I Finally Decided To Bring Home The Stray Cat

[shadowsrescue]

It can take them awhile to settle at night. I gave my feral boy Composure treats. The problem was that he needed 4-6 of them and the treats were on the hard/chewy side and he did not like them. I then switched to Composure liquid max and added it to wet food.

I do think the 85 gm of wet food 2x a day is plenty. Yet since she is a stray, at first she might want more. I guess I would try to feed her wet food 3x a day until she settles.

Is there a chance you could sleep in the room with her for awhile to see if she settles? Please please please give her a chance. If she set her back out, she will have a very very hard life and be easy prey. She needs time to adjust.

Does she like to play? Do you have any toys for her or a cat tree/perch for her to look outside? She does need stimulation. Playing with her before bed can tire her out. Yet sometimes when cats first come to live inside a house, they need to be taught how to play.

How much time do you spend with her when you are home? She may be lonely.

I hope that you do not set her back outside. She needs time to adjust.

 

[msaimee]

Do you have other pets in the house? If not, can you give her free roam of the house, or perhaps confine her with you in your bedroom at night? She is likely scared and lonely in her new envirinment and might do better sleeping in your room. She may also be used to being outside at night and is meowing because of that. Also maybe put out some cat treats at night for her to snack on in addition to the dry food. I've used Mac's ear plugs when bringing a new vocal cat into my home, those really help. You might want to get her some catnip toys, too. It may take a few weeks for her to settle in. I hope you will be patient. It will be well worth the wait! You've already put so much time, effort, money and care into this cat, I hope you can convince your sister to be patient!

 

[Talien]

confine her with you in your bedroom at night? She is likely scared and lonely in her new envirinment and might do better sleeping in your room.

This would be my suggestion as well, bring her into your room at night and see if that makes any difference.

 

[traveil]

Hi all, firstly, she is confined to only my room as she isn’t vaccinated. Because she was sick at the moment, vaccination might further stress her in this new environment. I have actually bought a scratching post for her to play on but seems like she doesn’t use it at all. I do spend at least 2-3 hours in the room either touching her or just plainly observing her. She likes to stare at the door and especially with her feet getting better, she almost ran out of the room. With the reason she is NOT vaccinated, and hasn’t been given necessary bath and all, she has to be confined to my room and not being able to roam around freely in my house. Plus, I have yet to catify my house, it’s unsafe. Everyone treats her like one big bacteria lol. Also, I tried to sleep with her during her first few days but I realised she is not peeing and pooping for 2 days straight so I actually left her in a room by herself to give her privacy. With her being here, this is actually quite a big leap for my family as they initially didn’t even want to accept her into the house. I do not have other pets, she’s our first furry friend over here, that’s why I constantly asks for advice in this forum. I’ll be heeding all your advices to get cat treats for her and more catnip toys too. I really do wish she stays here long term but my sister is stressing me up. She occasionally says “I think she meows because she is used to outdoors.”

I’m taking her to the vet on Thursday for a follow up on her status, maybe meanwhile I will ask the vet to vaccinate her if she’s alright.

 

[msaimee]

Hi, just wanted to let you know, humans can't catch any of the illnesses cats are vaccinated against. If she had rabies, and bit you deeply enough to break the skin, you could get rabies, but there hasn't been a cat to human transmission of rabies in decades. It is extremely rare. If she had rabies, she would have been presenting symptoms by now. I just wanted to give you a little peace of mind about that.

It sounds like you're doing all you can do. Once she gets a clean bill of health from the vet, you could perhaps consider having her as an indoor/outdoor cat if she continues to cry at night. One of my six cats is an indoor/outdoor cat, she spends nights outside unless weather is frigid. But I live on a dead end street with a patch of woods around, with neighbors who love her. It may or may not be a good idea for you depending on your situation. Just wanted to let you know there are options

 

[katsup92]

Definitely recommend playing with her right before bed. Although with her injury that might be tough, so see if she's interested or not. I get more sleep on the nights when I play with my Jo before bed. If I don't there is a significant increase in the amount of meowing while I'm trying to sleep.

You can also try rotating her toys so she has different 'day' and 'night' toys. The night toys should be quiet and not have bells, etc. Enjoy teaching her how to play!

 

[traveil]

It’s not possible for her to be an indoor/outdoor cat as I am living on the 14th floor. It's the night meowing that is driving me crazy and also the peer pressure from my sibling stating if she doesn't stop, she will have to go. I haven't been sleeping peacefully the past few days...it's dreadful. I really love her but if this continues on, i think i am not able to handle it. She doesn't response to toys and i am lost on what to do with her. I can't stop her meowing and i can't ignore her when she does...my confidence in keeping this stray is becoming smaller and smaller everyday. During the day, i have anxiety where she gets bored and meow whole day and during the night, i have anxiety where she meows and disturb others.. I'm on my wits end. :'(

 

[shadowsrescue]

The only thing I can tell you is to please keep trying. She needs time to settle. It also seems that she does not know how to play. This is something you will have to teach her. She has been outside for awhile and really needs time to adjust. If you set her back outside, you will worry and worry about her safety. I know this time is hard.

Are you sleeping with her? Is she at all comforted by you petting her? What kinds of toys are you using with her? Many cats like wand toys or things that move quickly. I often use an old shoe lace and hide part of it under a small towel. I then pull the string quickly or slowly for the cat to watch the movement under the towel. My cats love to pounce on the towel.

Are you using any catnip or any calming treats to help at night? Have you thought of using a white noise machine? During the day, can you leave some soft music playing for her?

 

[traveil]

The only thing I can tell you is to please keep trying. She needs time to settle. It also seems that she does not know how to play. This is something you will have to teach her. She has been outside for awhile and really needs time to adjust. If you set her back outside, you will worry and worry about her safety. I know this time is hard.

Are you sleeping with her? Is she at all comforted by you petting her? What kinds of toys are you using with her? Many cats like wand toys or things that move quickly. I often use an old shoe lace and hide part of it under a small towel. I then pull the string quickly or slowly for the cat to watch the movement under the towel. My cats love to pounce on the towel.

Are you using any catnip or any calming treats to help at night? Have you thought of using a white noise machine? During the day, can you leave some soft music playing for her?

I am not sleeping with her, she is left in a room all by herself. I tried sleeping with her since she was continuously meowing but it didn’t stop her. She just keeps meowing and rubbing her head on me when I’m on the bed. I do not know what she wants from me...I also just bought her a feather wand toy and she just plainly ignores it. Sometimes she just find it really irritating and uses her paw to swipe it but I don’t see her actually moving her body. There’s music playing for her during the day too. I haven’t bought any catnip or calming treats to test yet but will try. I will feed her morning at 7am, after I accompanied her for an hour and night when I’m going to sleep in order she don’t meow at night. Am I doing the right thing? Will she get hungry in between? Vet actually mentioned she has lost weight...but to me she’s eating well... Oh and she doesn’t like dry food, she will eat a bit but prefers wet food.

 

[msaimee]

Has she fully recovered from her injury?
Here are some of the problems with releasing her back outside.

Would she have a consistent food source? She has become dependent on you for food now. If you put out her back outside, she will be stressed unless you're feeding her outside consistently on a regular basis
What is the climate like in your area? You would want to provide some kind of shelter for her if you have harsh winters. Are your neighbors friendly to her? If not they could poison her or worse.

From my experience, its more exhausting and stressful to care for an outdoor only cat than to keep a cat indoors. I did it for four and a half years with a feral I couldn't trap or get into my house. It was exhausting, worrisome when he was sick or injured, and ultimately heartbreaking when he got FIV during a cat fight, became seriously I'll and had to be euthanized. If you care about this cat you will always be worried about her outside, and it will be much worse than temporary sleep deprivation.

I would implore you to try to find a home for her rather than putting her outside. I'm against shelters because some cats either go completely nuts bring confined in a small cage 24/7, or they completely give up on life. It's between a rock and a hard place whether you should put her back outside or take her to a shelter. I'm conflicted about that one because both options are heartbreaking.

She is a stray, not a feral, so she will eventually calm down.

First, cat proof your home. It shouldn't be too difficult to do, she's not a wild feral trying to escape, and she's not a kitten climbing up curtain rods. Do what cat proofing you feel is necessary and give her the run of the house. This will reduce meowing, and that is the goal, right? You will not catch any diseases from her, people don't catch cat illnesses from cats. Pregnant women should not handle cat litter, that is all.

Leave dry food out for him 24/7. Experiment with different flavors and brands. He will like something.

Get Mac's ear plugs, or close your door and run the AC at night.

Wand toys and laser toys are interactive. You engage the cats with them. Playing with her will help her to bond to you. Encourage your family members to engage with her as well.

I hope you will take to heart these and the other suggestions people have offered. We have all had a lot of experience working with cats and want what's best for you and this kitty!

 

[Buffster7]

Hi, I can't add anything to the wonderful suggestions that have been given, but I wanted to thank you for giving this little girl a chance.
My cat was a stray when I took him in, and he also cried all night at first. Ear plugs helped me so much! It took a few weeks, and one night he jumped up on the corner of my bed and slept there. He now sleeps quietly next to me all night. Hang in there, it will get better if you can just hang in there long enough. The years of joy and love this little girl will bring you will be worth the weeks of stress and lost sleep. I will pray that she settles down soon!

 

[shadowsrescue]

You may need to teach her how to play. Cats like to chase prey. They like to jump and dive for birds, rodents, bugs, etc.. So when you use the wand toy, don't just move it around on the ground, make it move like prey would. You may have to try different toys for her. Usually hiding a shoe string or other long string under a towel and then pulling it out will get many cats interested. You could also sprinkle some catnip on the towel and see if she will react that way.

I also would leave dry food out during the day and night right now. She may not like the kind you are feeding her so try something new.

If it were me, I would sleep with her. She is butting up against you as she trusts you and wants you to pet her. Pet her and comfort her and see if she will calm with you there. I know what sleepless nights are like. Yet, most cats will settle down within 7-10 days. Buy your sister some ear plugs. I would also explain to her the dangers of releasing her back outside. And as msaimee stated, it is much for difficult and worrisome to care for outside feral/stray cats.

Most of us here have brought feral/stray cats inside and know the difficulty at first. Yet, when given a chance, the cats all adapt nicely.

I will caution you of letting her outside of your room right now. She may try to dart out an open door so use a lot of caution and supervision when she is out of your room. This will mean talking to other family members who live in your apartment.

We are all here to help and encourage you!

 

[Talien]

I am not sleeping with her, she is left in a room all by herself. I tried sleeping with her since she was continuously meowing but it didn’t stop her. She just keeps meowing and rubbing her head on me when I’m on the bed. I do not know what she wants from me...I also just bought her a feather wand toy and she just plainly ignores it. Sometimes she just find it really irritating and uses her paw to swipe it but I don’t see her actually moving her body. There’s music playing for her during the day too. I haven’t bought any catnip or calming treats to test yet but will try. I will feed her morning at 7am, after I accompanied her for an hour and night when I’m going to sleep in order she don’t meow at night. Am I doing the right thing? Will she get hungry in between? Vet actually mentioned she has lost weight...but to me she’s eating well... Oh and she doesn’t like dry food, she will eat a bit but prefers wet food.

If she's in a room by herself that is more than likely part of the problem as constant meowing like that is almost always a cry for attention. She is bored and lonely, play with her more often and do some basic Cat-proofing (secure cabinet doors, block off access to areas you don't want her going like behind or underneath appliances, if you leave windows open for ventilation make sure they all have screens in them, etc.) so she can come out into the rest of the house and you will see much of the crying start to go away.

Something else that may help is adding another Cat, but since she is older and less active it may not help as much as it would with a younger Cat.

If she doesn't like dry food and prefers canned food that is a good thing and should be encouraged. Dry food is junk, it is the worst thing to feed a Cat no matter how "high quality" the ingredients are. Cats do not normally drink much water and get their moisture requirements from whatever prey animals they catch, so canned food is much better for them since it is high in moisture. Dry food is convenient for us Humans because it is cheap and easy, but not so good for Cats.

 

[msaimee]

Ok, so you are getting a bit of conflicting advice. Here's the thing. If you are at your wits end and thinking of putting her back outside, you have nothing to lose by giving her run of the house. You also have nothing to lose by leaving out 24/7 a few different kinds of dry food. Try it and see if she meows less. I feed my cats dry food in addition to wet food and various treats, and they are all healthy one is 19 years old now. So I don't agree that all dry food is junk. Also, there have been 2 cats that I allowed to just walk into my house and have free run of the house, no confinement, nothing, and they did fine. Is that the ideal or normal way? No. But there is no one single right way to do things, every cat and situation is different. If you are about ready to give up and put her out, it's better to try different things, I'm sure everyone will agree upon this point for this particular situation.

 

[shadowsrescue]

T traveil how are things going?

 

[traveil]

Hi all, an update. I have been overseas the week before so i couldn't update regularly. Things seems fine now, my sister seems more accepting of her (i hope). I feed her sheba wet canned food 85g one when i wake up, and another one when i'm back from work. I leave small amount of dry food for her when i'm out. She does still meow at the night but we just plainly ignored her and closed our doors to prevent hearing her. When i'm in the room, she does meow to catch my attention and jumps on my table when i ignore her. Whenever i am free, i would play with her. She likes the feather wand toy and she's not interested in the fake mouse i got for her. She looks absolutely great right now, her limping seems to be fully recovered - vet still doesn't know the cause. The first few days when she is here, my windows are tightly shut and there is no ventilation in the room except my fan. The windows is a squared window grill but i am still scared she can somewhat squeeze her way out of it. Because my family have been complaining about the smell in the room, i opened the window begrudgingly. Well, great news, she didn't suicide (phew). It got me so worried everyday when i'm work until i bought a mesh netting to secure on the windows. That made me feel so reassuring. She has been a curious cat and wanting to get of the room whenever we come in the room. At this point, i do feel bad for her but she cannot roam other areas in our house - excepting her into this house is already a big leap for my family. Even if time passes, i do not think she can roam other areas as my family doesn't like her fur. She can be out on supervised occasions. I'm also still trying to figure out how to get my bed fur-less. On the other hand, i couldn't get myself to sleep in a room with her as she hasn't had her bath and vaccination yet. I'll try when she gets all these done as i need my bed back. Now as i am typing, she's sleeping away on the bed...not sure whether this is a good thing or not because it means she will become active later at night (oh no). I googled online and I am 100% sure she's a tortie cat breed and heres a picture.

 

[shadowsrescue]

Thank you for the update! I am so happy that she is doing better.

You are fine to sleep with her as cat illnesses cannot be transferred to humans. Is she dirty? Most cats don't need a bath unless they have fleas or they got into something and grooming will not get it off.

As for the smell, what type of litter are you using and how often do you clean the litter box? Clumping litter will help with odor control. It's best if you can clean the litter box 2x a day. This will cut down on the odor. Also dumping the box completely and washing the litter pan once a month or so. I keep a container of cleaning wipes by the litter box and spot clean around the sides.

I am glad you have some window protection for her. That really scares me that she could try to get out.

When does she go back to the vet for vaccines? Maybe the vet will bathe her for you too. I gather she stopped limping as she has been able to rest and not have to travel around outside. That is very good news!

I hope that your family will be accepting of her and allow her some time out of your room. Maybe you can teach them to understand and love her like you do! Would they come into your room to meet her?

You can use a masking tape roller to help get the fur off of your bed. It also might help if you are able to brush her. Most cats like to be brushed. This would really cut down on ther amount of fur.

She certainly is a beauty! What is her name?

 

[traveil]

Thank you for the update! I am so happy that she is doing better.

You are fine to sleep with her as cat illnesses cannot be transferred to humans. Is she dirty? Most cats don't need a bath unless they have fleas or they got into something and grooming will not get it off.

As for the smell, what type of litter are you using and how often do you clean the litter box? Clumping litter will help with odor control. It's best if you can clean the litter box 2x a day. This will cut down on the odor. Also dumping the box completely and washing the litter pan once a month or so. I keep a container of cleaning wipes by the litter box and spot clean around the sides.

I am glad you have some window protection for her. That really scares me that she could try to get out.

When does she go back to the vet for vaccines? Maybe the vet will bathe her for you too. I gather she stopped limping as she has been able to rest and not have to travel around outside. That is very good news!

I hope that your family will be accepting of her and allow her some time out of your room. Maybe you can teach them to understand and love her like you do! Would they come into your room to meet her?

You can use a masking tape roller to help get the fur off of your bed. It also might help if you are able to brush her. Most cats like to be brushed. This would really cut down on ther amount of fur.

She certainly is a beauty! What is her name?

Hi! We do use baby wet wipes to wipe her occasionally. I am actually a semi clean freak so i do mind her "dirtiness" as she has been an outdoor cat half of her life. Well, i've seen her rolling in the sand...rolling on the ground...rolling everywhere i deemed dirty..so please excuse me for not sleeping with her. But I do tend to rest on the bed to accompany her sometimes. Sleeping with her also need some adjusting, i am a light sleeper and if she meows, i can't help to not ignore her. Even now when i'm sleeping in another room, i can't ignore her meows at night. Baby steps!..

I clean her litter box every morning and night the same time i feed her. She poops a lot. Haha. She's using snappy tofu cat litter, i got it in a rush as it was at a discounted price. She uses it so i guess i'm alright. Do you recommend other brands? The room smells like cat litter which i don't mind but my family always says it smells weird. I guess it's personal preference..

Actually before i went on holiday, i visited the vet. As he does not know the cause of her limping, he wants her to finish her meds first before he vaccinate in order not to implicate her "injuries". I'm bringing her back next week hopefully i can get her cleaned up too.

One of my sibling does come in to play with her and the other just comes in and goes while my parents like to look at her from outside. It's ok, i don't mind. As long as they are accepting of her, i'm alright. They love her like i do just that they don't touch her. I guess the talks of sending back her is still there but i just keep my mouth shut hoping they don't mention it.

I will be getting a lint brush and i'm not sure if it works but i'll try. I'm ordering tons of cat toys for her in order to keep her interested. A cat ceiling too. My sister says i spent too much unnecessary stuff on her..but i can't help it. She likes the scratching post and i got her various kinds..

I haven't thought of her name yet but we just call her blacky as for now. xD

 

[msaimee]

I'm happy to hear she us adjusting well to her new home!

It really helps to groom cats often, it cuts down on their shedding. You can use a cat comb or brush. Most cats love being groomed, it feels good to them. This would help keep her clean as well as cut down on the amount of fur you see in your house. It will also help you to bond with her even more.

I have 5 cats inside my house, plus an indoor and outdoor cat. I vacuum every day. There is no way to completely eliminate all fur around the house, but daily vacuuming the carpet and floor and frequent grooming the cats really does help.

I hope that your family will grow to accept her so she can have the run of the house. I am almost certain that once she is able to have access to other rooms that the meowing will stop. It's a good idea to gradually allow her supervised access like you are doing. Once she settles in more and has access to the rest of your house, if she sleeps on the bed with you, she will likely not meow. Two of my cats sleep on the bed with me and are quiet and sleep through the night.

Congrats on all of the progress you've made with her.