Feral Socializing Assistance Needed

[Jcatbird]

I would leave everything as it is. Let him get more used to you handling him if possible. Go in his room to work with that. Sitting on the floor to do so. Then try introduction to the most welcoming of your cats. Let them come to the gate and try swapping scents. Use a towel or some with the scent of each cat on it and put it with the other kitty. Eventually let the welcoming cat go in with him. Just a little at a time. If all is well, try feeding them together. See how that goes and post back. One step at a time.

 

[fionasmom]

I agree to leave things as they are. He won't be more comfortable if too much starts to change in his world. I also wanted to add that I have had the cat-hiding-in-the-house scenario and realized that when they know you are busy looking under the sofa they move to under the bed, then when you get near the bedroom and look in the closet they sneak to another room.

 

[rebecca snyder]

New question. We've been keeping with us and out, and sometimes he's ok if we move away from him, but sometimes he runs and hides. What I'm wondering is how do I get him from being in his room and us pulling him out for socialization to being an integrated member of the house?

My thought was getting a harness and leash and letting him down to explore without going missing to the point where I have to hunt him down. Is that a good idea or is that going to ruin things?

 

[Jcatbird]

I don’t think a harness will ruin things if you introduce him to it properly. Only put it on him when he is in his room at first. Stay with him and offer him affection and treats. Short time periods at first. Then teach him about the leash restricting his range. Only after he fully accepts both should you use it as a leash and harness to walk him. If he is sitting in the rest of the house with you and only hides once in awhile, he is actually doing well. Is he hiding from being bullied, fear or does he just want time alone? Cats don’t always want to be right with us. Some privacy needs are to be expected. If it is fear or bullying then keep working on socializing. Sounds like you are doing a good job!

 

[rebecca snyder]

I'm not sure. He's gotten to the point where he'll sit with us and sleep in our arms as if he's comfortable. He'll stretch and show half his belly. Other times he'll try to/will run and hide under the couch/run into his room and hide/glare at us from the corner.

 

[Jcatbird]

Since you are unsure as to why he is hiding then you could try the harness. Some cats don’t like them but others find they give a secure feeling. I would absolutely try it in the privacy of his room. I would make sure he cannot run away when you try it. You might want to shut the door, have some play time or snuggling and then ease into putting the harness on. I have one kitty who likes wearing a harness. Another will just flop over on her side and give me a dirty look. Lol I keep working on it. It’s a process with us all.

 

[rebecca snyder]

He's less friendly in his room. He'll be playful, but then lash out to scratch you. I'll try it, though. I just want him to be able to be integrated into the house and not have to be stuck in a room all by himself.

 

[rebecca snyder]

For reference, this is his normal sitting position when he's out with us.

 

[Jcatbird]

Aww! What a face!
If your instincts are that he is less receptive in his room then you can try the harness in another room. He probably feels like his room is his territory. He swats to assert his space. When you try the harness, just make sure you can keep track of him while he has it on. If that means attaching the leash, do that! This is new to him and you don’t want him to get into his hiding place unaccustomed to it. You don’t want the harness getting hung up on something when you don’t know where he is. Be prepared too that he may be able to get out of the harness. Cats are like Houdini.

 

[rebecca snyder]

Yeah. He's cute as heck, and everyone wants him but can't take him. So we're pretty sure he's ours now.

I was looking at something they call 'escape proof' harnesses. They're like full body (almost like thunder shirts) harnesses.

 

[Jcatbird]

He is definitely cute as heck! I would be snuggling that baby for sure!
My Lady wears a harness when I take her for walks outside. It sounds something like the one you describe. She hasn’t gotten out of it. I think she likes it. Lol She’s a bit of a priss and it suits her. It has a ruffle at the edge that looks like a skirt. I hear that Thundershirts do calm some animals. It’s certainly worth trying but you really have made great progress. Even the kitties I’ve had for over a decade can get scared sometimes. We had some owls outside recently. Big ones! They made such a racket , almost every cat vanished! The only one that didn’t hide was my eldest. He slept through all the fuss. My most recent adopted feral Tom even tried to get the others to hide. He was very upset and he has socialized enough to be a total lap cat. Right now I don’t see several of the kitties. I have one asleep at my feet, one behind me on top of a soft carrier/house, one beside me, one running zoomies through the room and the others are tucked away somewhere in the house sleeping. There are times when I get worried that one might have gotten out and I go all over the house hunting. They show up when they get tired of hearing me calling. In their own sweet time. Typical of kitties.

 

[rebecca snyder]

Mine do their thing. I've got three (including him) in the room, one in the kitchen and one who knows where in the house. I wouldn't worry too much about him hiding if I weren't afraid that he was never going to come out and then become unsocial. I'm also worried about him not eating, drinking, or using the litter boxes. He doesn't use any of the ones in the house unless they are the ones in his room (And he's out for extended times).

 

[maggiedemi]

I was looking at something they call 'escape proof' harnesses. They're like full body (almost like thunder shirts) harnesses.

I would get the Come With Me Kitty harness. My cat Demi escaped from the walking jacket type.

 

[rebecca snyder]

I have the come with me kitty one somewhere in the house. It's been missing for years.

 

[rebecca snyder]

So, he's decided he likes being outside of his room. When he's out, he'll lay with us or just a bit away from us. He also seems to have no fear of us either (It's all pretty standard housecat behaviors now except that he doesn't come over to us). He's even used the main cat litter box (while I was there) and ate with the other cats (while someone was there). The issues are that he goes into hiding and then won't eat, drink or use the litter box afterward.

He even doesn't want to go back into his room when I go to bed (I try to keep him out as long as I can while I'm awake). I feel horrible putting him back in, but I'm worried that he's not going to get enough food/water and will get sick from hiding.

I think his fear is the other cats at this point, but I'm not sure how to properly integrate them.

 

[rebecca snyder]

Update!

Today he's been getting down from 'his chair' and has started exploring a bit more. There have been a few encounters, but he seems to feel safe enough to go down, explore, and go back (At least today).

His tail is also pretty much all the time uncurled as well now. I'm super proud of him and his getting brave.

 

[rebecca snyder]

Patches is doing great. He's moving around the house (though he hides during the day and comes out at night) and comes over for attention as well as eats with the other cats.

I've come across two new issues, though.

The first is that, while my other three cats tolerate him, like him, and only occasionally hiss and swat at him, I have one who flat out goes after him. She chases him and growls at him. He's scared of her (for obvious reasons), and I don't know what to do.

The second is that yesterday, he decided randomly to pee on my clothing in my room. He didn't make any sign that he wanted to go out or anything, just made his way over and peed. I want to keep this from becoming a behavior, but I'm not sure how.

Any help on either of these issues would be much appreciated as I'm at a loss on both.