Bringing a Feral/Stray Cat Indoors

[hummys]

Hi Everyone,

Sorry in advance for the long post. I wrote a while back. We’ve been feeding feral for almost a year now. At the time, we sensed that she was a stray because her behavior was different from the other cats we’d seen in the yard. She didn’t get close, but didn’t run too far away. One day I left the door open to see what she would do and she walked in. She scared herself and didn’t stay long, but she made it in the house. We decided that we wanted to take her in the house and tried to trap her early in the summer. A few days before our scheduled vet appointment, she stopped coming for breakfast and disappeared during the day. We tried a few other times over the summer, but we were never successful.

She’s started back with a twice a day routine and we’re going to try again tomorrow and/or Friday to trap her. I’m a little more nervous this time because she seems to be more feral – she doesn’t hang around the back that much, she seems to eat and run (not always, but often) and just seems generally more scared and unfriendly. She’ll get as close as a foot, but that it. Never closer. She’ll come up to the open door, but never in the house. Although, when it’s raining, she has come into the house (right by the door) to eat a few times, but is clearly spooked.

I’ve read l lot of the articles on how to bring her into the house, but I still have some questions and hope someone can help. I should mention that we have no pets so we’re frankly a little scared ourselves about what we are getting into. But, we really do care for this little cutie and want to give her a better life if she’ll take it.

So here’s my questions – when we take her to the shelter, they are going to do the following:

Spay

FVRCP

Rabies

FeLV/FIV Test

Microchip

Nail trim

Flea/tick control (they’ve asked our preference??)

They also offer:

Heartworm test and preventative

Distemper vaccine

Take home pain medication

E color

Yikes, I’m lost. I don’t want to give her more then she needs, but at the same time want to make sure that she has everything she needs. Really appreciate if anyone help with the choices? Thanks so much.

 

[momofmany]

So the shelter is going to help you out with this girls initial health needs? Good for them!

Don't bother with the FIV test. If she was someone's pet previously and she was given the FIV vaccination, she will test positive for FIV. It's a big waste of money (IMHO). I also don't bother with an FIV vaccination for that exact reason. You never know in the future if they are positive or not once they have that shot.

Microchip - many people do this these days. If the shelter is helping you out, they may require it. I honestly wouldn't do this to any of my cats if they were awake - saw the needle that they use for these and wouldn't subject an awake cat to that needle. If she's out for the spay, it won't hurt her.

Flea/tick: Many people here like to use Frontline or Advantage cat formulas.

Heartworm test/prevention: I live in an area where heartworm is very common and have asked my vets about it's rate of occurance in cats. When I get her to really fess up, she says it is extremely rare in cats and if I have money to spare, it won't hurt. I don't bother with it for my cats (but absolutely use it for dogs).

Take home pain meds: very good idea, but get something that is easy to administer. If she is slightly feral, giving meds is going to be very difficult to do. Feral cats that are spayed and released back outside are not given pain meds.

E-color - same thoughts as with the pain meds. She may not put up with it. I've yet to use an e-collar on any of the cats that I've had spayed over the years.

The most important thing to have ready for her is a very quiet and isolated room in your home for her to recoup after surgery. You will have rocked her world, and she is going to want to be alone for a while. If you use a bedroom, consider putting the mattress on the floor so she can't just disappear under a bed and not come back out. Give her a hiding spot in the room. I like to put some type of barrier she can hide behind (such as a big box with the opening towards the wall). Something where you can gain access to her if necessary, but something where she can hide from the world and feel safe while she heels. If you make her feel safe, she will heal more quickly.

 

[StefanZ]

Distemper vaccine is useful, as distemper if highly contagious, and they easily die of it.

People are afraid of Felv or even FIV, but it is distemper who is the great manslaughter of cats.

You can take the germs in on your shoe-soles...  So your inside only cat doesnt even need to met an outside cat to get sick.

Pain meds? Most cats dont get pain meds after spaying.  One plus with this, is, pain is its own warning sign.  If no pain, risk is big they begin to move too early.

While they take it easy if they feel they need to be still....

But sure, good to have something in reserve, if. Be sure about the correct dosage!

Welcome to our Forums!

Good luck!

 

[hummys]

Thank you so much for the replies.

She didn't show this morning, so we hoping for tomorrow. But, when I called the shelter to let them know that I was going to try tomorrow, I happen to get one of the managers on the phone and she kinda freaked me out a little. She said that they do not recommend bringing in a feral adult. She said that it was dangerous because you never know what her behavior would be and that it was cruel to make the animal go through the adjustment. She said that once she was out of the trap and if she attacked, we wouldn't have a way to get her back in the trap and outdoors. She suggested that I go the alleycats website and read some of the articles because they don't recommend socializing a feral cat either.  She said to keep in mind that she'll never be a 'pet'. I told her that I'm alright with that, that we just wanted to keep her safe. I've read these boards, so I know it's done, but she did kind of scare me a little. Any thoughts would be welcome. Thanks.

 

[bastfriend]

Getting her back out if things don't work out is actually pretty simple - you can put a big carrier in the room as the only hiding place with a blanket in it.  She will eventually find it and hide in it - then just shut the door, boom done!   She'll know what a humane trap looks like, but not a regular cat carrier - I've done this twice over the years, it's a good trick that works one time though the cat gets wise after that.    And if that doesn't work you can just open all the doors and she'll find her way out eventually.    I wouldn't let worry over how to get her back out if you need to deter you if you really want to try bringing her in.  

 

[momofmany]

Thank you so much for the replies.

She didn't show this morning, so we hoping for tomorrow. But, when I called the shelter to let them know that I was going to try tomorrow, I happen to get one of the managers on the phone and she kinda freaked me out a little. She said that they do not recommend bringing in a feral adult. She said that it was dangerous because you never know what her behavior would be and that it was cruel to make the animal go through the adjustment. She said that once she was out of the trap and if she attacked, we wouldn't have a way to get her back in the trap and outdoors. She suggested that I go the alleycats website and read some of the articles because they don't recommend socializing a feral cat either.  She said to keep in mind that she'll never be a 'pet'. I told her that I'm alright with that, that we just wanted to keep her safe. I've read these boards, so I know it's done, but she did kind of scare me a little. Any thoughts would be welcome. Thanks.

I understand why the person at the shelter told you that, but I also don't agree with her. Every last one of my cats were born feral, and I've started inside socialization with some of them as old as 2 years old, and these were cats that I know were never inside pets. The advantage you have with this girl is that you are pretty sure that she was someone's pet at one point in time, which means she is just living scared right now and isn't actually a true feral cat. Those cats often easily adjust back to indoor life. It's a matter of them regaining their trust in humans. If no one has actually harmed her while living outside this time, then she probably doesn't really have a distrust in humans, she's just been traumatized by living outside on her own.

Honestly, I'd try to drop the term "feral" from your vocabulary when you refer to her. She's an abandoned stray that's lived outside longer than she deserved to be. You are doing her right by trapping her and resocializing her.

 

[bastfriend]

I understand why the person at the shelter told you that, but I also don't agree with her. Every last one of my cats were born feral, and I've started inside socialization with some of them as old as 2 years old, and these were cats that I know were never inside pets.

It sounds like you have lots of experience!    How long does it usually take a fully feral cat who is familiar with being fed but has never been indoors, to calm down and accept being indoors- say in a small bathroom while you work with them?

 

[merstockgto]

We took in a feral cat in July 2011 and kept in our half bath for 5 months and she had a window to look out. We spent a lot of time with her, talking to her but not pushing ourselves on her. She is no longer terrified of us and is out and about the house in the open and does not hide unless someone she does not know comes in the house. She gets along well with our other 4 pusses and is not agressive. She does not want us to touch her but we get close to her for treats and feeding time.  She is indoors only like our others and has no desire to go outside. She has windows to look out. By the way we moved from Fl. Dec 2011 and took Sox (formerly feral) with us across country in our car and she traveled like a champ like they all did. Just have patience with your feral and she/he will surprise. It is amazing what a kind hand does for any animal.

 

[hummys]

Just wanted to thank you all for the replies.

In spite of what the woman at the shelter said, we decided to move forward with bringing her in. Unfortunately, it was raining on the days we were scheduled at the shelter and she didn’t show for breakfast for 4 days. We are going to try again before the holiday when I can take off from work for a few more days. Hopefully, she'll be safe and warm for the new year.

The woman at the shelter did spook me though, she even mentioned rabies a few times. She also old me that once we take her home, to keep her in a trap with a towel underneath for 2-3 days. She said to put the towel under the trap so that when she goes to the bathroom, her waste falls to the towel. Seems to me that it would make her uncomfortable sitting in her own waste. And more scared. She said that’s the best way to keep her and us safe. Seems mean to keep her caged in a trap, but as we get closer, I will ask you all for advice again. I wonder if they say certain things so that they’re not held liable for anything negative that happens?

This is our first venture with a cat and we just want to be sure we do right by her. So, thanks again. Really appreciate the site.