Can my young, semi-feral kitty ever adjust to indoor life?

[martymcjackson]

Hi, all.

My partner and I have been caring for a 6-month-old semi-feral cat for about 4 months now.  I had him neutered at 4 months, and have been working on socializing him outside since that time, with occasional indoor visits, and overnight stays in his cage after vet visits.  He does allow a little bit of petting during food time, but still startles easily around being touched.  He LOVES being outside during the day, but seems scared of the outdoors at night, always looking over his shoulder in fear. 

A few days ago we had a mishap with a flea medication treatment - i.e., accidentally used a tube of canine flea medicine on him.  So, we corralled him inside after that to watch for any neurological side effects (he has been fine, luckily!), and decided to keep him inside and attempt to transition him to indoor life.  He has been doing very well at night - loves being inside and will come out to play, play, and play some more... but as soon as the sun is up, he becomes outside-obsessed and cries, running from window to window.

I love this little guy and want him to be happy, so of course I am feeling guilty that apparently he feels like a prisoner inside during the day.  Nothing interests him during that time... not food, not play... nothing.  He seems to just give up, and then goes and sulks under a chair.  I am about to go out and buy him a fancy cat tree for him to climb and play on, but I know not even that will be the same as the outdoors that he misses so much.  Is this right to force him to adjust, against his will?

Having an indoor/outdoor cat is not an option for us due to both of us having chronic health issues & can't afford to have outdoor pathogens (worm eggs, etc - he has just been successfully treated for both lung worms and roundworms) tracked inside on a daily basis.  And leaving him outside doesn't seem like a good option b/c we will be moving an hour away in the Spring, and this little guy is completely dependent upon us for food, and appears to have no real hunting abilities.  So it does seem in his best interest to be an indoor kitty.  And if he would allow me to touch him enough to get a harness and bungee leash on him, he could have the best of both worlds... I would happily take him out every day for outside playtime... but he won't allow that much touch, and maybe never will.

I am just second-guessing all over the place as to what's best for this little guy.  I welcome any wisdom or advice from people who have been in this situation and gotten through it with a happy, well-adjusted kitty in the end.  Thank you!  [emoji]9829[/emoji]

 

[ondine]

Thank you for helping the little guy.  Even though it seems to make him unhappy, I think you should keep him inside.  A cat tree will help.  But to give him a taste of the wild, is there a way you can build a catio?   It can be simple or elaborate.    A screen porch would be ideal.  People also use large dog kennels covered with wire or deer netting.  As long as he has access to it from inside, he can come and go as he pleases.  If it's placed on a hard surface (decking, patio blocks), he shouldn't bring too many pests in.

 

[shadowsrescue]

To adjust to inside life, it's best to put them in a spare room first.  They can adjust to inside life at first without all the noise.  I have used a spare room where I put the bed up so that the cat couldn't hide or get away from me.  I provided a small cat tree by a window as well as some hiding spaces in boxes.  I then put a litter box on one side of the room (away from the food) and plenty of toys.  After a period of time, you can put a gate or screen door at the door and allow the cat to begin seeing and/or hearing the sounds of the house.  Then it can be time for having some time outside of the room and finally moving to having free run of the house.  All of these steps will help ease the transition. 

You can also use Feliway diffusers, composure, rescue remedy or other flower essences.  Soft music helps too and Gerber stage 1 baby food (chicken or turkey) are great for coaxing a cat.

It is wonderful you have rescued this kitty and want to keep him inside.
 

 

[martymcjackson]

Thank you both for the feedback!  I am happy to report that our little guy is already adjusting very well after a rough first few days!  We bought him a multi-level cat tree last night, which he loves, and he has taken to roaming from window to window every morning and peeking outside instead of crying non-stop to get out.  He also has come out from under the chair and has "claimed" other spots, such as ON the chair (already!), and he let me pet him for a solid 10 minutes while he was sleeping last night on the chair.  I am thrilled with his progress!  We are keeping bedroom doors shut for now so he can't just hide out under the beds, but hopefully down the road we will all feel more confident to open all rooms to him.  Yay Jackson kitty! 

 

 

[ondine]

Very good news.  Thanks for the update.

 

[elliriyanna]

My Emma when I got her was from a similar situation .. She had never been indoors, been fed cat food or interacted with humans, At only 6 weeks old she was feral. I brought her home kitten proofed one room and let her slowly adjust. Two years later she is a strictly indoor cat who doesn't even want to stay outside. 

There is hope for your little guy  

 

[monkey allison]

Time, love, good food, patients. Do not give up. In my life I have had 6 feral cats. They all came around except one. 5 were young and the hard headed one was several years old. She never came around. But then she surrendered to my mother. Go figure! I would put the food bowl at my feet. It took courage, but a hungry cat will eat. After they got used to me and my feet. I started getting a swipe across the back. They ran away at first. But then they realised after several weeks, hey, that felt good. Then they wanted more and more. Do not force. They will come around.

 

[martymcjackson]

Update... our boy has definitely adjusted to indoor life, completely.  He is convinced... this is the life!  

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• martymcjackson
• Apr 18, 2016

 

[charliekitty]

What a nice followup!! Lucky kitty and lucky you! Cats truly want safety and security. I've rescued 12 cats. 3 feral, 5 semi-feral, 4 strays. They kept showing up in twos and threes! Not one of them would trade their indoor life for the outdoors. I'm obsessed about trying to keep them from slipping out the door but most of them wouldn't dare step outside even if they had the chance.

I'm like you about keeping them indoors only. Too many issues with indoor & outdoor. There are some good suggestions on this thread.
Thanks for the heart warming update! It is very rewarding to earn the love of a feral/semi-feral kitty.

 

[ondine]

He's discovered Kitty Nirvana!  Thank you so much for taking him in and for the update

 

[msaimee]

Another option would be to see if you can train him to go out on a harness and lead. I took in a cat who was mostly outdoors, and after some resistance, he accepted the harness and lead and loves to go for his little walks with me. I've had him indoors for a year and a half and he still cries when he wants to go out, so this has been our compromise. Not all cats can be harness trained, but some can--so I thought I'd make the suggestion.

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• msaimee
• Jan 19, 2016

 

[martymcjackson]

@MsAimee, how wonderful that your cat has accepted the harness training!  Luckily, by now (2 years after I posted this thread), our boy is a huge scaredy cat about all things outdoors, and is very content to watch it through his many window perches.  But I've had cats before who have learned to enjoy the harness outings (including one of my rescues who learned to love harness time at 20 years young!; pics attached).  I'm just honestly so glad and so lucky that our formerly-feral Jackson has become so content with being indoors.  Grateful!  

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• martymcjackson
• Apr 18, 2016

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• martymcjackson
• Apr 18, 2016

 

[kittychick]

@MartyMcjackson and @MsAimee I'm SO envious of your harness-training skills!!! Do either of you have any suggestions as to how to attempt to get a kitty harness trained? We brought in a true feral ("Flick") summer ---and she's become the most amazing, sweet, responsive I've ever known ---but I believe she longs to tickle her toes in the grass again We've tried several kinds of harnesses, including the kind it looks like you both use, and the more "jacket" type with Velcro closure. But doesn't matter - once we attempt to actually harness, Flick starts to freak a bit. Once we place her on the ground, she's usually in full freak. And almost every time - regardless of type of harness or how tight we do it - she almost immediately Gets a front leg wiggled out or worse, trapped in the harness!

We SO want to be able to let Flick outside --- but are at a loss as to how else to get her to tolerate a harness. Any help is appreciated! And @MartyMcJackson thanks for letting me piggyback on your thread

 

[martymcjackson]

@kittychick  - I hear you!  The harnessed cat in those photos was 20 years old and had lost his hearing, and thus, his fear of being outdoors.  Prior to that time, he had been terrified of the outdoors and all of its sounds (although we think he may have been feral during his kittenhood, prior to ending up at the Humane Society).  The harness itself never seemed to bother him (unlike many other cats!); rather, it had always been the outdoors that gave him so much fear.  It was amazing how the loss of his hearing seemed to translate to loss of fear!  A different cat of mine (who was born in a foster home that had taken in his pregnant mom, so he had never lived outdoors) LOVED being outdoors but HATED his harness.  The only way I was able to get him through it was to put it on him indoors, in his familiar environment, and adjust it properly so he wouldn't hurt himself, and then gradually leave it on for longer periods until he got used to it - which eventually he did, and while wearing the harness wasn't his favorite, once he got outside he seemed not to mind as much.  I couldn't walk him per se, but he liked to explore and sniff around.  As for the formerly feral boy I have now, I have never tried a harness with him, and I don't plan to, as he is content indoors and I want to keep it that way!  He doesn't beg to go outside, and in fact seems to have grown fearful of the prospect of "outside".  (He had some legit traumas outside, and spent his nights trying not to get killed/eaten, so who can blame him?)  So, with him, there is no need.  I wish you all the luck with your kitty!  Maybe the gradual indoor trials w/ the harness might help?

 

[di and bob]

Thank you for the great update! We brought a feral,(his mama had him outdoors across the street) somewhat tame, into the house last fall because he lost most of his fur to a reaction to a flea treatment. Although skittish, and not real lovey, he has adjusted so well he doesn't even WANT to go outside, if he does he sits at the door! Your little one is so lucky to have found you to love and care for him, all the luck!

 

[msaimee]

It really depends on how badly the cat wants to go outside. In the case of my cat Sonny, pictured above, he really loves to go outside, so he has learned to tolerate the harness and the lead. I did not attempt to train him indoors. Rather, after putting the harness on him I immediately took him outside. Within minutes, his desire to eat the grass and sniff around outweighed his discomfort with the harness and lead. I have a very long lead, so when he wants to take off into a run I can run along with him. Last spring and summer he would struggle a bit when I put the harness on him and he sometimes refused to walk but instead rolled around on the lawn and ate grass. The other day I took him out for the first time this spring, and he didn't struggle while I was putting the harness on because he knew it meant going outside. He practically pulled ne out the door and we had a very nice walk and romp. If a cat wants to go out badly enough, they will overlook the harness and lead after a dozen outings and adjust. If they don't care much about going outside, then they will choose to not adjust.