Feral cat inside, regressing

LisaRidlon

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I’ve currently got a feral kitty living inside my library room who seems to have completely regressed, despite us making progress over the last two months. I’m not sure what to do now and if I should try starting back at step 1, back to a cage/mini house/litter box, or if there’s a way to salvage what progress had been made.

The cat (now Persephone) had been living under a temporary trailer where I work, a construction jobsite. She’d been coming out daily for food and one of the night superintendents (Dave) had been feeding her. He ended up getting laid off by my company so I took over feeding her. She was a friendly feral - each afternoon she’d wait for me to appear, come running toward me but keep her distance, and then I’d place food for her under the trailer. Dave had been doing this for months and had her coming very close to him before he was let go.

There’s a longer story here but the short version is that someone placed traps near the trailer and Persephone got caught. I was concerned about her being taken to the shelter near the jobsite where she’d be euthanized, so I took her to a different shelter hoping for better results, naively thinking some shelters would spend the effort to rehabilitate or find a sanctuary for feral cats. When I realized that wasn’t going to happen, I adopted her after she’d been at the shelter for a week. My initial plan was to let her be an outdoor cat and I followed the feral cat guides on how to confine her for several weeks before letting her go and setting up a permanent shelter for her. I’ve got a backyard with a fence but we have coyotes in the area, so I’d been looking at getting a Kitty Tube that has an entrance coyotes can’t get into. I had her outside in a large cage (with a small cat house and litter box inside) for a week. I was worried about the coyote problem and decided that if I was going to be her caretaker, the best I could do for her was to bring her inside and try to socialize her as best as I could. She may not be a pet cat like my three domesticated cats, but she’d be safe, warm and free of coyotes.

By the time I was able to move her inside, she’d already spent one week at the shelter and one week outside in the cage, so we were already two weeks into the four-week relocation/adjustment period which was not ideal at all. I moved her into small room, set the cage back up with the small house, litter box, and her food dish. I got her used to a SurePet microchip feeder (that opens a flap when she approaches the sensors, located in an arch that she puts her head through to reach the food) and she’d been using that perfectly and using the litter box every single time she went to the bathroom. Eventually I left the door to the cage open and she settled in under a loveseat as her hiding spot. I also slowly switched the small litter box to a larger one, and then added a lid to it. (One of my regular cats pees high, so I need something with walls for her if she uses it). The regular cats had entered the room while se was still in the cage, and while she was under the loveseat and there was minimal hissing. I thought I’d gotten her successfully out of the cage (I removed it) and into this room. Slowly I started leaving the door ajar whenever she wasn’t eating so she could get used to the noises of the house.

At Thanksgiving, she suddenly stopped eating out of the feeder but would eat when I brought her a dish of food. I ended up resorting to just leaving the feeder door open since it seemed like she’d just lost the knack of how to use the feeder. Now she’s started to not use the litter box either. The room is hardwood floor with an area rug and she’s been lying on the rug under the loveseat which seems cozy, so I hadn’t wanted to remove the carpet. Yesterday morning I found she’d pooped on the rug behind the loveseat and when I got home from work, I noticed she’d peed on the carpet also. I thought at first maybe she was spooked by having the door ajar, but then I left the door to the room closed and that’s when we ended up with pee on the carpet. I moved her little box to the back corner of the room, thinking that would help but this morning there was poop on the carpet again.

So I feel like we are back to square one. What do I do? Do I put the crate back in the room and try starting all over to reset everything? Do I just pull the carpet out and keep trying outside of the cage, maybe going back to a small uncovered litter box? For the last two days now I’ve been leaving the door to the room closed all the time, as opposed to leaving it ajar when she’s not eating (so the regular cats can wander in and out and she can hear us moving around the house). I’m just not sure what to do now since it seems like we are back to square 1.

Any help/ideas on what to do now would be greatly appreciated.
Lisa
 

jefferd18

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Persephone Thank you for thinking of her and giving her the greatest gift she will ever receive- a loving home she can call her own.


Phase 1
This is what I did with Inky, who was so feral he was lunging at my face from behind the bars of his crate. I put him in a upstairs bathroom and the only time I would go in was to feed him. I would always talk to him softly as I moved around the room. This went on for 4 months! My point was to get him use to my scent and my voice before I introduced him to the rest of my cats. After two months he would purr, want me to rub his tummy, and would put his head on my shoulder when I picked him up.

Phase 2- he is now out in the house.
He gets hissed and batted at from my other cats, and yes, there are times when I even spook him. But for the most part, he is moving forward.

You may want to reintroduce YOURSELF to Persephone and she may benefit from having a little room to herself and her own litter box that is kept away from the other cats. I would place her in a room where she doesn't really have anything to hide under. Inky only had the bathroom sink and he couldn't really fit very well under it. This could be a room for just you and her to be with one another and it may reinforce the fact that you are going to be a friend to her.
 

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Yes - - -I'm with jefferd18 jefferd18 ---- showing her that she is deserving of love is the most wonderful thing you can do for there!!!!! Sounds like she's rarely - if ever - - been shown that humans CAN be kind! And I remember alive given to me on this site that has resonated forever -- -- sometimes it seems as though feral cats are put on this earth to teach us real, true, understanding and patience. (I know many of mine - be they sure feral, stray with little recent human interaction or interaction that's been nothing but cruelty and pain, or kitties who just need time and love).

I'll definitely get on later today (I know you want as many answers RIGHT AWAY as possible - believe me, I've been there!!!!!!!). Unfortunately, I have to leave in 20 minutes (and w/no shower in, well, too many days - - -I need one!!!!!) and your question demands more thorough reading and a well-thought out answer. I absolutely WILL get you suggestions yet today. And remember - - -- while every case is different bc every kitty (and every person, and every living situation, etc.) is different--------VERY rarely is it truly a lost cause!

A quick read through says she's okay and safe for now. But I understand you want more. So know that I send you a quick thank you for caring SOOO much about this furried friend - - - and more from me (and I'm sure many others - Catsite is TRULY a village!) yet today. Thinking of you...
 

foxxycat

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Maybe the cats coming into her room spooked her..I wouldn't let them back in the room...add another litter pan and try dr elsy's litter attract to help entice her to use the box...I wouldn't leave the door open yet-if she's hiding all the time-she's still scared..it's a long process to socialize but it CAN be done. If you want, leave a shirt you wore during the day on one of the chairs/beds she lays in to get her used to your smell. Her urinating was to make things smell familiar-it wasn't to tick u off...same with the poop..it's a territory thing...Try to back up the introductions and instead do scent swapping when she's not hiding so much-this is swapping blankets/toys with the other cat's smell but only do one cat-the most laid back one that you think would be easiest to mix in..I too am doing introductions with a new kitty and it's been very stressful and I realized my expectations have been too high..and I have to do 2 steps back and start over...

If you want to break the ice with kitty=get one of those super long spoons-and use baby food on it. Start leaving the spoon with babyfood on a dish and leave it-she will lick it..try this for a week..then slowly see if she will lick from it on week 2 or 3. The longest stick you can find=duct tape the spoon on the end of a yard stick-you want to associate you with food=she will quickly learn you come in with yummy things.

Also when you come into the room=keep your body sideways and NO direct eye contact. This is predator behavior, I always suggest kneeling on the floor sideways and hold out the spoon ducttaped to a ruler to help entice her to trust you...just do one spoonful each attempt-unless she approaches you-just one spoonful and go away quietly..I wouldn't talk for the first few attempts...they go on body language and scent..leaving your shirt in there will help too,...see if this helps..
 
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LisaRidlon

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Thank you guys for the support. It could be the other cats spooked her once Persephone was out of the cage and I started leaving the door open. One of my cats kept peering under the loveseat at her and occasionally lunging at her, so it’s possible that caused her to regress. I was thinking the presence of other cats might help since there were other cats around at the jobsite with her, but maybe the opposite happened and it spooked her.

She is only in one small room by herself with the door closed. I had some Feliway going but wasn’t convinced it was helping and unplugged it - those diffusers get so hot that they make me nervous. But I can plug it back in. I may be able to block the loveseat so she can’t hide under it but it seems her only safe spot right now so I hate to remove that.

I have been trying to make eye contact with her but I’ll stop doing that.

I did put the poop from this morning in the litter box to try to entice her in there. I don’t think she’s peed yet today (unless it’s on something I haven’t noticed yet).
 

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L LisaRidlon : Hello and welcome to TCS. :wave2: Thank you so much for bringing Persephone home with you. :hearthrob: You most likely saved her life. :hearthrob:

About her setback, I also think having the other cats come into her room, may have stressed her. Also, did the litter box accidents start after you changed her litter box to a hooded one? Also, did any of your cats use the Persephone's litter box?

I've haven't personally socialized a feral cat, but have read several threads here, and love following as these scared cats become wonderful loving house pets.

One thing suggested often is to spend lots of time in the room with the feral. So I always suggest reading some of the success threads while you're there. Here are a couple of my favourites:

First Time Trying To Tame A Feral/stray
meet Buggy

And then's there's this super long thread by Jcatbird Jcatbird . She has socialized dozens of ferals, and writes about them in that thread. Eventually you may want to read the entire thing, but I'd suggest maybe starting on the page in this link, as it's where she brought the final feral inside: My Feral And Rescued Cats

Thanks again for all you're doing for Persephone. Looking forward to following along as you post about her progress. :catlove:

Oh, any pics of her you could share? :camera:
How To Add A Picture To Your Forum Post | TheCatSite
 

foxxycat

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Thank you guys for the support. It could be the other cats spooked her once Persephone was out of the cage and I started leaving the door open. One of my cats kept peering under the loveseat at her and occasionally lunging at her, so it’s possible that caused her to regress. I was thinking the presence of other cats might help since there were other cats around at the jobsite with her, but maybe the opposite happened and it spooked her.

She is only in one small room by herself with the door closed. I had some Feliway going but wasn’t convinced it was helping and unplugged it - those diffusers get so hot that they make me nervous. But I can plug it back in. I may be able to block the loveseat so she can’t hide under it but it seems her only safe spot right now so I hate to remove that.

I have been trying to make eye contact with her but I’ll stop doing that.

I did put the poop from this morning in the litter box to try to entice her in there. I don’t think she’s peed yet today (unless it’s on something I haven’t noticed yet).

The small room is actually better than a large one. Do you have a cardboard box sideways that she can hide in?
 
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LisaRidlon

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So the litter box accidents started after I did a full clean on the hooded box. Persephone had been doing great using the hooded box and the other cats were coming in and out of the room also using the box, and that was going great too. It was time to change out the old litter, rinse the box, and put new litter in, so I did that and then the accidents happened. So the loss of her and the other cats’ scents in the box could have thrown her off. We started with Tidy Cat litter in a small box when she was in the big cage. Once I removed the cage from the room, I left the small litter box there for about a week. Then I got a bigger and hooded box, but left the hood off, and transferred the used litter to the new box. She was using it and after a few days I set the lid on and all was going well. The regular cats had been going in and out of the room for maybe two weeks and using her box. Eventually I’d added some World’s Best Cat Litter to the box and mixed it with the Tidy Cat. Just a few days ago is when I removed the box for 30 minutes to dump all the used litter, rinse it with dish soap, and refill it with all WBCL. I think at least one of the other cats used the box after this but I’m not positive. (Trying to remember which night I cleaned the boxes...) Anyway, so it could be the combo of factors - new clean litter, clean box or that I still had the door ajar the first night she pooped outside the box (Thursday). After that, I closed the door and it was Friday morning I discovered she’d peed on the carpet. It was this morning I found the second pile of poop on the carpet. That poop I put in the litter box. I’ve been leaving her alone today but I can go in there now and spend some time on the loveseat while she’s under it.

I don’t have a cardboard box in there. I have a little cat house and when she was in the big cage, she’d hide in that. It’s still in the room with her but she’s ignored it since I removed the cage so I was considering removing it from the room completely. Her only hiding spot is really under the loveseat in the middle area since I have some plastic boxes under there as well. Let me take some photos of the room. I’ve also been wearing a shirt all afternoon that I figure I can set in the room too on the floor so she gets used to my scent on things.

Also, I’ll check out those old threads now.
 
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LisaRidlon

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Ok, here are some photos of the room she is in (excuse the mess). Her food and water dish are close to the lower right of the first photo (I don’t think she drinks any water). Her litter box was in front of the loveseat but since she started having accidents, I moved it behind the loveseat. There is a bunch of stuff behind the loveseat that I need to find a home for and her little house (green with a camouflage roof) was on the floor but right now it’s sitting on top of a box since I had to make room for the litter box. Her favorite spot is right in the middle of the underside of the loveseat but she had been moving around a bit, still under the loveseat but in different spots. The last picture is of her when she was in the big cage in the backyard. That was Oct 13 and that was the weekend I brought her home from the shelter so it’s now been two months that she’s been with me, and all but the first week she’s been inside.
713C5068-52DF-484C-A198-5D6755B095A7.jpeg
 
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LisaRidlon

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One more thing I should mention is that my BFF Amy is my kitty sitter and she’d been coming over a few times a week for the first few weeks I had Persephone in the big cage. It seemed like Amy was making some progress with her, just coming over to say hi and sit with her for a bit. We were also under a time crunch because I had a cruise planned for the first week of November so we had to get Persephone used to Amy visiting. I have a trip scheduled for 12/24-12/28 and my husband (who does his best but doesn’t really understand how cats work) will be staying here while I’m gone. I need to get him used to popping in her room to feed her and scoop her box and Amy can probably also visit a few times while I’m away. So while I’m reintroducing myself to her, I think I’ve also got to reintroduce Amy and husband too. Hopefully this isn’t going to be too overwhelming and we’ll try to go as slowly and quietly as we can, but if there are any tips How to deal with this situation as well. Once again, like with the cruise, the timing isn’t perfect :(.
 

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I’ve currently got a feral kitty living inside my library room who seems to have completely regressed, despite us making progress over the last two months. I’m not sure what to do now and if I should try starting back at step 1, back to a cage/mini house/litter box, or if there’s a way to salvage what progress had been made.

The cat (now Persephone) had been living under a temporary trailer where I work, a construction jobsite. She’d been coming out daily for food and one of the night superintendents (Dave) had been feeding her. He ended up getting laid off by my company so I took over feeding her. She was a friendly feral - each afternoon she’d wait for me to appear, come running toward me but keep her distance, and then I’d place food for her under the trailer. Dave had been doing this for months and had her coming very close to him before he was let go.

There’s a longer story here but the short version is that someone placed traps near the trailer and Persephone got caught. I was concerned about her being taken to the shelter near the jobsite where she’d be euthanized, so I took her to a different shelter hoping for better results, naively thinking some shelters would spend the effort to rehabilitate or find a sanctuary for feral cats. When I realized that wasn’t going to happen, I adopted her after she’d been at the shelter for a week. My initial plan was to let her be an outdoor cat and I followed the feral cat guides on how to confine her for several weeks before letting her go and setting up a permanent shelter for her. I’ve got a backyard with a fence but we have coyotes in the area, so I’d been looking at getting a Kitty Tube that has an entrance coyotes can’t get into. I had her outside in a large cage (with a small cat house and litter box inside) for a week. I was worried about the coyote problem and decided that if I was going to be her caretaker, the best I could do for her was to bring her inside and try to socialize her as best as I could. She may not be a pet cat like my three domesticated cats, but she’d be safe, warm and free of coyotes.

By the time I was able to move her inside, she’d already spent one week at the shelter and one week outside in the cage, so we were already two weeks into the four-week relocation/adjustment period which was not ideal at all. I moved her into small room, set the cage back up with the small house, litter box, and her food dish. I got her used to a SurePet microchip feeder (that opens a flap when she approaches the sensors, located in an arch that she puts her head through to reach the food) and she’d been using that perfectly and using the litter box every single time she went to the bathroom. Eventually I left the door to the cage open and she settled in under a loveseat as her hiding spot. I also slowly switched the small litter box to a larger one, and then added a lid to it. (One of my regular cats pees high, so I need something with walls for her if she uses it). The regular cats had entered the room while se was still in the cage, and while she was under the loveseat and there was minimal hissing. I thought I’d gotten her successfully out of the cage (I removed it) and into this room. Slowly I started leaving the door ajar whenever she wasn’t eating so she could get used to the noises of the house.

At Thanksgiving, she suddenly stopped eating out of the feeder but would eat when I brought her a dish of food. I ended up resorting to just leaving the feeder door open since it seemed like she’d just lost the knack of how to use the feeder. Now she’s started to not use the litter box either. The room is hardwood floor with an area rug and she’s been lying on the rug under the loveseat which seems cozy, so I hadn’t wanted to remove the carpet. Yesterday morning I found she’d pooped on the rug behind the loveseat and when I got home from work, I noticed she’d peed on the carpet also. I thought at first maybe she was spooked by having the door ajar, but then I left the door to the room closed and that’s when we ended up with pee on the carpet. I moved her little box to the back corner of the room, thinking that would help but this morning there was poop on the carpet again.

So I feel like we are back to square one. What do I do? Do I put the crate back in the room and try starting all over to reset everything? Do I just pull the carpet out and keep trying outside of the cage, maybe going back to a small uncovered litter box? For the last two days now I’ve been leaving the door to the room closed all the time, as opposed to leaving it ajar when she’s not eating (so the regular cats can wander in and out and she can hear us moving around the house). I’m just not sure what to do now since it seems like we are back to square 1.

Any help/ideas on what to do now would be greatly appreciated.
Lisa
Oh my goodness, I’ve been in this situation and let me tell you, it takes PATIENCE and time and a lot of love. She’s immensely stressed. Let her gain your trust, your smell and your voice. They are not used to human contact. In my situation, I did keep her in my closet and bathroom area with food, litter box, blanket, bed etc...(for an entire month) I had to scratch the litter and alert her that this is where she goes potty. She caught on. If you find poop on the floor, put it into the litter box so the scent of her mess is in there, and I’m sure she’ll catch on and stop. ( put an old towel or news paper in area) I think the stress of her life journey has her in knots, and maybe your other kitties spook her too. Mine did. Maybe instead of a feeder give her, her own dishes in a spot for her only. I also used Feliway, that worked wonders in our home. Don’t give up just keep trying and you’ll find what works for you and kitty too. I’m so glad to hear you let her into your home, outdoor life is just awful for cats. Right now I have a stray that I take care of, he lets me pet him THROUGH THE DOOR, but will run away if I make any sudden moves. lol I don’t want him outside.
 

foxxycat

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You can put the cat house on the sofa with opening facing sideways. She may climb up and sleep in it. My prior kitty used to sleep in her cat house on the bed.

You can leave a cardboard box in front of the sofa. Just has to be big enough she can sit in. Doesn't have to be huge. My new kitty loves sitting in box tops from office paper. Some cats love boxes and also newspapers. These cats love laying down on the packing paper from chewy or they hide under it...yeah it makes a mess...but it's fun to watch..maybe not now but in a few months, most cats love paper and boxes.

This is new kitty Lilah. Loves this paper stuff.
20191207_135058.jpg
 

foxxycat

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She’s a beauty! Funny how the LOVE paper and boxes. :•D
It's hilarious that I spend money on fancy toys and beds then they ignore it and play with balled up paper or newspapers. My other cat Honeybee beats up paper towels. We have the roll in the cabinet and door open to keep the pipes warm and sometimes she grabs the roll and lay down and bunny kick it. Not too often but I did videotape the last time. I think it was 2 years ago. The waiting period is hard when we have new cats...the waiting till they accept us and have a routine. You won't need a clock because they like to do certain things at certain times....in my house, 7pm is bed time. Lilah new kitty sits and stares at you until you go into the bedroom with her hair brush then she lays down next to us.

I think it could go either way with new kitties...but definitely leave a shirt in there for her to smell...cats noses are 6x stronger than ours so don't use too much scented items for now.
No perfume
No plug in glade
No air fresheners
No scented candles.

For a cat, it's like shoving their face in a bottle of perfume.. if you wear perfume, try to put it on after you give her breakfast..they are funny creatures when it comes to scent..thats why she peed/poop on the floor....trying to make her territory smell familiar..and as a signal to the other cats, this is her spot...
 

Bookish1

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It's hilarious that I spend money on fancy toys and beds then they ignore it and play with balled up paper or newspapers. My other cat Honeybee beats up paper towels. We have the roll in the cabinet and door open to keep the pipes warm and sometimes she grabs the roll and lay down and bunny kick it. Not too often but I did videotape the last time. I think it was 2 years ago. The waiting period is hard when we have new cats...the waiting till they accept us and have a routine. You won't need a clock because they like to do certain things at certain times....in my house, 7pm is bed time. Lilah new kitty sits and stares at you until you go into the bedroom with her hair brush then she lays down next to us.

I think it could go either way with new kitties...but definitely leave a shirt in there for her to smell...cats noses are 6x stronger than ours so don't use too much scented items for now.
No perfume
No plug in glade
No air fresheners
No scented candles.

For a cat, it's like shoving their face in a bottle of perfume.. if you wear perfume, try to put it on after you give her breakfast..they are funny creatures when it comes to scent..thats why she peed/poop on the floor....trying to make her territory smell familiar..and as a signal to the other cats, this is her spot...
Awwwww, Lilah sounds like she’s just the sweetest!! Yup, mine get paper towels in the night! LOL TOTALLY agree about the territorial smell and marking, awesome point. I’m confident her feral will acclimate. Love and hugs!
 

Bookish1

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So the litter box accidents started after I did a full clean on the hooded box. Persephone had been doing great using the hooded box and the other cats were coming in and out of the room also using the box, and that was going great too. It was time to change out the old litter, rinse the box, and put new litter in, so I did that and then the accidents happened. So the loss of her and the other cats’ scents in the box could have thrown her off. We started with Tidy Cat litter in a small box when she was in the big cage. Once I removed the cage from the room, I left the small litter box there for about a week. Then I got a bigger and hooded box, but left the hood off, and transferred the used litter to the new box. She was using it and after a few days I set the lid on and all was going well. The regular cats had been going in and out of the room for maybe two weeks and using her box. Eventually I’d added some World’s Best Cat Litter to the box and mixed it with the Tidy Cat. Just a few days ago is when I removed the box for 30 minutes to dump all the used litter, rinse it with dish soap, and refill it with all WBCL. I think at least one of the other cats used the box after this but I’m not positive. (Trying to remember which night I cleaned the boxes...) Anyway, so it could be the combo of factors - new clean litter, clean box or that I still had the door ajar the first night she pooped outside the box (Thursday). After that, I closed the door and it was Friday morning I discovered she’d peed on the carpet. It was this morning I found the second pile of poop on the carpet. That poop I put in the litter box. I’ve been leaving her alone today but I can go in there now and spend some time on the loveseat while she’s under it.

I don’t have a cardboard box in there. I have a little cat house and when she was in the big cage, she’d hide in that. It’s still in the room with her but she’s ignored it since I removed the cage so I was considering removing it from the room completely. Her only hiding spot is really under the loveseat in the middle area since I have some plastic boxes under there as well. Let me take some photos of the room. I’ve also been wearing a shirt all afternoon that I figure I can set in the room too on the floor so she gets used to my scent on things.

Also, I’ll check out those old threads now.
Ok, I’m thinking the other cats using her space are aggravating her. They will just mark the cat box to say “hey this is our house” And cat pee is just YUCK to remove. Just keep them away for now, I know everyone is curious. Make sure your sitter and hubby follow your rules in acclimated her. Don’t worry, everything will work out!
 

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You gotten lots of good information. One thing I like to maintain for my cats is their own sanctuary. I prefer to have them bond to a cat carrier since it can go anywhere they do ( very handy for vet visits) but some of mine were also brought in to cages. The cage can work as here safe spot if she continues to be upset or seems to regress. She knows that cage is safe and since you need access to her , the cage may be easier than under the loveseat. Lol Also since you will be leaving for the cruise, she may feel some security being able to go in and out of the cage if she gets nervous.
It’s good to try and find quiet time to just sit near her on the floor. Giving treats by hand is helpful if she will take them. The Gerber 2nd foods all meat baby food is something most cats love! I use it as a lure when trying to catch ferals and to help socialize them. Slightly warm it puts off a nice aroma. You can put it on something and each time you feed her some bring it closer to you if she will come to eat it. It may take time but it’s a method that has worked well for me with old and young alike. If she has Ben having you talk to her, continue. Cats don’t love change so try to maintain things as you can. The litter box issue may be because she felt a little overwhelmed by too much too soon. Taking some steps back is a good idea. Closing the door probably helped. Great! You can introduce her to the other kitties later when you are going to be home and not have to worry about changes with other things. Having her get used to other people is okay. The friend she already knows is great backup for her. Use the scented shirt trick to get her used to your husband too. Would he be willing to sit quietly with her at times? Lol
Food is a great thing. It provides a chance to bond with her. Sitting with her to keep her company during treats is very positive. If she won’t eat with a person there then turn your back to her and see if that works. If she still won’t eat, leave her to eat alone but try at each feeding. If everyone who works with her follows the same routine it will help. Have you tried a toy yet? Some ferals don’t understand play since they only chase prey to eat when they get older. Play for a feral can waste valuable energy but the toys that are tied to a wand are great ones to attempt. If she will chase the toy towards you ( they kind of get so engrossed in catching the toy prey they forget themselves. Lol) she might come close to you and you can have her chase the toy over your leg. She may be startled when she realizes she made contact but it can start the process of touching. Some ferals will allow touch with the wand or even a hairbrush if it feels good to them. There are lots of tricks that can be used to get her back on track and beyond. Many here can help you as you go through this process. You are not alone in what you are doing and we all support you! I am so grateful to you for having saved her and brought her inside to a safe and loving home. Thank you! If you want to see pictures of an older feral as some of these methods were being used to help socialize him then please just tap on the link that rubysmama rubysmama posted to you at my Feral and Rescued Cats. It shows BJ and the process after he came in as a wild fellow. Lol He’s just a big ol lap boy now. Hang in there. You’ve done really great with her! I’m sure she will be fine. One thing typical to helping kitties adjust is that we often take two steps forward and one back. It just take time, patience and love and I can see that you are already showing her that. :thanks::clap2:
 
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