I’ve been feeding a few feral cats in our yard for the past 4 years. White Kitty (lousy name, I know) came around 3 years ago and she is the friendliest of our ferals. At first she was terrified of me, but through a gradual and very slow process she has warmed up to me. I’ve been petting her over the last 2 years and she absolutely LOVES to be pet. I was thinking of trying to see if she would adjust to being an indoor cat. As part of that, I tried to pick her up just a little bit tonight to see how she would handle it. In the past, she’s let me lift her up slightly and put her right back down. Tonight I got too enthusiastic and picked her up a good foot. She started to meow and I put her right back down. I’m pretty sure she had a seizure because she was meowing, somewhat limp, and out of sorts for a few minutes.
Do you think I should still try to bring her inside or is the fact that this contact gave her a seizure a sign that I shouldn’t try? I had been thinking of trying to take her to the vet next weekend and setting up a safe area for her in a room to try it out for a week.
Thanks for any advice.
Here is a photo of White Kitty:
It doesn't sound like Kitty had a seizure to me; I've had a cat that had seizures and the behavior was totally different, very obvious. I would definitely bring Kitty inside but take her immediately for a full veterinary checkup, vaccinations, etc.She is beautiful, how are things going? I hope she is still inside.
If you have a garage, try letter her stay in the garage with a litter box of course. She can get used to that and will begin to trust you. Maybe even feed her in the garage or porch. I would also recommend getting some type of feather toy. Basically a stick with a string and a feather on the end. Play with her outside. She a hunter so she would probably warm up to you more if you're not already doing this.Yes, every time I open the front door, I leave it open for a bit in case she wants to come in. She is welcome anytime she changes her mind.
I'll have to dig up some pictures of my menagerie.