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- Feb 5, 2014
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I have been feeding (and catching/spaying/neutering) stray cats around my home for about 3 years now. About two months ago, a new little stray showed up. I would guess less than 6 months old. She is tame enough that whenever I open the door, she tries to come in, but not tame enough that she let's me anywhere near her if I step outside the door. She had been coming by twice a day and I believe living in my shed out back. Long story short, several of the strays I have caught in the past I have taken in and adopted over the years. (They are not real friendly to other cats as I got them when they were older so they missed the whole socialization process.)
Anyway, I have been trying to get close enough to her that I can catch her and take her in to be spayed as a neighborhood tom cat has been slinking around. I even made an appointment with the vet thinking she was getting so cozy, always standing up on the glass doors just like she wanted to get in. So last week, it was going to dip to -25 below over night and was starting to get really cold. She showed up, and I decided this was my chance! PLUS...I did not want her to freeze because of the weather.
So I locked my cats in the laundry room, created a nice bed for her in my sun porch and put a kitty litter box in there along with some food, opened up the main door and let her in. She came right in, too. No problem. But she was only in the house about 2 minutes when she suddenly started to FREAK OUT!! Not just a little nervous, but like bouncing off the walls crazy! She ran around like she was on drugs, was screeching and howling, slamming into the windows to get out! It scared the heck out of me! I thought she was going to attack me or even worse, break her neck! And she just didn't stop! She was flying all over the house like she was possessed!
Well, I didn't know what to do. I thought if I just left her a minute, she would calm down, but she really didn't. She finally climbed behind a bookcase, but she wouldn't come out and was howling the entire time. I thought I was going to give her a heart attack. Then she came racing out again and leapt about 7 feet in the air and smashed against my window trying to get out. So I did the only thing I could think of to do, and that was to open the front door and let her out!
She ran about half-way down the walk, turned around and looked at me. Ran a few more steps, then turned back and looked at me. Then she ran another little ways, turned around and looked at me again. Like she couldn't believe I had done that or something! She then ran across the street and sat over there on the sidewalk just staring at me. It was already evening, and the last I saw of her, she was running across the snowy lawn behind the neighbors across the street.
I haven't seen her since.
My question is, do you think she will come back ever? The other strays have been hanging around, but not her. I feel so guilty! Here I thought I was helping her and had just started bonding, and was going to get her spayed and shots...and now it's been over a week and she is no where to be found. I now know I should have probably just gotten her into a carrier and let her calm down in there until I could get to the vet the next day, but I honestly thought it would be so much easier to catch her if I just let her in! That is exactly how I got all the other stray cats I have caught...except for one, whom I enticed into the carrier and took immediately to the vet...but none of them, no matter how skittish they were...ever did that.
What should I do? Will she come back? I feel just horrible. Plus, I am sure she will be, if not already, pregnant soon. UGH! What should I do??
Anyway, I have been trying to get close enough to her that I can catch her and take her in to be spayed as a neighborhood tom cat has been slinking around. I even made an appointment with the vet thinking she was getting so cozy, always standing up on the glass doors just like she wanted to get in. So last week, it was going to dip to -25 below over night and was starting to get really cold. She showed up, and I decided this was my chance! PLUS...I did not want her to freeze because of the weather.
So I locked my cats in the laundry room, created a nice bed for her in my sun porch and put a kitty litter box in there along with some food, opened up the main door and let her in. She came right in, too. No problem. But she was only in the house about 2 minutes when she suddenly started to FREAK OUT!! Not just a little nervous, but like bouncing off the walls crazy! She ran around like she was on drugs, was screeching and howling, slamming into the windows to get out! It scared the heck out of me! I thought she was going to attack me or even worse, break her neck! And she just didn't stop! She was flying all over the house like she was possessed!
Well, I didn't know what to do. I thought if I just left her a minute, she would calm down, but she really didn't. She finally climbed behind a bookcase, but she wouldn't come out and was howling the entire time. I thought I was going to give her a heart attack. Then she came racing out again and leapt about 7 feet in the air and smashed against my window trying to get out. So I did the only thing I could think of to do, and that was to open the front door and let her out!
She ran about half-way down the walk, turned around and looked at me. Ran a few more steps, then turned back and looked at me. Then she ran another little ways, turned around and looked at me again. Like she couldn't believe I had done that or something! She then ran across the street and sat over there on the sidewalk just staring at me. It was already evening, and the last I saw of her, she was running across the snowy lawn behind the neighbors across the street.
I haven't seen her since.
My question is, do you think she will come back ever? The other strays have been hanging around, but not her. I feel so guilty! Here I thought I was helping her and had just started bonding, and was going to get her spayed and shots...and now it's been over a week and she is no where to be found. I now know I should have probably just gotten her into a carrier and let her calm down in there until I could get to the vet the next day, but I honestly thought it would be so much easier to catch her if I just let her in! That is exactly how I got all the other stray cats I have caught...except for one, whom I enticed into the carrier and took immediately to the vet...but none of them, no matter how skittish they were...ever did that.
What should I do? Will she come back? I feel just horrible. Plus, I am sure she will be, if not already, pregnant soon. UGH! What should I do??