I was sent to this site for help with my feral/semi-feral/stray cat, Lucy (that's her in my avatar). She started coming for food and shelter several months ago, but had always been very shy and took off if she saw me. Last Thursday I was able to trap her, get her to the humane society for vetting and spaying. She was pregnant, but we decided to spay her anyway. I assumed she would go back outside, had her ear-tipped, etc, but found that she was more shy and scared than anything.
So I brought her home on Friday and set her up in a large dog cage in my den, out of sight of my 4 resident cats. She has allowed me to pet her and would even purr when I stroked her back. She hasn't been eating all that well, mostly at night and never when I'm around. I've been able to give her burprenorphine for pain and to look at her incision. So this morning I left the cage door open so she could get out and move around. Not surprisingly, she hid right away.
When I got home from work I attempted to get her to put her back in her cage and she went ballistic - hissing, growling and lunging at me. I was able to use a towel to get her and put her back in her cage, but she went straight to the litter box - as far away from me as she could. I've since been able to pet her through the cage, but she is not a happy cat.
I guess I need to know whether keeping her in a small cage is best right now. I could afford to purchase a larger 3 level condo that would give her some climbing, moving around room and also allow her litter box to be at a distance from everything else.
I've learned a lot just reading some of your posts. I am willing to do what I can for her and she is not going back outside. BUT I am concerned because she seems so sad and depressed in her cage. I know that she's had a lot to deal with in a short time, between the spay (when pregnant) and the vaccinations/worming/etc and just having her whole world turned upside down.
I cannot keep her, though. I have 4 others, all seniors and a couple with special medical needs. They do not do well with other cats, even outside and two of them will have major fighting/aggression issues if I even let them see Lucy.
So, I guess, since I've never done this before, I'm asking for any help you might give me. Lucy is so deserving of something better - she was clearly owned at some point because she had on a ratty old flea collar when she was trapped. But she also was covered in scabs, scars and has not had an easy go of it.
Thank you so much,
catmom5
So I brought her home on Friday and set her up in a large dog cage in my den, out of sight of my 4 resident cats. She has allowed me to pet her and would even purr when I stroked her back. She hasn't been eating all that well, mostly at night and never when I'm around. I've been able to give her burprenorphine for pain and to look at her incision. So this morning I left the cage door open so she could get out and move around. Not surprisingly, she hid right away.
When I got home from work I attempted to get her to put her back in her cage and she went ballistic - hissing, growling and lunging at me. I was able to use a towel to get her and put her back in her cage, but she went straight to the litter box - as far away from me as she could. I've since been able to pet her through the cage, but she is not a happy cat.
I guess I need to know whether keeping her in a small cage is best right now. I could afford to purchase a larger 3 level condo that would give her some climbing, moving around room and also allow her litter box to be at a distance from everything else.
I've learned a lot just reading some of your posts. I am willing to do what I can for her and she is not going back outside. BUT I am concerned because she seems so sad and depressed in her cage. I know that she's had a lot to deal with in a short time, between the spay (when pregnant) and the vaccinations/worming/etc and just having her whole world turned upside down.
I cannot keep her, though. I have 4 others, all seniors and a couple with special medical needs. They do not do well with other cats, even outside and two of them will have major fighting/aggression issues if I even let them see Lucy.
So, I guess, since I've never done this before, I'm asking for any help you might give me. Lucy is so deserving of something better - she was clearly owned at some point because she had on a ratty old flea collar when she was trapped. But she also was covered in scabs, scars and has not had an easy go of it.
Thank you so much,
catmom5