Caught a feral cat... and now don't know what to do...

[SomeDude]

Hey guys, sorry to bother you all.

I live here in Tampa, and long story short, I caught a stray. I've been feeding the cat off and on for about a month. It's been hanging around the house for a while, and my neighbor and I have been taking turns feeding it. We have a cold snap going on (it's actually froze last night), so I got a trap from Harbor Freight and trapped the cat on Sunday (she evaded the trap by stepping OVER the mechanism). But I finally got her. We knew the cold snap was coming, so I wanted to make sure we could rescue it.

I immediately took it to the 24/7 Pet ER, where they checked her out, etc. They vaccinated her for cat HIV and something else, gave her a three-part dewormer, some medicine to help the cat poop under duress, and something else. They had to put the cat under because she was feral. Otherwise, she was totally healthy, no issues. 1 year old female cat, not pregnant, and not nursing either.

When I got her home, I put her on our enclosed patio. I carefully pulled her out of the pet carrier, and oh man... I got some pretty severe scratches. I look like I got in a fight with Edward Scissor Hands and Freddie Cruger. Like... multiple deep slashes across both hands, and on my belly. That cat was brutal. I had some styptic powder that I had from when I deployed to Afghanistan, so I used that to cauterize the wounds.


Anyway, I'm rambling, I apologize.

We kept the cat on the patio, and she slept on a heating blanket. She completely... I mean, COMPLETELY trashed my patio. Like... knocked over every pot she could find, and then crapped on the pile of broken pots and dirt (hahaha). It's so bad, I can't even tell you.

Anyway, the weather was going to get cold enough that I didn't think a heating blanket would do enough on the patio, so I bought some animal handling gloves (which will double as welder's gloves!) and grabbed the cat (had to chase it around the patio) and put it in our downstairs bathroom. I hated doing it, because the cat was so pissed off. She scratched like crazy, bit the hand (I didn't feel any of it because of the gloves) and she even bit her own tail during the fight, to which point she arched her back while I was holding her and screamed (she's OK).

She's now in the bathroom, and I've got it all set up for her. The huge kitty liter box in the tub (which she's been using), and some towels for her to rest on, and a really nice cat bed (which she refuses to use). I have some toys in there, and I feed her twice a day with wet food. I have a night light on for night time. She spends all her time behind the toilet, but when I came in this morning, she was sitting on the counter, but then hid under the sink.


So here's my questions (thank you!):
... I'm afraid I've really hurt my "relationship" with the cat. Taking her to the vet, and then having to manhandle her from the patio to the bathroom... she is super pissed at me. When I get even remotely close to her, she hisses. Am I doing this wrong? My primary goal is just to make sure the cat is taken care of, healthy, and most of all, didn't freeze outside. My long-term goal ideally is to get her spayed / neutered (whichever is the one for girls) and then slap a collar on her, and keep her as an outdoor cat.

I wouldn't mind keeping her as an indoor cat, but we ALSO rescued (found, really) a 1 month old solid black kitten outside about 4 months ago. That cat adjusted perfectly, and the wife and daughter smother the little cat with kisses constantly. My fear is that if I let the feral cat in the rest of the house, it'll basically kill our cat... which I don't want.

Any advice on what I can do? How long is it humane to keep the cat in the bathroom, is there a long-term strategy to this... is it "breaking" the cat so that it isn't so aggressive? I have my wife and daughter go in there and speak kindly to the cat... but I feel like I just "reset the clock" since I had to move her to the bathroom. Appreciate any advice... it's a very pretty and sweet cat I think... but holy crap... she has some claws.


Thank you...

 

[catapault]

Hey, S SomeDude You are doing something very good. And also nice for the cat. Better to do exactly what you did - take cat to vet PDQ and get it tended to. It would have been much more disruptive to have allowed it to become even somewhat adjusted to indoor living and THEN crate it up and take it to the vet. This way, all the disruption happened at once and now (does it have a name?) can decompress and slooowly settle down.

You did a very good thing for the new year!

And also, welcome to TheCatSite. We're glad to see you and your cats here (wife and child too)

 

[SomeDude]

Hey, S SomeDude You are doing something very good. And also nice for the cat. Better to do exactly what you did - take cat to vet PDQ and get it tended to. It would have been much more disruptive to have allowed it to become even somewhat adjusted to indoor living and THEN crate it up and take it to the vet. This way, all the disruption happened at once and now (does it have a name?) can decompress and slooowly settle down.

You did a very good thing for the new year!

And also, welcome to TheCatSite. We're glad to see you and your cats here (wife and child too)

Thank you, I appreciate it... I just hate to think that I'm being cruel to this poor cat. My daughter and wife call her "Spicy" ... I'll see if I can upload a picture to show what she looks like right now.

At what point should I go get the cat neutered or spayed? Should I do that now, or wait until the cat is more adjusted?


Thank you!


Ok, here's the cat (just took the picture). The little things behind the toilet are little pieces of cut up sausage that I gave her as a treat. But I've been feeding her normal cat food and water... I just wanted to give her something she might like. She also has a little spec of kitty litter stuck to her nose, but I don't dare get it off.

 

[DeesCats]

Thank you for rescuing this cat and hopefully she'll adjust and can become an indoor cat only in the future.

 

[FeebysOwner]

Hi. I also want to welcome you to TCS! You did what is generally recommended, get the 'ugly' vet visit over quickly, for numerous reasons - other than you will need to eventually get her spayed and that will be another vet visit. It is not thought to 'ruin' a relationship when they are trapped, as technically there isn't a real relationship established, and over time she will think less about that incident than she will the care and attention you give her. That will likely be the same with a spay vet visit as well. However, once a relationship is established, that bond tends to override any angst a cat might feel from a vet visit.

Given her age, you may experience heat cycles with her until she is spayed, and that can impact how she behaves. She could be more affectionate, or she could turn into more of a wild banshee than you are/were experiencing. It usually comes in cycles, but they can vary by cat.

Otherwise, it is recommended to confine a new cat to a single room, and the bathroom is a good place to start. However, you may want to consider cat-proofing a bedroom/spare room and transition her there so she has more space. Working with her to befriend her and gain her trust is a process you immediately start, and worry about introductions with your other cat after she is responsive and amenable to you. Leaving her in a spare room/safe zone is thought to be ideal throughout her acclimation to your home.

I hope you will reconsider the idea of making her an outdoor cat, and at least try an introduction process when the time is right. Introductions do not work nearly as well if one of the cats involved is allowed to come and go outdoors.

Here are some TCS articles that might you help you through this new journey of yours!
How To Help A New Cat Adjust To Your Home - TheCatSite
How To Successfully Introduce Cats [The Ultimate Guide] - TheCatSite

Thanks for the pic! She is a very pretty kitty, and it seems like she is starting to adapt already given she didn't run and hide, or at least not quick enough to prevent you from getting a pic!

Good luck and keep us posted!!

 

[SomeDude]

Hi. I also want to welcome you to TCS! You did what is generally recommended, get the 'ugly' vet visit over quickly, for numerous reasons - other than you will need to eventually get her spayed and that will be another vet visit. It is not thought to 'ruin' a relationship when they are trapped, as technically there isn't a real relationship established, and over time she will think less about that incident than she will the care and attention you give her. That will likely be the same with a spay vet visit as well. However, once a relationship is established, that bond tends to override any angst a cat might feel from a vet visit.

Given her age, you may experience heat cycles with her until she is spayed, and that can impact how she behaves. She could be more affectionate, or she could turn into more of a wild banshee than you are/were experiencing. It usually comes in cycles, but they can vary by cat.

Otherwise, it is recommended to confine a new cat to a single room, and the bathroom is a good place to start. However, you may want to consider cat-proofing a bedroom/spare room and transition her there so she has more space. Working with her to befriend her and gain her trust is a process you immediately start, and worry about introductions with your other cat after she is responsive and amenable to you. Leaving her in a spare room/safe zone is thought to be ideal throughout her acclimation to your home.

I hope you will reconsider the idea of making her an outdoor cat, and at least try an introduction process when the time is right. Introductions do not work nearly as well if one of the cats involved is allowed to come and go outdoors.

Here are some TCS articles that might you help you through this new journey of yours!
How To Help A New Cat Adjust To Your Home - TheCatSite
How To Successfully Introduce Cats [The Ultimate Guide] - TheCatSite

Thanks for the pic! She is a very pretty kitty, and it seems like she is starting to adapt already given she didn't run and hide, or at least not quick enough to prevent you from getting a pic!

Good luck and keep us posted!!

Thank you so much, I absolutely will. The BIGGEST thing (question) for me right now is trying to get an idea of "how long" it typically takes (where I need to keep this cat in the bathroom). My biggest fear is that I'm torturing this cat by keeping it trapped in the bathroom. Just a few days ago, this cat had full autonomy throughout the greater Tampa area, and now she's trapped in a bathroom. I just hate to think that I'm inadvertently punishing / torturing this cat.

No one really uses this bathroom, so it's not really a big deal, and I don't mind how long... I just feel bad keeping the cat in here.

I appreciate the links, I'll go through them carefully.

 

[Kwik]

Welcome to TCS S SomeDude
Nice to meet you

Does this lovely lady have a name?She's a pretty little thing.... if it were I,I'd take her now to have her spayed.... first consider having a plan where you can keep her for long term to transition her to the indoors properly.....worry about starting a relationship with her beginning when she's home from being spayed ,in her long term safe space.... I'd suggest getting the tough stuff,trapping yet again,transporting and the dreaded Vet visits all over with now- then hopefully she won't need to see a vet for a long time

Imo if she's feral which sounds like she is then a large enclosure or crate confinement is easist to transition to either re-location or indoors--- its much less stressful for ferals to establish territory in a small space where they feel safe - plus it's very helpful to litter train

So I don't know how you house is set up or if you have a spare room ,a tiered cat cage,crate ,kennel- a place to put one or if willing to get one....in any event it's good to have a plan- if your only option is a separate room then that'll have to do but I will tell you this- she will forget these awful experiences,she will acclimate to living indoors only and her feral behavior can be modified and she will be re- conditioned to become a lovely house cat

It won't be easy,it takes preserverance,patients,consistent routine ,lots of love and plenty of time.....

She can stay in the bathroom for an extended period of time but highly likely it will present problems going in and out and her looking to escape the open door or be defensive in a corner---- the small space is really great if she had a high place to not feel threatened when you enter.... Containment within a room there's no place but a cubby or perch you provide to run and hide- but the space in the room they can observe you come in and you can sit or lie down next to the enclosed space,talk sweetly,be in close proximity etc.....so if you like we can talk about what you have in mind for her and take it from there

Your little 5 month old will eventually be introduced but first you and your family....stay encourage and thank you for rescuing her... I'm not in favor of cats living outside, believe me they are not " happier" it's just all they've ever known- they are so much better off indoors to live their best life

 

[FeebysOwner]

As noted above, the bathroom if fine, but as I suggested above, you would be much better off if you could cat-proof a spare room for her - that will give her more space, which is much better for her as she acclimates. It gives her some way to not have to be so close to you when you enter the bathroom, which right now is likely intimidating to her.

Cat proofing a room includes getting a cardboard box or two, turned upside down with an opening for her to get in and out of it. This will make her feel safer when you enter the room, and as she grows accustomed to you, she will come out. If the flooring is non-carpeted, you might want to place a towel or blanket inside the box(es). It also should include things she can climb, particularly for the purposes of looking out a window.

 

[catapault]

Charming lady cat. Of course she is unhappy right now. She's been captured by aliens and hauled up in their "spaceship." Time will allow her to calm down. This will be a slow process,even a matter of a month. Or more.

About treats - sausage would work for a dog. For a cat - not so much. Many cats adore Kentucky fried chicken, just a small amount. Treat, not a meal. Tuna "juice" - the liquid from a can of water packed tuna. Or, if you are willing to purchase a cat treat (available in Wal-Mart if you are not convenient to a pet store) - Churu. It's a toothpaste-texture goop in a squeezable tube. If she seems too feisty to get very close to, squeeze some Churu on a long handled spoon and offer it, all the while speaking gently to her.

Don't stare directly at her - that seems threatening to cats. Slow blinks are nice. Or look near but not directly at.

Updates are much appreciated. We are rooting for you. And for her!

 

[SomeDude]

Thanks everyone, I appreciate it. I've got some car parts coming in the mail tomorrow for my daughter's car she's restoring, so I should have a nice box that I can make so she can crawl in and out of on the other side of the toilet. A month isn't bad at all.

I figured I'd share a picture of the kitten we rescued about 5 months ago. It was a little ity-bity black cat that had matted hair, sores, and a bunch of other things going on with it. The little kitty also had worms and such. It's a little guy, and he's had two pet visits and was neutered about a month and a half ago. But here he is sitting in the dish chair in our upstairs loft. My daughter calls him a void, because you can barely see him sometimes...

Incidentally, we found him just before Halloween... so we kept him inside while we were giving out candy on our front porch. The void sat on the bench near one of our front windows (which you see from the wrap-around front porch) and everyone was asking if he was real or part of a prop, hahah...

He is extremely healthy now... like, unbelievable. No indication left of the sores or anything he had on him, and he eats voraciously and has tons of energy. He's tripled in size. He was less than a pound (and a month old) when we found him.

 

[FeebysOwner]

A month isn't bad at all.

Don't hold that time frame as gospel, and if it goes longer, don't despair. It is all about each cat adjusting at their own pace, and each one is entirely different!!!

Cute little 'void'!!

 

[azpops]

S SomeDude , Welcometo TCS, and you're one heck of a good Dude, to your family as well! Also, Thank You very much, for your service!

Btw, great fist post. You had me smiling/laughing, at the same time feeling your pain while helping this special girl, Spicy! Yeah, you're a good Dude!... Spicy is beauitful, and Void looks like a cool cat. Both of thier Angels was/is sure looking out for them.

There isn't much I can ad, from the great advise you've been receiving. It was mentioned if you had an extra room in the house. If you do, that would be a great place to gradually transition Spicy, to be/use as her safe place. Before you do. I'd recommend to remove places she could hide, other then what you placed for her, e.g. box/es or cubby holes (?). If there is a window, that would be great. Place something infront of it, e.g. cat tree (this would great if you could get one. As Kwik mentioned, a place where she can observe the goings on) or perach for her to relax and look out.

Dats bout it. Please keep us in the loop.

Pops

 

[tabbytom]

So here's my questions (thank you!):
... I'm afraid I've really hurt my "relationship" with the cat. Taking her to the vet, and then having to manhandle her from the patio to the bathroom... she is super pissed at me. When I get even remotely close to her, she hisses. Am I doing this wrong? My primary goal is just to make sure the cat is taken care of, healthy, and most of all, didn't freeze outside. My long-term goal ideally is to get her spayed / neutered (whichever is the one for girls) and then slap a collar on her, and keep her as an outdoor cat.

I wouldn't mind keeping her as an indoor cat, but we ALSO rescued (found, really) a 1 month old solid black kitten outside about 4 months ago. That cat adjusted perfectly, and the wife and daughter smother the little cat with kisses constantly. My fear is that if I let the feral cat in the rest of the house, it'll basically kill our cat... which I don't want.

Any advice on what I can do? How long is it humane to keep the cat in the bathroom, is there a long-term strategy to this... is it "breaking" the cat so that it isn't so aggressive? I have my wife and daughter go in there and speak kindly to the cat... but I feel like I just "reset the clock" since I had to move her to the bathroom. Appreciate any advice... it's a very pretty and sweet cat I think... but holy crap... she has some claws.

and welcome to TCS!

Thank you for taking this kitty in and giving her a warm and fur-ever loving home and a safe sanctuary to live out her life


Great tips from the above posters. I just want to add a few more if you don't mind.
Firstly, it is normal for a feral cat to behave this way and this is the first time she's been indoors, it is natural that she's in a defensive mode as the environment and surroundings are all new to her. It takes time for her to calm down and feel that there is no threat to her while being indoors depending on how she is being approached.

Secondly, she needs time to reorient as this place is new to her. Keep loud sounds down, no shouting or loud talking or even moving of stuffs has to be done more quietly. In other words, keep sounds down to the minimum.

Thirdly, visit her as often as you can and before entering the bathroom, announce your arrival by calling out her name in a sweet loving voice to announce your arrival. Open the door gently and squat down to make yourself smaller so that you don't looking like a giant and that's very intimidating to her and makes it harder to trust you.
Have some eye contacts with her and not staring directly into her eyes and make some slow eye blinks and look away. By doing slow eye blinks and looking away shows that you are submissive to her which will help her gain confidence. Direct eye contact means it's a confrontation and it means war and you don't want that.
Have some treats in your hands and for your hand into a fist and place the treat on top of your fist. A closed fist resembles another cat's head and cats like to head bump. If you present an open palm, it is threatening to the cat.

Fourthly, cats go by scents, you can place your family's. clean, unwashed, non perfumed garments with her so that she can soak up your scents and be familiar with it so that when you visit her, she knows it's you because of the familiar scents.
This go for the scent of the other cat that you have. Somehow or other, they know that there is another cat that is in the house. It s also good that they have this scent swapping in the early days. You too can take some clean towels and place them where they lay to soak up the scents and after a few days, swop the towels. Both of the cats have to be familiar with the scents so that the fear level be it aggressive or not is sort of controlled in a way that they no the presence of another cat.

Fifthly, please do not let Spicy be an outdoor cat. It has been an outdoor cat for all her life and now you have this chance of bringing her in which is a better life for her indoors than being outdoors. Please keep her indoors.
The transition may take awhile and please do not rush her. Let her come to terms at her own time and let her explore the house also at her own time.

Remember, love, patience and routine rules the day.

Btw, lil black kitten and Spice are lovely.

Feel free to ask questions and there's no such thing as a stupid question. Hoping for a smooth transition for all.

 

[SomeDude]

Thank you everyone! I didn't see the last few posts, so I apologize... all great advice. Especially the one about making a fist, because interestingly enough... my daughter has been doing that (more because she doesn't want her fingers eaten, haha) and the cat responds much more friendly to her.

So, my daughter must have some special touch... she's the only one that's been able to pet the cat repeatedly. I've tried bringing our black cat (Onyx) into the bathroom with "Spicy," and he's been a little nervous and squirms to try to get away. Now, they both have a very similar facial structure and features... more so than I've seen between other cats. It's also very possible that they are related.

When Spicy was outside, the two of them sat next to each other by the glass sliding door... but it was OK because they had separation. In this case though... my daughter brought the cat in, and wanted to see what would happen (I was outside, otherwise I probably would have stopped it for fear the little black cat would get injured).

But I just came in from outside, and both my wife and daughter were in the bathroom with Onyx (little black cat) and Spicy... and it's totally crazy... but the two cats are playing with eachother... like... my wife says Onyx is sniffing and Spicy is letting him swat at her a little bit (but not in a mean way), and most of all... Spicy has been purring like crazy for the past 30 minutes. They've apparently been in there for about 45 minutes... which is just totally crazy to me.

I'm trying to stay away as much as possible, other than feeding and cleaning, because I'm allowing myself to be the "hated" one... so my wife and daughter can just focus on being friendly and giving treats.

But this is pretty amazing... because the cat has looked totally miserable the past few days... just sulking in the corner. I bought a stuffed shark house, and the cat has been hiding in that, or sitting in the sink... which is funny.

 

[tabbytom]

But I just came in from outside, and both my wife and daughter were in the bathroom with Onyx (little black cat) and Spicy... and it's totally crazy... but the two cats are playing with eachother... like... my wife says Onyx is sniffing and Spicy is letting him swat at her a little bit (but not in a mean way), and most of all... Spicy has been purring like crazy for the past 30 minutes. They've apparently been in there for about 45 minutes... which is just totally crazy to me.

Very good sign!

 

[SomeDude]

Just an odd comment... but this feral cat refuses to lay on anything at all that's even remotely comfortable. We have cushions, and the "cat house" we put in there had a nice cushion at the bottom. She would only go in it when we took the cushion out. She prefers to lay down on hard tile floor, or at best... a towel that's folded no more than twice. It's really weird. Is that because this is what she's used to? Sleeping / laying around on a dirt floor?

 

[Kwik]

Just an odd comment... but this feral cat refuses to lay on anything at all that's even remotely comfortable. We have cushions, and the "cat house" we put in there had a nice cushion at the bottom. She would only go in it when we took the cushion out. She prefers to lay down on hard tile floor, or at best... a towel that's folded no more than twice. It's really weird. Is that because this is what she's used to? Sleeping / laying around on a dirt floor?

Not at all unusual for a feral-they are cautious about everything,especially a surface that does not look or feel solid and secure....it normally takes time before they feel relaxed & safe enough where their curiosity is peaked- then they'll smell,test with a paw and when they finally do sit on it and realize WOW- it could bring tears to your eyes watching them snuggle in for the first time

 

[SomeDude]

Not at all unusual for a feral-they are cautious about everything,especially a surface that does not look or feel solid and secure....it normally takes time before they feel relaxed & safe enough where their curiosity is peaked- then they'll smell,test with a paw and when they finally do sit on it and realize WOW- it could bring tears to your eyes watching them snuggle in for the first time

Thanks! I appreciate the response. That makes sense. I feel bad keeping the cat in the bathroom, but we're having another cold snap again, so I'm helping myself justify it. From what you guys tell me... the "mean" time is about a month, but could be much longer. My daughter has been working with the cat, and also my wife... (I do all the feedings and cleaning up the litter box, but am largely hated by the cat, hahah). The cat loves to interact with our little black cat, so that's progress because she actually purrs when we let the little black cat in.

I'm just wondering how I know if we're making progress. Any little thing I leave in the bathroom that isn't bolted down, gets trashed... so I'm hesitate (to say the least) in transitioning the cat to any other room in the house anywhere... for fear that it'll get totally destroyed.

 

[FeebysOwner]

This cat honestly doesn't sound feral. She's too comfortable with the rest of your family members, including your the little black cat to really be a total feral. May be a stray that has been on her own for some time, they can act pretty feral, especially when first caught. And, if she was neglected/abused, it could be from a male human, and that is why she reacts negatively to you. Could be the same for the vet/vet techs if they were male, although being at vet's office could be totally foreign to her as well, causing a bad reaction.

The trashing of the bathroom could be because of the confined quarters and so not enough room, she may be bored and bored cats can be destructive. If you have another room that you can 'cat-proof', I would give her some extra space. I previously provided links to some TCS articles about helping a new cat adapt to your home, and one on cat introductions - and I encourage you to read them - but in the meantime, perhaps these would help you prepare a place for her where she can have a bit more room. She likely needs some perches to climb and a window to look out as part of her new safe zone room.
13 Practical Ways to Kitten-Proof Your Home - TheCatSite
Cats And Hidden Dangers In The Home [How to Ensure Safety Indoors] - TheCatSite

 

[Margot Lane]

Do you have multiple cardboard scratchers? That might help. As for furniture there are many fabrics you can get that attach to the sides of sofas, etc so they aren’t actually scratching the furniture. This is a wonderful story, I think you’re making great progress! Thanks for the updates!