Moving and dilemma with one friendly and one unfriendly cat. Or should I leave both of them?

[laundyCat]

I am moving. I have been feeding 2 community cats for a year and want to move them to my new home. However, the older one is friendly and the younger bit me when I tried to put her into the carrier and usually doesn't allow me to pet. She would come inside for food but stand close to the door or run away when I try to close the door. I feel bad if I just take the friendly one because they look like they are so close, and I don't want to separate them. But I feel even worse if I leave them. What should I do? Will they be able to survive in the cold without my care as they depend on me now? There don't seem to have any other people will take care of them in my apartment.

 

[Robyn5678]

If they are feral community cats, I would leave them. Maybe ask a neighbor if they will watch over them and offer to send them food.

 

[laundyCat]

Thanks Robyn5678 for your prompt reply. But they seem to rely on my feeding them now. I went away for two days last week and saw in the camera that they were desperately waiting for me all the time. Would they be able to survive if I leave? Unfortunately, my neighbor is not interested in feeding them.

 

[FeebysOwner]

I am on the opposite end of the spectrum - take them both with you. If they are close, the younger one will learn to take their cues from the older one. That is what happened to me a couple of years back; the older cat over time wanted the interaction, the younger did not. But the younger wanted to be with the older cat, and ultimately 'came around' - it just took a lot longer for her to get there. She would watch the older cat interact with humans, and eventually decided to try it herself, albeit slowly.

I don't know if your intention is to make them indoor cats, but generally speaking when you relocate 'outdoor' cats, they really need to become 'indoor' cats at least temporarily, so they can become acclimated to their new location and not try to roam back to their old place.

Maybe these TCS articles will help you devise a plan for moving them to your new home.

The Five Golden Rules To Bringing An Outdoor Cat Inside – TheCatSite Articles
Bringing Home A New Cat – The Complete Guide – TheCatSite Articles
How To Help A New Cat Adjust To Your Home – TheCatSite Articles
14 Cat Experts Reveal: How To Get A Cat To Like Me – TheCatSite Articles

 

[laundyCat]

Thanks FeebysOwner for your prompt response. Yes I am gonna adopt them and move them to my new permanent home indoor. Should I try to take more time to make the younger one to socialize with me first before moving her both together. I have maybe two months left here at my current apartment. I am not sure how to transport them considering the younger ones wouldn't let me get close to her. I am moving from the West to the East coast, so I will need to fly them in-cabin, not sure how to make the younger one gets cooperate with me when going through TSA. Transporting them by car probably is not a good option. I am also under great pressure as I have to do it in such a short amount of time and also taking them to the vet to get a health certificate to travel. I am also afraid of getting bitten again when she struggles getting into the carrier. Any suggestions?

 

[FeebysOwner]

That is a lot to do in such a short time! If you have the ability now to leave your door open when the older cat comes in and not close it behind the younger cat, I would be doing that. The more the younger cat comes in and doesn't feel 'confined' the more she likely will become comfortable being inside, at least for short periods of time. The more welcoming you can make it for the older cat to want to hang around inside, the more chance the younger cat will stay with the older cat. The situation I dealt with was able to play out over several months, so I was in a position to take a much more relaxed approach.

You can start to try some calming products as a test to see if any of them help to relax the younger cat, but you may need to ask the vet for something like gabapentin for the vet visit - and the trip itself. Unless this younger cat would make a huge 'turn-around' soon, much of the headway you make between now and your move will have to be regained after the move. Using a heavy blanket or towel to 'trap' the cat for placement in a carrier should help prevent you from getting bit - it sounds like this type of an approach may work as you could have gotten a lot worse injuries than you did by trying to pick up some of these semi-feral cats.

I hope some of the members here who have dealt with semi-ferals, trapping, and moving will chime in soon with their experiences so that you can hear more beneficial information than I can give you.

 

[shadowsrescue]

I moved almost 5 years ago. I had 3 feral cats that I cared for living on my deck and property. I brought the 3 feral boys and my 3 inside cats with me when I moved. I had decided that the 3 feral boys would become inside only cats. Outside living was hard and caring for them outside was a constant worry.

I was able to get them retrapped and moved to my new home. It was almost an hour away. I had a mobile vet come to my house and give them up to date vaccines and test for FIV and FELV. I had a large room set up for them separated from my other cats. All 3 did well. The first few days were tough for them, but they all adjusted beautifully. Each year when winter arrives, I am so thankful they are safe and warm inside my house.

My vote is to take them with you. Be sure you have a room prepared for them that is safe. Keep windows closed. Remove window treatments or get them up and out of the way. Have an extra barrier to the room door so you can get inside the door without them trying to escape. Have some soft music playing, a night light. I always have 2-3 litter boxes to start. Keep a routine. Visit them often and always sit on the floor so you don't loom over them.

We are all here to help you.

 

[catsknowme]

Can you reach out to cat rescues in your area? They probably could help you trap shy kitty on vet appointment day, preferably with a vet who works with the rescue and ferals (understanding vets allow walk-ins for ferals). At the vet's, the cat will be sedated (or anesthetized for s/n surgery) and treatment. Bring a recovery cage (usually a med sized dog carrier with small litterbox and pet bed topped with puppy pads) for the vet techs to use before shy kitty wakes up. Be sure to cover the trap and the recovery cage during transport! At home, select a small quiet space (often a small bathroom or large closet) and keep the carrier covered overnight. Use the the travel cups to offer any water or food when appropriate. Shy kitty needs to establish "base camp" before she begins exploring new territory; in my experience, it takes about 3 days of observation to learn the sounds, smells and routines of the family. Meanwhile, hide-proof the rest of the room by blocking off spaces under furniture, behind cabinets but provide elevated escape routes (cat towers, shelves, tables, etc. to help with confidence building). Instead of a carrier, you can also use a metal, 2-door puppy crate for a recovery cage for easier access and put the pet bed in a box to create a condo (I find crates to be easier to access the litter box. The sooner that you this, the better so you can transition the kitties into using their airline-approved carriers. I would also keep the tamer cat in the small room to help encourage the shy kitty.

 

[laundyCat]

Thank you FeebysOwner , shadowsrescue and catsknowme for all your comments. I will try everything possible you guys mentioned. Yea, indeed, I've tried the towel technique, but she turned her head to bite me last time as I forgot to also cover her head. This kinda scared me to touch her again. My main goal is trying not to scare her and at the same time not to hurt myself as well. Yes, I did contact the rescues in my area, and they said they don't do the trap things because these cats have been TNR'ed. The tricky part is this young cat doesn't eat the food when I add the medicine, it's just as if she knew what I'd put in. So, I think I would try to "tame" her before my move so that she is desensitized to my touch more, just not sure if I will have enough time for her to become friendly towards me.

 

[FeebysOwner]

Gabapentin, if that is what you have tried before, is nasty tasting and hard to mask. That is unfortunately true of many meds that are prescribed for cats. Maybe ask for something similar but not as nasty tasting? You could also try something like baby food meat, lickable treats, pill pockets, or even pill masker to hide meds in. Taking a small scoop of canned food and adding some FortiFlora to it might be enough to get her to eat it before she realizes there is a med hiding in there. Hill's A/D Recovery food from your vet's office is another food that seems pretty enticing to cats.

Keep asking questions as you think of them - you never know, someone here might have some specific ideas pertaining to your particular questions.

 

[laundyCat]

Exactly the meds are horrible. My other plan originally was to take the friendlier one (who I already took her to the vet for shots and certificate) to my new home and then come back to get the younger, less friendly one. But I wasn't sure that's a good plan, as FeebysOwner pointed out, the younger one might learn from the older one, so it might be even harder to lure the younger one without the older one. The younger one sleeps with the older one every night and cuddles with her. The older one's health certificate will expire tomorrow. So, I have given up on this plan. Is this a good plan if I am able to take them to my home separately assuming that I am able to get another certificate again for the older one, or is it better to do it together?

 

[FeebysOwner]

IMO, I would not separate them. It would likely add more stress to the younger one - you would be taking the one thing away from the younger cat that they feel they can trust. The big thing is to get the older one to spend more time inside with the hopes the younger one will follow suit in order to be close to the older one. That is what happened with the two I dealt with, but it wasn't instataneous and the older one would go back outside if the younger one either didn't come in or went back outside.

 

[laundyCat]

Thanks FreebysOwner again for your opinion. I agreed.

 

[fionasmom]

Definitely take them and definitely keep them together if possible. Jackson Galaxy refers often to a social bridge cat who is a socialized and more friendly one who will help the scared or shy one to begin to trust humans. It will be easier to deal with the scared cat if her friend is there.

What time frame are you talking about if you take the friendly one first? I wonder if the scared one will remain at your old house if both you and the friendly cat are not there.

If you don't have them, get rose pruning gloves or any heavier protective glove that feels right on your hands and arms. Wear a jacket and long pants when you try to handle the cat.

 

[Timewarpcat]

I wore two pairs of jeans, a heavy wool winter coat and two pairs of leather gloves to handle an adult feral. I have tamed 2 adult ferals, but they were both female. It takes a long time, but the process is worthy.

 

[laundyCat]

Thanks fionasmom and Timewarpcat . fionasmom, the time frame will be roughly 2 months before my lease is up, this will be my second attempt. My first attempt will expire 11/8 (tomorrow) and because of the younger one, I didn't move the older one too. I am willing to extend maybe 1-2 months if I am allowed to just to get them, but I cannot do it forever because I am paying both rent and mortgage at the same time. Yea, i was trying to wear jeans, but somehow the younger cat fled when she saw me geared up, so frustating.

 

[laundyCat]

Timewarpcat , how long it takes for you to tame your adult ferals?

 

[Timewarpcat]

the first one took about 4 or 5 months, but it's possible she was a pet. The second one took 2 years, but I wasn't able to bring her into the house to tame her. She was in an outbuilding. So she got less contact. She was a great indoor cat in the end, but sadly died maybe 5 years later due to a flareup of an illness she must have gotten as a kitten. I've tamed many kittens. They take a couple days to a few weeks. Most of my pet cats have been ferals.

 

[Timewarpcat]

Also I did drive with 2 cats from California to Minnesota in a tiny car and it went well, but those weren't feral. You could get a medium to big dog carrier and put a tiny kitten litter box in there and a clip on water bowl? I found a pet friendly hotel. A big dog carrier will be ok for 2 or 3 days.

PS I have a lot going on now and can't read all the posts. Sorry if I missed something.

 

[FeebysOwner]

Depending on the age of the younger one, it probably shouldn't take 2 years to get him/her 'under control'. The two I dealt with, the older one was probably around 1 or so, the younger was more like 4ish months old. I don't think they were mother-daughter though. Whatever happened to them, the younger one had just not been exposed to humans much. It was probably about 3 months though of a casual approach to get the younger one to let people touch her enough to be trapped. By the time this took place, the older one had gotten pregnant - but, that is a whole other story.