First-time cat mom of a lovely stray :)

[wiltedfern]

Hello!! This is my first post on here… I’m a college student and a first-time cat mom of the sweetest Jasmine and a foster mom of Baby. I’m just posting on here for some general advice and tips of how to make these guys as happy as I can!! Here’s our story so far.

Jasmine (black) has been a feral cat around my apartment complex since before I moved here. My roommates recall seeing her out in the woods and in the parking lot for a couple years before I showed up. She was completely unsocialized to humans and it took a while for her to be comfortable with petting. But the second I touched her for the first time about a year ago, I instantly fel with her and named her on the spot. It just jumped out to me. For a few months I’d just sit on my porch with her any spare hour I had between classes. Then, I started opening my window and she would come into my room for food and to snuggle up with me on my bed at night. That’s around the time Baby came in the picture.

Baby (orange) was born to one of the feral females in the woods and parking lot. He had siblings but they disappeared over time, presumably from other people or predators. He was a little harder to tame but his curiosity overrode his distrust of humans. Pretty soon, he also joined Jasmine’s little schedule of coming in for food and naps. He is still around, but I’m in the process of finding him a home (I can’t afford two vet bills) so I just call him my little foster kitty.

Now we jump to the present… I started leaving my window open 24/7 and they chose to stay in for probably 20/24 hours of the day. So I made the decision a week ago to close my window and take her to the vet. She’s been here for me through so much, so the least I can do for her is make sure she’s healthy (and she is!! Only health problem is a broken tooth) and full of food and love. The only issue is, she panics at night and climbs the blinds frantically, as well as meowing nonstop. But only at night. It’s just so confusing because she wanted to be inside constantly for months on end, but the second I take away the choice to leave, she panics and all she can focus on is escaping. I feel so bad but the vet said to keep her in as much as possible until she gets fixed (tomorrow morning!!) so I got her a pheromone collar and some hemp treats. The collar hasn’t done much, but the treats seem to be helping. I just got them this morning though, so we will see how much they help at night. Except I can’t give her a dose tonight because she has surgery tomorrow and hemp can affect the anesthesia and stuff. So it’ll be another sleepless night for me. Lol.

my dad is custom building her a ginormous cat tree so hopefully that’ll help her feel more comfortable and I just got her a harness and leash today to help her get some outside time. It went great… until I slipped down a hill and dragged her with me. Lol. She went somersaulting into the air and I just know someone was watching me from the window laughing their butts off. I feel so bad!! And now she gets scared when she has the harness on. Ugh! I feel like all the bad things that could go wrong have gone wrong and I can’t win.

I knowshe just needs some time, but I get so worried that she’ll never get there and I’m just some meanie forcing this sweet cat into a place that makes her unhappy. But she enjoyed it and chose it until I closed my window?

I should also add that she readily eats and pees and poops, and wants to play every now and then but she’s not much of a player. She prefers pets and cuddles over playing but will show interest for a couple minutes if the day. We have a dog but they get along and she even jumps up to snuggle with him on the couch. She’s such a sweetheart.

Any tips for keeping her comfortable would be much appreciated. Thank you for reading my word vomit!!!

 

[wiltedfern]

Some more pictures of them because I’m obsessed and everyone should see how cute they are

 

[FeebysOwner]

Hi there! Cuties to be sure (dog included)! Since the surgery is for spaying, you likely have your answer there. If/when Jasmine goes through a heat cycle, she would probably want to go outside as a natural instinct for mating. That being the case, she will settle down after being spayed. Ditto for Baby and neutering!

You are wise to not let these cats outside!

 

[wiltedfern]

Hi there! Cuties to be sure (dog included)! Since the surgery is for spaying, you likely have your answer there. If/when Jasmine goes through a heat cycle, she would probably want to go outside as a natural instinct for mating. That being the case, she will settle down after being spayed. Ditto for Baby and neutering!

You are wise to not let these cats outside!

She has definitely been licking her groin area a bit more than usual lately if that has to do with anything. I wonder if she can still be spayed tomorrow if she’s in heat? I feel like I heard somewhere that they bleed too much if you spay them while they’re in heat or something. I could be making that up lol!

thank you so much for the reply!

 

[FeebysOwner]

I wonder if she can still be spayed tomorrow if she’s in heat? I feel like I heard somewhere that they bleed too much if you spay them while they’re in heat or something. I could be making that up lol!

There is a wide array of opinions on this. If I were you, call the vet and ask what their protocol is. Better to ask and find out what they recommend than to take her in and find out they want to wait.

 

[poolcat]

That's unfortunate. . . the tumble you two took on your walk. But I'll bet both kitties will love the cat tree, especially if you put it in front of a window. You can also move it to a different location occasionally. When I do that, my indoor cat acts like it's a new, exciting, piece of furniture.

When I fostered a litter of kittens, the mom went into heat after several weeks, and the shelter made a point of waiting till it was over before having her spayed. But veterinary practices do change now and then, so FeebysOwner is right about checking in advance.

You have a super-cute animal family. And a thoughtful dad!

 

[wiltedfern]

Hi there everyone!! I just dropped her off to get spayed… She wasn’t as willing to walk right in the crate this time (shocker, poor thing was terrified at the vet the last time) so I had to pick her up and kind of place her in there. We will work on being happy in the crate later. I’ve got the rest of her life to get her comfortable with it.

I’m a little bit of an anxious mess over this. I just really hope it goes okay. I gave permission to do bloodwork beforehand to make sure she is all good for surgery and an IV/painkillers after. It all costs extra but I’d give my life for her so it’s no big deal. She’s staying the night at the vet to be monitored as well, then I can pick her up any time tomorrow. Looks like it’s just me and Baby until then!! His cuddles will surely make me feel less anxious. Ugh I just hope she will be okay!! I’m supposed to get numerous vet calls today and tomorrow to update me on her.

 

[poolcat]

Fingers crossed that all goes well today. Sounds like you've done all the right things. Now it's up to the vet--and fate. Hope the 3 of you will be snuggling together soon!

 

[FeebysOwner]

When Jasmine comes home keep a watchful eye on her if you are going to allow her to be around Baby, and make sure stays relatively calm and inactive at least for a couple of days. Just a precaution to make sure she is healing well and doesn't bother her stitches.

Also, you might take some towels to rub on Baby (or brush him) so you can rub his scent on her when she comes home from the vets. Sometimes, but not always, a cat who was at the vets will smell differently and can set off a non-recognition type of reaction from the cat who stayed home. It might not happen with your two but taking this extra step should help prevent it.

 

[rubysmama]

Hello and welcome to TCS. What a beautiful fur family you have. Thank you for giving Jasmine a home, and for fostering Baby. It's wonderful how quickly they've all adjusted, especially with you already having a dog.

About Jasmine's spay, here's a TCS article on Spaying And Neutering – What To Look For After Surgery – TheCatSite Articles that you might find helpful.

And about taking her out on the harness and leash. It's unfortunate about the tumble, and it may take some time for her to feel comfortable with the harness again. One thing to be aware of, though, is some cats once they get a taste of going outside on the harness and leash want to go outside ALL THE TIME.

There's a few ideas on how to help prevent that from happening, and one is to not let the cat walk out the door herself, but to carry her, and to do the same coming back in. That way they might be more hesitant to run out the door.

Speaking of running out the door, How To Prevent Your Cat From Darting Out The Door – TheCatSite Articles

And one on Harness And Leash Training For Cats – TheCatSite Articles

Oh, I did want to add that most cats, even former ferals, can live happily as inside cats. So don't feel you have to take her outside
How To Make Your Home Bigger (at Least For Your Cats) – TheCatSite Articles.

 

[fionasmom]

As someone who has only ever owned strays and ferals, I can comfortably say that you are making these two very happy. You have a lot of great advice here; remember that you can continue to come here for any questions you have about your new babies. I agree that the night howling might be because she is not spayed/in heat. A few females I rescued over the years were in the same condition and it is stressful for both of you. As the hormones leave her system, it should take care of itself. Some cats can be more active at night, and there are remedies for that, but I think that in your case it is the heat that is causing this. Please let us know how things go. They are both adorable, as is the puppy.

 

[wiltedfern]

Thank you everyone for all of the kind words of encouragement!! just got the call from the vet that she has been spayed and everything went great. Huge relief and I’m so excited to come pick her up tomorrow.

Baby hasn’t even noticed she has been gone!! We’ve been playing and snuggling since I got out of my exam.

my dad and I have been discussing design ideas for the cat tree. I originally wanted to do a cool drift wood design but we weren’t sure if we would be able to source all the pieces and build it by the end of the weekend. So we are going to do a regular cat tree, except make it super huge and fun Any recommendations on materials? Some cats like felt, some cats like rope, some cats like carpet… what do your cats like?

 

[rubysmama]

Any recommendations on materials? Some cats like felt, some cats like rope, some cats like carpet… what do your cats like?

No recommendations on materials, as all cats like something different. My Ruby, for examples, loves carpet, but isn't too fond of sisal rope.

 

[wiltedfern]

Hi everybody!! Jasmine cat is home!! I was expecting her to be upset with me because she was last time I took her to the vet— except she was SO happy to see me. I’m talking meowing, rubbing, the whole lot. She even walked right into her litter box and pooped.

The only issue is that she sees the other feral cat friends outside and she wants to go see them SO bad. She won’t stop meowing at the window or trying to follow me out when I leave. :/

 

[fionasmom]

My cats like carpeting, but not sisal as well.

So glad that everything went well. Give it a few days for her to calm down; I have never had one fail to accustom themselves to the indoors over time. It is too early to tell for sure if she just needs more time to become familiar with her indoor life or if the other cats outside are causing her to want out. Is the night time meowing still going on?

 

[wiltedfern]

My cats like carpeting, but not sisal as well.

So glad that everything went well. Give it a few days for her to calm down; I have never had one fail to accustom themselves to the indoors over time. It is too early to tell for sure if she just needs more time to become familiar with her indoor life or if the other cats outside are causing her to want out. Is the night time meowing still going on?

She has really calmed down quite a lot at night. It’s gone from all night long screaming and climbing windows to every now and again she’ll meow at me but usually will settle after some chin scratches. She really only goes into those meowing/frantic fits when she sees one of the ferals outside. But we will see how tonight goes since it’s her first night back after being fixed. and I have those calming treats (hemp and melatonin) so I can put it in her dinner tonight to help her settle before bed. I just don’t want to make her body stop producing melatonin on its own if I give her it too often.

she’s just so vocal all the time, which is a great thing because she never fails to let me know when she wants something. Even at night when she wants to go out

 

[wiltedfern]

Hi everyone!! A little Jasmine update….

She settled a lot after she climbed up to my roommate’s window sill (it has a much better view and she can see the most out of it. My window has bushes blocking some of the view and our living room’s windows has all the porch railings). She sat in there watching people walk by and birds flutter around and seemed pretty content. She does seem to be kind of wobbly when she walks sometimes but I’m guessing that’s about to be expected the day after you have a hysterectomy. Lol. A few hours ago she crawled under the couch to her favorite sleeping spot (our couch covers end underneath it so it cocoons her under there) and slept like a rock. She woke up about 30 minutes ago and hopped up on the couch next to me and laid back down and went back to sleep. I’m really curious to see how tonight goes.

I feel so bad and I want to give her some more pain meds because she seems to be feeling sore again but she can’t have any more until the morning. So until then it seems like she’s just going to sleep it off and let her body heal I’ll update in the morning on if she has anything to say while I’m sleeping tonight!!

 

[rubysmama]

Glad things are going well. Thanks for the update. Keep them coming.

 

[wiltedfern]

Good morning everyone!! I have great news for you all.

Firstly (and most importantly) neither me nor my roommates heard jasmine cry even once in the night last night!!! Which means I got a full nights sleep. And she was content inside, which is a great step in the right direction.

also, she easily took her pain meds this morning without any fuss. And was extremely loving and happy to see me this morning before taking her spot on our living room window to observe the outdoors. So, I think things are starting to look up for us I feel so relieved.

also, I have a confirmed home for baby if he is not gone in a month and a half!! So much happy news.

 

[fionasmom]

This is great news and it sounds as if Jasmine is very happy to be back home. She understands that this is her home.