Need Advice On My Adopted Feral

EricWw · Aug 1, 2018

Hello, I’m new here, first time cat owner and need some advice please on my feral:

Cliff Notes Version:

I have a feral I adopted just over 2 years ago who doesn’t seem to get acclimated to me. Need advice if I should get a second cat, try to bring her to some behavior specialist, accept that’s the way she will always be, or give up and release her.

Rambling Version:

I took in a feral cat from my backyard just over 2 years ago. At the time she was relatively young- just been TNRd (ear clipped, stomach was still shaved). I immediately got her to the vet who checked and tested her. At the time I thought I would be able to get her friendlier, but to this day I have never petted her and she still seems skittish of me. She spends most of her time in the basement when I’m home but I do know she ventures upstairs when I’m not there. She has full access to my whole house (it’s not huge, about 1000 sq ft per level- basement with removed door and main level) but is not locked in a room by any means.

I put her water and food about 12 feet from my couch in my kitchen area, she will come up and eat while I’m there but if I start to move towards her she runs away. When it’s meal time and I open a can of food, I can see her in the basement floor looking up- as she’s familiar with that sound, once I move away then she comes up and eats. She has a favorite perch spot in the rafters of my unfinished basement, if I get close she will start hissing. While she’s never scratched or bit me she still seems uncomfortable if I get too close. In order to get her to the vet I have to put food into a crate and “trap” her with the door. Her litter box is in the basement and she’s always been good with using it. She is not declawed and only scratches the back of a rolled up area rug- she’s never destroyed any furniture or bedding. She seems of good health and energy- to get to her favorite perch she has to jump from my couch, so the basement window, then crawls up.

My main point is I would have thought after 2 years she would have opened a little more, if I didn’t work hard enough to get her trusting me or if I’ll just have to accept that as an adopted feral she will never be a cuddly cat. Or am I doing her a disservice by keeping her alone and should either get a second cat or even release her? I’d get a second cat from the local humane society.

A friend (who has 2 cats herself) who took care of feeding her while I’ve been on vacation and believes this cat is lonely and sad, and needs a companion and absolutely adamant that I get a second cat, which I’m not opposed to. Before I do this- I hope I don’t open a can of worms especially if they do not get along. I do not feel like she’s lonely or bored but I am not a cat expert.

This is my first cat so I figure I’ll ask here. I am open to any suggestion, even releasing her back into the wild. I’d prefer not to- as she’d most likely be dead by now in the wild as I’ve read most ferals don’t last more than a year or two due to disease, fights, getting hit by cars etc. I should also mention I live alone so there’s no one else in the house and I work a full time job, so it is true I only see her for a few hours a day.

Thanks,
Eric

Furballsmom · Aug 1, 2018

Hi! Welcome - I'm glad you're here - this is a great site to get support and information from.
In my case, it'll be more of a support nature, I think, since I've never worked with ferals, but I understand they can be very interesting animals.

I'm curious, what does she actually do during the day when you're gone? Do you have a camera so you can see?

Does she have cat trees so she can see outside if she wants to? Does she have toys? Scratchers?
Do you try to interact with her with a wand toy? She hisses at you even this long that she's been there, have you tried a long stick of some sort with a sock on the end of it to pet her with?
Do you sit in the basement with her and read to her? Not much eye contact at all, just read - poetry might be good, but whatever. Have something smelly like tuna out when you do this.
Do you have music you can play, either classical harp music or the RelaxMyCat app.
Does she have any treats she likes? Freeze dried minnows and other freeze dried items, bonito flakes, orijen boar meat … put those out and let her have them when you're elsewhere. Then, eventually, have them out when you're reading to her.
Keep in mind, this all will take time.

NY cat man · Aug 8, 2018

Cats- especially feral cats, can have a wide range of personality types. I know this because my wife and I have 5 of them. This is what worked for me, but as the ads say, your results may vary.
You say that she will come to food with you present- OK, that is a start. Try placing the food a little closer to you, but when (if?) she comes to eat, do not move toward her- just watch. When she gets comfortable, repeat the process a little at a time, but never appear to threaten. Give her time to adjust to you, and accept you on HER terms. Good luck with your cat.

EricWw said:
Hello, I’m new here, first time cat owner and need some advice please on my feral:

Cliff Notes Version:

I have a feral I adopted just over 2 years ago who doesn’t seem to get acclimated to me. Need advice if I should get a second cat, try to bring her to some behavior specialist, accept that’s the way she will always be, or give up and release her.

Rambling Version:

I took in a feral cat from my backyard just over 2 years ago. At the time she was relatively young- just been TNRd (ear clipped, stomach was still shaved). I immediately got her to the vet who checked and tested her. At the time I thought I would be able to get her friendlier, but to this day I have never petted her and she still seems skittish of me. She spends most of her time in the basement when I’m home but I do know she ventures upstairs when I’m not there. She has full access to my whole house (it’s not huge, about 1000 sq ft per level- basement with removed door and main level) but is not locked in a room by any means.

I put her water and food about 12 feet from my couch in my kitchen area, she will come up and eat while I’m there but if I start to move towards her she runs away. When it’s meal time and I open a can of food, I can see her in the basement floor looking up- as she’s familiar with that sound, once I move away then she comes up and eats. She has a favorite perch spot in the rafters of my unfinished basement, if I get close she will start hissing. While she’s never scratched or bit me she still seems uncomfortable if I get too close. In order to get her to the vet I have to put food into a crate and “trap” her with the door. Her litter box is in the basement and she’s always been good with using it. She is not declawed and only scratches the back of a rolled up area rug- she’s never destroyed any furniture or bedding. She seems of good health and energy- to get to her favorite perch she has to jump from my couch, so the basement window, then crawls up.

My main point is I would have thought after 2 years she would have opened a little more, if I didn’t work hard enough to get her trusting me or if I’ll just have to accept that as an adopted feral she will never be a cuddly cat. Or am I doing her a disservice by keeping her alone and should either get a second cat or even release her? I’d get a second cat from the local humane society.

A friend (who has 2 cats herself) who took care of feeding her while I’ve been on vacation and believes this cat is lonely and sad, and needs a companion and absolutely adamant that I get a second cat, which I’m not opposed to. Before I do this- I hope I don’t open a can of worms especially if they do not get along. I do not feel like she’s lonely or bored but I am not a cat expert.

This is my first cat so I figure I’ll ask here. I am open to any suggestion, even releasing her back into the wild. I’d prefer not to- as she’d most likely be dead by now in the wild as I’ve read most ferals don’t last more than a year or two due to disease, fights, getting hit by cars etc. I should also mention I live alone so there’s no one else in the house and I work a full time job, so it is true I only see her for a few hours a day.

Thanks,
Eric

ArchyCat · Aug 8, 2018

Don't try to touchier. No direct eye contact. This is an aggressive act in the cat world. Start leaving out a treat or two. Once you ind ones she likes, you might leave one or two on the floor near her old bowl. After a few times of her finding an eating them, while you are in the room, try moving them a foot (no more) towards you. Then as she becomes used to them, gradually move the treats closer to you. Take weeks, if not a month or two. May take longer. Or she may never happen. But give it a try. Not time for another cat. That might only be a distraction.

Thanks for rescuing the cat.

msaimee · Aug 8, 2018

I have taken in three feral cats and one semi-feral. Two of the ferals and the semi-feral have been completely and successfully socialized to me. They are loving and affectionate. The third feral cat I have had for 4 years, and she is similar to your cat in behavior. When I trapped her she was just under a year old. She had a difficult spay surgery with a bad reaction to the anesthesia and suffered temporary organ failure. Then she got two infections. I had to syringe feed her for a few weeks to keep her alive. During one of the trips to the vet, they discovered a bullet in her hip. When she was a young kitten, someone shot her. The bullet broke her leg, which healed crooked, and is still inside of her today. She walks with a gait and cannot jump very high. Two of my other four cars tend to bully her, so she spends most of her time under my bed or in one of the upstairs rooms. She does not like to be touched, and will literally poop in fear when I have to groom her. She has had a very hard life, and is not an affectionate cat. She used to play with me with a wand toy, but has lost that desire, I think arthritis is setting in. However, it would never even enter my mind to release her back outside. She is not a happy cat, but she is content and well cared for. She would not survive outside, and has never expressed the desire to return outside. So my rambling answer to you is to keep your feral cat inside and accept her for who she is-- she may or may not become a more outgoing cat in the future.. If you get a second cat, I would advise a young male kitten. Feral cats will often bond well with other cats, sometimes more so then to a person. A kitten would be less threatening to her, and her mothering instincts might kick in.

kskatt · Aug 8, 2018

The reading to her is one of my suggestions, as with the don't approach her, let it all be on her terms. I like the idea of getting a second cat, also because if you pet and play with the new one the current one will see a cat trusting you. It can rub off. It's the getting that can be difficult, you want a cat that she will get along with and doesn't have to be separated from, a long intro period. Normally I push adult cats but you might do better with a youngster. Kittens, or youngsters seem to blend in easier.

Need Advice On My Adopted Feral

EricWw

TCS Member

Thread starter

Furballsmom

Cat Devotee

NY cat man

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ArchyCat

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msaimee

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kskatt

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