- Joined
- Dec 20, 2021
- Messages
- 7
- Purraise
- 5
I am a new member and am so happy to have found thecatsite. I have rescued, TNR'd and placed many ferals over the years. Some had medical issues that would have made them much more vulnerable to predators and so I took several into my home. I currently have 7 cats of my own, 4 were feral ( 2 of which are now completely tame and 2 which remain feral but seem to love living indoors and do tolerate me giving them treats!). They are all between 12 and 16 years old.
I am 75 years old and so had decided several years ago that, at my age and due to the challenges of living on a fixed income, I would not take in any more kitties. My daughter will be caring for my remaining cats when I am gone, which is an enormous comfort.
A year ago I became aware of a feral kitty living on property in my area that the owners only occasionally visited. The cat had some shelter under a carport but no regular source of food/water. I contacted the owners and asked if I could feed/water the kitty and they agreed. I trapped the cat, had him neutered, tested, and immunized and then released him back to the property. It took awhile, but eventually he became more social towards me, usually running to greet me and at times rubbing against my legs. I even was able to pet him a few times. A month ago, the owners informed me that they had sold the property and that the new owners did not want the car, nor me around! I decided I had to break my promise to myself about not taking in any more cats. I trapped " Gizmo" a week ago and he is now in one of my bathrooms. Because he had begun to behave as if he was becoming tamer, I made the mistake ot attempting to pet him the 2nd day he was in my home. He bit, scratched, and laid his ears flat. I immediately realized my mistake and have not approached him since then. In the bathroom he has a small cat "house" where he can hide, food, water and I have put in a plug-in Feliway pheromone spray in hopes that will help him become calmer. I keep soft music playing during the day. So far, he still growls, hisses, and hides whenever I go into the bathroom. I only stay a few minutes and talk softly to him as I'm taking care of food/water/litter box. This is a very long post to come to this question: is there anything else I can do to hopefully help this cat eventually return to the level of tameness I saw before I re-located him to my home? I am heartbroken that he is still so frightened after being here a week.
I will be so grateful for any advice you can give.
I am 75 years old and so had decided several years ago that, at my age and due to the challenges of living on a fixed income, I would not take in any more kitties. My daughter will be caring for my remaining cats when I am gone, which is an enormous comfort.
A year ago I became aware of a feral kitty living on property in my area that the owners only occasionally visited. The cat had some shelter under a carport but no regular source of food/water. I contacted the owners and asked if I could feed/water the kitty and they agreed. I trapped the cat, had him neutered, tested, and immunized and then released him back to the property. It took awhile, but eventually he became more social towards me, usually running to greet me and at times rubbing against my legs. I even was able to pet him a few times. A month ago, the owners informed me that they had sold the property and that the new owners did not want the car, nor me around! I decided I had to break my promise to myself about not taking in any more cats. I trapped " Gizmo" a week ago and he is now in one of my bathrooms. Because he had begun to behave as if he was becoming tamer, I made the mistake ot attempting to pet him the 2nd day he was in my home. He bit, scratched, and laid his ears flat. I immediately realized my mistake and have not approached him since then. In the bathroom he has a small cat "house" where he can hide, food, water and I have put in a plug-in Feliway pheromone spray in hopes that will help him become calmer. I keep soft music playing during the day. So far, he still growls, hisses, and hides whenever I go into the bathroom. I only stay a few minutes and talk softly to him as I'm taking care of food/water/litter box. This is a very long post to come to this question: is there anything else I can do to hopefully help this cat eventually return to the level of tameness I saw before I re-located him to my home? I am heartbroken that he is still so frightened after being here a week.
I will be so grateful for any advice you can give.