Hi from Canada - Newly Cat owner - question about shy/wild behavior

[eduskator]

Hi there!

My name is Pascal and I'm a newly cat owner. My beloved dog passed away 2 years ago when he was 16, I basically grew up with him... After considering all the engagement it takes to own a dog and my current professional life being demanding, I opted for a Cat. I ended up adopting a 6 months old kitten (Well, a teenager I believe!) at our local SPCA (Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals). She's been in my house for 3 days now, and I saw some improvements (she hide and did not eat for 24 consecutive hours, then she got out a little, but she did not try to interact with me yet.) I was told to leave her alone for the first few days, but she has Rhino (cold?) so I have to force-feed her pills + syringe of water every morning. 

My question is: when is it ''too late'' for a shy/feral cat to be ''domesticated''? I mean, speaking of age. I know a kitten's behavior is most likely to change with time, but what about a ''teenager''? I thought 6 months was OK, but now I'm wondering if she will ever be confortable here / wanting interactions with humans.

I don't really know her background, except that she was brought to the shelter at around 4 months old so perhaps she lived outside from since she was born, which would explain her current behaviour... I also know that, for the first few days, they will most likely hide until they feel confortable or ''safe'', so that's why I don't want to rush her or jump to conclusions too quickly.

Day 1 : Brought her from the shelter on Friday night - she hid under my TV unit for 24 hours

Day 2 : Saturday night, I saw her quickly - I was able to bring her food and see that she was eating. She used her litter box as well. She slept on the top of my kitchen cabinet, the highest place in the room

Day 3 : She went from the kitchen cabinets to the window (between the glass & the blinds

Day 4 : Found her in her litter box this morning... Got back from work a few minutes ago & she is still in there.

Thanks for your help / input. I am looking forward to hear from you guys!

 

[Primula]

First, she is not a teenager. She is a small kitten scared by everything. Be very patient and go very slowly. Put yourself in her shoes. Maybe she was born outside with a stressed momma who made her kittens stressed in the womb. Then she went to a shelter with a lot of new scary sounds & voices. Now she has come to you. If she eats, pees & poops in her box you are both doing very well indeed. Back off from her, give her a lot of space, and let her get used to you at her own pace.

Force-feeding her pills & water is terrifying for any animal. Try to crush the pills into her wet food instead. She will drink water when she is thirsty. Leave dry kibble down for her 24/7 so she can nibble whenever she wants. You may find that she comes out at night when she knows you are sleeping.

 

[eduskator]

Oh and... Sorry for the typos / my sometimes bad English. It isn't my mother tongue.

 

[Primula]

Oh and... Sorry for the typos / my sometimes bad English. It isn't my mother tongue.

Your English is very good.

 

[eduskator]

First, she is not a teenager. She is a small kitten scared by everything. Be very patient and go very slowly. Put yourself in her shoes. Maybe she was born outside with a stressed momma who made her kittens stressed in the womb. Then she went to a shelter with a lot of new scary sounds & voices. Now she has come to you. If she eats, pees & poops in her box you are both doing very well indeed. Back off from her, give her a lot of space, and let her get used to you at her own pace.

Force-feeding her pills & water is terrifying for any animal. Try to crush the pills into her wet food instead. She will drink water when she is thirsty. Leave dry kibble down for her 24/7 so she can nibble whenever she wants. You may find that she comes out at night when she knows you are sleeping.

Thank you for your input. The Vet told me
to do that force-feeding thing...she eats solid food which makes it impossible to crush the pill in her food... she has to take them otherwise the Rhino might get worst.

I installed my hunting camera in the living room... Will see how she behave while I'm not around

 

[eduskator]

Quick update...

So I was able to pet her tonight. I came close to her slowly and I pet her. She rolled on the side so I could rub her belly. My guess is that is a trust sign, but I feel she is still very ''on the defensive and not fully safe. Will keep you posted on how it goes in the next days.

 

[eduskator]

Here is a picture of her from a few minutes ago. I came back from work and she was hiding in the TV Unit where the cable receiver is. As you can see, she kneads & pull her claw, but she don't scratch/bite. She also purrs.

Lily22nov2016.jpg

• eduskator
• Nov 22, 2016

 

[Primula]

Quick update...

So I was able to pet her tonight. I came close to her slowly and I pet her. She rolled on the side so I could rub her belly. My guess is that is a trust sign, but I feel she is still very ''on the defensive and not fully safe. Will keep you posted on how it goes in the next days.

When a cat bares her belly, she is taking the most vulnerable position that she can. Totally a sign of trust.

 

[verna davies]

She is beautiful.As Primula says, time and patience. Everything is new and scary to her. when I have had a new kitten, I talk to them quietly so they get used to the sound of my voice.It sounds as if you are doing well. Keep us posted.

 

[eduskator]

She does show me her belly, but she's very fearful. She's clearly not confortable, although she plays a little. She still won't get out of there and I won't try to pull her out.

We'll see in a few days!

 

[Primula]

Patience, patience, patience.

 

[eduskator]

Yep... I am starting to see some good improvements there.

Yesterday night I petted her before going to bed and I managed to get her out of her hiding spot - she did resist a little, but not as much as she used to - and I brought her on the couch beside me. She surprisely stayed there (for the first time!) and I was able to play with her a little. She was rolling on her back and climbing on me at some point. She went back in her spot shortly after I stopped petting her and when she heard the dog upstairs, but at least she played a little. My hard work pays off lol

 

[aislinn]

She is absolutely beautiful!

 

[eduskator]

Thank you. She is my little black panther

 

[eduskator]

Hi - me again!

Quick update on Lily : She is doing great. She has shown a lot of improvements in the last few weeks and is someone less shy, but still very fearful. I think it's just the way she is! She will not come and see us when there are strangers at my place, but she will come and see me at night when I am watching TV. As soon as I get up and start walking, she runs and hide back again - she is very fearful and I have been trying to correct this for a while now. Only time will tell!

Anyways, I have to love her no matter how she is, right? And I do!

I had a quick question on poop/pee quantity. I've been scooping that much every day (75% pee 25% poop) for a while now and was wondering if this is normal... It seems kind of a lot for a kitten. She has been eating 5-6 cups of dry food + 2 cans of wetfood per week for the past 3 weeks now. What do you guys think? This is what I scooped today (24h since last cleanup) - it's about 4'' by 16''.

IMG_2053.jpg

• eduskator
• Dec 12, 2016