Cat in a box

[Snowfan]

Ahh a month without improvement. At least he trusts you and has been hanging out for a month. There's hope. He's gorgeous. The trap-vet option will hopefully work. Good luck!!!!! Keep us posted.

Oh he does not trust me. I've only seen him out from under the shed once. A foot away. And he ran back under. Totally wild. I "talk to him" when I feed him but he is out of sight. There is a hole in the floor of the shed so he lives inside and has a nice bed.

 

[newboots]

Gradually move the food dishes farther from the shed, day by day. Maybe one day you can get between him and the shed? Of course, if you trap him, he will never speak to you again.

. . . Maybe a Hav-a-Heart trap.

 

[VickieH]

I'd start by talking to the vet and showing them the photo. No sense in going through all of the trauma - for you or the cat - if the vet requires a reasonably cooperative patient. Vet should also know of people who have experience with feral cats - catching, handling, even taming if that's a goal.

Good luck. Nice of you to be looking out for him.

 

[Snowfan]

Gradually move the food dishes farther from the shed, day by day. Maybe one day you can get between him and the shed? Of course, if you trap him, he will never speak to you again.

. . . Maybe a Hav-a-Heart trap.

I'll try this. Thanks.

I'd start by talking to the vet and showing them the photo. No sense in going through all of the trauma - for you or the cat - if the vet requires a reasonably cooperative patient. Vet should also know of people who have experience with feral cats - catching, handling, even taming if that's a goal.

Good luck. Nice of you to be looking out for him.

I've been watching taming videos on Youtube. I had not thought of showing the vet a pic. Great idea.

 

[LiquidFeet]

I thought feral cats could not be "tamed." Can they?

 

[surfsnowgirl]

My beloved Maine coon kobie and I went through a rough 3 months when I first rescued her. She was brought to me in a cat carrier. We let her out of the carrier into my living room and she went under the couch to hide where she stayed for the next 3 months. I put food/water under the recliner part of the couch that I'd flipped up to give her an out if she eanted. I didn't see her for about 3 months. I know she used tut box and ate/drank while I was at work but I NEVER saw her. She was 5 and had a rough life. It was another few months before she let me pick her up. There was a lot of hissing and swatting and I'd be lying if I said I wasn't afraid is my own cat for a while.

Eventually she learned to trust me and we became best friends but man was it a rough few months. I never was able to get her in a cat carrier ever again. I tried once and she went psycho on me. She was my best friend and we had 8 great years together.

Hang in there. Patience is good. Great suggestions from the others. Good luck.

 

[Snowfan]

I thought feral cats could not be "tamed." Can they?

I think so but it takes time.

 

[Monique]

I thought feral cats could not be "tamed." Can they?

I think it depends. I got my cat Oscar (RIP) as a kitten from a feral litter. Now, I didn't really know anything about socializing cats, so it could be me - but she never really trusted people. It was a big moment the day that she finally was willing to walk across Eric's body in the bed! That was maybe 2 or 3 years after she first met him. You could pet her, but she'd eventually lose her mind and attack you. Then again, I think some cats who've lived entirely domesticated lives can be like that.

 

[surfsnowgirl]

Another day another box. Tiki is happy

 

[Snowfan]

...You could pet her, but she'd eventually lose her mind and attack you...

That's funny.

 

[surfsnowgirl]

I think it depends. I got my cat Oscar (RIP) as a kitten from a feral litter. Now, I didn't really know anything about socializing cats, so it could be me - but she never really trusted people. It was a big moment the day that she finally was willing to walk across Eric's body in the bed! That was maybe 2 or 3 years after she first met him. You could pet her, but she'd eventually lose her mind and attack you. Then again, I think some cats who've lived entirely domesticated lives can be like that.

That's how my kobie was. She LOVED me. It took her a good 3 years to let Michael touch her and you never knew when she'd go psycho on him. I could give her belly kisses and could do No wrong but aside from Michael no one else was ever able to touch her.

 

[newboots]

I think it depends. I got my cat Oscar (RIP) as a kitten from a feral litter. Now, I didn't really know anything about socializing cats, so it could be me - but she never really trusted people. It was a big moment the day that she finally was willing to walk across Eric's body in the bed! That was maybe 2 or 3 years after she first met him. You could pet her, but she'd eventually lose her mind and attack you. Then again, I think some cats who've lived entirely domesticated lives can be like that.

I raised my cat Lorelei from 8 weeks. She was a sweet kitten. One day she was attacked by the neighborhood cats, and escaped to the (icy) porch roof. She fell from the roof and needed all kinds of veterinary attention. She recovered, and grew up, but she was wary and difficult for the rest of her life. She stopped liking me, and only liked one person - my friend Michael. She would jump up on the couch when he was there and fawned all over him. She'd bite me if I got too familiar. It was so frustrating! I never knew if the injury and medical interventions caused a change in her, or if she just grew up ornery. Thank goodness for Michael, though.

 

[newboots]

That's funny.

Not really! when you've experienced it. (See post above about Lorelei)

 

[Monique]

That's how my kobie was. She LOVED me. It took her a good 3 years to let Michael touch her and you never knew when she'd go psycho on him. I could give her belly kisses and could do No wrong but aside from Michael no one else was ever able to touch her.

Except she would do it to me, too!

 

[Snowfan]

Not really! when you've experienced it. (See post above about Lorelei)

I'm sorry your cat was attacked and injured in the fall...and, of course, that you lost your connection with her. Very sad and painful all around, for many days. Been there. Recently.

When I posted "thats funny" I pictured/recalled how cats can go from peaceful to MMA in a flash. Lack of trust goes both ways. Part of being a cat, I figure. Trauma, illness, a bad kittyhood...make it even tougher. Just like us.

 

[LiquidFeet]

My daughter got a cat from the animal shelter about six years ago. She has concluded that this cat was "partially feral," whatever that means. The cat doesn't purr, doesn't sit in boxes, doesn't play with toys, doesn't care for catnip, definitely doesn't want to be touched, and attacks people if they walk past her or reach to pet her. She does meow, and she does walk the house and check out all parts of it continually. The day the cat finally walked over my daughter's body in bed at night was a big day for her.

My daughter is devoted to this cat. But this is not a reciprocal relationship, and it pains me to know my daughter wanted a kitty that would sit in her lap and purr and just be a cat but now has this one. As time has gone by, there has been very little change in behavior. I doubt things are going to change.

 

[surfsnowgirl]

@LiquidFeet That's too bad. In her own way she shows love because she walked over to her in bed. That counts and means a lot. I know it's not a purring mushball of fur in your lap but just like people they show love in their own way.

My Kobie would never turn on me. It was as if I had to pay my dues with her but once we got to that point we were buds forever. Prior to this I was worried because I didn't know how I was going to move across the country with her. She got me hooked on maine coons and why my kitten Tiki is part maine coon. Kobie had so many personality cute things she did. After she passed I was devastated. I knew I could never get her in a cat carrier so I was hoping I'd never have to take her to the vet. One time she had an ingorwn nail into her paw and I was like great now what am I going to do cause it's not like I can take her to the vet. I watched a 90 second youtube video, grabbed her and took her in the bedroom where she felt safe and I clipped the nail. She let me but man was I terrified. Michael, my SO never knew when she was going to go schitzo on him and draw blood but I know he loved her. She used to jump in the shower with me and hang out int he tub. She was a funny, quicky, terrifying at times, wonderful cat and I miss her.

 

[LiquidFeet]

So sorry for your loss. Pets are family. Family is not always perfect, is it?

 

[surfsnowgirl]

Thanks. I usually like my fur babies more than my family half the time. Unfortunately we will be going through it all again with pacino once the steroid decides to stop working. Hopefully we have a month or two.

 

[Monique]

My daughter is devoted to this cat. But this is not a reciprocal relationship, and it pains me to know my daughter wanted a kitty that would sit in her lap and purr and just be a cat but now has this one. As time has gone by, there has been very little change in behavior. I doubt things are going to change.

My cat Oscar wasn't quite as feral as you describe - she was incredibly skittish and seemed helpless in the face of her own need to claw you - but she did love boxes, toys, and catnip. FWIW, getting her a 5' cat tree was a game changer for her. She could watch us all from the safety of her perch.

Anyway, your first paragraph hits home. At one point, I decided that Oscar needed a companion. I was extremely wrong. We brought in a confident young male who proceeded to terrify her. She hid under the bed, and we even found poop under the bed because she was afraid to come out. Her ear got torn in one of their skirmishes. The new cat was incredibly loving - to humans. Clingy like you wouldn't believe. The exact opposite of Oscar. The original owner, who had sworn she would take him back if things didn't work out, "surprisingly" changed her mind and refused to take him. Eric was allergic to the new cat, and when he had a scary (but ultimately no big deal) medical situation, the doctor said the cat had to go. It seemed questionable, but with everything going on, I made the hard decision that we had to give Eros up. Especially hard as we were his third home, and he was an incredibly sweet cat - but ultimately, I knew he was incredibly adoptable - and Oscar had been there first, and was completely unviable as an adoption candidate. She would never have passed their tests.

So, yes, I chose the half feral scared and scary cat over the incredibly sweet and confident cat. Because I had a responsibility to her. I never thought I'd be a person to give up a pet, but I did, after trying to find someone to take him, even including paying to board him for a week while I tried to find him a home (he was actually great with this - he would unlock his kennel and visit with the staff. Everyone loved him). But then came a holiday, and the kennel had no room for him. I gave him up in a responsible way, provided money for whoever would adopt him, and visited him at least once a week until he was adopted after about a month. But it still sits poorly with me.