Advice on semi-feral cat

[NewKitty18]

He’s back to hiding under the vanity again. He hasn’t used the litter at all, and I’m not thrilled with the fact that he’s sitting in his own pee. I’m fine with this process taking time, but being so fearful he’s peeing on himself isn’t ideal. I did buy a Feliway defuser, so hopefully that helps.

Is this typical and just something to wait out? Also, I’m assuming a bath is way too traumatizing right now, right?

 

[tabbytom]

He’s back to hiding under the vanity again. He hasn’t used the litter at all, and I’m not thrilled with the fact that he’s sitting in his own pee. I’m fine with this process taking time, but being so fearful he’s peeing on himself isn’t ideal. I did buy a Feliway defuser, so hopefully that helps.

Is this typical and just something to wait out? Also, I’m assuming a bath is way too traumatizing right now, right?

Dealing with rescues is always one step forward and two steps back as they are not fully acclimatized and they cannot register things very well and therefore you often find that they go back to their old selves once against you don't have to despair or be discouraged. This is normal regarding this matter.

Do you remember where you you found him and or where he usually hang out before he comes indoors? You can gather soil and leaves where he use to do his business and place them in the litterbox. This will sort of replicate the outdoor litterbox that he is used to. It'll be a little messy when comes to cleaning the litterbox but this is only a transition period for him so that he will use the litterbox.

You just have to be a little more careful with him so that he don't get spooked and loose trust.

 

[NewKitty18]

Thank you again, tabbytom . I went in to spend some quiet time, not even planning on seeing him, and he decided to be incredibly affectionate. Kept rubbing on me, headbutting, etc. He also ate a bit of food.

Unfortunately I think the wound on his side needs attention sooner rather than later. It’s not bleeding, but he’s got a big gap in his skin and it smells a bit. Worried about infection.

Our plan is to give some gabapentin and bring him in tomorrow. I hate to traumatize him again, but I don’t see a way around it.

 

[Kwik]

Hi- yes,please get that wound taken care of and my advice for when you bring him home is to set him up in the office- its fine if he hides- he's highly likely a stray who seems respond very well to human interaction so he won't be hiding long when you spend lots of time with him in his safe room

Bathrooms are great for transitioning an outdoor kitty to the indoors,ferals acclimate easier in small confinement but a stray who has obviously been handled and has been indoors will quickly establish your office as his new territory and be socialized easier bdcausd YOU have room to sit on the floor,lie down,play etc

Have his food ,water & litter box spread out in a triangle away from each other- gathering dirt from outside for the litter box and pick up some litter attractant to sprinkle ontop( DrElsys Ultra is fantastic) then you can very gradually start to add litter to the dirt ,eventually ending up with litter only after he's reliably using his box....since he's not gone to the box I'd guess he was once someone's indoor/outdoor kitty who went outside to do his business

For thst reason once he's comfortable about the house you must be very careful to not permit him to go near " ways out" - your question about whether he should have been brought inside should be answered by his 2 injuries

Friend,I'll tell you- the words that make my hair stand on end are " He's better left were he is and thriving well " & " He's happiest outside"- drives me insane

I've been transitioning ferals to indoors for domestication for decades,cats are not wild animals- for thousands of years they are domestic,it's in their DNA- contrary to popular belief a feral:" state does not make a wild animal....I'm thrilled you have this guy inside,I'll be over the moon if you decide you'll keep him- well help you when it's time for intriductions

 

[NewKitty18]

Thank you Kwik ! This is really helpful, and I so appreciate the reassurance that we’re doing the right thing for him.

I actually know a decent amount of his background. A neighbor fed his mom, who is feral, for a while, and eventually she had a litter of two kittens. Neighbor kept feeding all three. One is super feral, and the other is this sweet guy. I think having his human suddenly disappear was a major blow.

Once we get the all clear from the vet about fleas, etc., we’ll work on following your advice about moving him.

He’s going to be a great pet for someone. Not sure that’ll be us, since I suspect he’s going to need a calmer home than we can provide, but there’s definitely something special about this guy. I think once he’s happy and healthy he’s going to be an amazing personality. Fingers crossed our kids and other cats don’t stress him out too much.

 

[Kwik]

Thank you Kwik ! This is really helpful, and I so appreciate the reassurance that we’re doing the right thing for him.

I actually know a decent amount of his background. A neighbor fed his mom, who is feral, for a while, and eventually she had a litter of two kittens. Neighbor kept feeding all three. One is super feral, and the other is this sweet guy. I think having his human suddenly disappear was a major blow.

Once we get the all clear from the vet about fleas, etc., we’ll work on following your advice about moving him.

He’s going to be a great pet for someone. Not sure that’ll be us, since I suspect he’s going to need a calmer home than we can provide, but there’s definitely something special about this guy. I think once he’s happy and healthy he’s going to be an amazing personality. Fingers crossed our kids and other cats don’t stress him out too much.

Well they way you described him hanging around the 2 girls that are not crazy about him and he continues to stay with them it seems he will fare well in a multi cat household

And I must mention that orange kitties generally are highly adaptable- I keep forgetting to start a thread about " colors" -why & how they play a significant role in personality,it's a very interesting Topic

Yes,he will make a wonderful house cat and I do hope if you're not going to keep him he is adopted quickly- every new environment poses its challenges and is stressful for any kitty cat....do you have anyone in mind?

 

[NewKitty18]

A few updates! First, he used the litter last night! Only pee so far, but a big step. He's more and more likely to come out of hiding when I'm visiting. He is so affectionate, to the extent that he's more likely to eat while I'm petting him than when he's alone. You can almost see the fear warring with his need for human interaction.

My husband has him at the vet right now. I was able to get him to eat some gabapentin this morning. The wound was a little infected, so they're cleaning it and he's getting an injected antibiotic. They want him to wear a cone, which I'm not thrilled about. They're also doing a basic wellness exam, checking for FIV, vaccines, etc.

Our resident queen (she's spayed, she's just a queen in personality) is absolutely fascinated with him, which is better than the intense hatred we were expecting. They've just been sniffing each other through the door and while he was in the carrier this morning.

As for adoption, I've been in touch with a local cat rescue who have said that they can help us find him a permanent home if it doesn't work out with us. They have a lot of cats who are listed on the website while remaining in foster care, which is what we would do. We're also working our personal network of cat people.

P.S. Husband just texted that he's negative for FIV!

 

[NewKitty18]

Okay, he's back home and once again terrified. We're trying to have my husband be the bad guy who takes him to the vet and gives him meds so that I remain a safe person.

For the next few days he's going to be getting buprenorphine, robenacoxib, wearing a cone (which he has already managed to remove), and we are supposed to apply a warm damp cloth to his wound twice a day to encourage healthy drainage. Hopefully he will let me do that. We also got dewormer pills and he received his rabies vaccine and first round of FVRCP.

Nice little chunk of change for all that.

 

[tabbytom]

A few updates! First, he used the litter last night! Only pee so far, but a big step. He's more and more likely to come out of hiding when I'm visiting. He is so affectionate, to the extent that he's more likely to eat while I'm petting him than when he's alone. You can almost see the fear warring with his need for human interaction.

That's good to hear! Yes, he has gain more trust in you and if you can pet him while he's eating, it's a very good sign and he knows he's being loved. Boost his confidence by being with him more often and talk sweet nothings to him.

My husband has him at the vet right now. I was able to get him to eat some gabapentin this morning. The wound was a little infected, so they're cleaning it and he's getting an injected antibiotic. They want him to wear a cone, which I'm not thrilled about. They're also doing a basic wellness exam, checking for FIV, vaccines, etc.

Good that the wound is taking care of before it got worse. Hope that it heals fast. It's ok that he is on the cone if he feels sort of comfortable with it see if without the cone, he may scratch the wound raw again and it take a very long time to heal. You play by ear and see how he reacts to the cone.

Our resident queen (she's spayed, she's just a queen in personality) is absolutely fascinated with him, which is better than the intense hatred we were expecting. They've just been sniffing each other through the door and while he was in the carrier this morning.

Looks like the Queen is quite tolerable with him and in this case, why not consider keeping him rather than regime him to reduce the stress that he has gone through?

Okay, he's back home and once again terrified. We're trying to have my husband be the bad guy who takes him to the vet and gives him meds so that I remain a safe person.

Just keep assuring him and stay with him. You must not let him loose his confidence in you or your husband.

 

[NewKitty18]

Good morning from this sweet boy who is taking all his medicine like a champ, used his litter box, and lets me apply the warm pack to his wound with no complaint.

 

[Kwik]

Good morning from this sweet boy who is taking all his medicine like a champ, used his litter box, and lets me apply the warm pack to his wound with no complaint.

Awwww- hrs just precious..... I've got a weak spot for orange boys

 

[tabbytom]

Good morning from this sweet boy who is taking all his medicine like a champ, used his litter box, and lets me apply the warm pack to his wound with no complaint.

What a handsome boy!

 

[NewKitty18]

I really can’t get over how sweet he is. Even with his whole history and being scared and being in pain, he’s so snuggly. At this point he comes out almost right away when I pay him a visit. We made him a little house out of a box and he’s very happy with it.

Just did his warm pack again and it seems like the wound is staying open, so that’s good. There’s a photo below. The small wound above is the one we first brought him in for. The bigger one is the new one that got infected. I think the vet must have removed the loose skin that had been partially covering it.

 

[Kwik]

I really can’t get over how sweet he is. Even with his whole history and being scared and being in pain, he’s so snuggly. At this point he comes out almost right away when I pay him a visit. We made him a little house out of a box and he’s very happy with it.

Just did his warm pack again and it seems like the wound is staying open, so that’s good. There’s a photo below. The small wound above is the one we first brought him in for. The bigger one is the new one that got infected. I think the vet must have removed the loose skin that had been partially covering it.

Looks great- healing nicely
He's just a darling,sweet boy- he's a Blessing for sure

 

[NewKitty18]

Short update. Chase is doing well. He comes out of his little house whenever I visit. Increasingly he comes out for my husband too, even though he's been the "bad guy" who caught him and took him to the vet. If I'm in there he'll come out when my older kiddo is with me, as long as she's quiet. Younger kiddo is the family cat whisperer, so I'm going to have him visit with me later today.

I'm still doing the warm packs, and unfortunately I think I may need to add a bit of hydrogen peroxide at the next one to dissolve a bit of scab that's forming. Hopefully it doesn't hurt too much. Chase is eating better, though he still prefers eating when we're with him (preferably petting him). I saw him drinking water, which is good, and he has used the litter box a few more times. He's not peeing as frequently as I'd like, but when he does there's a lot.

Anything I can do to encourage him to drink more water? My local pet store suggested some cat-friendly bone broth, but I'm always nervous to mess around with fluids. We are giving him wet food, but he's not eating all of it.

 

[DeesCats]

How much wet food are you giving at one time? You may want to break them up into multiple meals per day. You can always add some water to his wet food to make sure he's getting enough fluids.

 

[Kwik]

Short update. Chase is doing well. He comes out of his little house whenever I visit. Increasingly he comes out for my husband too, even though he's been the "bad guy" who caught him and took him to the vet. If I'm in there he'll come out when my older kiddo is with me, as long as she's quiet. Younger kiddo is the family cat whisperer, so I'm going to have him visit with me later today.

I'm still doing the warm packs, and unfortunately I think I may need to add a bit of hydrogen peroxide at the next one to dissolve a bit of scab that's forming. Hopefully it doesn't hurt too much. Chase is eating better, though he still prefers eating when we're with him (preferably petting him). I saw him drinking water, which is good, and he has used the litter box a few more times. He's not peeing as frequently as I'd like, but when he does there's a lot.

Anything I can do to encourage him to drink more water? My local pet store suggested some cat-friendly bone broth, but I'm always nervous to mess around with fluids. We are giving him wet food, but he's not eating all of it.

Low sodium broths are great - he'll probably like it too....My cats are always interested in an ice cube in their water and it seems to get them drinking when I'd like them to drink more water- give it a try and show him it moving around

Hydrogen Peroxide is a good intitial antiseptic but it actually prevents healing rather than promotes it - your probably better off with your warm compresses and let the scab fall off naturally

 

[NewKitty18]

The hydrogen peroxide was recommended by the vet if scanning occurred. I was surprised too, because I know it is generally discouraged for wound care. The sense I got was that preventing scabbing was important enough that it was worth it. I ended up applying some diluted hydrogen peroxide tonight and it did help the scab come right off. Hopefully I don’t need to do that again.

I’ll look into some pet-friendly broth. I did also add some water to his wet food as suggested above. I also saw him drink from his water dish. Hopefully he pees during the night.

His fecal test came back positive for tapeworms, but he’s already had his first dose of dewormer and revolution, so that should be dealt with.

 

[tabbytom]

The hydrogen peroxide was recommended by the vet if scanning occurred. I was surprised too, because I know it is generally discouraged for wound care. The sense I got was that preventing scabbing was important enough that it was worth it. I ended up applying some diluted hydrogen peroxide tonight and it did help the scab come right off. Hopefully I don’t need to do that again.

Would you want to try this for the wound? I find this very effective and safe. I use it for cuts, scratches both for me and my boy. It is called Colloidal Silver.
There are many brands out there. If you are getting it, get the one meant for pets with the atomizer as it is easier to administer.

 

[NewKitty18]

Thanks for the suggestion!

Chase is suddenly feeling much better! I hadn't realized how sick he still must've felt. He ate all his food last night, use the litter box (including pee!), and was yelling at us to come visit when we woke up. His wound also healed over A LOT overnight. Not scabbing, but the skin actually healing from the outside in. I'm going to send a picture to the vet who treated him and make sure it's okay. The concern is that the wound needs to be able to drain, otherwise an abscess will form. Hopefully the fact that he's suddenly doing so much better means that the infection is under control.