the trap

 

[di and bob]

I've gone through this process many times and I ALWAYS stress out to the point of tears. He will not like the trap and will howl and try to escape, but cover it to calm him and be firm, don't give in to your fears! The trip to the vet will be extremely noisy so be prepared, talk calmly to him and  drive slowly and calmly! I just wanted to tell you it's WELL WORTH IT! He will now no longer be driven to roam, the fights will all but cease, and the spraying, and both of you will be much happier! Neutering is not bad at all, unlike spaying, he'll be up and around almost immediately. He'll be so happy to be home after that he'll forgive you pretty quickly, I had one boy that rubbed on my legs for a complete minute after I let him out of the trap and we were home!  I have NEVER had any complications from neutering ferals, and they are back in the dirt etc. immediately. I wouldn't let the vet put a cone on him, that would give him unnecessary panic. I've not had a cone on any of mine. If he does spray anywhere, use an enzyme cleaner made for cat urine, found at any pet section in Walmart, ETC, It makes a GREAT stain remover for clothes too! I'll pray for everything to go OK, you will be blessed for helping this boy out, all the luck!

 

[feralsrule]

 
I've gone through this process many times and I ALWAYS stress out to the point of tears. He will not like the trap and will howl and try to escape, but cover it to calm him and be firm, don't give in to your fears! The trip to the vet will be extremely noisy so be prepared, talk calmly to him and  drive slowly and calmly! I just wanted to tell you it's WELL WORTH IT! He will now no longer be driven to roam, the fights will all but cease, and the spraying, and both of you will be much happier! Neutering is not bad at all, unlike spaying, he'll be up and around almost immediately. He'll be so happy to be home after that he'll forgive you pretty quickly, I had one boy that rubbed on my legs for a complete minute after I let him out of the trap and we were home!  I have NEVER had any complications from neutering ferals, and they are back in the dirt etc. immediately. I wouldn't let the vet put a cone on him, that would give him unnecessary panic. I've not had a cone on any of mine. If he does spray anywhere, use an enzyme cleaner made for cat urine, found at any pet section in Walmart, ETC, It makes a GREAT stain remover for clothes too! I'll pray for everything to go OK, you will be blessed for helping this boy out, all the luck!

Thank you, I need all the emotional support I can get since I have a weak spot for struggling animals and I know I'll feel terrible as soon as the trap springs

I keep telling myself it's for the best

 

[JMJimmy]

You'll do great!

As for the bleach, you need to cut it with water ~3ml of bleach per 100ml of water (I put it in an old spray bottle which is about 30ml of bleach - easiest way to measure is just do 1 1/2 cap fulls or 2 tablespoons).  It will have a smell but nothing stronger than you'd find at a pool.  The idea is to clean where they've sprayed and discourage them from respraying.  If they sniff it it'll smell like bleach and he'll hopefully move on instead of 'updating' his scent marking.

 

[feralsrule]

Darn, I failed

It was the first time he saw the trap so he was hasitating to go in. I threw in some salami which he loves and after a while he started going in but not to the point where he would trip the mechanism.

So since the trap didn't spring I tried by itself I to spring it. It wouldnt' close fast enough and at the first weird sound Mith darted outside just miliseconds before the door was secure.

He stayed near a corner where he could see but he was visibly shaken. I went close to him but he was too nervous and would avoid me so I bribed him with more salami and he eventually came close and let me pet him although when I touched him initially he was jumpy. This calmed him eventually and he then stayed around a bit before leaving to go and do his stroll around his territory.

So, new plan. I locked the trap open and left it outside. From now on I'll be feeding him near the trap until he goes in by himself and is comfortable in it. Then one day I'll unlock the mechanism and he'll get caught. My only fear is that now he'll be too skittish to go near it 

 

[JMJimmy]

You didn't fail - you just didn't succeed this time.  These guys are no dummies, it can take weeks to trap a stuborn cat sometimes.  I would not lock it, just put the salami in the back and be patient.  He will trigger it himself eventually.  He may walk over it, eat the salami, and walk out - it's been known to happen.  Just reset and try again the next day.  You'll get him eventually

 

[feralsrule]

 
You didn't fail - you just didn't succeed this time.  These guys are no dummies, it can take weeks to trap a stuborn cat sometimes.  I would not lock it, just put the salami in the back and be patient.  He will trigger it himself eventually.  He may walk over it, eat the salami, and walk out - it's been known to happen.  Just reset and try again the next day.  You'll get him eventually

Not sure if this would be practical since several cats visit me every day and I feed them all, any one of them could spring the trap, they all seem to love (I mean LOVE) salami