- Joined
- May 14, 2015
- Messages
- 32
- Purraise
- 41
[SORRY SO LONG, BUT NEED TO GIVE HISTORY] Hi, everyone! I'm so heartbroken and stressed. My beloved feral that I've been caring for, after fixing her as a kitten as part of a litter that was born next door to us over ten years ago, seems to have abandoned her little house that I got her for this winter. It's the one house that I was successful at getting her to use (I've tried homemade shelters, and other commercial cat houses over the years). I put it up this summer to get her acclimated to it, in her little "side yard" on one side of our house where I've fed her (and other random strays) over the years. She started using it in October (we live in Phoenix), and pretty much religiously since then, all through our winter. Lately a big tomcat that has been roaming our area for about a year or so has started coming by again (mating season, he's not fixed, and I've not been successful at trapping him yet). He has marked in the side yard before, and has started doing it again. About a month ago. he went into her house briefly. I noticed she went up to it after he was gone and then walked away, so I went out when the coast was clear and checked - he marked a little bit on her bedding inside. I took out the bedding, cleaned it (a couple of times, lol), and then put everything back. She was back in the house after a few hours that time. This past Monday, we had new washer/dryer delivered and our old appliances were purchased later that evening by a couple. The delivery and removal had to be done by everyone going through that side yard into our backyard to access our laundry room. She was not in the side yard, but could have been close by. When our old appliances were picked up by the couple purchasing Monday evening, they really created a racket and there was a lot of back and forth. Then, the tomcat appeared and got into her house again. I went out as soon as he left and sure enough he had marked. I was really upset. I removed the bedding, and washed everything. But I forgot to add an enzymatic cleaner, and a friend point that out to me. She would not go back into the house and seemed very skittish (more than normal). Over the next few days, I was a stress case, cleaning things, trying new bedding, spraying the area with Pooph as I could smell his markings. I think I may have made matters worse by all the activity in and around her house, trying to rectify the marking situation. It's now Friday, and she's gone around the house, under it (it's raised slightly on legs), sat on its front porch, played around it, and aside from one very short trip through it that first day after the commotion (Tuesday afternoon), has not been back inside it. I have security cam on that area, so I can see all of her comings and goings. It's been relatively nice now, but she's back to sleeping in my car, and hiding between our wall and the neighbors' fence near her yard (things she did before she was comfortable in her house). I'm so very heartbroken and we're going to have some rain and a bit colder weather in a few days. Is there ANYTHING I can do, or do I just need to give her time? My husband says it's a good sign that she is still coming around, and went under the house, but I'm just not sure.
I have had a feeling the last couple of days, that he's right too (I hate that, LOL!). My friend with a lot of cat expertise was pretty sure it was lingering scent from the tomcat that was keeping her away, and so I was frantic about trying to eliminate that, and I think I exacerbated the situation. I totally spiralled, and just kept trying to "fix" things, and I should know better than that. Question - my friend recommended I use Pooph on everything that the tomcat had marked, but then commented maybe the Pooph was leaving a scent. I thought that Pooph is odorless. If the tomcat does come again, what would be my best practice for cleaning bedding, etc.? 
