Semiferal Cat Brought Indoors, And There Are Some Issues

SDerailed

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Hi. We have a neutered Male, 4 years old, that was reverting to a feral state from years spent on the street. I thought he could be a happy indoor cat so we decided to open our home to him 4 months ago.
He was very scared and spent much of his time hiding and pulling his hair out. He has since learned to live his best life, play, get belly rubs, and generally act like any other house cat.
But when the night comes he spend hours howling and meowing and wandering around the house. He does it if we are awake, asleep, playing with him, it doesnt matter. Its non stop. The only way I can get him to stop is by putting him in his safe room for the night. We dont give him any attention when he does this, and I've invested in earplugs and a sound machine so I can try to ignore him. His food and water bowls are full. And his litter is freshly scooped. We've taken him to the vet over this where they've done many tests to see if there isn't something medical to it.
I dont know what he needs or what to do. I've never experienced this level of howling with any other cat, so I'm wondering if this is an outdoor cat behavior.
 

shadowsrescue

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Have you tried any calming products like Composure liquid max or Zylkene? I have used both on feral cats that I have brought inside.

The first feral I brought inside yowled and threw himself against the window at night. I started with Composure chews. They really helped, but I had to triple the dosage. They wore off after about 6 hours. I then heard about Composure liquid max and it could be added to wet food. I have 1/2 t. before bed time and 1/4 t. during the day time. It is important to keep the dosage steady in his body.

Zylkene also can help. It is in capsule form and sprinkled onto food. I use the 75mg. It can be given once or twice a day.

Both products are non sedating, but do help to relax some cats. You just have to figure out which one will work for you.

If this doesn't stop the behavior, you might need to look into something like Prozac. Hopefully it could be on a short term basis.
 
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SDerailed

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I had the calming diffusers with no luck. I'll try the oral supplements and see if it'll help. Next week we are installing a catio attached to the house and if it is stress I'm hoping that'll help as well.
 

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Next week we are installing a catio attached to the house and if it is stress I'm hoping that'll help as well.
A catio is a good idea for almost any cat! However, can you try to see if there are cats roaming around your house at night? If there is and you allow your guy out there at night, it could make things worse. Cat repellents or motion sprinklers might help to get the other cats to stay off your property, and give your guy a nice, safe outdoor space!
 

shadowsrescue

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Just be sure if you try the calming supplements that you give them a chance to work. They can take a week or so to fully get into the system. Also try not to miss a dosage. If you try the composure liquid
I would suggest dosing 2x a day. I used to double the most important dose ( for you that would be at night) and then give a normal dose the other part of the day.

The Zylkene https://www.chewy.com/vetoquinol-zylkene-behavior-support/dp/121053 If usually given just once a day. I find that with my cat it takes a few hours to kick in. I also found it takes at least 7 days or more to work. I am currently using Zylkene on one of my cats that is agitated right now. It really has made a difference in his demeanor.

The catio will be awesome. Add some pictures when you get it all set up. I would love to see it.
 
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SDerailed

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Nope, no outside cats. More bunnies, birds, groundhogs which our cats live to watch!
Yes, catio next week and house wide cat shelving this week. We have 8 cats, so I think it's time we added more playground equipment for them ;)
 

shadowsrescue

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I would love to see the cat shelving too. I have 6 cats and we added some too. Nothing too fancy, but they absolutely love it. Here is part of the room we did. Over to the left where you can't see, there is a walkway across the top of the window that leads to a cat tree. My boys love it!

Finished product.JPG
 

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I would love to see the cat shelving too. I have 6 cats and we added some too. Nothing too fancy, but they absolutely love it. Here is part of the room we did. Over to the left where you can't see, there is a walkway across the top of the window that leads to a cat tree. My boys love it!

View attachment 288019




Sorry some of the pictures are sideways. Just installed the first set of cat shelves today. I doubt my semiferal will be getting on them. He is uncomfortable with heights.





Love, love all the shelving!

I have one previous feral who howled too. I finally figured out that he was telling me a neighbor he does not trust was driving into their driveway. He is my guard cat. He doesn’t approve of certain neighbors or raccoons. All other animals are fine. He also does not approve of one person who came to my home. He stood between us the entire visit. I have found that keeping windows covered at night makes him feel safer. If he can see outside at night, I get the kitty siren going off. Cats notice everything!
I also have three semi ferals who are are afraid of traffic noises. I lined the blinds with sound proofing material in the room they prefer. It really helped!
 

kittyluv387

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I would love to see the cat shelving too. I have 6 cats and we added some too. Nothing too fancy, but they absolutely love it. Here is part of the room we did. Over to the left where you can't see, there is a walkway across the top of the window that leads to a cat tree. My boys love it!

View attachment 288019
Wow your cats are lucky! Very nice setup. Total cat room.
 
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I think you guys are right. For the first time ever, he sat in my lap tonight. And it was the first time the howling has stopped. Maybe he just needed to know that lap was available for him if he wanted it. Maybe I can get him starting to sleep with me.
 

Jcatbird

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Awww! He is adorable! Just needed some snuggle time..If you can get him to snuggle in bed I think he will feel totally secure and stop howling. Sometimes it just takes adjusting to everything. We can all be nervous in a new group. My howler went from being a feral that I thought might eat me to a guardian and complete Mommas’ boy. Now he spends all of his time snuggling with all the kitties here, along with human Mom. I’m betting your boy will adapt just as well. I love the picture of him!
 

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One of my cats sometimes gets very vocal and active in the evenings. He is one who is very protective of me, both him and his mom. He goes outside and inspects things during the day and hangs out with the other cats. If there are strays that come by he checks them out and sometimes even gets into fights with them. He thinks he is tougher than he is and I have had to rescue him a few times. When I show up the others flee and he is the victor standing at my feet. Anyway, he stays in at night. He comes in to eat and then naps and does cat things. But sometimes he wants to go out again and gets very loud letting me know. He hangs out by the door or jumps up on things and looks out the windows. He almost sounds like he is in heat when he gets so moan-full. I believe it's because he is picking up on something happening outside and he wants to go out to check on things. I usually don't let him although a few times he has escaped. But it is definitely his "I want out" behavior. Sometimes he will do it for hours until it's bedtime. When I go to bed he immediately joins me and his mom also and stays quietly all night. He only allows his mom and one other of my cats in the room when we are sleeping. He decided it's his job to look after me. The funny thing is I need a lot less sleep than he does and he will still be conked out long after I am up and running.
 

shadowsrescue

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Love love love the kitty shelving! Maybe he does want to just be with you. My boy who howled for weeks wound up a lap kitty and bed baby too. It's worth a try!
 

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My tomcat (integer) used to meow a lot during night. Main reason was his intention to enter one room, where he is allowed daytime, but not nighttime.

Eventually, after 6 months, he got used to that circumstances and stopped meowing.

However, if the other members of the family are not at home in the evening, he starts to look for them around and to meow loud.

In my opinion, the reason is that cats have a sense of family (or group, whatever) and get distressed if one member is missing. No study, just my feelings.
 
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Update: we installed the catio and it did not help the meowing. He loves going out there. But his meowing and trying to dart out the door has gotten even worse.
Today I took him out into the backyard on a harness. He looked unsure and looked back at the house like he wanted to go back in for a split second. Then it was like a light switched. He went completely feral. He acted like a coyote caught in a trap, broke out of the harness. Climbed the fences and trees and was a hissing, spitting, very violent cat again. (And for a chonkers, I didnt even know he had that level of acrobatics) in him.
At first I thought that maybe this is just what he wants. To be on the road again. But with the look in his eyes, he was terrified. I dont know if it was outside that terrified him or the harness, but it wasnt a joyful 'free' looking cat. It was like he was having Nam flashbacks. I managed to get him, at the price of my blood and my shirt. When I got him inside he was purring and loving kitty again. I gave him a treat and pet him so we could try to maintain the trust we had spent so long building.
But really, what the hell? I cant figure this guy out.
 
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shadowsrescue

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It seems to me that he was afraid you were going to put him back outside. I think maybe it's too soon for the catio idea. I would keep him inside only for awhile and allow him time to calm down. Something triggered him. He truly might have been afraid you were dumping him and wanting him to leave.

I hope that within time, he can use the catio, but it may take awhile. Maybe some of your other cats would enjoy it and he can watch them and learn to enjoy it too.
 

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:confused2: Yikes - that is frustrating! Jcatbird Jcatbird may have some insight for you. It seems that there might be some intruders that appear at night - possibly skunks or raccoons. Thank you for taking him in - he probably IS having Nam-type flashbacks when he encounters certain scents outside. Excellent observations on your part!! And the shelving is awesome :loveeyes:
 
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SDerailed

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It seems to me that he was afraid you were going to put him back outside. I think maybe it's too soon for the catio idea. I would keep him inside only for awhile and allow him time to calm down. Something triggered him. He truly might have been afraid you were dumping him and wanting him to leave.

I hope that within time, he can use the catio, but it may take awhile. Maybe some of your other cats would enjoy it and he can watch them and learn to enjoy it too.
He is fine with the catio. It was the real outside that freaked him. I wasnt very clear on that. I'll go back and edit.But yes, I do think that he had some fear of abandonment, as when he came inside he was his normal purr monster self.
 

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