We trapped a stray kitty believing it was our lost cat...what to do now?

[irrationallypie]

Hello, all!

For the past seven weeks, I've been looking for my little baby Loki. (You might have seen my thread in Cats S.O.S.) We unfortunately have not been able to find him (yet), but we did manage to trap a stray cat about two miles from our house. The vets told us that she was unspayed and un-microchipped, so we're not sure if she's someone's cat or just a stray kitty. Just in case she does have a family, we've put up found cat flyers around where we found her and also posted about it on social media. If no one reaches out to us, however, we will be keeping her. We've decided to name her Clipper after the road we found her on, haha!

Anyway, all of that aside, Clipper has been in my room for about four days, mainly restricting herself to one corner of my room (with windows). She responds positively to pets and kindness, but she always shrinks up when we first enter the room. She has changed hiding spots in my room several times -- my closet, as well as both ends of my bed -- and she's even dared to step foot outside of my room three or four times, always only for about twenty seconds at a time...but she always returns to my windowsill. At night, she paws and scratches at the window, asking to be set free. She has never hissed or scratched us (or our other cat, Uno), only meowed.

I'm definitely not an expert on cat behavior, but this is probably normal for a kitty in a completely unfamiliar environment with strange -- and scary! -- people. I certainly don't want to rush her progress! I was just wondering if there was anything I could do to make her less scared of us or to make this process a little more smooth for her. We're also hoping to keep her completely indoors, although that was probably obvious!!

Thank you all in advance!!

 

[Tik cat's mum]

It sounds like things are going well. You could sit with her and read to her so she gets used to your voice. And play wand toy's, play is brilliant for building confidence. But to me 4 day's and you can pet and she's coming out even for 20 seconds is huge. All of the behaviour you've said sounds normal for a outdoors cat coming indoors the pawing at windows will stop but can take time. Just be patient like you are doing, it sounds like everything is going good.

 

[fionasmom]

10 Must-know Tips For Happy Living With A Shy Cat – TheCatSite Articles
How To Help A New Cat Adjust To Your Home – TheCatSite Articles

I completely agree that she is adapting very quickly. She is evaluating her new surroundings and most of what she is doing is very normal. You don't know her background, so she may be cautious not knowing what else is around the corner if she had to live that way before you found her.

 

[irrationallypie]

Thank you both so much for the advice and for the links!! I'm very happy to hear that this seems like good progress! I tried to engage her in some playtime, but she was not terribly interested...I'll keep trying, though! I really wonder what kind of life she had before we found her.

 

[irrationallypie]

Update: Clipper is still scared of people coming into my room, but now she runs into the room next to mine to hide! (Still comes back to the windows in my room after a few minutes, though.)

She's not happy! Most of the time, I don't hear her. She's silent as a mouse and stays put in her corner of my room. Sometimes, however, she meows sadly -- even whimpers -- at the window, asking to be let out. At night, she scratches the windows, begging for her freedom.

My dad suggested letting her out and leaving her food, keeping her as an outdoor cat. When he said this, my immediate thought was, "Isn't that what got us into this mess in the first place?" She would never come back. In fact, she'd probably look for the street she was originally from and get lost on the way.

What can I say to my dad to change his mind? He's always been a strong proponent of letting cats outside, even despite all of this, and while I disagree with him, I don't know what I can say to change his mind.

 

[fionasmom]

It has not been long at all with Clipper. I have had cats who were brought it who complained and hid for much longer than you have had her in the house. Yes, I agree with you that she may take off if she is released. One option is that if she were to be kept inside for about 4 weeks, she may transition to the idea that your home is her territory even if she were let outside. Given that she is not Loki and has no connection yet to your house and family, letting her out is questionable.

Would your dad allow you to try to socialize her for a bit longer before making a decision?

How to Socialize Very Shy or Fearful Cats

 

[moxiewild]

Having her spayed would likely help a lot. For all you know, she wants to go out so badly right now because she is in heat.

Cats often take 3+ weeks to settle down in a new home and/or adjust to life inside after being outside.

You have to give it time.

For now, confine her to a single room. Allowing her access to other parts of the house is too overwhelming at this stage and will only slow progress.

Once she’s in her safe room, feed her scheduled meals and stay in the room with her while she eats. Gradually try to get closer and closer to her with every meal until she will eat from the bowl out of your hand. You want her to associate you/humans with good things, like food!

Also, playing with her by using a wand toy or even laser will help a lot! If she’s been a stray for a long time, it may take her a bit to understand what a toy is and what to do with it, but keep trying!

Please do not let her out by any means. If it comes down to it, try to surrender her to a rescue.

She very likely could get lost trying to find “home.”

Not only that, but it is extremely irresponsible to allow an unspayed cat outside.

Please, please, please do not do this. As someone who works in rescue, I am literally begging you.

There are too many unwanted kittens being born and not nearly enough homes. Do not let your dad contribute to the massive suffering we see every day!

 

[Tik cat's mum]

It can take a while for the crying to stop but if you stay strong it will stop. My daughter took a semi ferral in that had spent nearly 8 months mostly outside just going in to eat and not interacting with humans. It took about 4 weeks but he doesn't do it anymore he doesn't try to dash the door's to get out now either. They do eventually release it's nicer inside. She would try to find where she used to live and end up pregnant. As a child I was told by my dad keep any new cat indoors for at least 6 weeks so they accept their new home and don't try to go back to the old home, that's what we did even when we moved to New houses with cat's we already had. Growing up I had indoor /outdoor cat's it was the norm then. I now have indoor only because I don't want to lose anymore to accidents. Good luck I hope you can somehow ignore the crying and keep her safe.

 

[irrationallypie]

Thank you all so much for your responses!

Certainly -- I won't be letting her out any time soon...or at all, for that matter. I'm planning to keep Clipper as an indoor cat, and I hope my parents keep it this way when I go to college. We're also planning on getting her spayed and microchipped next Monday, so maybe that'll help. I agree that she's doing well for the amount of time we've had her and that getting her used to being indoors will take time, which I completely understand! My parents just don't like seeing her suffer, and their suggestions to let her out are their well-intentioned -- if completely misguided -- ways of trying to make her happier. It definitely would create far more problems than it would solve, however.

Thankfully, I think my parents have decided to listen to me for now and keep her indoors. In the meantime, she's been getting more used to my room (and me). Sometimes, I just sit with her and do my work, and she occasionally comes by for pets!