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- Dec 9, 2004
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A month ago I took in a 1-2 year old feral male, Beau (I've spoken about him in another thread). He's been coming along bit by bit, and, fortunately, is not an aggressive boy (yes, he got neutered). I've been doing the "ignoring" thing, keeping to a schedule, reading aloud, and leaving treats (catnip, his favorite...he refuses to touch food treats). He's been making progress, he now feels comfortable coming out of his hiding place while I'm in the room, and will eat, groom, and (infrequently) use the litter box in my presence. He gets along famously with my two other foster kittens (5 & 9 months old).
Over the last 3 days, his behavior has changed slightly. I don't know if it's progress, or not. In the initial stages he never hissed at me (I've always put a plate of food near the entrance to his hiding place) but the last few days he has. A couple of times when I'm in the room, he gives a little plaintive sound...not a growl, not quite a meow. That's the first sound I've ever heard out of him. Just now I was doing the nightly routine...new food, clean water, clean the pans, and reading aloud. He was initially calm, then came down on the floor, and paced back and forth, which he's never done before. I kept reading, but I could see him pace a bit closer, then farther from me, occasionally making that noise.
Is he maybe thinking about approaching me, or does it sound like his anxiety is actually increasing? I know without actually seeing him yourselves, it is probably hard to know. This is my first adult feral, so I'm not so sure of his "language". I have to say, it was a bit unnerving because he started walking back and forth pretty briskly. When he stopped for a bit, I ended my reading and left because I was starting to feel a bit anxious, and I didn't want him to pick up on that. Is the fact that he now will sometimes hiss at me a sign that he's feeling less petrified & more confident, or that he's more agitated? Sorry this is so long, but after a month of same ol' same ol' with him, any change seems drastic.
Over the last 3 days, his behavior has changed slightly. I don't know if it's progress, or not. In the initial stages he never hissed at me (I've always put a plate of food near the entrance to his hiding place) but the last few days he has. A couple of times when I'm in the room, he gives a little plaintive sound...not a growl, not quite a meow. That's the first sound I've ever heard out of him. Just now I was doing the nightly routine...new food, clean water, clean the pans, and reading aloud. He was initially calm, then came down on the floor, and paced back and forth, which he's never done before. I kept reading, but I could see him pace a bit closer, then farther from me, occasionally making that noise.
Is he maybe thinking about approaching me, or does it sound like his anxiety is actually increasing? I know without actually seeing him yourselves, it is probably hard to know. This is my first adult feral, so I'm not so sure of his "language". I have to say, it was a bit unnerving because he started walking back and forth pretty briskly. When he stopped for a bit, I ended my reading and left because I was starting to feel a bit anxious, and I didn't want him to pick up on that. Is the fact that he now will sometimes hiss at me a sign that he's feeling less petrified & more confident, or that he's more agitated? Sorry this is so long, but after a month of same ol' same ol' with him, any change seems drastic.