Horrible, what to do now? Is it all lost?

[sunsetdreamer]

Hello everyone, 

If you look at my previous thread you can get the back story. To cut it short:

I picked up 3 month old kitten from the street as here in Thailand they get run over on daily basis. Got it to vet done everything. 

First 3 days it was hissing at me, I got it a safe room and using positive rewards turn it around and it became amazingly loving kitty. Even though I once stepped on it's paw at night and it was scared of me like hell, it became normal again after just a day. 

Here is where the problem: 

Since it was a street can it often tried to run away, we have a cleaner lady who comes in and often not closes back door. We did tell her to find the cat first and put it in the safe room before starting cleaning. Once she came and couldn;t find it so she assumed we took it somewhere.  When I came back the cat was nowhere to be found, me and my daughter went looking for it and after 3 hours we could not find it.

We were sad, the next day a lady come over to my house and said she saw it sitting 300 meters down the road under someones stairs.

When we got there the cat was scared S....less literally pooped itself. the eye looked swollen a local lady told me that the night before some drunk guy tired to take it and when it scratched him the guy kicked and punched the cat two times.

I tried to find the person but to no success, herer I had two options wait and hope it would come out or get it myself (as main road is literally few meters away where it would get hit instantly) , after I tried to take it it was hissing but I managed to get it and got bitten and scratched badly.

Having taken it back into the safe room, she was hiding, not eating (only at night when nobody is around). It would not come out. Every-time I approach the car it would either try to run away or look really scared putting its ears behind.

There is some progress 4 days later now, if I go into the room it would still be scared of me try to hide if I make sudden move, but it would come sometimes after eating to let me pet it and pur, then if I move my hand wrong it might run away.

Days it is just sleeping, not playing. If I let her out of safe room she would hide all the time.

So we have gone from happy (cautious at time ) cat who was playful and gentle to this state now. I' am heartbroken, is this the end of the line? Will it be like this forever? I tried everything already to no success. I miss it a lot.  

 

[pusheen]

If someone hit the cat it's possible she's severely injured. That could be why she is reacting the way she is. She has also been traumatized by the abuse. Even one kick is enough to scare a baby kitten. You should keep doing what you're doing. It's going to take time to regain her trust. Also, get her checked out by a vet ASAP. 

 

[sunsetdreamer]

Actually we recently find out it is a male cat, dont know how the vet did not notice first time. The vet said cat is fine no damage to head jaw or any other part.
I feel bad we were slgetting so close and now he is terrified of me just even walking to where he is. Best I could see yestersay after putting him at his favoritre spot. He doesnt stay on our floor any longer. Used to all the time. This is all I see at best

20170117_230923.jpg

• sunsetdreamer
• Jan 18, 2017

 

[Brian007]

Be patient and keep doing what you are doing.  Just be in his company as much as possible, sit quietly nearby and relax.  Cats and kittens pick up on your moods, so try not to show you're upset and stressed by what has happened to him.  

Maybe try singing softly or at least talking softly to him, like you would to a baby, after all, you are his "mother" now.  I find that reading out loud to a cat can really help you to bond, as the sound of your reading out loud voice is soothing and comforting.  And cats enjoy a good story! 

Offer to play with a piece of string but don't force play on him until he feels safe again, it's more important just to be with him at the moment.  He should feel safer soon.  He sounds as though he's traumatised but he will know it wasn't your fault and that you feel bad, cats are super intelligent and sensitive.  In time he should start to forget about his scary experience, and because he's a kitten, he will probably start to think about playing instead, and that piece of string will be irresistible before too long.  

Good luck 

 

[Brian007]

Also, when you and kitty are feeling better and happier, get him neutered.  The sooner you do this the better it is for kitty's well-being.  And it will stop him from wanting to go outside so much, and he will be more relaxed and happy to be at home, hanging out with his loving family who rescued him.

 

 

[sunsetdreamer]

The vet told me for some reason it is not advisable to castrate the cat until 1 year old. He said it will be missing male hormone until that age, whatever he meant by that

 

[sivyaleah]

The vet told me for some reason it is not advisable to castrate the cat until 1 year old. He said it will be missing male hormone until that age, whatever he meant by that

Goodness how old is your vet???

that's antiquated information.

 

[Anne]

Thank you for rescuing him 

He's scared and traumatized and he may be semi-feral to begin with. The good news is that there's still hope, definitely. It will take a lot of time and patience but it's doable. You can find many tips that will be appropriate for your situation in this article - 

 [article="32735"]10 Must Know Tips For Happy Living With A Shy Cat​[/article]  

And also this one - 

 [article="33503"]16 Top Cat Experts Share Tips For Dealing With Timid Cats​[/article]  

As for neutering, the recommended age for neutering a cat is 4-5 months. You actually need to prevent him from becoming sexual mature because once those male hormones kick in, he'll become more territorial, possibly more aggressive, will need a much larger territory to patrol (more confinement stress) and may start marking your home with that nasty smelling male urine. Trust me, that's one thing you do not want to smell in your home. Also, once a male starts spraying and the behavior sets in, it's very hard to get them to stop even after neutering.

Please tell your vet to neuter hims ASAP and if he doesn't agree, I would look for another vet. Here's more on the topic - 

 [article="30348"]When To Spay Neuter A Cat​[/article]  

I don't want to overwhelm you with information but down the road we can look at ways to reduce his confinement stress by providing him more indoors space and stimuli. Focus on the previous articles for now, but when you're ready, look into this one too -

 [article="22537"]Keeping Indoor Only Kitties Happy​[/article]  

 

[Norachan]

Poor little guy. I'm so glad he has you to look out for him.

Some of my cats were very nervous ferals when I first took them in. It can take a while to gain their trust. The key is to be patient and let him go at his pace. I think that he will forget what happened to him in time. He may be scared of men for ever, but he will eventually start to trust you again.

I think you might be better off keeping him in his safe room for now. Scared cats look for small, confined spaces. It makes them feel safe. Is Felliway available in Thailand? If you can get a diffuser to put in his safe room it will keep him much calmer.

Thank you for rescuing him.

 

[r-kins]

You're doing a great job, and all is not lost. Your cat is very scared and traumatized, but since he comes out and lets you pet him while he purrs, it sounds like the cat trusts you a little. Like others have said, there's nothing to make a feral cat go back to being feral like a human doing something horrible to him.

Just keep spending time with him. Maybe sit in the room and read a book. We had a cat that was terrified and would bite, but my mom would just go in the room with a chair and he'd sit on her lap for hours if she didn't pet him. He would flinch if someone raised their hand too quickly. He wanted love but was too stressed out to accept it yet. Mom was always his favorite because they bonded like that, and he became a really loving and friendly cat.

 

[tarasgirl06]

Cats are very sensitive and emotional, very similar to human beings.  If someone hurt you badly, it would take you time to learn to trust again, yes?  Well, it is the same with him.  He needs love and patience, good treatment, safety, and his basic needs -- good food, fresh water, clean litterbox, safe place, a soft place to sleep, some toys even homemade as long as they are safe, such as a crumpled up piece of paper, and love from you -- met.  In time, as long as he is safe, he will probably learn to love you and stay close to you.  

I would NOT let him outdoors.  Outdoors is too unsafe.  Experts recommend keeping cats indoors only, for this reason.  If you have to put a sign on the safe room to keep the housekeeper from opening the door to that room, possibly you could clean that room yourself.  It is for his safety. 

 

[JMJimmy]

Is the safe room the room in which you sleep?  I've honestly found this the best way to break the fear cycle.  When you're sleeping and at your calmest the cat is awake and is forced to observe you as it has nowhere else to go.  It gradually learns that it can be safe in the same space as you.