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[rayd]

I would try cat foods like fancy feast and not feed her by hand that may take a bit.

 

[kittychick]

I think you're making AMAZING strides with her already!!!! The fact that she was burrowed in on a chair sounds wonderful! And don't be discouraged by her not showing interest in the Gerbers on the spoon. Some kitties just plain don't like it…and the spoon may have threatened her (although it's worth it to keep trying periodically). You can try another of the treat options suggested (like cooked chicken, canned mackerel - which smells to high heaven but man most kitties love it!) - -but put it on a small plate or dish and just place it near her while you talk softly to her. Let her discover it. Once you find her "food hot button" - then move to the spoon method. 

Your'e doing great! I love hearing stories like yours - someone who cares so much and is willing to make so much effort. Warms my heart!  And in this weather - that's saying a lot

 

[jacques t]

I would try cat foods like fancy feast and not feed her by hand that may take a bit.

 
I think you're making AMAZING strides with her already!!!! The fact that she was burrowed in on a chair sounds wonderful! And don't be discouraged by her not showing interest in the Gerbers on the spoon. Some kitties just plain don't like it…and the spoon may have threatened her (although it's worth it to keep trying periodically). You can try another of the treat options suggested (like cooked chicken, canned mackerel - which smells to high heaven but man most kitties love it!) - -but put it on a small plate or dish and just place it near her while you talk softly to her. Let her discover it. Once you find her "food hot button" - then move to the spoon method.

Your'e doing great! I love hearing stories like yours - someone who cares so much and is willing to make so much effort. Warms my heart!  And in this weather - that's saying a lot

Thanks Rayd, I tried fancy feast for her, and she didn't like it at all.  The authority and blue buffalo stuff is also a no go.  I think i'll try science diet or even friskies.  The only thing she has been receptive to is rotissarie chicken, or tuna bathed in chicken broth.  Also I gave her a small bowl of nonlactose milk and she drinks that up like crazy.

I have been reading about behaviors of feral cats and they don't meow when in a dangerous or strange area.  I think due to not attacting any predators.  But last night, she was meowing up a storm.  Should I be worried?

 

[shadowsrescue]

My ferals like Friskies, Wellness and Trader Joes.  Really try to get her onto cat food.  You can still add a bit of chicken broth to it, but she needs to be on cat food.  Just keep trying.  She should like something with chicken or sea food.

Meowing is a excellent sign.  Ferals are quiet when living outside on their own, but when they become used to humans they communicate with a meow.  This is a great sign!!!  She is communicating with you.

Wait to use the baby food for a bit.  I usually start with giving a bit on a plate first.  Once you know she likes it, place it on a spoon on a plate so she gets used to the spoon.  Then try the spoon in your hand or even just a bit on your finger.  Just take it slowly.

She seems to be doing soooo well.

 

[kittychick]

Is she eating hard food when you're not in the room? She definitely needs hard food available 24/7. If she's eating that when you're not around but just not taking the "extra bribery yummy treats" - don't worry.

And if she's making noise that's probably - as ShadowsRescue said - a great sign. A true feral makes very little noise out of necessity - if they made noise out "in the wild" they'd be found quickly by predators (including people) so they rarely vocalize unless mating or fighting. Even if they're ill or hurt they're virtually silent. But ferals often do start vocalizing once they get more comfortable in an inside situation - I've read that one school of thought is that they're comfortable and mimicking what they hear us do - they notice that we "make sounds" with each other so they try to do the same to "fit in" with us. So it's very likely a good thing she's making noises!

And I love that you're researching - this site (and reliable web sites - like Alley Cat Allies, etc) are great sources for info. Be an info sponge - you'll be amazed at what you'll find and how interesting this wacky world of socializing ferals/strays is! If you're like me - once you start reading you can't get enough info!!!

 

[jacques t]

 
My ferals like Friskies, Wellness and Trader Joes.  Really try to get her onto cat food.  You can still add a bit of chicken broth to it, but she needs to be on cat food.  Just keep trying.  She should like something with chicken or sea food.

Meowing is a excellent sign.  Ferals are quiet when living outside on their own, but when they become used to humans they communicate with a meow.  This is a great sign!!!  She is communicating with you.

Wait to use the baby food for a bit.  I usually start with giving a bit on a plate first.  Once you know she likes it, place it on a spoon on a plate so she gets used to the spoon.  Then try the spoon in your hand or even just a bit on your finger.  Just take it slowly.

She seems to be doing soooo well.

 
Is she eating hard food when you're not in the room? She definitely needs hard food available 24/7. If she's eating that when you're not around but just not taking the "extra bribery yummy treats" - don't worry.

And if she's making noise that's probably - as ShadowsRescue said - a great sign. A true feral makes very little noise out of necessity - if they made noise out "in the wild" they'd be found quickly by predators (including people) so they rarely vocalize unless mating or fighting. Even if they're ill or hurt they're virtually silent. But ferals often do start vocalizing once they get more comfortable in an inside situation - I've read that one school of thought is that they're comfortable and mimicking what they hear us do - they notice that we "make sounds" with each other so they try to do the same to "fit in" with us. So it's very likely a good thing she's making noises!

And I love that you're researching - this site (and reliable web sites - like Alley Cat Allies, etc) are great sources for info. Be an info sponge - you'll be amazed at what you'll find and how interesting this wacky world of socializing ferals/strays is! If you're like me - once you start reading you can't get enough i

She is eating the hard cat food when I don't have the bribery food. It's something called Simply Nourish Source - Indoor adult cat food.  chicken and fish - grain free.  she doesn't finish the bowl.  i think she nibbles on it to tide by until i bring the good stuff.    She still only eats when I'm not in the room.

I'm not so convince it's a good sign of her meowing.  She only does it at night in her room when she's alone.  When I go check on her, she hides in her kitty kennel and goes silent until the coast is clear again. 

At work, I pass time on break by reading up on ferals and how to take care of them.  I have read some articles from both sides of the feral argument.  There are sites that state the only thing we can do for them is TNR them.  They cannot be socialized and better off back in the field. Other sites and from what I have read on these forums, that contradict these sites.  I also YouTube to watch socialization of ferals and found some cool videos.  

I'll take the word of this community and keep try to keep positive that one day I'll get through to her.   Heck, if I can endure 6 months living an ex-gf, who is very toxic and just leeching off of me, and her 6 year old who loves to fingerpaint the walls and counters with his feces, then working with Yuki is a cakewalk. lol

 

[kittychick]

Keep in mind it's like anything…you can almost always find both sides to an argument on the internet And the idea of TNR is actually fairly new, relatively speaking in the cat world. I can speak from personal experience (like a lot of people on this forum) --- that some true feral kitties are beyond super tough to socialize and may barely - if ever - adapt to living inside and so, if given access to proper warm shelter, food and water may be best outside. And some, with time, love and work, come around (to varying degrees) and do well --- even learn to love --- living inside with human companionship. Generally the older the kitty at the beginning of socialization the tougher/longer the process is. BUt again - from personal experience - I can say that there are exceptions to every rule - particularly when it comes to kitties  

My husband and I have fostered over 100 cats of varying socialization levels for local shelters, and have also gotten into TNRing out of necessity because a fairly large "true feral" colony sprung up in our neighborhood, and no one was doing anything to stop the growing number of kittens. And we've had some that just couldn't be socialized and so TNRing was the kindest thing (we - and several neighbors have joined us - have heated shelters, heated outdoor water bowls, and keep feeding stations going at all times). But we've had some that have - with a lot of work - become the most wonderful indoor kitties (not all ever became cats that wanted to be picked up and held, but they definitely have become comfortable, loving companions). And one - that we didn't start socializing until she was over a year old - ended up becoming one of our kitties…and she's the most loving, outgoing cat we've ever had!  It took quite some time of working with her, slowly, but when she turned the corner - boy did she turn the corner! She's even become the lap cat I've never had until now…and is truly the kitty love of both of our lives.

So just keep connected with this forum when you get discouraged….it's saved my sanity more than once

 

[Norachan]

I agree with @kittychick  There are some cats who are happier living the feral life, but that doesn't mean all of them are. I've got 20 cats at the moment and 17 of them are rescued ferals. Some of them came to me at just a few months old and some of them had been outside for years. Whether they are willing to be socialised or not depends as much on the personality of the cat as on what you do. For example I've worked with siblings where one cat ended up being released back into the neighbourhood but two others from the same litter were happy to be house cats.

Other cats that I thought I could never befriend suddenly decided that they trusted me after all and seemed to go through a personality change overnight.

You're making great progress with Yuki chan, just keep going, let her decide how fast things go. You'll win her over in the end.

 

[rayd]

Something that works for me. Try and Keep a used unwashed sock or t shirt in her carrier. She will get used to your scent as part of her security. Near or under food dish as well if you can
As for the non cat people and their nonsense. There was a study done in England. The conclusion was cats have no major impact on bird populations. Check it out online. One other fun fact. Cats are the ONLY wild species to domesticate themselves. They chose man as a friend. Helping him rid the grain stores of rats and mice in ancient Egypt. Abusing a cat meant death. Lol.
Then came the Middle Ages. The superstitious people and the church thought cats were evil. Hundreds of thousands were killed practically eradicating cats from Europe. Then the rodent population exploded and came the BLACK DEATH 50% of Europeans died. They came to notice households with cats in general survived. This caused a resurgence of cats and an end to the plague. Google it it's true. Cats throughout history have been our friends in so many ways. Your doing a great thing keep it up have patience go slow and she will come around.

 

[jacques t]

Thank you for the words of encouragement everyone.  I'll keep everyone posted.  I'm going to take her into the vet on Friday for a complete check up.  I don't believe the shelter did that.  They only gave her shots and neutered her.

 

[jacques t]

I'm back from the vet and Yuki is healthy.  No fleas, or ear mites.  They'll test the stool samples for parasites.  So they'll give me a call.  She weighed in at about 4lbs 11 oz.  The pleasant surprise is she was not aggressive or hostile with the vet and her assistant.  She was skittsh, but overall she was calm through the examine and being handle by different people.  They were surprised that her heart rate was skyrocketing when there.  It just gives me more confidence, that Yuki can be turned around.

 

[shadowsrescue]

That is such good news!!!  It sounds so much like my Marvin.  He was a feral/stray that lived outside on my property for 6 months.  I did TNR on him and then decided a few months later to bring him into the house.  It was a lengthy process.  Yet after he had been inside for 3 weeks, I had to get him to the vet before he was allowed contact with my other animals.  i had no idea how he would react.  I talked with my vet beforehand and gave her the ok to sedate him if necessary.  We decided to drop him off in the morning and they would do his exam in short sessions.  He did beautiful.  I was not able to pick him up, but he allowed them to handle him.  He never needed sedating.  This too gave me great hope.  It allowed me to be reassured that he had at one time had human contact and could be resocialized. 

Keep up the good work. 

 

[jacques t]

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• jacques t
• Feb 27, 2015

Here's a pic of Yuki after visiting the vet.  Still no lovey dovey eyes yet..lol

 

[Norachan]

She's gorgeous. She looks a lot more comfortable with you than she did in the first picture. Those lovey dovey eyes will come, don't worry.

 

[shadowsrescue]

She is just precious.  She looks much more relaxed too.

 

[jacques t]

I'm glad you can see the difference.  I can't. lol.  

I just received a call from the vet.  It' appears that Yuki does have a parasite.  They say it's a lung worm, but in larval stage.  They did some sort of topical medication to take care of that before learning she had it.  They stated that the medication should take care of it.  And we'll see again in a month to retest to make sure.  

I'm glad I took her in.  Her lungs and this weather would have been a disaster if the larvae matured.

 

[jacques t]

Yuki's mewing was more in earnest tonight.  And I heard scratching at the door so I investigated.  I saw the cutest thing.  A tiny lil white paw reaching from under the door.  I knocked on the door and waited.  She usually retreats to the safety of her kitty carrier.  I decided to take her out of the room for a moment in the cat carrier and set it on the nightstand next to my bed.  I am watching netflix while talking quietly to her.  I hope that's not going to ruin the work I have done with her so far. 

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• jacques t
• Feb 28, 2015

 

[anne with cats]

I think she is reaching out to you! Probably gets kind of lonely in her room. Have you tried playing with her with some sort of toy like da bird? Maybe not right now, but when you go in to feed her or sit in the room. Right now she may be ok just sitting there next to you and observing you in your territory. She may have felt your fear of disturbing her, and gets that vibe from you. Cats are funny, I really think they feel our stress, intimidation. I think that might be a good idea on your part to bring her into your room. She can smell you in your  "lair". Then hopefully she will be calling to you in the morning, reaching out to you again. Hope all goes well tonight, together. You have been very good to her, and she might now be getting the idea that your not so bad, even kind of nice...!

 

[jacques t]

 
I think she is reaching out to you! Probably gets kind of lonely in her room. Have you tried playing with her with some sort of toy like da bird? Maybe not right now, but when you go in to feed her or sit in the room. Right now she may be ok just sitting there next to you and observing you in your territory. She may have felt your fear of disturbing her, and gets that vibe from you. Cats are funny, I really think they feel our stress, intimidation. I think that might be a good idea on your part to bring her into your room. She can smell you in your  "lair". Then hopefully she will be calling to you in the morning, reaching out to you again. Hope all goes well tonight, together. You have been very good to her, and she might now be getting the idea that your not so bad, even kind of nice...!

I've tried to used the stick/feather toy but she only stares at it. lol

 

[rayd]

CATNIP  try catnip toys or spray catnip on the feather  will take time