Hello I am new here and I live in the UK but i am sure advice is all the same! I have a stray/feral cat in my spare room. He has no microchip and nobody in my village is looking for him. I have been feeding him for 14 months before we caught him and shut him in the room. Now..he is very unpredictable, obviously, and thats fine. Before we trapped him he was very aloof and if you touched him he scratched you but all of a sudden (literally) overnight he approached us to be touched and stroked! he has been in the room for 4 weeks now. he likes us going in he sits on the bed with us he loves being brushed but all of a sudden he will swipe you and go back under thee bed...again fine but my question is when do i take him to the vet. He was in a carrier for about 20 mins and went berserk and they didnt have space so he went into the room. When do i take the chance and grab him again. I really dont want to undo all our hard work by upsetting him. But he needs to be checked and netured and actually we need to find out for sure its a boy! we are 98% sure its a boy as he stinks and we think weve seen balls.
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advice please
- Thread starter nanny2016
- Start Date
Hi!
Welcome!!
Can you obtain any of these mentioned in this quote below, to help with his time in the carrier and travel?
When he's in the carrier be sure and cover it with a light weight towel or blanket, it seems to help them when they can't see out.
From brian007:
"Right then, I didn't say all this last night as I was on my way to bed. But here goes...
You could try Natura Petz Soothed and Serene All Systems Calming Capsules, which I can't vouch for per say as I don't live in the US, so haven't tried them, but I can vouch for the ingredient, valerian, contained within. It is a herbal root that has a sedative and calming action, and most cats like the smell and taste. Because it's in a capsule, it is sprinklable on food. I give my cat, Dudley, valerian treats, which he loves but I cannot find them available in the US. I can, however, find Beaphar Cat-Calming Spot-On, which contains valerian amongst other calming herbs and would by-pass the need for eating. I have also found some cat-calming sprays in the US that contain valerian and the one that I use is very effective, but highly smelly of stinky feet. You could spray some in his basket before and during travel.
Another sprinklable thing to try are M&C Vet IQ Serene-UM Calm Tablets. Again, I can't vouch for them but can vouch for the ingredients, including the natural amino acid and vitamin L-Tryptophan and Inositol, which I also give to Dudley with magical effect. L-Tryptophan is a precursor of serotonin and melatonin and acts as an anti-depressent, anti-anxiety, and calming sleep aid. You would have to crush the tablets between two spoons in order to sprinkle but there should be very little taste or a mildly palatable taste that could be disguised in wet food.
Zylkene is another sprinklabe capsule, containing the amino acid casein, which is the soothing component found in mother's breast milk. It is quite expensive but you can buy the large dog capsules and split the powder into quarters or fifths, depending on the heaviness of your cat. A rule of thumb is 15mg of zylkene per kg of cat.
Now then, again, I've not tried zylkene (yet, I have some winging it's way in the post) but I do give Dudley Royal Canin Veterinary 'Calm' dry cat food, which contains both L-Tryphophan and casein. It works wonders. However, the smallest bag you can buy is 2kg, so it's a bit risky as to whether he'll like it or not. But, Dudley is also a super picky eater and thankfully he loves it.
Also, you could get some Feliway Classic spray to spray in his basket before and during the journey, and also spray on yourself, so that he can smell it when you hold him. It doesn't have a perceptible smell to the human nose. It is a synthetic pheromone mimicking the natural feline facial pheremones, which are calming to cats.
Dudley is a stress-head but since I've been giving him these things, he's so much happier in himself. He even comes for cuddles now, which he couldn't quite bring himself to before even though he clearly wanted to."
Welcome!!
Can you obtain any of these mentioned in this quote below, to help with his time in the carrier and travel?
When he's in the carrier be sure and cover it with a light weight towel or blanket, it seems to help them when they can't see out.
From brian007:
"Right then, I didn't say all this last night as I was on my way to bed. But here goes...
You could try Natura Petz Soothed and Serene All Systems Calming Capsules, which I can't vouch for per say as I don't live in the US, so haven't tried them, but I can vouch for the ingredient, valerian, contained within. It is a herbal root that has a sedative and calming action, and most cats like the smell and taste. Because it's in a capsule, it is sprinklable on food. I give my cat, Dudley, valerian treats, which he loves but I cannot find them available in the US. I can, however, find Beaphar Cat-Calming Spot-On, which contains valerian amongst other calming herbs and would by-pass the need for eating. I have also found some cat-calming sprays in the US that contain valerian and the one that I use is very effective, but highly smelly of stinky feet. You could spray some in his basket before and during travel.
Another sprinklable thing to try are M&C Vet IQ Serene-UM Calm Tablets. Again, I can't vouch for them but can vouch for the ingredients, including the natural amino acid and vitamin L-Tryptophan and Inositol, which I also give to Dudley with magical effect. L-Tryptophan is a precursor of serotonin and melatonin and acts as an anti-depressent, anti-anxiety, and calming sleep aid. You would have to crush the tablets between two spoons in order to sprinkle but there should be very little taste or a mildly palatable taste that could be disguised in wet food.
Zylkene is another sprinklabe capsule, containing the amino acid casein, which is the soothing component found in mother's breast milk. It is quite expensive but you can buy the large dog capsules and split the powder into quarters or fifths, depending on the heaviness of your cat. A rule of thumb is 15mg of zylkene per kg of cat.
Now then, again, I've not tried zylkene (yet, I have some winging it's way in the post) but I do give Dudley Royal Canin Veterinary 'Calm' dry cat food, which contains both L-Tryphophan and casein. It works wonders. However, the smallest bag you can buy is 2kg, so it's a bit risky as to whether he'll like it or not. But, Dudley is also a super picky eater and thankfully he loves it.
Also, you could get some Feliway Classic spray to spray in his basket before and during the journey, and also spray on yourself, so that he can smell it when you hold him. It doesn't have a perceptible smell to the human nose. It is a synthetic pheromone mimicking the natural feline facial pheremones, which are calming to cats.
Dudley is a stress-head but since I've been giving him these things, he's so much happier in himself. He even comes for cuddles now, which he couldn't quite bring himself to before even though he clearly wanted to."
Well, it's very good of you to take in a stinking male feral! You certainly are very patient. I personally would not worry too much about upsetting him by taking him to the vet - I would just do it and get it over. He won't like it but he'll recover.
So, what to do: use a large carrier and get him used to going in it to eat. It may take a week or two but, if he's hungry, he'll be going in there without any forcing. (Just like trapping him in the first case.) I would throw treats into the carrier to get a rather wild cat used to going in and out of the box. He was very surprised when I closed the door. Once he is inside, covering the carrier with a blanket will keep him quieter.
Explain to the vet beforehand that this cat is feral and that he needs to be neutered. For an operation he should have an empty stomach but a couple of treats, used to get him in the carrier will be OK so long as you tell the vet what he has eaten. (Vets usually have to neuter ferals not knowing whether they've eaten or not so it shouldn't be a problem).
Any more questions - just ask! We'll try to help. So, good luck!
So, what to do: use a large carrier and get him used to going in it to eat. It may take a week or two but, if he's hungry, he'll be going in there without any forcing. (Just like trapping him in the first case.) I would throw treats into the carrier to get a rather wild cat used to going in and out of the box. He was very surprised when I closed the door. Once he is inside, covering the carrier with a blanket will keep him quieter.
Explain to the vet beforehand that this cat is feral and that he needs to be neutered. For an operation he should have an empty stomach but a couple of treats, used to get him in the carrier will be OK so long as you tell the vet what he has eaten. (Vets usually have to neuter ferals not knowing whether they've eaten or not so it shouldn't be a problem).
Any more questions - just ask! We'll try to help. So, good luck!
Hi. If you have a good relationship with the vet, they might be able to prescribe a very small dose of something like Gabapentin to give him ahead of the vet visit - just enough to relax him a bit and take the edge off to help prevent him from going berserk in the carrier. It doesn't sound as if you were able to make an actual appointment before taking him in? Under the circumstances, I would try to do that so there is no repeated attempts to get him in the carrier only to find out he can't be seen.
I'm almost starting to doubt that this guy is feral-born, since he calmed down and became affectionate so quickly...although I do have a feral that I care for who is very loving, and has been since a small kitten, so possible. He may be a dumped cat who has been on his own for a long time. Either way, the advice you have gotten works the same, and the way you socialize him is the same. Bless you for taking this boy on. Once you have his health sorted, we'd love to have you update us on his journey from feral to housecat!
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Try to notice what spooks him when he swings. Some cats don't like to be touched at certain places, like around the tale. One feral I know really hates being touched above the head, while most cats love it. I assume somebody must've hurt him there. Whatever it is, identifying and avoiding is first step. 2nd - spend more time bonding. It's not as much time but activities that get a cat to be comfortable. Feed by hand, talk to him, clean him with a wet cloth like cats clean each other, play with hunting toys, sleeping together also helps tonnes. For the carrier box, put it in his room, leave the door open and put a treat inside. Let him go in, eat it and come out without closing the door. Once you see the treat is not there, put another and for a week just have him associate the box with a safe little house. You can also put a blanket with his sent inside.
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- #7
Good Morning, Yes we are doubting he is 100% feral. but after i wormed him and treated his fleas while he still lived outside his whole attitude changed! this is when he came up to my housemate and put his head in her cupped hand...we have no clue what changed. it was then we took the decision to grab him. he is such a sweetie...sometimes ha ha ha. he has met my young male cat both inside and outside and they get on fine my older male isnt sure. all in all its going well. I just need to get him to the vet.
Well, if I had to guess what changed, after worming and de-fleaing, he wasn't utterly miserable. I defy you to put 200 or so fleas on your body and then make polite conversation! I know for a fact I couldn't! Bless his furry little heart! And he's buds with your cat, as well. Things are look up for him.
What on earth are you going to name him? I canNOT keep thinking "Whatshisface!"
What on earth are you going to name him? I canNOT keep thinking "Whatshisface!"
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- #9
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- #10
He hates his belly being touched. The base of his tail is hit and miss. The other day he got so comfortable he kinda snored/snorted. Then he got up and got angry. We've noticed that if he gets far too comfortable he then reacts. Maybe he gets scared letting himself go?
You may be right! He has an image to maintain, after all!
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- #12
***UPDATE*** binks has been to the vet. He was a HE. now neutered chipped and given a healthcheck. He is FIV and FLE clear so thats great. They reckon he is 5-6 years old and is a feral. Apparently ferals develop a toughened skin and he has this and so the vet believes he has been feral since birth or literally at weeks old. But safe warm and fed and I,m happy to accept him as my cat
I'm glad he has you 
!
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