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[shadowsrescue]

 
I appreciate the kind remarks of our progress.  

Another update to remark.  I woke up in the middle of the night, last night, sensing I was being watched for some reason.  And I was right.  Yuki was sitting on the bed to the left of me relaxing.  However, she saw me looking over at her and she went back to her cave. lol

Now to have her do that while the light is on and when I am awake!

That is just huge!!!!   I have a feral/stray that I brought into my home 2 years ago in May.  The first year he lived in a room of his own as he was so freaked out.  After one year, he finally was able to adjust to our home and other animals and is now out and about 100% of the time.  He is still skittish and afraid of loud noises.  Yet, his best time is night time.  He will get on our bed and sleep with us.  At first it was just like Yuki, on the bed staring.  Then he would jump off and run out of the room.  Each night he stayed longer and longer.  Of course our turning over at night scared him too.  But he kept coming.  He now sleeps in the bed most nights.  He is  still leery of my husband during the day, but when my husband is in bed laying down, Marvin just loves him.  He purrs and loves him to pet him.  I read once that feral/semi feral cats are much more relaxed around humans when they are laying down.  It is much less threatening to them.

I am just so happy for you and Yuki!!!!!

 

[jacques t]

Another milestone!  Normally, the pieces of chicken that I tried to hand feed her ends up being left in front of her and not consumed until I am gone or not in sight.   Last night, she gained enough confidence to eat it while I am in her presence and watching her.  Not only once, but 3 times!  She was hesitant, but I can understand how you all feel when you earn another level of trust with a feral cat.

 

[shadowsrescue]

 
Another milestone!  Normally, the pieces of chicken that I tried to hand feed her ends up being left in front of her and not consumed until I am gone or not in sight.   Last night, she gained enough confidence to eat it while I am in her presence and watching her.  Not only once, but 3 times!  She was hesitant, but I can understand how you all feel when you earn another level of trust with a feral cat.

She continues to melt your heart!!  Working with a feral and earning their love and trust is such a rewarding experience.  I am so happy for you!

 

[jacques t]

I discovered that Yuki was injured from the collar incident. The corners of her mouth is raw looking and scar/scabbing. She is eating fine and she was sitting near me on the mattress again last night. Ill keep an eye on her. I heard cats are quick to heal.

 

[kittychick]

So happy Yuki continues to progress!!!! It all really is fairly fast when you remember she's a feral-so impressive!!!

I'm sure her mouth will heal. And so happy to hear about the chicken -definitely a big step of confidence!

 

[jacques t]

I have taken off the pheromone collar off of her, and put on a regular collar with a bell on it.  My 1st thoughts was that she will be extra cautious to not have the bell ring, however, it turns out that she walks around it making a lot of jingling.  

Last night, I had the food dish less than a foot from my face on my bed.  She did her usual routine, when I turn out the lights and I'm in bed, out she comes from the cave near the head of my bed and hopes on the mattress and eats her dinner.  I occasionally wake up and look over and she is relaxing on my bed near me but not too close.  I'd say that is more progress.

I also adopted a 2 year old adult female.  I named her Aiko.  Her story was that she was packed in a cardboard box and dumped in front of a vet's office in the cold weather.  The vet took the cat in and made sure she was okay.  Then she was placed in foster car and was displayed at Petsmart for adoption.  I discovered her on my weekly trips to the store to get stuff for Yuki.  There were 4 adult cats there.  All but 1 had their backs turned to the front.  When I went to Aiko's cage, she meowed loudly at me and tried to headbutt me through the cage door.  So I took a risk and hoped maybe Yuki can learn from an experienced house cat.  I told the foster of my intention, and the foster advised if it doesn't work, I could return her.  So I took her home for her adventure.

Aiko is very loving.  Always begging for pets and showing her belly.  Plus when I'm sitting, she always jumps into my lap to relax and sleep.  She got comfortable with my place real fast.  Better than a 4x4 cage.  And enjoyed the common areas.  Yuki is still secluded to my bedroom.

Here is where things get dicey.  I proceeded with the preparation of the meeting of the 2 cats.  Swapping towels with their scents on them so they can get to each other scents.  Aiko knew there was another cat, she smelled Yuki on me.  She also noticed her from under the door too.

This is about 2 weeks of preparation, then I brought Aiko in the bedroom, while Yuki was in the cage.  Aiko was happy to explore a new area when she entered the bedroom.  She was meowing and purring.  Yuki heard her and went to the front of the cage and gave Aiko a small peep to say "Hi!".  Aiko then saw Yuki and it went all downhill from there.  She hissed at Yuki and tried to swat the cage.  So I separated the two.

I gave a few days to reset themselves.  I tried again, but this time w/o any cages.  Same result, Aiko did not like Yuki one bit.  Yuki displayed subservient behavior, and was tell Aiko, "I'm not a threat."  However, that didn't matter to Aiko.  She hissed and growled at Yuki.  I let Aiko leave the room and I'd try again.

Next attempt, was worse.  Aiko knew that I was trying to introduce her to Yuki now.  So when I carried her into the room, she was whining.  This time this resulted in Aiko assaulting Yuki.  Yuki was in her non threat mode, but Aiko lashed out at her a few times and ran away.

I believe Aiko to be a fit for a 1 cat only family versus a multi cat household.  Yuki extended an olive branch to her but it didn't turn out well.  Unfortunately, if there is no improvement, from Aiko and getting alog with Yuki, I will need to contact the foster to return her.  

I think a kitten near Yuki's age would be a better strategy, since kittens can adapt to new changes better than adults.  I believe this is the case since the people have been praising Yuki's quick progress.  

It's a sad story for Aiko, but Ihave a better understand of her personality.  The foster did not have her for a long time, so I'll advise of my observations of Aiko.  Aiko is a sweet gal, and very loving.  Definitely a lap kitty.  So she may fit better with a family or elderly couple.  Definitely to be the only animal in the household.

I'm so torn to be doing this, but Aiko is not happy here with Yuki.  Yuki rolled with the punches and still does her routine by eating and relaxing near me when I'm in bed.  

 

[rayd]

I would wait I had a couple terrible experiences. But they turned out well. Time it takes time. For example a couple baby fates stacked on top of each other so they cannot be jumped and feeding them on each side. Also heavy play time to tire them out first. Look at the website for pointers. No more direct meetings for a bit. And see. Sometimes it just takes time and you can't push it.

 

[Norachan]

It can take a really, really long time for cats to get comfortable with each other. It's taken over 6 months for me to be able to take down the netting that separates the enclosure for my unsociable cat ,Mia, from the main enclosure. She now gets supervised outdoor play time with the rest of the cats in the enclosure, but still has her own room for when I can't keep an eye on them.

I'd say don't give up on Aiko and Yuki yet. Just give them more time and go over the early stages of the introduction again. Here's an article that might help.

http://www.thecatsite.com/a/the-ultimate-yet-simplified-guide-to-introducing-cats

By the way, what does Aiko mean? Is it 愛子

 

[jacques t]

 
It can take a really, really long time for cats to get comfortable with each other. It's taken over 6 months for me to be able to take down the netting that separates the enclosure for my unsociable cat ,Mia, from the main enclosure. She now gets supervised outdoor play time with the rest of the cats in the enclosure, but still has her own room for when I can't keep an eye on them.

I'd say don't give up on Aiko and Yuki yet. Just give them more time and go over the early stages of the introduction again. Here's an article that might help.

http://www.thecatsite.com/a/the-ultimate-yet-simplified-guide-to-introducing-cats

By the way, what does Aiko mean? Is it 愛子

Aiko means child of love.  She is full of love.  She always shows her belly to invite for lots of pets.  And is a purr machine.  She is pleasantly plump as well.  She was an abandoned cat.  From her behavior.  I believe she was abused before that.    She runs away from me as I pass her while eating, and when I have plastic grocery bags or garbage bags, she bolts away as if I have a weapon.  She is more fit for an older couple or person who sits or is at home most of the time.  She is definitely a lap cat.

Anyhow,  I spoke with her sponsor recently, and she understood my concerns.  She just took Aiko in, after she was abandoned at the vet's office.  The vets took care of her shots and spaying.  Then the sponsor took her to Petsmart, where I met them.  She is taking back Aiko to place in a better home.  It does break my heart doing this.  But I am thinking what is best for Aiko.

On the other hand,  I have recently removed the pillow that creates the cave for Yuki.  I would assume without that safety cave, she would move back to the carrier for shelter.  However, It turns out she still will sleep at the head of my bed near me.  She would still hiss at me at times.  I'm perplexed why she would still want to stay near me yet hiss at me. lol

 

[jacques t]

I decided to keep Aiko.  The eve of returning her back, she and Yuki had a breakthrough.

Aiko's hissing and growling at Yuki has dramatically decreased recently. Aiko begrudgingly took a nap with Yuki with my supervision.  That changed my mind of letting Aiko go.

 Plus an incident occurred that had me really scared.

I sensed Yuki being depressed recently, so I thought it was a good idea to put her out on the balcony to get some fresh air and sun.  A few hours later, I checked on her and she was not on my balcony.  Bear in mind I am on the 9th floor and I thought she jumped.  And I was freaking out.  I didn't see her on the ground anywhere either.  I thought an animal took her for chow or she is hiding somewhere with severe injuries.

Then I noticed a small ledge approx 4 to 5 inches that lead to the vacant apartment's balcony to the left of me.  I couldn't climb over so I used my phone camera option to survey the balcony and there Yuki was.  Just chilling out and probably needed time away from me. Or was trying to run away and couldn't go any farther.   It was the late friday and the leasing office was closed so I couldn't get access or help to get Yuki.

So all I could do is wait until Monday when the office opens.  In the meanwhile, I kept the sliding door open for her to come back.  I checked the forecast and it was going to get down to 30 degrees and rain.

I also kept my bedroom door open just in case she comes back into my bedroom.

What was surprising is Aiko's behavior that night.  She was exploring my room for Yuki, probably for another hiss session.  But she couldn't find her, and tried to search all over the apartment for her.  She was trilling to call out to Yuki!  Aiko was worried for her.  She and I turned in for the night.

Later that evening/early morning, I heard scratching/digging in the litter box in my room.  I woke up thinking Aiko was missing Yuki and wanted to see if she was hiding in there.  I turned on my flashlight and it was Yuki!  She was going to the bathroom instead of on the other balcony.   I got up slowly and greeted her and went into the living room.  She didn't run or bolt away from me.  I closed the balcony door and saw it was snowing outside.  I guess Yuki had a taste of the cold wet weather and decided that she had a good deal with me and returned.

Building upon Aiko's concern of Yuki, I left the bedroom door open for Aiko and Yuki to interact.  I think I heard Aiko hiss halfheartedly twice throughout the night.  The rest of the time, Aiko was trilling at Yuki.  And Yuki was responding be coming close to her but keeping a slight distance.

What started out as a potential tragedy turned out to change the relationship dynamics of Aiko/Yuki, and Yuki's perception of how much better inside was vs outside.

 

[jacques t]

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• jacques t
• Apr 4, 2015

Yuki being bolder, and is trying out the high ground.

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• jacques t
• Apr 4, 2015

"Did I wake Daddy up?"

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• jacques t
• Apr 4, 2015

Aiko basking in the sunlight without a care in the world.

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• jacques t
• Apr 4, 2015

Aiko wanting to sleep on dad's lap.

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• jacques t
• Apr 4, 2015

Time to take a glamour selfie!  

 

[Norachan]

That's great news. I'm so glad you decided to keep Aiko. She's a beauty and it sounds as if the girls bonded without telling you. Cats and their secrets! 

I used to live in a fourth floor apartment with a large balcony. You can make it safer for the girls to go out there with some deer netting and some adhesive hooks to hold it in place. I told the landlord that it was to keep the pigeons off and he didn't object to me putting it up. (We weren't really supposed to have a cat in that apartment.)

I was always worried that my cat would leap of the balcony in pursuit of a bird. She was a feral cat like Yuki.

 

[kittychick]

They're both beautiful but that Yuki -what a princess!!!! So happy it's starting to work out ---/yeah for you for sticking with it!!!!

 

[jacques t]

[VIDEO][/VIDEO]

Heres a video of Yuki playing with the lights on!

 

[anne with cats]

Video says private. Only shows black screen.

 

[jacques t]

I'm sorry. New to youtube uploading

 

[Norachan]

I can see it now. She looks really relaxed an happy. What a difference!

 

[jacques t]

A major milestone this morning with Yuki!

Aiko was sharing Yuki's safe haven this morning, and I was petting Aiko. While Yuki watched, Aiko was purring loudly and super content. I noticed Yuki turn on her side and staring at me.

So I bit the bullet and slowly petted her side. She tolerated for a few mins and swatted my hand away softly without her claws. Then she saw Yuki still in kitty bliss and decided to set her head down, close her eyes and expose more of her tummy to me.

This time I scratched behind her ears and petted her shoulders and side again. This time I heard Yuki started to purr softly!

I think Yuki is on her way to being a happy former feral kitty turned indoor cat.

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• jacques t
• Apr 30, 2015

Yuki greeting me with this cute face this morning.

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• jacques t
• Apr 30, 2015

Yuki keeping my dishes warm. Lol

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• jacques t
• Apr 30, 2015

Yuki hanging out in the cat tree.

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• jacques t
• Apr 30, 2015

Yuki and Aiko cuddling.

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• jacques t
• Apr 30, 2015

Yuki and Aiko hanging out in Yuki's safe zone.

 

[jacques t]

I want to thank everyone who has helped me through the socialization of Yuki. Since I rescued her on Feb 15, 2015, it has been a great adventure. You are all my dear friends and I hope I can continue contributing to this community.

To those who are frustrated with socializing ferals, it does take much patience and love. The quick progress with Yuki is surprising. However, they should come around. The may not become lap cats or sleep on you, but keep in mind.

You saved a life that would have ended prematurely from violence or diseases.

I know if I didn't act. Yuki wouldn't be here today.

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• jacques t
• Apr 30, 2015

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• jacques t
• Apr 30, 2015

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• jacques t
• Apr 30, 2015

A couple pics of Yuki back when I rescued her from the subzero temps of winter.

 

[Norachan]

That's awesome! They look so happy together.