Getting feral cat to go in safe place in yard

[Babypaws]

I have one female feral cat that was TNR about a month ago. She had a litter of 5 kittens who were also trapped and are now in a foster home for adoption. I have been feeding the mother cat since the beginning of the year or maybe earlier. I feed her 3 times a day to help her stay around but I can’t get her to go in a covered area we have where her kittens were born and trapped. It seems like she’s been staying under a shed where there’s a crawl space. I worry about her getting thru the winter. I’m wondering if she doesn’t go in the sheltered area because that’s where she and her kittens were trapped and might be afraid to go back in.
I’ve been able to get her to come to our back door when it’s time to eat. I thought I could get her comfortable enough to come in our enclosed porch for the winter but it’s not working. In the sheltered area I have a styrofoam box with hay inside for her, any ideas how I could get her to go inside?

 

[klunick]

Can you try to get her to eat inside the covered area to get her to understand it is safe? Will she follow you if she sees you have food? When she comes to eat, show her you have food but walk towards the covered area and see if she follows. Once you leave, she might go in there to eat and see that she is safe.

 

[Sean35]

I'm still learning cats (I've been meaning to post my story), but don't they tend to not sleep/shelter where food is? I've been having the same problem trying to get my feral to discover the shelter that I put out. Part of the issue in my case is that this cat doesn't respond to catnip, silver vine, tartarian honeysuckle, or valerian root (which I sure did -- yuck!), so I haven't been able to use those as alternatives to food.

 

[klunick]

Depends on how big the shelter is. If big enough, where the food isn't right next to where they'd sleep, I don't see why not. If you are talking about a large container shelter then yes, can't put food in and expect them to sleep there too. I assumed the covered area the original poster was talking about was large enough to accommodate food, a place to sleep, and room to move around like the size of a porch or shed.

 

[Babypaws]

Depends on how big the shelter is. If big enough, where the food isn't right next to where they'd sleep, I don't see why not. If you are talking about a large container shelter then yes, can't put food in and expect them to sleep there too. I assumed the covered area the original poster was talking about was large enough to accommodate food, a place to sleep, and room to move around like the size of a porch or shed.

No, the shelter wouldn’t be big enough to food dish inside. The cat is small so I’m pretty sure the opening is big enough for her to enter and enough room for her to lay down.
I’m thinking if I bring it to near our back door (where she’s eating) and try and get her use to seeing it before snow falls and maybe she might be curious enough to go inside to check it out....
Does anyone think it’s because the area where I want her to go is where she/kittens were trapped and that’s why she won’t go there?

 

[Babypaws]

The styrofoam box ix is about 2 1/2 feet by 20 inches. It was given to me by the rescue person from TNR group

 

[fionasmom]

Yes. She was trapped there and so were all of her kittens....and for a very good reason that you wanted to help them and are very responsible, but she is not reading that.

I had to relocate a mother and entire litter from my neighbor's yard where the litter was born under her house (nice woman who worked with me on this). They had to move about 50 feet from an original feeding station to one where I could monitor and keep it sheltered from the rain and over time, it all worked. Don't give up and just keep gradually moving her closer to where you want her. I would definitely relocate the shelter from the trapping area though.

 

[Babypaws]

Update. I’ve been feeding her near our porch door, lately I’ve let the door open with her food dish a few feet inside. Then I leave her alone and she comes in to eat. Yesterday I had put the dish further inside and was able to close her in. There was predicted snow, wind and cold for last night and today. She’s scared and hiding, when I went to feed her this morning I saw she hadn’t eaten. I gave her fresh food and am trying to leave her alone til she feels more comfortable. I don’t want to let her outside since it’s snowing and the temperatures tonight will dip into the low 30’s.
Should I be doing anything different?

 

[fionasmom]

You have made great progress and it has been less than 24 hours? She will react this way for a while and the best thing is to be low key around her, offer the food, and give her time. If she is able to be in a room, or even if the part of the house that she is in can be made to be like a little haven for her it might help. Maybe that would work or not but giving her a little bed, litter box ( you probably already have) separate the food from the litter and even the water if you can. Play soothing music, sit with her but don't try to handle or touch her. It is wonderful that she is inside in such bad weather.

 

[Babypaws]

I have a bed and litter box for her. Food and water dish are away from litter.
I’ve gone a few times and tried talking to her, put food d clogs here she’s icing. I’m so glad I was able to close her in last night. Weather we has been snowing all day and tonight it’s suppose to get down to the 20’s. Wish she could realize how lucky she is being protected from the bad weather.
More cold/snow on the way for Sunday night....thinking about keeping her inside, afraid if I let her out tomorrow she might come back in...

 

[Babypaws]

I have a bed and litter box for her. Food and water dish are away from litter.
I’ve gone a few times and tried talking to her, put food d clogs here she’s icing. I’m so glad I was able to close her in last night. Weather we has been snowing all day and tonight it’s suppose to get down to the 20’s. Wish she could realize how lucky she is being protected from the bad weather.
More cold/snow on the way for Sunday night....thinking about keeping her inside, afraid if I let her out tomorrow she might come back in...

Sorry, typo...food dish is near where she’s hiding. Afraid if I let her out tomorrow, she might not come back in

 

[fionasmom]

I got it and I agree with you. Keep her inside and see where this goes. You have given her a very nice set up and I do believe that she knows that she is not out in the terrible cold. She is evaluating and watching which is not at all bad and seems calm, also a plus. Just give her food, space, and let her relax.

 

[Babypaws]

I got it and I agree with you. Keep her inside and see where this goes. You have given her a very nice set up and I do believe that she knows that she is not out in the terrible cold. She is evaluating and watching which is not at all bad and seems calm, also a plus. Just give her food, space, and let her relax.

FYI...she finally ate and she used the litter box last night..still hides behind the chimney but I’m glad she ate. I know it’s gonna take awhile for her to feel safe, maybe in time she’ll let me pet her but I’m not going to push it.

 

[Babypaws]

The feral spayed cat has been on our enclosed porch for about a week now. She’s been eating/drinking and using the litter box but still hides on the top of a cabinet. This coming week here in eastern Ma will be warmer so I don’t know if I should keep her on the porch or let her go outside. I’m afraid if I let her outside she may not come back on the porch again. Am I doing the right thing? She won’t come close enough for me to pet her.
Even if she gets to the point to let me pet her I can’t bring her inside the house, I have many indoor cats. Any advice?
I have another question, my indoor cats do not go outside at all, never have but I found out a few days ago they now have fleas....I don’t know how..wondering if they came from feral cat....before I brought her on the porch when I would feed her i’d sit outside with her for awhile and I never saw her scratching herself. Since I haven’t been able to pet her I’m confused how the indoor cats got fleas? I went to the pet store and bought flea treatments for the indoor cats but now how can I treat the feral cat? I’m afraid to try and catch her to put treatment on (scratching or biting). Is there any pill form flea treatments I could put in her food?

 

[fionasmom]

I have had a big problem with fleas on my indoor cats and dog who is also almost exclusively indoor now. In my case I finally saw fleas coming out of the potting soil that I used to plant cat grass for them. The cats who like the grass got the fleas, and tapeworms, and so did the dog. The others did not. I also have outdoor ferals; one let me put Advantage on him but the rest would not even consider it, so it is hard to tell.

MA is much colder than SoCal, so I wonder if that is part of the issue. If she does not come back in, which is a possibility, would she be in danger due to cold weather?

 

[Babypaws]

When I saw fleas on one of my indoor cats I just wanted to sit and cry...what a job and costly. I have 12 indoor cats..spent a few days between vacuuming and washing blankets/sheets etc. went to the pet store and got the flea treatments and gave it to them ASAP. But they didn’t have the room spray I wanted so I had to order it online. I received it today and started spraying a couple of rooms and closed the doors. On top of the fleas I’ve been dealing with keeping a recently neutered male separated from other cats. Next week I have one more male to be neutered and that will be it. Yippee
Yes, if I let her out I’m doubtful if I could get her to come back in. She already wouldn’t go in the shed where she was TNR along with her kittens, thinking she’s afraid now. The weather has been crazy so soon the cold weather will be returning. Before I brought her in she was staying under our garden shed which is just a crawlspace (dirt), not very good place with rain and snow.
Five or six years ago I found a stray cat (probably someone just dropped her off)in our yard who was starving, bones were sticking out of her back.
But she was an older cat and not feral, to make a long story short I was able to care for her for 2 years before she passed away. I was able to get her to stay on the porch every night and during the winters she was very content to stay inside 24/7. When she did go out during the warm weather she would always wait for us to bring her inside on the porch at night.
I got very attached to her.

 

[Babypaws]

Update on the feral cat I brought on our porch last October. I never let her outside, I was afraid i wouldn’t be able to get her back in the porch and it was the beginning of the cold season. She kept hiding every time we went on the porch but I kept talking to her and every time I went on the porch I would announce myself to her. It’s now 4 months later and she has finally let me pet her, rub her head and she comes up to me. That much closer to hopefully get her to the vet for shots etc

 

[fionasmom]

That is great news....thank you for posting and keep at it as she will eventually become friendlier.