Feral Not Eating

[Life.Love.Cats]

Hi there! I have been caring for a senior (12ish y/o) feral for about 18 months. He is 100% deaf, only has 1 eye, and is very scared of humans but does respond to me a bit. He has learned to eat and sleep inside my lanai, and will stay in there all day if it's raining. Unfortunately there is a lot going on behind my townhouse (trees being cut down, stumps being ground, painters, commercial lawnmowers) and when he recently started limping, I decided that if I was ever going to try and move him inside, this was the time. After his vet visit, I moved him into a 48" crate in my bathroom with his usual bed and a "towel tent" to hide in. After 2 days I gave him full access to the bathroom, and also my closet in which I placed a deckbox from my lanai he would often nap in, plus his favorite toys.

Unfortunately, he has done nothing but pace for 6-8 hours, and is refusing to eat or drink. I did have a mobile vet come and give him fluids yesterday, and I am offering him a ton of food options (dry, canned, baby food, freshly cooked salmon, treats, etc).

My big question is how long can I continue this with him not eating, and then have to put him back outside? I am worried about his health. Thanks for any insight you can offer.

 

[Alldara]

Don't put him back out! Your hard work will be lost.

Try to find something high reward to get him to eat like putting a Churu on a plate for him.

You can try some catnip and/or some cat pheromones like feliway.

 

[Life.Love.Cats]

Don't put him back out! Your hard work will be lost.

Try to find something high reward to get him to eat like putting a Churu on a plate for him.

You can try some catnip and/or some cat pheromones like feliway.

Thanks for the response. I've tried multiple Churu flavors, catnip + silvervine, and have a Feliway Optium plugged in the closet.

 

[Alldara]

Patience and time I'm sure.

 

[shadowsrescue]

Would the mobile vet give an appetite stimulant? He needs to eat. Yet it's so dangerous for him outside being deaf and also his injury.
Some people say Kentucky fried chicken. Just take some of the meat off the bone. Mackeral is another good choice.

I often play calming music. Harp music or calming cat music. You can find it in Amazon music, youtube.

I have also used Composure. It's in both liquid and treat form. It's a great non sedating calming supplement. Zylkene too.

Have you tried straight tuna. Some cats will lap tuna water with flecks of tuna. Also when it's an emergency, tuna in oil works well too.

 

[poolcat]

Did he eat at all while he was in the crate? Cats that go more than 3 days in a row without eating are in danger of developing hepatic lipidosis. It's a serious liver disease. I'd contact the vet who saw him and see what they suggest.

 

[Life.Love.Cats]

UPDATE: I talked to my 2 vets that have examined/neutered him over the last 18 months, and they were both adamant that if he continued to refuse to eat/drink, I needed to let him back out in order to avoid fatty liver. I asked if I could try even 1 or 2 more days, and my long time vet that I completely trust said she couldn't support that. So sadly, I released him tonight. Thanks for the responses and your ideas.

 

[DorasCats]

UPDATE: I talked to my 2 vets that have examined/neutered him over the last 18 months, and they were both adamant that if he continued to refuse to eat/drink, I needed to let him back out in order to avoid fatty liver. I asked if I could try even 1 or 2 more days, and my long time vet that I completely trust said she couldn't support that. So sadly, I released him tonight. Thanks for the responses and your ideas.

You tried and did the best you could do. I too had a feral female cat in my garden. Someone broke her leg. I tried many times to get her inside and when I did she would smash her whole body into the metal door without stopping. I was afraid she would hurt herself and had to release her. Twice someone came from a long distance away(driving 4 hours by car one way) and waited many hours to trap her to take her to a veterinarian for medical care and get neutered. No luck. She did not trust any human being. Her leg healed, she limped, was a great snake hunter and she lived in my garden for 13 years. My garden was her safety place and at least she had daily food and fresh water. I too wish things had worked out and she would have become my indoor kitty. She preferred her freedom.

 

[Life.Love.Cats]

Thanks for this. I'm confident he'll be back...I have catered to him for almost 18 months, and I just couldn't risk his health and happiness over my selfish desire to keep him safe.

 

[Alldara]

You know the situation best and took vet advice. No one can fault you for that.