Very Quiet Feral

[brit929]

Hello..i have been feeding about 6 or so ferals near my house in the woods next to a convenience store for a few months now.The only one that is out during the day actually will come when I call her ( Baby ) The rest of them do not come out until 6:00 when it gets dark.I try to feed them all at the same time but I have noticed if I go on the weekends during the day most of the time Baby is out there.When I pull up at night with my lights on I see a few of them in the woods but baby will not come until I walk up because it is as if she is afraid of the others.If any of the others starts to get to close she will run.I feed her canned food and put out dry for all the rest of them.Baby used to make a wide circle around me and eventually get to the food but now she is at the point where she will actually come up to the food and almost touch my hand as I am scooping it out but I am unable to touch her.She has never swatted or acted aggressive she will just briefly run away.None of the other cats will even come close.She has been neutered/spayed because her ear is docked.Anyway,I kept telling her I would bring her home to a warm house so I took a trap 2 nights ago and managed to trap her.She swirled around in the cage a couple of times and then was completely calm.I brought her home and put her in the quiet room with a litter box,food etc and as soon as i let her out of the cage she ran under the bed.Not aggressive at all just seemed very scared.I go into the room a few times to talk to her but I don't want to overwhelm her.I am worried though because she is so very quiet and is hiding away at the furthest corner under the bed.She did eat something last night but has not used the litterbox.She did come out last night because my blinds were shredded this morning.I know it is going to take awhile to get her to feel somewhat comfortable but is it normal for them to be so quiet ? When she was in the woods she would gobble the food down but she will barely touch it here.Any thoughts? Thank you in advance!!

 

[StefanZ]

 
Hello..i have been feeding about 6 or so ferals near my house in the woods next to a convenience store for a few months now.The only one that is out during the day actually will come when I call her ( Baby ) The rest of them do not come out until 6:00 when it gets dark.I try to feed them all at the same time but I have noticed if I go on the weekends during the day most of the time Baby is out there.When I pull up at night with my lights on I see a few of them in the woods but baby will not come until I walk up because it is as if she is afraid of the others.If any of the others starts to get to close she will run.I feed her canned food and put out dry for all the rest of them.Baby used to make a wide circle around me and eventually get to the food but now she is at the point where she will actually come up to the food and almost touch my hand as I am scooping it out but I am unable to touch her.She has never swatted or acted aggressive she will just briefly run away.None of the other cats will even come close.She has been neutered/spayed because her ear is docked.Anyway,I kept telling her I would bring her home to a warm house so I took a trap 2 nights ago and managed to trap her.She swirled around in the cage a couple of times and then was completely calm.I brought her home and put her in the quiet room with a litter box,food etc and as soon as i let her out of the cage she ran under the bed.Not aggressive at all just seemed very scared.I go into the room a few times to talk to her but I don't want to overwhelm her.I am worried though because she is so very quiet and is hiding away at the furthest corner under the bed.She did eat something last night but has not used the litterbox.She did come out last night because my blinds were shredded this morning.I know it is going to take awhile to get her to feel somewhat comfortable but is it normal for them to be so quiet ? When she was in the woods she would gobble the food down but she will barely touch it here.Any thoughts? Thank you in advance!!

Yeah, it sounds pretty normal.  Quite a few rescued ferales do so, and it even happen with bought "normal" cats.

Here it is even better than in some other examples, as she IS getting out and eating at least a little.   Some are not leving their hidey two, even three days - so its becoming worrying for the health issues...

Did she pee-ed?  If so, try perhaps with another litter, with perhaps somewhat another combinaition of litter.  Many cats avoid to poo and pee in the same place.

So, let her land, notice nobody is threating her nor being mean to her, and her basic needs of surviving are OK.   When she realizes she is safe of sorts, she will begin and copy. Visit her often with some food, talk much in friendly soft voice.  If you like to sing, do so.   Compare with friendly toms courting - they use their friendly voice a lot, so its a language well understood by cats...

After a while you can sit down there, reading aloud.  Or laying down, pretending to sleep...

(Next time, doing such a rescue, lay down the bed on the floor, and give her a cat igloo or an sideturned cardboard box with a cushion inside, as her hidey.  Here you cant swich easily, as being under the bed is now her safe place).

There are other tricks too, but they will come with time.         Read on in our Forum for ideas, in the other threads, for example.  And some you will surely find yourself.

It will probably take time and patience, but you surely know this.  Lots of love and good heart you do have already.  

Please, come with reports and further questions!

Good luck!

 

[shadowsrescue]

Thank you for rescuing Baby.  Her behavior is completely normal.  As mentioned above, it would have been best of the mattress to be flat on the floor or the bed picked up.  She will hide under the bed every chance she gets making it difficult for you to retrieve her if needed.  You want to block all hiding spots behind bookcases or dressers.  Yet you do want to hide an appropriate hiding spot such as a hiding cube or even a small box with a cozy bed. 

Do you have a cat tree for her to enjoy looking outside?  Get rid of the blinds or put the securely up.  Allow her to look out the window and see her previous world. 

When you visit her, sit on the floor at her level.  Do not loom above her.  Talk softly to her.  You can try coaxing her with yummy treats such as plain cooked chicken.  Gerber stage 2 chicken or turkey baby food is a cat favorite.  It contains just chicken/turkey and water with no added spices.  This is a training treat only not a meal supplement.  You can offer a bit on a plate and move to having her eat it off a spoon and then licking off your fingers.  Just take it slowly. 

Feliway plug ins help as does Composure liquid or treats.  Also have some toys for her that she can explore.

A must is it get her to the vet for a thorough check up.  Do you have other pets?  She will need vaccines and tests before she is allowed contact with them.  She most likely will have worms.

Keep us updated and ask lots of questions.  You did a wonderful thing in rescuing her.

 

[vbcatparent]

Oh she sounds adorable! Get a photo for us when you have a chance!

That sounds typical for a frightened cat. When we brought Regent home, we had him in a safe room but didn't think to lower the mattress. He pretty much lived under the bed pressed against the wall as far back as he could get. He stayed quiet and unmoving. It took days for him to come out for any length of time, and then it took weeks for him to stop returning there for naps. For the first month, I'd come home from work every day to find him under the bed where he'd gone to sleep, then I'd have to talk to him for a while and persuade him to come out. But it worked, and eventually he took over our house. 

If Baby has been through the TNR thing (which it sounds like) she is probably assuming that you will send her off to a doctor or a shelter the minute you touch her again. She has no way of knowing if this is a furever home or just another bus stop. Only time can change her mind.

You got some great advice from Stefan and Shadow above. Put some interesting things in the room to pull her away from the bed. A view out the window, maybe a good-smelling treat across the room, a box or climbing post that has some catnip around it. Bring food/treats when you enter the room so she knows that human visitor means tasty food. 

It's only been a day or two. This will take time. After a few more days when she's made some progress, definitely get her to a vet. You don't want to take a chance that she has fleas or something contagious that she could spread through your house. I wouldn't be worried about her not using the litter box yet; I once rescued a feral kitten, and it took him 3 days to go potty. If she doesn't pee or poo by her vet visit, make sure to mention it.

Good luck! You are off to a very normal start, and Baby will eventually be the boss of the whole joint!

 

[ondine]

Yes, it sounds like she's reacting normally to this big change. It sounds more like she is a once-owned cat. Just the fact that she came out when you were around tells me she is more or less socialized. The other cats may have been bullying her, too. So you did the exact right thing for her.

Whenever you go into the room, tell her what you are doing in a soft, calm voice. I second that you read out loud to her or take naps in her room. She will soon learn to recognize her human.

Blessings on you for rescuing her!

 

[brit929]

Thank you all so much for the advice! It has helped to calm my fears and I will definitely be patient.As soon as she/he allows I will post a pic.Beautiful black kitty with beautiful green eyes.My dogs and cats stand at the bedroom door probably thinking "oh no here she goes again" But I could not bear to see Baby out in the winter.We hit a low of 11 degrees last night so I know I am doing the right thing.She had sardines again tonight (using up the rest of the bait food) but I have been using regular canned food also so she doesn't get to used to being spoiled I have to say I went into her room yesterday and she had pooped and peed in the litter box so she is doing well.I am glad it is the weekend so I can be home all day to visit her often.She is still extremely quiet and hidden but I am not searching her out.I went in a little while ago and I heard her move and the food is gone so I know she is doing well.I also removed the blinds and it looks as if she is making herself a comfy bed on the comforter at night.Anyway..I just wanted to give an update and thank you again for all of the reassurances!

 

[vbcatparent]

You don't want to chase her or pull her out right now, but you do want her to get used to you being in the room. Sit on the floor across the room from her for twenty minutes, talking or playing on your phone or whatever, just being calm. The first time you do it, she won't move. But keep it up. After a while, she will get used to you hanging around, and eventually she will pop her head out to look around with you in the room. 

 

[brit929]

Hello All...I am not sure if I am doing everything right.I am second guessing myself but from reading other responses onthe catsite I do believe I am doing the right thing,I visit Baby quite often and she is still super quiet.I have not heard her once.I managed to see her twice in the last few days as she was heading under her hiding spot.Yesterday I went in and she was actually on the cabinet by the window but as soon as she saw me she started bouncing off the walls trying to get away.I did not approach her and will not do that because I don't want to scare her.I feel bad for her that I am keeping her captive.She does look very healthy from what I saw of her.I don't expect her to come running up to me and I realize that may never happen but I also don't want to release her and i don't want her to be unhappy..is it usual for them to be this quiet for so long?
Thanks Again!!!

 

[shadowsrescue]

Have you been able to get her to a vet yet?  That really should be a priority.  You could start by feeding her in a cat carrier so that it is easier to get her inside on the day of the appointment.  Be sure your vet knows it is a feral.

Does she have any toys for her to occupy her time or catnip?

I often play soft classical music that is very calming to cats. 

A great trick is to use Gerber stage 2 chicken or turkey baby food.  It comes in a small jar with a blue label.  You only want the kind that contains chicken or turkey and water only.  No added spices.  Cats love this stuff.  It works very well in training cats.  You can start by opening a jar and leaving a small amount on a plate.  Do this every time you enter the room.  It's helpful if she is watching you.  She will start to associate you with this delicious treat.  You only want to offer a small amount as this is a training tool not a meal replacement.  Once she starts to eat it, she might be willing to approach you with it. 

I am going to share a link with you that shows feral kittens being rescued and their socialization process. I realize your feral is not a kitten, but many of the same principles can be used.  I worked on socializing a 7 month old feral and found so many of these tips valuable.  You can see the man in the video using the baby food.  It is a 3 part video just be sure to keep watching!

http://www.urbancatleague.org/TamingVideo

 

[pangurban]

I love this updates on Baby! The Urban Cat League videos are wonderful. My mom is feeding a small group of street cats so I will pass them along to her. She has one that will run to her if he sees her (even from down the street).  The others are still super skittish and will only let her maybe  pat them if they are eating.