First Trap, Afraid Of Doing Wrong Thing

[Sarthur2]

I agree, stay away from catnip for now.

Have you held your hand out to her (in a fist) yet to see if she will sniff you?

 

[GinaN]

I agree, stay away from catnip for now.

Have you held your hand out to her (in a fist) yet to see if she will sniff you?

Every single damn toy I just looked through is laced with catnip. Every single one.

No I haven't.

I'm going in there now to check on her. I'll see how things feel.

 

[orange&white]

I put a ball in there and a toilet paper cardboard thing but she just looks at it.

I do have these pretzel things that are great for chewing but they are laced with catnip and I am not sure if that's a good idea. I'll look to see if I have anything that doesn't have catnip.

(I hate that everything is laced with catnip. Companies should let the cat owner decide if they want to use catnip.)

I think I have one of those solar powered radios. I'll put it on low volume for her.

Thanks orange&white

ETA by the way I read your whole thread yesterday about Kit-Kit. She's so lucky to have you.

Thank you. I wish Kit Kit weren't so wild. I had to release her but having her come around twice a day to eat makes me feel better.

The 4-month old I brought home in February, I adopted. Farrell is 10.5 months old now, a house cat, and a real treasure.

You might try a string toy, or just pulling a string across the floor while you're in with her.

 

[GinaN]

Thank you. I wish Kit Kit weren't so wild. I had to release her but having her come around twice a day to eat makes me feel better.

The 4-month old I brought home in February, I adopted. Farrell is 10.5 months old now, a house cat, and a real treasure.

You might try a string toy, or just pulling a string across the floor while you're in with her.

They are both lucky to have you.

And yes I am preparing myself for those cats I will trap that need to be released. I imagine it is not easy to do.

You are doing all that you can for her.

A string is a good idea. I should have one that's not laced with catnip.

ETA: oh and don't worry i know not to leave it in there unattended.

ETA: I just made this. It's one of those grabber things with the thingie from a graduation cap

 

[orange&white]

They are both lucky to have you.

And yes I am preparing myself for those cats I will trap that need to be released. I imagine it is not easy to do.

You are doing all that you can for her.

A string is a good idea. I should have one that's not laced with catnip.

ETA: oh and don't worry i know not to leave it in there unattended.

ETA: I just made this. It's one of those grabber things with the thingie from a graduation cap

View attachment 190904

Very creative! Hope she'll go for it!

I made Farrell a feather toy from a dowel rod, piece of string and a $3 child's costume feather boa. I keep cutting chunks of the feather boa off every time she destroys "the bird". I still have 2-3 feet of boa left for "bird repair".

 

[GinaN]

She looks relaxed she's sleeping.

No further pee or poop.

I think I am taking her to the vet when they open in a few hours.

She seems relaxed but yet isn't coming out to explore anything (that I can tell.) Seems all she wants to do is sleep.

I put my fist inside the carrier and she just looked at it. I don't think she tried to sniff it. She didn't retreat though. I'm going to go in there right now give her a few pellets of dry food and maybe get my fist a little closer.

It's not that I don't have patience. If she was peeing and pooping normally I wouldn't care.

I just hope they don't scold me for not having released her. I'm kind of afraid.

ETA I left a couple of pellets for her. Put my fist in there again. She sniffed my hand, I saw her little nose move, then seemed to retreat a little bit.

 

[orange&white]

It's a really, really good sign that she didn't hiss or take a swat at your hand. I'd say there's a lot of hope that she can be socialized.

I think you have good reason to be keeping her. This wasn't just spay; she also had injuries.

 

[GinaN]

I agree with you orange&white the question is whether they will.

 

[Sarthur2]

I agree it's a good sign that she sniffed your fist without flinching.

Continue putting your fist in. Eventually, open your hand palm down. The next step will be slowly moving your hand to pet her head or behind an ear.

Try not to worry what the vet will think. Things don't seem right with the cat yet, and she is a candidate for adoption.

Follow your own best instincts!

 

[msaimee]

How is your kitty doing?
I've never heard of a vet scolding anyone for deciding to keep and socialize a feral. I've heard comments that keeping a certain cat will be a handful, but never of a vet scolding someone.

There is one thing you might consider doing to determine if she is ill or just truly petrified. Put her in a bedroom by herself. Somewhere where she has room to move around. If she starts scaling the windows and walls and caterwauling, looking for a way to get out, then you know she is a feral who likely cannot adjust to being indoors. If however she seems content in the room, then it will just be a matter of time before she can be socialized. I know you said you don't have a room to put her in, but I think this would be a way for you to settle the question in your mind, and it would only be for about 24 hours.

 

[GinaN]

Hi everyone. I'm so sorry I never came back to give you an update. Thank you for following up on her.

She peed and pooped at the vet's. So she wasn't blocked. That was a huge relief.

I felt super guilty bringing her there but I took a deep breath and just did it.

I don't even think I need to do a room test. I really don't (though I of course appreciate the suggestion msaimee ). This cat is gentle. I don't know how long it may take her to trust but I think she has a real chance.

I'll keep updating so you know how she's doing.

Thanks again.

 

[Sarthur2]

Good to hear that she is peeing and pooping.

She sounds very gentle. Poor gal has just been frightened.

She'll come around!

 

[msaimee]

It would be good if you could put her in a larger space like a room where she can move around and play. Cats, especially ferals, get stressed when caged or crated (dogs handle this much better). She may also be holding the pee and poop in because she is in such a small space. Are you considering keeping her? If not, now would be the time to try to find her a home. Feral cats bond very deeply with their caregiver. If this Kitty bonds with you, she will have to undergo the whole process all over again with someone new. An ideal home for her would be with someone who doesn't mind having a shy pet, and who could provide her initially with a room of her own, and then later on the run of the house. A person who will be patient and accept the cat for who she is. Or you could just keep her yourself. There is really no difference between having two versus three cats. Feral cats, especially females, usually adjust well to living with other animals. Your feral Kitty will likely be happier when she is interacting with your other two cats. Has your vet given her a clean bill of health?

 

[GinaN]

It would be good if you could put her in a larger space like a room where she can move around and play. Cats, especially ferals, get stressed when caged or crated (dogs handle this much better). She may also be holding the pee and poop in because she is in such a small space. Are you considering keeping her? If not, now would be the time to try to find her a home. Feral cats bond very deeply with their caregiver. If this Kitty bonds with you, she will have to undergo the whole process all over again with someone new. An ideal home for her would be with someone who doesn't mind having a shy pet, and who could provide her initially with a room of her own, and then later on the run of the house. A person who will be patient and accept the cat for who she is. Or you could just keep her yourself. There is really no difference between having two versus three cats. Feral cats, especially females, usually adjust well to living with other animals. Your feral Kitty will likely be happier when she is interacting with your other two cats. Has your vet given her a clean bill of health?

It would be good. I do leave the door to the carrier and the crate open, and I've been putting the food to the side of the carrier so she has to come out and find it. That's still within the crate though. I thought today that maybe I need to start putting the food elsewhere OUTSIDE the crate so she has to venture out even further.

She seems - and always has seemed - to be a low energy kind of cat. That's what came through when I would observe her while she was outside. She always seemed to be kind of "on the outside." I thought this was due to her injuries. But maybe there's more going on with her.

I don't know. It's only been a few days. She just got spayed. She still has a lot of hair missing from her tail and her wounds are just starting to heal. She's in a totally new environment.

Maybe her lack of curiosity is normal for what could be a normally shy cat to begin plus one that's been through all of the above.

She did not get tested for FeLV/FIV it's not part of the TNR protocol. I have to think through this because my understanding is once they get the vaccine they will test positive. So how will I ever know if she is indeed negative?

 

[msaimee]

Getting tested for FIV/FelV (SNAP test) isn't the same as getting vaccinated for FIV. Many vets won't vaccinate cats for FIV for the reason you mention, also the vaccine isn't a hundred percent effective. The test is to know whether or not the cat has either disease. Only a small percentage of cats have these illnesses, but you might want to have her tested at some point for your peace of mind. Intact male cats are the ones who tend to get FIV through fighting for mates and territory--it's spread through deep bites--so its unlikely yout girl kitty has it. And you're right, she is likely low key from the surgery, shots, and recovery from her injuries. She's been through a lot. Hopefully she will start feeling better soon.

 

[Shane Kent]

She seems - and always has seemed - to be a low energy kind of cat. That's what came through when I would observe her while she was outside. She always seemed to be kind of "on the outside." I thought this was due to her injuries. But maybe there's more going on with her.

My cats seem to be fixated on their appearance with constant grooming. If Taz has even a little bit of poop on his furry behind he is upset by it. He is Maine Coon so he has a rather furry behind. He hates when I clean it. Afterwards he is happy and gives me a head bump. Maybe your kitty is not feeling good about herself. I know that may sound crazy but I feel cats are very concerned with their appearance / fur. I hope she starts to look better and feel better about herself and that is all it takes.

 

[GinaN]

Getting tested for FIV/FelV (SNAP test) isn't the same as getting vaccinated for FIV. Many vets won't vaccinate cats for FIV for the reason you mention, also the vaccine isn't a hundred percent effective. The test is to know whether or not the cat has either disease. Only a small percentage of cats have these illnesses, but you might want to have her tested at some point for your peace of mind. Intact male cats are the ones who tend to get FIV through fighting for mates and territory--it's spread through deep bites--so its unlikely yout girl kitty has it. And you're right, she is likely low key from the surgery, shots, and recovery from her injuries. She's been through a lot. Hopefully she will start feeling better soon.

I think what was confusing me is that she got the RCP vaccine. I thought that was the one that gave the positive once they're vaccinated. But I did some research today and see that it's not.

So I can still get her tested for FeLV/FIV. Of course, I regret so much not having more calm the day I took her to the vet. I lost a golden opportunity to have her feces tested for whatever (she pooped right at the vet's office) and given her the SNAP test. Now I will eventually have to make another trip to the vet to do that. I do not want her to go through that again for a while so that really is a shame.

I still in the back of my mind worry that she didn't get tested for FeLV/FIV so I have no idea if she's positive for either one. She's not in contact with my cats and I wash my hands thoroughly every time I leave the room but still I don't like not knowing her status.

Same with the distemper - she got the vaccination from what I understand from the RCP (the P standing for feline panleukopenia, or distemper) but I don't know how quickly it takes effect if she was indeed positive. And I don't remember right now if the vaccination "cures" the cat if she already had it.

Again, just wishing i had asked all these questions when I took her to the vet...:/

 

[GinaN]

My cats seem to be fixated on their appearance with constant grooming. If Taz has even a little bit of poop on his furry behind he is upset by it. He is Maine Coon so he has a rather furry behind. He hates when I clean it. Afterwards he is happy and gives me a head bump. Maybe your kitty is not feeling good about herself. I know that may sound crazy but I feel cats are very concerned with their appearance / fur. I hope she starts to look better and feel better about herself and that is all it takes.

This could be, Shane. I really got to see her whole body when we were at the vet's office and her poor little tail looked worse than I had expected.

 

[msaimee]

The FVRCP vaccination takes effect immediately. If she had an upper respiratory (which the vaccine protects against, and which is the most commonly transmitted illness between cats), she would be symptomatic--sneezing and discharge from eyes and nose. FelV ad FIV are uncommon
diseases, occurring in only 2- 4 percent of cats. Of all the ferals and strays I've taken in or cared for over the years, only one 1 had FIV. He was a feral Tom, who I wasn't successful in trapping to get neutered, and he was in frequent fights with other Toms over mating and territory issues . And to be honest, there were a few cats I never got tested at all. FIV is spread through deep bite wounds, such as occurs when two male Toms are fighting. So don't worry and fret about not having your kitty tested for these diseases yet. There is a 96-98% chance she is just fine. I agree that another trip to the vet now would be very stressful for her.

Cats sense our anxiety and worry. They are very perceptive and sensitive creatures. They react to our anxiety with anxiety of their own. Try to relax when you are around your kitty (does she have a name yet?) This will help her to feel calmer and more secure. You are doing everything you can for her, and that's all any of us can do. Is she using the litter box yet?

 

[Sarthur2]

Yes, try to relax and focus on the socialization aspects.

Her coat will fill out and become shiny as she loads up on nutrition!

Eventually, her personality will begin to emerge.

Naming her is a good idea if you haven't already.