I Got My Feral In The House Today!

[maggiedemi]

I just call every meal Dinner, they know their names, they call each other boyfriend/girlfriend, Treat, C'mon, Get in Your Cage, go see your boyfriend/girlfriend, Hurry (means run faster), Side Side (out in the garage). They used to know Cellar, but I don't really go down there with them much, so I think they forgot. "Your friend", means come look out the window at the neighbor's cat. They are really smart. Demi was hollering his head off and I go to Maggie, "Go see your boyfriend." And she ran to check on him for me.

 

[walli]

that sounds really nice, I talk to Walli and tell her about how she is going to run around the house, sit on the couch with me.
I tell her she will get on the counter and watch me cook, even tho, she's not suppose to get on the counter
I can't wait! I know I will let her on the counter!!

 

[maggiedemi]

My favorite is "Get in your cage" and they go right in their carrier on command. I bet nobody believes me, but it's true!

 

[walli]

I believe you, wish Walli would do it!

 

[walli]

I gotta funny!
I was baking a cake for my dad's birthday last night.
I was pouring the batter into the pans by the stove, I turn around and Joeys licking the beaters!

 

[maggiedemi]

LOL! I love Joey. Maggie's the same way, bake a loaf of bread and next thing you know she's lying on the table beside it. She probably licked it too.

 

[walli]

Walli came in the house and took a couple bites of her breakfast while I was cleaning her litter box!! yay! super baby step, but I'll take it!
took a couple bites, then went back out to the catio

 

[maggiedemi]

That's wonderful, pal!

 

[walli]

hee hee Thanks Pal!

 

[walli]

Tiny update on Walli:
Just when I start worrying and thinking she needs to be released (I won't) but I think about it, and try and figure out a way that would work.

Today I was sitting outside with her by her catio, just playing a game on my iPad and talking to her, (she was sitting on the bottom of the catio) and I look up at her and she is on her back with her belly exposed. I don't think I have ever seen her do that. It made me so happy. Super baby step, but a good one.
She has been waiting at the bedroom window to come in for breakfast while I'm feeding her, she hisses at me to let me know she is right there.

I'm still hoping by winter Walli will be less afraid and Joey won't be so hyper and aggressive, Joey really is the problem, he's kind of aggressive.
I think I will only get 1 more chance with their intro's so I can't afford a mistake.
sometimes I think I need to rehome Joey for Wallis's sake but I hope they can become friends, I just wish he wasn't so hyper, He seems like he is maybe Semi-Feral.

He is still young, it's been 5 months since the nueter, I hope he grows out of this aggressiveness. He is going to be about 1 yr old pretty soon.

 

[tabbytom]

Showing belly up is a good sign that she feels safe and comfortable around you. Keep doing what you are doing and soon it'll be a 100% confident cat

 

[1CatOverTheLine]

I just call every meal Dinner,

M maggiedemi - Wait! What about the songs? Don't you sing, "breakfast time for kitty cats," to the tune of The Teddy Bears' Picnic, and "Kitties don't like Cap'n Crunch; kitties get roast beef for lunch," "Suppertime, and the livin' is easy???"
.

 

[maggiedemi]

1CatOverTheLine --I did make up a little song for Maggie once about how beautiful she is, but she gave me a horrified look and ran away.
W walli --Pal that's wonderful that Walli showed her tummy. That means she's relaxed with you! Oh please don't rehome Joey. I think they will become friends. Maybe put him in his carrier in the catio. What's the worst that could happen? My cats never hurt each other through the carrier. What does Joey do that's aggressive?

 

[walli]

Yes I think the belly up was a super sign!

Joey is not a cuddly kitty, I'm trying to teach him. He bites too, that is slowing down tho.

Joey is so hyper he would run up to Walli, I'm not sure but I think he would start a fight, they did have a fight when Joey escaped and ran up to her before the house fumigation, so I'm very cautious. I think there might be some territorial thing going on with Joey.
I have to work with him more, I have decided I have not spent enough time with these cats for the results I want. So it's on me!

I'm giving myself till winter, I think Walli will be in the house more.
plus my worst case scenario is getting another catio putting it next to Wallis' and let them socialize outside. Her Catio is kind of small so I couldn't put Joey in a crate in there.

I learn so much on this site, pretty much my lifeline right now, knowing others care as much as I do!
ps. I have no clue what those songs are!
I do sing to Walli tho!

 

[maggiedemi]

Oh, I thought Joey was cuddly. Is he friendly? My cats don't bite, but they still scratch me sometimes. I need to be more consistent in telling them No...Do you have any gates you could try?...I've never done the "ignore the cat and let them come to you" thing that other people swear by. I think I told you before, I just did the happy excited voice, let's do this, let's do that. Maybe you can hold Joey up and say "Walli, here's your brother!" Make it sound exciting. I just make these things up as I go along, but some of my crazy ideas do work.

 

[walli]

Joeys friendly but I'm thinking he's a bit feral
sometimes he lays on the bed with me and he will be touching me
but he doesn't like to be held for very long.
He is progressing tho, they Both need time, I have been putting treats on me and make him come and get them
I don't think he has ever had cuddly human contact, I think he will come around tho.

When Joey first came to the house I put him on Wallis's bed and she just looked at him, no problems. It was when he escaped out of his part of the house that he ran up to her and probably freaked her out, she prolly didn't know what he was doing.

I do have baby gates up, I have them on hinges so they are easy to open and close, I close Joey in the back part of the house at night and when we are at work.

 

[maggiedemi]

Can they come up to each other at the gates? I'm trying to picture how everything is set up. Demi is exactly the same way! He won't sit on my lap anymore, but lays on the bed with me, touching me and sucking on my blanket. I can pick both of them up, but I just have to watch their claws, sometimes they will try to twist around and get me. I'd love to get them to stop doing this, but I suck at discipline. They do know what NO means, I just don't say it very often.

 

[walli]

They could see each other at the baby gates if Walli would go out of the room to them, she might have done this, not sure yet.
I might draw out my house layout, it's a hard to explain layout, there is plenty of space, just waiting on these 2!!

I cleaned Wallis' catio yesterday, a bit of a setback for Walli, It scared her into the room and she was not at the window for breakfast! It was really bad, had to be done tho, I try to limit the catio cleanings.

Walli was losing quite a bit of hair, it's slowing down now tho.
Her pee is starting to be normal, super duper happy about that.
this is my main concern for her right now, I prolly shouldn't have cleaned her catio, don't want her to have a setback in the pee area!

 

[maggiedemi]

What do you use to clean the catio? Do you just vacuum or are there other products you use? I need to clean my cats' kitty highway, but they are wooden shelves, so not sure what to use. The stuff with carpeting, I can probably use the steam cleaner.

 

[walli]

I vacuumed all the spider webs and styrofoam she tore up, and cat hair.
The closed in part of the catio has styrofoam for when she lived in it during the winter.
I recently got her a cedar log, hope she starts using that instead!!
for the wood, I would use all purpose cleaner or just soap and water?