Hi all, I hope you can help. I brought in a neighborhood feral which I've been feeding consistently for four months. She has a tipped ear and I think is a kitten from a neighborhood litter from a couple of years ago, the only one left. At first outside she was skittish, but after gently talking with her and sitting with her on my deck while she ate, she seemed to adopt me. I named her Mia. She would come when I called her name, meow at me, and only eat when I was stroking her. She'd hang around on my deck and come up to my patio door, looking in and seeming to want to get inside. My golden retriever would be right on the other side of the glass, and she didn't care. I wasn't even convinced she was feral, but now I am.
I finally got a big cat carrier from a neighbor (mine is small from my previous cats) and she went in to get her meal and I closed the doors. I took her to the vet right away, they covered her with a towel and she was a dream. She let them do everything and didn't even flinch. I brought her home the next day after getting her checked, vaccinated, dewormed, and defleaed, and put her in a small basement room (the only extra room). I currently have no other cats. For the first week she was the same as outside, sleeping in a cubbyhole but coming when I called and wanting me to pat her while she ate. She was doing so well I opened the rest of the basement to her. When she went into the new room, I followed her and talked to her - and it seemed to spook her. She turned, looked at me, flattened, and ran off and hid. That was over a week ago. She has changed her hiding spot. I found the first one, she looked at me and ran, and I now can't find her. I think she knocked some insulation out of the end of a ceiling area and got up there, although I'm not sure. She doesn't come out for me. She was eating very well, but no longer. I leave dry food out and she eats a very, very small amount at night. She doesn't touch treats any more. I left wet food down a couple of times for an hour or so, and she didn't appear.
She's using the litter boxes, but it's only been urine the last 2 nights. She did eat a little last night, so I'm hoping that will get better again. I've started leaving lights on downstairs during the day so she gets day/night light rather than just a nightlight and a small basement window (which she looks out every night - she knocks something down that I put there to check). Last night I left the basement door to the living room open, thinking if she could see the outside through the patio door she might be happier. I heard movement, but I don't know if she came up or not. She's back in the basement if she did. I don't know what to do. The only way I can get her back to the original small room is to trap her, and I don't want to put her through that trauma. She did come in right before Christmas, and I had family in, but it was several days after that when she disappeared.
Should I just leave things be, go down and talk to her when I leave food, do laundry, etc. and figure she will come out when she's ready? I tried to get to where the insulation is knocked out where she might have a way to the ceiling, but I can't get to it. It is rather disheartening to have her go back to feral behavior after doing so well for a week, and doing well outside, but maybe that is normal. I think I either need advice on how to do this better or reassurance that this is normal. Any advice is welcome. Thanks.
I finally got a big cat carrier from a neighbor (mine is small from my previous cats) and she went in to get her meal and I closed the doors. I took her to the vet right away, they covered her with a towel and she was a dream. She let them do everything and didn't even flinch. I brought her home the next day after getting her checked, vaccinated, dewormed, and defleaed, and put her in a small basement room (the only extra room). I currently have no other cats. For the first week she was the same as outside, sleeping in a cubbyhole but coming when I called and wanting me to pat her while she ate. She was doing so well I opened the rest of the basement to her. When she went into the new room, I followed her and talked to her - and it seemed to spook her. She turned, looked at me, flattened, and ran off and hid. That was over a week ago. She has changed her hiding spot. I found the first one, she looked at me and ran, and I now can't find her. I think she knocked some insulation out of the end of a ceiling area and got up there, although I'm not sure. She doesn't come out for me. She was eating very well, but no longer. I leave dry food out and she eats a very, very small amount at night. She doesn't touch treats any more. I left wet food down a couple of times for an hour or so, and she didn't appear.
She's using the litter boxes, but it's only been urine the last 2 nights. She did eat a little last night, so I'm hoping that will get better again. I've started leaving lights on downstairs during the day so she gets day/night light rather than just a nightlight and a small basement window (which she looks out every night - she knocks something down that I put there to check). Last night I left the basement door to the living room open, thinking if she could see the outside through the patio door she might be happier. I heard movement, but I don't know if she came up or not. She's back in the basement if she did. I don't know what to do. The only way I can get her back to the original small room is to trap her, and I don't want to put her through that trauma. She did come in right before Christmas, and I had family in, but it was several days after that when she disappeared.
Should I just leave things be, go down and talk to her when I leave food, do laundry, etc. and figure she will come out when she's ready? I tried to get to where the insulation is knocked out where she might have a way to the ceiling, but I can't get to it. It is rather disheartening to have her go back to feral behavior after doing so well for a week, and doing well outside, but maybe that is normal. I think I either need advice on how to do this better or reassurance that this is normal. Any advice is welcome. Thanks.