- Joined
- Jan 25, 2021
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Hi guys!
I’m new here but have been reading the posts and really feel like I’m in the right place!
What tips do you have for socializing a newly neutered, semi-feral adult stray?? (He’s 2-5 years old). He’s not AS reactive as other ferals so I feel like there’s hope, but still a far way to go. I’d like to either adopt him if he can get along with my dog, or foster him until he finds a home.
SOME PROGRESS SINCE MOVING IN:
It’s been 2 weeks since Winnie has been caught, neutered, and moved inside my apartment. He eats and bathrooms in front of me, but hisses anytime I get close. I ignore him and feed him anyway.
He has been in an enclosed playpen the past 1.5 weeks. He hisses a lot but will eat wet food out of my hand. After me ignoring his hissing and petting him with a thick sock-covered hand, he still hissed but tolerates (tho doesn’t love) chin/cheek/body pets but prefers to be left alone. (Still progress!) He tries to hide in a cardboard box. If I remove the cardboard box, he looks for a place to hide and ultimately just panics and then just sits in his (uncovered) litter pan (ew, poor boy), which is why up until this week, I kept his box in there anyway. (It’s gone as today). For the past 4-5 days, he’s been coming out of his box (especially at night) and meowing, which is a new behavior for him. If I walk up to check on him, he runs back into the box and hides. I’m assuming he wants to get out of the playpen (cat jail) but I have other pets so I can’t let him out until his tapeworm is gone. (He got the first dose of Profender on 1/11/21, and finally the second dose 2 weeks later today on 1/25/21, so hoping he’s close but I’m not an expert). I also worry he’d urinate all over my apartment if I let him out since he’s been marking his playpen, and that it would be really hard to physically touch/pet him if he has more space to run away. The pet store recommended a cat plug and a few drops of CBD oil, but it’s hard to tell if anything is helping or not.
————-
OPTIONAL FULL BACKGROUND (in interested).
Haha a love story better than Twilight.
PART 1:
For the past 6 months, my boyfriend and I have been seeing an orange tabby boy wandering around our neighborhood (close to the restaurants across from our apartment complex). I have a soft spot for orange boys and tried to slowly approach him with food a few times only to have him run off.
PART 2:
Fast forward to 3 weeks ago when I looked outside and saw him on our back patio! I felt soooooo chosen. I tossed wet food and we did the cat and mouse game of him approaching for food then hiding them coming back for food then hiding.
Finally I had him eating about a foot away from me in the doorway as throwing the wet food closer and closer, but I broke him trust by trying to grab him (to get him inside), and he ran away.
PART 3:
I did not think I’d see him again after I broke his trust with my darn grabby hands (stoooopid, stooopid reckless decision!).
However, to my utter amazement, he was drawn to the wonderful, sweet odor of fresh Chipotle that very evening! The sky rained with chicken pate and orange boy ingested! He didn’t get as close to me as the first time so I knew all was not forgiven, but he was back, which is all that mattered!
PART 4: Orange boy returned another 1-3 times a few days later, and accepted wet food (not getting too close tho), while I pondered how to help him...He wasn’t necessarily friendly but he wasn’t AS reactive as other ferals I’ve seen and got a foot away from me on our first feeding, so I felt there was hope.
PART 5:
On Saturday, January 9th, 2021, orange boy was successfully captured in a live trap on my patio, falling for delicious bait of Fancy Feast pate. On Monday, January 11th, he was neutered at a low-cost rescue for TNRs and received his major vaccines. Since worms were seen in his stool, he was dewormed with the initial dose of Profender, and I planned to foster him at least until he received his 2nd dose two weeks later.
PART 6: Orange boy moved into our bathroom, and shortly after, into an enclosed playpen downstairs near my WFH workstation and near the kitchen so he gets lots of human exposure. We named him Winnie/Winston after Winnie the Pooh/Winston Churchill. (Either one, really).
I have another kitten (Benji) at home who’s friendly and curious and really wants to get into his playpen. I’m hoping the kitten’s affection towards me is a good influence on Winnie.
Winnie’s biggest hurdle is:
-social progress being very slow (after 2 weeks, I’d like less hissing when I’m trying to pet him), and
-urinating outside the litter box onto other parts of the playpen.
Never done this before with a stray/feral cat! Looking for tips/help/next steps! Really think this guy deserves a loving home!
I’m new here but have been reading the posts and really feel like I’m in the right place!
What tips do you have for socializing a newly neutered, semi-feral adult stray?? (He’s 2-5 years old). He’s not AS reactive as other ferals so I feel like there’s hope, but still a far way to go. I’d like to either adopt him if he can get along with my dog, or foster him until he finds a home.
SOME PROGRESS SINCE MOVING IN:
It’s been 2 weeks since Winnie has been caught, neutered, and moved inside my apartment. He eats and bathrooms in front of me, but hisses anytime I get close. I ignore him and feed him anyway.
He has been in an enclosed playpen the past 1.5 weeks. He hisses a lot but will eat wet food out of my hand. After me ignoring his hissing and petting him with a thick sock-covered hand, he still hissed but tolerates (tho doesn’t love) chin/cheek/body pets but prefers to be left alone. (Still progress!) He tries to hide in a cardboard box. If I remove the cardboard box, he looks for a place to hide and ultimately just panics and then just sits in his (uncovered) litter pan (ew, poor boy), which is why up until this week, I kept his box in there anyway. (It’s gone as today). For the past 4-5 days, he’s been coming out of his box (especially at night) and meowing, which is a new behavior for him. If I walk up to check on him, he runs back into the box and hides. I’m assuming he wants to get out of the playpen (cat jail) but I have other pets so I can’t let him out until his tapeworm is gone. (He got the first dose of Profender on 1/11/21, and finally the second dose 2 weeks later today on 1/25/21, so hoping he’s close but I’m not an expert). I also worry he’d urinate all over my apartment if I let him out since he’s been marking his playpen, and that it would be really hard to physically touch/pet him if he has more space to run away. The pet store recommended a cat plug and a few drops of CBD oil, but it’s hard to tell if anything is helping or not.
————-
OPTIONAL FULL BACKGROUND (in interested).
Haha a love story better than Twilight.
PART 1:
For the past 6 months, my boyfriend and I have been seeing an orange tabby boy wandering around our neighborhood (close to the restaurants across from our apartment complex). I have a soft spot for orange boys and tried to slowly approach him with food a few times only to have him run off.
PART 2:
Fast forward to 3 weeks ago when I looked outside and saw him on our back patio! I felt soooooo chosen. I tossed wet food and we did the cat and mouse game of him approaching for food then hiding them coming back for food then hiding.
Finally I had him eating about a foot away from me in the doorway as throwing the wet food closer and closer, but I broke him trust by trying to grab him (to get him inside), and he ran away.
PART 3:
I did not think I’d see him again after I broke his trust with my darn grabby hands (stoooopid, stooopid reckless decision!).
However, to my utter amazement, he was drawn to the wonderful, sweet odor of fresh Chipotle that very evening! The sky rained with chicken pate and orange boy ingested! He didn’t get as close to me as the first time so I knew all was not forgiven, but he was back, which is all that mattered!
PART 4: Orange boy returned another 1-3 times a few days later, and accepted wet food (not getting too close tho), while I pondered how to help him...He wasn’t necessarily friendly but he wasn’t AS reactive as other ferals I’ve seen and got a foot away from me on our first feeding, so I felt there was hope.
PART 5:
On Saturday, January 9th, 2021, orange boy was successfully captured in a live trap on my patio, falling for delicious bait of Fancy Feast pate. On Monday, January 11th, he was neutered at a low-cost rescue for TNRs and received his major vaccines. Since worms were seen in his stool, he was dewormed with the initial dose of Profender, and I planned to foster him at least until he received his 2nd dose two weeks later.
PART 6: Orange boy moved into our bathroom, and shortly after, into an enclosed playpen downstairs near my WFH workstation and near the kitchen so he gets lots of human exposure. We named him Winnie/Winston after Winnie the Pooh/Winston Churchill. (Either one, really).
I have another kitten (Benji) at home who’s friendly and curious and really wants to get into his playpen. I’m hoping the kitten’s affection towards me is a good influence on Winnie.
Winnie’s biggest hurdle is:
-social progress being very slow (after 2 weeks, I’d like less hissing when I’m trying to pet him), and
-urinating outside the litter box onto other parts of the playpen.
Never done this before with a stray/feral cat! Looking for tips/help/next steps! Really think this guy deserves a loving home!
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