HELP- Stray or feral cat who needs a place to go (UTAH)

[pamela]

I wanted to reach out to you all in this forum and see if you can share ideas/suggestions OR if you're local, if you can help out.

I have a friend who rescued a cat from outside who has been hiding in her bathroom cabinet for OVER A MONTH and still hiss at my friend when she try to interact with her/him. This cat leave the cabinet ONLY to eat/drink and use the litterbox.

I visited to look at the cat and the cat hissed at me too so I think this is a feral cat and would be happier outside but I don't have any relationships with any rescue organizations or TNR agencies here in SLC area... suggestions??
Can you help??
Can you recommend any rescue organizations in SLC (Murray/Sandy area) that I can reach out to?

 

[FeebysOwner]

Hi. A month with a feral cat is like no time at all. The fact s/he eats, drinks, and uses the litter box are a huge plus at this point. There have been cats that do without eating/drinking for a long time. The hiding can go on for months. Is your friend not wanting to endure what it might take to try to turn this cat around?

Setting up some overturned boxes with small entry points as alternative to the cabinet should be tried if your friend does not want this cat to stay a long time in there. No guarantees, but something to try.

As far as finding rescues or other help, can you do a search on the internet for such places? You will know more than anyone here how far/close they are - and it may require calling them to talk. Using keywords like 'cat rescues', 'TNR' groups', 'help a feral', and so on. If you have Next Door Neighbor web site (free to join), you can ask for help there - the cat lovers on that site can often suggest places to contact too.
The 5 Golden Rules To Bringing An Outdoor Cat Inside - TheCatSite

There are other techniques to help with acclimating a cat, but I didn't share them (yet) as I am not sure your friend wants to give this a go.

 

[pamela]

Hi. A month with a feral cat is like no time at all. The fact s/he eats, drinks, and uses the litter box are a huge plus at this point. There have been cats that do without eating/drinking for a long time. The hiding can go on for months. Is your friend not wanting to endure what it might take to try to turn this cat around?

Setting up some overturned boxes with small entry points as alternative to the cabinet should be tried if your friend does not want this cat to stay a long time in there. No guarantees, but something to try.

As far as finding rescues or other help, can you do a search on the internet for such places? You will know more than anyone here how far/close they are - and it may require calling them to talk. Using keywords like 'cat rescues', 'TNR' groups', 'help a feral', and so on. If you have Next Door Neighbor web site (free to join), you can ask for help there - the cat lovers on that site can often suggest places to contact too.
The 5 Golden Rules To Bringing An Outdoor Cat Inside - TheCatSite

Thanks for the quick reply along with your advice. I didn't even think about boxes so that's a great idea. We've reached out to Celestial Zoo rescue and local TNR groups but I know they are very busy and sometimes do not reply quickly so that's one reason why I posted here since I know there are a lot of experts here! I do agree that it takes a long time to get feral cats to trust you. It took me two years before a feral cat would eat from my hand on my porch. These friends do not have a lot of experience and they aren't sure that the cat would be happy inside. That's the main concern they have and I do understand their concern.

 

[dahlia]

Have you reached out to Best Friends in Kanab? They might not be able to take the cat but maybe can give the names of some other organizations in your area.