Tigerclaw, we have a similar situation

[donw]

Tigerclaw, we captured a cat that looks almost identical to yours 15 days ago. I would post a picture, but am a new member to this site. We have been watching your experience closely to pick up any tips. Presently, he (we think) has his own room, but is very quiet during the day, and has been diminishing his talk at night. We are concerned because today he is not eating - he has been until now.

Background: We first spotted him a year ago last fall when he wandered in - Very thin and talky. We fed him and he even allowed me to pet him briefly. He continued to stop in occasionally for food. We figured he belonged to someone because he would disappear for awhile. That winter we saw little of him, but fed him whenever he showed up. Didn't see him last summer much. Then last fall he became a regular visitor, but more shy. This winter we have been feeding him almost daily, but we could not approach him closer than 5 feet. We built an insulated, heated house that we placed under our porch. He would use it on more severe winter days, but would always leave after eating and warming up. Our winters are quite severe here in Minnesota. Finally we decided to capture him in his heated house by putting a drop door on it, and brought him in. We feel that his life was doomed to be short as a stray - Our location is in the middle of a large city (Minneapolis) - Lots of risks as a stray!

We took him to the Vet right away, but he was too wild to get any blood samples to check for disease. He went right up the wall, and darn near escaped into the false ceiling! We do think he has been neutered, judging from our early contact with him and his generally quiet demeanor. But we must keep him isolated from our other cats until we can get a clean bill of health. The vet wants us to bring him back when he is more socialized.

We installed a screen door on the spare bedroom he is in so he can see us and our other cats, some of which go up to the door and mew at him. Sometimes he answers. We take turns going in to sit and talk with him, but so far not much reaction. We are currently using a Feliway pheremone device to help him feel calm.

If you or anyone else have any tips for socializing him, please let us know! I realize this is just day 15, but we are feeling a bit concerned about his slow progress.

 

[kscatlady]

Sounds like you're doing exactly the right thing. It will take time. A lot of time probably. Just spend as much time with him as you can, talk quietly to him. Don't stare at him in the eyes.

 

[donw]

Thank you kscatlady for your response! It is hard not to get discouraged when we see so little progress. Two of our other four cats are adopted strays, but they moved in very soon after being discarded, so presented no socializing problems. We are still hoping to reach this guy.....

 

[kscatlady]

You will. Just be patient. I know it's hard. And definitely stick around here. Lots of experienced and knowledgeable people always ready with advice! Is he eating and using the litter box ok? Even when he does get a clean bill of health leave him confined to the room until he's more tame. It will be much easier to tame and socialize him that way.

 

[ldg]

Originally Posted by kscatlady

You will. Just be patient. I know it's hard. And definitely stick around here. Lots of experienced and knowledgeable people always ready with advice! Is he eating and using the litter box ok? Even when he does get a clean bill of health leave him confined to the room until he's more tame. It will be much easier to tame and socialize him that way.

Oh absolutely. Cats are all about territory. In the wild, they have larger territory only because they need to hunt for food. They den in very small places. Being confined to one room will definitely speed up the process of socialization.

It helps create a sense of security having the smaller space to make their own.

Given this kitty was friendly, it's just a matter of him feeling secure and understanding he's safe.

As to the vet situation.... you may want to call around to other vets. I expect you'll be able to find one that's worked with "scared stray" is the way I'd put it. There is no reason kitty can't be sedated to be examined, get vaccinations, blood work, have Revolution (a topical that kills fleas and internal parasites) applied.....

There are several other threads that are completely relevant to your situation active right now!

Here are the links: Killerapple's Trapping for a second time - skip to page 4 - I think that's where Patches comes inside. Patches, like Tabby, is a true feral.

LoveWhiskers' Sweet Pea seems far more similar to your situation - a scared stray: Taming a feral 2 year old kitty boy

The key is doing as much as you can on a schedule - the routine helps a LOT. Talking softly to kitty helps. Getting down on the floor and reading out loud - doing ANYTHING in his room but trying to interact with him - just let him watch and get comfortable.... building the trust, that's what it's all about.

Thank you for rescuing this kitty!

 

[tigerclaw]

Hi Don,
Welcome to The Cat Site (TCS).

Wow! You must have a beautiful tabby cat if he looks like mine. You have a real kind heart for bringing this kitty out of the cold and into your home. If you can get within 5' from him and have already petted him your a 1/4 way there. You have a sweet kitty.

My vet said the same thing about my feral. Tame him down make a dry run and see if it's safe to bring him in. I noticed he was peeing 10-12 time a day, so they said bring in a urine sample. Found out he has crystals in his urine and is now on a special diet. A lady vet there said to bring him in for a check up and she agreed to neuter him at that time. I told her I have a raccoon trap that I can rig a panel board with a removable handle to push the cat to one end to give him a shot to knock him out to do the blood work neutering etc.

Your kitty doesn't sound as wild and maybe in a few months he might be ready to get checked out.

Tell me a little about the setup in the room with a screen door.
Do you have a hide box in there? Any windows? and is it a safe place he can't climb the walls and get into a false ceiling or other places of trouble.

Generally, there are two parts to the training process to start with. 1st the establishment of TRUST. 2nd the SOCIALIZATION phase. This two part process might take up to 4-months or longer. It's all depends on your cat.

Have you been free feeding him just to get him eating? Getting captured and going to the vet can be very stressful. By now he should be eating good. But you mentioned that he stopped eating. Please explain. What is his feeding routine. With strays and ferals a routine for everything should be on a strict schedule. Same time all day and every day even a timer for the lights.

What and how are you feeding your cat. Also type of food canned or dry or a combo of the two. Are you feeding him treats? Also monitor how many times he poops and pees in a 24hr. period. Get back so we can help you out.

By the way I use http://www.photobucket.com to post my pictures. It's a free site and easy to use.

 

[donw]

Thanks for all of your responses! We will read as much as we can in these threads to give us more tips and greater hope for success - We really think he is a nice cat, but definitely more shy than when we first met him a year ago. Perhaps he has run into some uncaring people this last year. I know of at least one neighbor near by that has been chasing him away. Quite a few dogs in the neighborhood, and lately there have been verified Coyote sightings nearby. This was another concern for getting him in now, rather than trying to slowly tame him outdoors. A neighbor within two blocks saw a Coyote standing in her driveway. The City was notified, they said that sightings were on the increase, but nothing could be done about it.

We have tried to make him comfortable. We have him in a spare bedroom with multiple windows on two sides, and a screen door so he can see and hear us and our other cats. Two of our cats go over to the door and communicate with him, and he responds in a very friendly manner. We have provided a cat carrier for a hide box, which he started using immediately, a 5 foot high multi-platform tower and a flat top old jukebox (just happened to be there in the room) for him to lay and look out the windows. A night light is present.

Eating has been pretty good. Today he didn't eat anything, but tonite he had some dry food. We provide him with both dry and canned food (Purina). Cat box use has been regular.

 

[tigerclaw]

Sounds like the room is set up pretty nice. One thing though, I never liked cat carriers as hide boxes, there usually too small. A hide box is just that. A place he can hide and feel safe. A place to stretch out an sleep. Tabby's hide box is 18" deep by 23" wide and 16" high with a 9" by 9" entrance hole in the front and made from a cardboard box. Place the food bowl just outside the box and you should be at first depending how shy your kitty is, lay about 20' away. Talk to him before you enter the room and during the food bowl trust exercise. The object is to have your can get very familiar with your voice and learn to trust you by coming out of the hide box while present in the room. Eventually you proceed closer and closer to the box to within a few feet.

Do this same exercise when giving him treats.

Have him play with a catnip toy while your near the hide box. Then play with him using a wand toy. A lot of cats are afraid of toys on a stick.That's good right now for starters.

 

[jimmylegs]

to me it's very promising that he and your cats seem to be interested in each other. it can help a lot to socialize such a cat if they are friendly towards the already-socialized cats. the new guy will see the behavior modeled by your cats and it will help him know you are trustworthy. keep up the good work!

 

[donw]

Again, thanks for the responses! Tigerclaw, I did not mean to put you on the spot by using your handle in my thread title, but it just so happened that your thread was the one I landed on that seemed so parallel to our situation, it was especially interesting! Like I said, even the cats look the same! Your experience in building your cages was similar to ours - We actually created a similar setup in our basement, but ended up only using it for the first few days until he was moved upstairs to the bedroom, where he seems more content. Your replies are greatly appreciated! And that goes for everyone!

Your comment about carriers as hide boxes - The one we are using is oversize, and it seems that he is comfortable with it. Besides, we preferred that he be used to the carrier for the time when he will take the trip to the Vet.

We dropped a catnip toy in his room - He went nuts!

I am going to try this "Photobucket"...

 

[kscatlady]

Originally Posted by DonW

Again, thanks for the responses!

I am going to try this "Photobucket"...

Yay! Pictures!

 

[ldg]

I actually recommend using crates as hide boxes - it (usually) makes it so much easier to get a scared/unsocialized cat to the vet when necessary. (Especially if socialization process is taking place in a room).

So glad he's eating again.

 

[killerapple]

I agree that a cat carrier is a good 'safe spot' for the kitty. When you need to bring the kitty to the vet, you can temporarily eliminate the other hidey spots - that way you can just close the cat carrier carefully and then your kitty is good to go the vet.

Sometimes isn't that simple, but it's makes things easier.

I'm the one currently socializing Patches in the "trapping for a 2nd time thread". Glad you've found the site! You will get a lot of guidance and help here!

 

[tigerclaw]

Originally Posted by DonW

Again, thanks for the responses! Tigerclaw, I did not mean to put you on the spot by using your handle in my thread title, but it just so happened that your thread was the one I landed on that seemed so parallel to our situation, it was especially interesting! Like I said, even the cats look the same! Your experience in building your cages was similar to ours - We actually created a similar setup in our basement, but ended up only using it for the first few days until he was moved upstairs to the bedroom, where he seems more content. Your replies are greatly appreciated! And that goes for everyone!

Your comment about carriers as hide boxes - The one we are using is oversize, and it seems that he is comfortable with it. Besides, we preferred that he be used to the carrier for the time when he will take the trip to the Vet.

We dropped a catnip toy in his room - He went nuts!

I am going to try this "Photobucket"...

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That's quit alright, I actually was honored. I would love to see the cage setup and especially your Tabby.

Here are a few comments about the use of hide boxes, carriers, or just plain old cat beds. It really all depends on you, the cat, and the reason for the capture.

If you find a stray that is super friendly it really doesn’t matter what you keep it in. I had a stray 3-4 weeks ago that looked like killerapple’s Batman. Just showed up at the back door a little skinny, hungry and thirsty. She was so tame she wanted to run inside. I checked all around and it was apparent it was a dump off. I clipped her nail and cleaned her ears, looked like she had ear mites. I quarantined her in the garage and set her up with a unused hide box. Although it could have been a carrier. I found a rescue place that re-homes thru Petco.

My scarred Tiger got tamed in my back yard. It took him four months to tame him enough to get him to stay inside. During that time of taming outside he slept on the deck chair that was under the deck table so he stayed dry in wet weather. Come vet time I kept him inside for the two days prior in the main level laundry room at night, didn’t have any other cats at the time, and roamed the house during the day. He slept in a round cat bed. The day before vet time I got the carrier out for some go in the carrier practice with treats. He was good at getting treats. So vet morning treats in the carrier, shut the door and off to the vet. These were two easy cases.

Tabby my feral was a whole different story. I got him into his two story cages in my basement through the attached window from an outside cat run. He has a big hide box where he can completely hide himself. I built it with the same idea as after trapping to cover the trap with a blanket to reduce stress as much as possible. I thought with a hide box he could get out of sight this would keep his stress level at a minimum. I think for the first ten days he sat in there without moving all day long only coming out during the night to eat, drink, and use the litter boxes. I even covered most of the screen area on the cages with cardboard to reduce stress. Same blanket over the trap theory. I think with most cats to reduce the stress level, at first anyways, it’s best to cover the entranceway of the carrier or hide box some so the cat can get out of sight to help keep it’s stress level at a minimum.

If you feel that you don’t want to subject your newly captured kitty to a vet visit, blood work or neutering/spaying right away then I think it would help the kitty’s stress level to partially block off the entranceway of the enclosure that you want him to stay in whether it’s a carrier or hide box if it’s set up in a room of some kind.

If you plan on getting the cat to the vet after capture it’s best to just leave him in the trap with a towel over it to reduce stress or keep him in a room with a dog pen with a trap or carrier inside or a carrier in a room set up for the cat to stay in for a short while waiting to get to the vet.

To each there own because there or so many circumstances where a carrier would be best, where a cat bed or hide box is best. I just feel to reduce stress to give a newly captured kitty the opportunity to be able to hide himself in a way he feels best to reduce it’s stress in his new environment. Given the chance most cats will hide in the smallest darkest place available. A place they feel the safest and out of site of people and away from noises. I think we should try to accommodate these poor scared creatures as much as we can. Look in my thread and see Tabby with the stressed look and the dilated eyes even with a good hide box. But after a short while he did snap out of it. Not sure what his eyes looked like away from the hide box entrance. Just some food for thought above.

 

[donw]

Actually, we are encouraged by recent signs of progress. His eating has been good except that one day (Who knows why) and I think is learning to ask for it. He has expanded his different vocal sounds, which is cool. Last night he seemed to be a bit vocal, so my soft hearted better half went in and slept with him - There is a bed in there. Well, while she was talking to him, he sauntered over, grabbed his new catnip toy, and proceeded to roll around on the floor and act quite silly! Wife was elated!

He also seems to spend more time out of the carrier hide box, and more time laying on the flat top juke box. The juke box has a high back and is the perfect height for the windows. We have it turned towards the windows and the high back gives him privacy. Now he peeks around the end to see us. We are hoping this will help him readjust his schedule so he is more active in the day and sleeps at night.

I am pleased, though, that he still likes the carrier, because he already has gone to the Vet in it - as I described earlier - which was an unsuccessful and traumatic experience for him.

I will post pictures on photobucket when I am able to accomplish a successful registration. Had some trouble with my first attempt, so I cancelled the process. I'm sure that pictures would greatly help to describe him and his environment.

One thing I did not mention. His coloration is like tigerclaw's tabby, but one difference might be that this guy is HUGE!! Even our Vet expressed her surprise at his size. I have to admit that we are fortunate that he has exhibited such a mellow personality, otherwise he would be capable of serious damage to life and property with the power he obviously possesses! I wonder if he is a Maine Coon.

 

[ldg]

I bet her heart just about leapt out of her chest!

It's all great news!

 

[tigerclaw]

Sounds like your kitty is coming along fine, building trust, playing around out of the carrier are all good signs.

Tabby was a night stalker and only fed after sunset all last summer while I was feeding him outside. When I first captured him I free fed him with dry food just to make sure he was eating. At first he just eat and used the litter box at night. After a short while I started feeding his favorite food mix canned and dry food together during the day. First time it took him 45 minutes to come out of his hide box to eat. It only took he a couple days to adjust to daytime feeding.

Wow! I sure would like to see that huge cat of yours. A lot of times vet's and their staff don't see older unneutered stray or feral cats. Most get neutered during the first year usually around 6-months. I have been doing some research on unneutered feral cats. What I have found that when a cat is neutered before age one it tends to retain a more juvenile look. Slim long body. After a cat matures most by 18-month to 2-years(maine coon and some others at 4-yrs) if unneutered develop what is called, secondary sex characteristics. In other words their body becomes more muscular and their jowles increase in size giving the cat a look of a much larger powerful kitty.
http://marvistavet.net/html/body_neu..._male_cat.html

When I brought Tabby to the vet everyone wanted to see this feral cat I was bringing in. The general comments were, wow he has a huge head and he looks like a bobcat. I weighed him when I first captured him at 16.60#. He always looked to me like he was well fed. Little did I know about the secondary sex characteristics of an unneutered male cat. So I cut back on the amount of food I fed him while he was still in the wild. I got him neutered three months after capture.

I asked the vet if she thought he looked over weight. She said maybe a little. I ask the same question after she got to handle Tabby. I brought him in a raccoon trap with a homemade slide device to push him to one end of the trap to give him the shot to knock him out for the blood work and neutering. Well afterward the vet commented that Tabby's weigh was ok, she said he is all muscule and testostrone, she said the same thing about his puffy cheeks. The vet weighed him in at 16.12#. I estimate his age to be around 4-years old. I first saw him 2-1/2 years before I captured him and he had the muscular look at that time.

I would be interested to find out your cats weight. If he is Maine Coon there beautiful cats and I believe they take 4-years to develop.

Sometimes the online sponsor of Photobucket asks infomation that is not necessary to join free. I believe they used a college when I signed up. I didn't want to sign up to their college so I just didn't answer their questions.

When you upload your pics into your computer, photobucket has a browser that you can view all your pics. You can just double clip on a pic and it uploads into photobucket. Then when the cursor is placed on the pic a little dropdown has a small square you check with the cursor, then drop down in that window and click on HTML etc. at the bottom. Then you can right click on the URL or PIC-URL to copy it and paste it on the cate site. It's pretty easy once you run through it a couple time.

Kind of looks like your "big boy" will be socialized in know time.

 

[donw]

There isn't too much to add as far as progress socializing this cat. He is doing well, and does show some gradual signs of getting used to us. He definitely likes some attention. One of us has been sleeping in his room at night - He seems to be lonely. He has developed a friendship with our little blue-eyed burmese. Last night they both talked and ended up sleeping next to each other all night on opposite sides of the screen door. We are really anxious to somehow get him to a Vet that could check him for any disease problems. We feel that he would progress better if he weren't so bored.

He is a big cat, but surprisingly mellow - Especially if he has not been neutered - Which is a suspicion that we are starting to have because of his size. I'm sure he is 15 pounds. We were guessing that he probably was neutered because of his peacefulness, but his size indicates just the opposite.

As far as photobucket is concerned, I will be re-applying soon and hopefully will not have a problem with the signup procedure this time. My initial attempt had some serious entry mistakes that could not be corrected except by canceling the new membership and re-applying.