Socializing my feral Panda Bear - advice and encouragement?

[tabbytom]

Good to hear that! Once he feels no threat for both of you, he'll slowly open up. Again, don't t rush things. If he shows any dissatisfaction, stop and back up, then try again later.

It's also good that Pangolin is giving him confidence too. Just look at his face! So cute!

Oh, one other thing, would be better if they are fed from shallow lip rectangular ceramic, porcelain or stainless steel plates. Shallow lipped plates will not cause whisker stress. Like the bowl in the photo, the sides will irritate Pangolin's whiskers as he eats. Even if it's bigger, the sides are rounded and when the food is lodge at the corner of the bowl, the side will touch their whiskers as they reach for it.

Continue with what you are doing and I think PB will settle in soon

 

[patiently]

Yes, that's not a normal bowl they use! PB wasn't eating much so I put a random big bowl of kibbles by him to tempt him (it worked!). Of course Pangolin couldn't resist stealing some...

 

[segelkatt]

 

[patiently]

Hi all! Just an update!

PB is doing OK. We had been letting Pango and him hang out a lot, but I think this was actually starting to be a stressor. Pangolin is just a bit too playful sometimes and I could tell PB was sometimes moving extra slow and avoiding walking near him, so as not to deal with his batting and so forth. When he has the whole house, it'll be fine, but I want to limit Pangolin to just a visit or two a day rather than long stretches in PB's kingdom.

He is very comfortable in his kingdom, generally. There's a very high ledge for him thanks to the bed frame on its side, and a big cat tree by the window with a dresser to walk along. And I build some cardboard box hidey-holes which he has yet to hang out in much, but they're there if he needs them.

I've felt he was regressing a bit in other ways, unfortunately. Mainly, he seemed to be getting more touch-shy and evasive with me, and I accumulated more scratches than usual. (Typically, I can read him and avoid that.) Part of this is my fault. Perhaps I took too much advantage of the gains I made with him, using it to brush out the last of the mats on his coat. I think I lost some of the positive associations I'd caused him to form between my hands and good things like chicken. So I've retired the brush now, since he is mostly fine on that front and I'm pretty sure there aren't any more ticks lurking in there. And hopefully I'll win him back.

HOWEVER, yesterday I also noticed that THE FELIWAY DISPENSER HAD BEEN KNOCKED OUT OF THE WALL! It was behind a framed picture I had leaning against the wall, so I hadn't noticed. I wonder if this explains some of his regression in mood! I don't know how long it was like that, maybe a week!

I bought some tuna yesterday and fed him a bit which he absolutely loved, except he has diarrhea today, so perhaps it didn't agree with him. Maybe back to chicken next time I want to treat him.

 

[patiently]

I think I've made this pretty clear already, but just in case I wasn't explicit: This grumpy buddy is officially a pet now. He's adjusting enough that turning him out for good is no longer an option!

(Oh, another update: he is crying way less at night, hallelujah. Usually he only does it 2 or 3 times in short bouts, and mostly when he leaves his comfortable little perch to go to the bathroom... which is super weird... just meows all the way down and a bit while he's using it and meows while he returns... like, OK, dude, I get it, you're using the bathroom? We're not going to ambush you while you drop trou, I promise.

Unfortunately still to loud for the partner, since he is the world's lightest sleeper and has trouble getting back to sleep if something wakes him... sigh... but we're getting close to it being tolerable, I believe.)

 

[tabbytom]

Great to hear that PB is your official pet kitty now!

Guess the meowing is a communication with you but make sure he is not meowing in pain while using the litter box. Being a little chatty and meowing/crying while peeing is two different things which the latter is more serious. It could indicate a medical,problem which I hope that is not the case but it's better to be aware of it.

 

[patiently]

Yeah, it's definitely not in pain... I think it's anxiety since he does it when he's forced to leave his safe spots. He starts meowing before he uses it. He will also just do it randomly sometimes, as well as on his way to get food. I think it is an anxious self-reassurance thing, since he did it nonstop his first week or two when he badly wanted to go back outside.

 

[tabbytom]

Well, I guess he's just being himself. If there's no cause of concern, let him be

 

[patiently]

This is a blurry picture. But it's a picture of PB playing with a catnip toy while Pangolin watches, bemused. And they lived happily ever after.

Thanks for all your advice, guys.

 

[tabbytom]

Glad to hear that they lived happily ever after

Do feel free to ask questions if you have any and we'll be glad to help answer them and do post more photos of Pangolin and PB

 

[patiently]

I'm not home this month (my partner took the picture) but I'll be sure to post some once I'm back. They're really, really good friends. They wrestle, like, all night, taking turns lying on their backs and pouncing each other. Their relationship started out with Pangolin more or less pestering PB, but it's blossomed into a fully reciprocal bromance. PB still doesn't really like our company much, mind you, but he's been so, so good for Pangolin that we don't really hold it against him - Pangolin seems really happy and stimulated to have such a pal, and that makes us really happy too.

 

[patiently]

 

[patiently]

Inseparable friends.

 

[patiently]

And a final before & after!

 

[tabbytom]

Inseparable friends.

 

[patiently]

Hi all! Life with PB continues!

So, he recently escaped while I was out. My boyfriend was devastated and very apologetic - he'd left the window open after shaking the bathmat out through it. I thought we were doomed, but he popped up at another window after a few hours and, once we opened it, came right back in. So I guess he likes his home! Huge sense of validation!

He has regressed a lot since the early days, where he would tolerate pets, but I think he was only putting up with it because he was bit traumatized then. Anyway, he'll scamper if we move towards him and sometimes even hiss if we extend a hand. Sigh. Hoping he chills out after a few more months.

He will play very happily with the birdie fishing rod and of course loves his brother. I am just so worried that he won't ever get more biddable, since that will make it a major chore to move house with him in a couple of years...

 

[theyremine]

You've only had PB several months. Relax. The fact that he chose to come back in the house is wonderful and shows you are on the right track. Trust is built over time. I had my Rascal for almost 3 years before one day he just decided he wanted to sit in my lap. Now he is the biggest loverboy/ lapcat.

 

[tabbytom]

Great to hear that he came back home after a few hours. Make sure he does not do that again. He might not come back the next time, just in case and you don't want that to happen.

Moving house should be not much of an issue as you are also moving his stuffs with his scents on it. You can always get some of his stuffs over first and leave them at the new place for awhile so that his scents fills the place and once he's there, smelling something familiar will help calm him down.