Feral Cat Decision

msaimee

msaimee

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Can you move him into your bedroom? He may sometimes get lonely and bored alone in the basement. If you move him into your bedroom, he will bond more and may even sleep on the bed with you. Also begin introducing your other cat at least by scent swapping (putting something of his with new kitty and visa versa). Are they sniffing at each other through the bottom of the door? My experience has been that feral cats adapt very quickly to other cats. My last feral girl kitten was bonded with my four resident cats in a few weeks, while it took four months for me to be able to touch her. Also leave out catnip toys for him. He will likely play with them at night. If you can take a picture of his genital area, someone here can probably tell you whether or not he has been neutered. I think that once he has the run of the house and companionship with your other cat, he will likely be happy to remain indoors. If he were still crying, or caterwauling and scaling the walls, I would suggest to release him, but it sounds like he is making himself at home with you. It sounds like you've been making great progress! ☺
 
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maggiedemi

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Oh, he's really cute. Glad it's going so well with him, he looks really happy. He probably is just sleeping on the shelf because he likes it. Demi sleeps on the top shelf of the entertainment system.
 
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KrazyForKats

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Thanks for your suggestions. He hasn’t been checked out by a vet yet because I don’t want to put him through that trauma. I know he’ll go beserk if I could even manage to trap him. So I don’t want him to have contact with my cat. I have left out all kinds of toys for him, including catnip toys and he never touches any of them. I try periodically to play with him with dangling feathers, etc., but he just seems frightened whenever I approach him with anything but treats.i’m pretty certain he’s been neutered, but taking a picture just isn’t going to happen. Any move in which he thinks i’m going to catch him is met with hisses and swats.
 
vyger

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My feelings on things is that I believe some cats resent being confined. I think they realize to some degree that they have lost their freedom and you in some way are responsible. I have an un-neutered wild feral tom who has spent the better part of 4 months now in my entryway. (it's about 10 by 14 and also has firewood in it, also we have had temps of below zero at night consistently for almost 2 months now) Sometimes when it is sunny out I actually kick him outside to get some fresh air. He is free to come and go as he pleases when I go out and come in. He goes out for a while and sniffs the air, checks under buildings and other things. Visits the shop and then shows up back at the door wanting in. He did leave for 4 or 5 days to apparently track down a girlfriend but then showed up back at the door wanting back in. We have progressed from me not being able to get within 20 feet of him to him climbing into my lap if I sit down and getting upset if I get up again. He has become very trusting and loves getting attention, more so than my other cats.
Anyway, what I am wondering is if your guy is not warming up to you so much because he is confined and missing his great outdoors. Many people find living in a basement depressing to some degree because its dark and confining. Your cat might actually be a little depressed by the same thing. He needs his stimulation to keep him happy. How you can achieve that now I have no idea. My guy wanted in when the others came in and invited himself. He has now been wanting in the house as well but I don't want him spraying down the walls so he is not allowed. But staying where he is is his decision. I welcome him as a guest and because of that he doesn't get the feeling that he is confined.
 
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Cats choose whatever place they wanna sleep even if to us that the place don’t look comfortable. But for them, it’s comfortable.

Just let him choose the place and you go pet him/feed him there. That’s where he feels most secure.
 
msaimee

msaimee

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I think it would probably be depressing to a cat to be confined in a basement long term. The ideal would be to gradually give him the run of the house and companionship with the other cat sooner rather than later. You first want him to get tested for feline leukemia and feline Aids (SNAP test). Also vaccinated for rabies, and a flea treatment like Frontline Plus, and a de-wormer. You might consider getting this over with rather than waiting. The vet visit is going to be stressful for him whether you do it now or a month from now. Most of my cats, some of whom I've had for over a decade, still get stressed, cry, and even pee themselves during a trip to the vet. All cats hate it. But they get over it. They may be aloof for a few hours or a day afterwards, but they don't hold grudges. I've gotten upset ever time I've had to trap and transport a feral cat to a vet, but I keep in mind that as unpleasant the experience is for the cat and for myself, it is well worth it. The cat will have many years of happiness inside my home. None of my cats are thinking about that experience while they're laying on my bed at night, safe and warm inside ☺
 
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KrazyForKats

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It sounds like the general feeling here is that since I can’t handle him by now to get him contained and to the vet, it’s better to release him than to keep him in my basement. I guess that’s what i’ll do, but I do plan to take his poop to the vet to have it checked for parasites first.
 
msaimee

msaimee

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No I don't think that's the general consensus at all. I for one am hoping you can get him to a vet soon so he can get a clean bill of health and begin the process of being integrated into your household. You don't need to be able to handle him to get him to a vet, you just need to get him into a pet carrier or humane trap. The vet will give a mild sedative and do the exam and lab work. For a non-surgical sedative you may not even need to withhold food the night before. Then release him back into your basement. I understand you're nervous about him losing trust in you if you trap him and take him to a vet, but this just normally does not happen. There was once a tomcat feral, the first one I trapped, who I put in my spare room instead of taking him directly to the vet because I thought I could tame him first. For three days he went nuts--crying, scaling the walls and windows, hissing. A mobile vet came to my house and had to climb a ladder to give him a rabies shot because the cat had climbed to the top of a curtain rod. I was not able to get him back into a trap or carrier to get him neutered. Consequently, I have three of his offspring in my house now, and my neighbors have three of his offspring, which he brought to us to feed. We trapped, fixed, socialized and adopted all of them. After his horrible 3-day ordeal inside my house, I released him back outside. I cried because I thought he would never trust me again and I would never see him again. That evening he was on my porch as usual, waiting for dinner. Within a few days, things were completely back to normal and I was able to sit right beside him and he wasn't afraid. (Sadly he passed away two years ago.) My point is that cats do not hold grudges or hold on to memories the way that people do. So keep your kitty in your basement until you feel you have the strength and resolve to get him to the vet. I am just trying to encourage you that the experience will not be as miserable as you are thinking it will be, your feral will quickly forgive you-- he views you as his caregiver now, the source of his food and treats. That will not change. And sorry if I made you feel that you should give up on socializing him in your home, that was not my intent.
 
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KrazyForKats

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msaimee said:
No I don't think that's the general consensus at all. I for one am hoping you can get him to a vet soon so he can get a clean bill of health and begin the process of being integrated into your household. You don't need to be able to handle him to get him to a vet, you just need to get him into a pet carrier or humane trap. The vet will give a mild sedative and do the exam and lab work. For a non-surgical sedative you may not even need to withhold food the night before. Then release him back into your basement. I understand you're nervous about him losing trust in you if you trap him and take him to a vet, but this just normally does not happen. There was once a tomcat feral, the first one I trapped, who I put in my spare room instead of taking him directly to the vet because I thought I could tame him first. For three days he went nuts--crying, scaling the walls and windows, hissing. A mobile vet came to my house and had to climb a ladder to give him a rabies shot because the cat had climbed to the top of a curtain rod. I was not able to get him back into a trap or carrier to get him neutered. Consequently, I have three of his offspring in my house now, and my neighbors have three of his offspring, which he brought to us to feed. We trapped, fixed, socialized and adopted all of them. After his horrible 3-day ordeal inside my house, I released him back outside. I cried because I thought he would never trust me again and I would never see him again. That evening he was on my porch as usual, waiting for dinner. Within a few days, things were completely back to normal and I was able to sit right beside him and he wasn't afraid. (Sadly he passed away two years ago.) My point is that cats do not hold grudges or hold on to memories the way that people do. So keep your kitty in your basement until you feel you have the strength and resolve to get him to the vet. I am just trying to encourage you that the experience will not be as miserable as you are thinking it will be, your feral will quickly forgive you-- he views you as his caregiver now, the source of his food and treats. That will not change. And sorry if I made you feel that you should give up on socializing him in your home, that was not my intent.
Click to expand...
 
trudy1

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Regarding the sleeping arrangements and stairs. Think about it, which is less threatening a futon or a bookcase with high back and sides...also quick exit if trapped. To a guy that’s just getting his house legs the bookcase wins out. Also think about your position as a cat...the higher you can get, the better...top of stairs, right?
I for one think you and he are doing fine...he’s home, just time and momma patience needed now.
 
vyger

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There is another thread that you might find very interesting.
Cat Is Exceedingly More Happy When Allowed Outside
This is what I was thinking about when suggesting that he might be a little down about being confined in the basement. Personally I would try letting him roam the rest of the house a little. Expand his world a little at a time. Let him stay in the basement at night but let him out to explore in the day. If it looks like there will be a problem with the other cat then I would consider letting him back outside. But give it some time first. Something I noticed with my cats is they do learn from watching others. Seeing you interact with your other cat and seeing how the other cat behaves toward you would eventually help him to understand what he is missing out on. When I was working on getting Scottie (my feral) more social I used the other cats initially. When I gave them their food outside I would sit down with them and pet them. Scottie was watching from a distance. He knew what the food was and was waiting for me to leave so he could run in and get some. My not leaving messed up his plan. So he wanted food but was afraid and yet he see's the others eating and not being afraid. He used to get a little closer every few days. When he got close enough I would throw him some pieces. But sometimes the others would grab it because I was a little short in my toss. When he got to within a foot of the end dish and couldn't cross that last distance I moved down a little to the other dish and he then started eating with me being there. Little victories. When he got used to that I quit putting food in the last dish so he had to move to the next closer one. All the while he was watching the other cats for any sign of alarm. Everybody was happy, he didn't die, so it must be OK. Finally he was sitting eating within touching distance. I scratched the cat next to him and he kept eating so I reached over and touched him. He jumped but nobody else did, the were all calm. So eventually I was able to pet him and scratch his head and that is when the final barriers fell and he discovered he liked it. So you can use your other cat to teach him, provided they don't decide to be enemies. The only way to know that is to let them get to know each other.
 
msaimee

msaimee

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One of the ways I got my last little feral kitty, Cupcake, socialized to me was to bring into her room each of my other resident cats, one at a time, and hold the cat and dance around while singing "Consider yourself at home." Cupcake was in awe of such a spectacle, she had never seen a human interact with a cat like that before. When she saw how much my other cats enjoyed me playing with them and loving them, she grew to trust me. Now I can hold and kiss her and snuggle with her as I do the others. Even if your kitty were to have some disease, your resident cat couldn't catch it from him if you brought the resident cat into the basement and held him in your arms so that they could at least become familiar with each other from a safe distance.
 
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I would do scent swapping first with bedding and such. Then possibly a screen door or glass door when first brought into the house to seperate them but allow them to view each other.

Holding the other cat in close proximity could lead to problems if they try to break away.
 
msaimee

msaimee

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You could borrow a baby gate, put it in the doorway at the top of the basement stairs, and hold your resident cat in your lap on the other side of the gate. If things get testy, it's a quick retreat.
 
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