Just trapped 1 y/o feral kitty-thinking of socializing her...

[RmF]

Hi everyone. I brought kitty home from getting spayed a few hours ago. She is in the trap in my garage, I have a carpet under her cage, pee pads, cage is covered, etc. The history-I've been feeding her on my porch all summer and I have a soft spot for her. When outside I talked to her when I saw her, she is kinda afraid of me, but not afraid enough not to eat with me about 10' away. I put the trap out yesterday, and I got her! She has not hissed or growled at me, but she was huffing when she initially got trapped. I just gave her some food, talking softly the entire time, she sat on one side of the trap and stayed there, i put the cage divider in, after I gave her food I looked at her, and she closed her eyes partly. I need advice as I have never done this before (I have many pet cats), but reading about socializing an adult feral (I realize it's hard work) doesn't sound to promising....

 

[tabbytom]

Hi everyone. I brought kitty home from getting spayed a few hours ago. She is in the trap in my garage, I have a carpet under her cage, pee pads, cage is covered, etc. The history-I've been feeding her on my porch all summer and I have a soft spot for her. When outside I talked to her when I saw her, she is kinda afraid of me, but not afraid enough not to eat with me about 10' away. I put the trap out yesterday, and I got her! She has not hissed or growled at me, but she was huffing when she initially got trapped. I just gave her some food, talking softly the entire time, she sat on one side of the trap and stayed there, i put the cage divider in, after I gave her food I looked at her, and she closed her eyes partly. I need advice as I have never done this before (I have many pet cats), but reading about socializing an adult feral (I realize it's hard work) doesn't sound to promising....

QmF, welcome to TCS!

Thank you for taking in this kitty and having her spayed and for giving her a warm and fur-ever loving home and a safe sanctuary for her to live out her life

It's great to hear that she has not hissed or growled at you because she kind of have her trust in you. Huffing in the trapped is pretty normal as she may not have been trapped before and suddenly being ng trapped may jut jostle her fir awhile.

It is also good to hear that she blinked her eyes at you and this shows that she is comfortable with you and trust you. You may return this slow blink with her every time.

Let the garage be her safe place and visit her often and doing the soft talking to her. Let her calm down by making her feel at hone and she need to have compete trust in you which I guess it's no problem since she has already trusted you before.

Once you think it's ok to let her out, just open the cage door and let her venture out and explore the garage on her own and leave the cage door open just in case she needs to use it to take cover for awhile. Also make sure that the garage does bot have any nooks that she can go hide else you may have a problem getting her to come out if she goes hide in them.

Just make sure that she knows that you are the one giving her food and you are the one to trust. Also, cats go by familiar scents. Leave one or two clean unwashed non perfumed garments with her and place one further away from the cage and one in the cage. This is to calm her down as she is already used to your scents. Also you may take a small towel and if she lets you get her, use this small towel and gently clean her to get he scent and place the towel near the cage so that if she comes out of the cage, there's familiar scent of herself and she won't be afraid.

Do it step by step and don't rush her. Routine, patience with lots of love is the key to socializing her. Just don't give up and do not betray her trust. After awhile, you may slowly introduce her into the house.

Feel free to ask questions and there are no such thing as a stupid question here and many members here have the experience and they would like to share and help you and the kitty. And many members have socialize very feral cats to be a house cat.

Please do keep us updated of the progress.

 

[RmF]

Thank you for the tip about the garments, I will do that now!

 

[tabbytom]

Thank you for the tip about the garments, I will do that now!

Do show us photos of her if you have any

Here's an article for you to read and a video on how to have the cat trust you and how to pet them

adopting-a-stray-cat

736211323853504

 

[kittychick]

I second the enthusiastic welcome by tabbytom ! I'm SO glad you found your way to this site. It's filled with many people who are happy to offer suggestions and help (never be afraid to ask something as, it never ceases to amaze me that, no matter what the issue - chances are SOMEONE here has gone through whatever you need help with or have questions about!!!!), to listen, and to be a shoulder when you need one. In other words - you've come to the right place! Also check out the "articles" section on this site - - there are some great feral socialization articles there. You can also look (after you've looked here of course) at the website for a group called "Alley Cat Allies." They're a good, nationally-recognized group that basically pioneered the TNR movement. They do have sections on socializing there too.

You've gotten some great advice from tabbytom already. You've already taken a big (and SUPER important!) step - getting her spayed. You basically added years to her life already by spaying her. Most ferals live far shorter, often extremely difficult lives. Only 2 years is the average if they have no constant caretaker to give dependably give them food, water, and shelter - but it goes up some just by being fixed, because it reduces the chance of her getting several health issues (such as mammary cancer), and she won't spend her life being chased by non-neutered males. And most of all, she won't have to experience the difficulty of birth and raising kittens, as so many kittens just don't make it out there. And those that do just add to the huge number of already unwanted kitties out there. So trapping and spaying her was a GREAT first major step - ya done good so far!

First - she'll need to come out of the trap before too long. Traps aren't meant to house them for more than a day or so - but sounds like you're planning on letting her out of there soon bc you're trying to make plans to give this socializing a go! And yes - a 1 year-old feral is generally harder to socialize - but that's not saying it can't be done. MANY of us on here have socialized older cats. And you're right, it does take time. As someone here told me on here once - working on socializing a feral cat/kitten can be looked at as a way to learn more patience. And that it does!!!!!! So yes - it's likely to take more time then a kitten, but it's not impossible, and if you've got the time (and can work on the patience ) it can really end up being well worth it not just for the kitty, but for you too.

How many other cats do you have right now? Many of us on here socialize in different ways - - - so you may get many suggestions. Use what works best for you and for her (and your other guys!) - - because every cat is different (like people!). I actually start with a VERY large dog crate (as in Great Dane size) in the beginning, in which we put litter, food, water, and a small cat carrier w/o a door - or a box on its side will do too, and a large sheet to fully cover the crate, which will help her calm down (you can expose the front part of the day - but trust me, it'll calm her down here at the very beginning. We transfer them into there (make sure you do that VERY carefully - - I'm happy to offer suggestions if you want to go this way) - and then work with them in there until we feel a little better about letting them out into "their room" - as she'll need a place that's "just hers" if at all possible. You definitely don't want to introduce her to your existing guys yet - - - because she'll be very threatened by them, and likely vice versa. And it's a MILLION times easier to go forward slowly building a relationship with her and your others then it is to have a bad encounter and having to start "in the hole" relationship-wise.

If your garage will work for that - - as long as it doesn't get super hot in the summer (since it's REALLY hot this summer!) - - AND you won't be opening the door to back cars in and out, the garage is fine. Best, if possible at all, is a smaller room (like a spare bedroom) that can be "all hers" for now. We start ours in the giant dog crate in a spare bedroom, with no access to our other kitties.

And a great way to start building trust is to find out something that will tempt her toward you. Start slowly - - but I use what we all call "kitty crack" (Gerber's 2nd Stage baby food, Chicken and Gravy - - but that flavor only - most others contain things that cats shouldn't consume - I've attached a pic of it below). I always start by lying on the floor and talking softly, and periodically offer that on a long spoon. I've found that one of the biggest helps in socializing is just being in the room. Alot if possible!!!! I start taking to her in a sing-song voice (kitties usually do best with soft, high - re: usually female - voices) before I come in their room so she's never surprised by your presence. I know you'll feel dopey - but I do everything I can in the room where I socialize - I do my work (I'm a graphic designer and work from home, which helps) in there on the floor, all while talking softly, reading my emails/thepaper/a magazine etc out loud softly. You want her to learn you're not there to hurt her - and that YOU are the bringer of all things yummy! (my "sing song" usually includes a lyric or two about 'yummy kitty crack' ). And I leave a radio on softly in the room - - some people recommend classical - I often play NPR (lots of soft talking). It's calming, helps drown out other "house sounds" that will be scary right now to her, and gets her even more used to human voices.

Hope these suggestions help too! I (and many others here) can help guide you through this. It definitely CAN be done (I've done it with older kitties too - so it's possible)...and hopefully we'll be here to help you the whole way! Keep us posted!!!!!

 

[Jcatbird]

Bravo for helping her this far! If you have the space for her, a feral can definitely be socialized! I have nothing but former ferals here and some are total love bugs while others prefer to come snuggle when they chose. It is actually very promising that she slow blinked at you. I socialized over 100 and the malority got adopted so you know they were ready to be inside only love kitties. I could not find homes for all but the rest joined my current resident cats and all our family now. It takes time and every cat adjust at their own pace. I have had some take longer than others but also, the one I thought would be the most difficult completely fooled me and is my biggest snuggler. He adjust within a short time and has adopted me! Lol All of us who have taken in ferals have learned lots of tips from the kitties and will be happy to share. Thank you so much for saving her. I hope you make the choice to keep her with you. Ferals become the most grateful kitties. They no longer struggle to survive the elements, dodge predators or cars, have to worry about food, fear and can enjoy the security that love provides. Whatever you decide, getting her spayed has just given her a much better life.

 

[RmF]

Thank you so much for all the tips and the warm welcome. I'm happy to say she ate her food last night, but not this morning (yet) and her pain meds are in there. We have a large dog crate which I plan to mover her into, along with a small carrier she can hid in. We have 7 cats (5 Maine Coons, and 2 Devon Rex's) and our Lab. My husband and I show cats, so we're familiar with their body language. Our lab has chased this kitty when she was in our yard, so I suspect she will be afraid of our dog. Also, we are going out of town in 2 weeks...which I know will set us back to square 1. What are thoughts on keeping her outside on our porch for a couple weeks? We rescued an outdoor kitty years ago and kept her ouside until she got adopted. Our porch is not enclosed, but protected from weather, and it's quiet as everyone goes through our garage. The feral kitties eat on the other side of the porch. The kitty I trapped hangs out with another kitty, and it sounded like her 'friend' was calling for her the past 2 nights. Thoughts?

 

[Jcatbird]

It’s always a risk when you let them back out. It’s much harder to trap a second time. She will also be scared at first. She may take off and hide for a bit. If you can find a person to come and feed her inside you won’t lose as much ground. If you want to socialize for adoption, continuity is important. Being with her cat friend may help to keep her nearby. Tough time to need to leave. If she is somewhat socialized and trusts you, do you think she will stay put? The ferals May react to her differently now too. Can you get her friend? It would be helpful for her if they were together. Is the friend spayed/neutered?

 

[RmF]

I second the enthusiastic welcome by tabbytom ! I'm SO glad you found your way to this site. It's filled with many people who are happy to offer suggestions and help (never be afraid to ask something as, it never ceases to amaze me that, no matter what the issue - chances are SOMEONE here has gone through whatever you need help with or have questions about!!!!), to listen, and to be a shoulder when you need one. In other words - you've come to the right place! Also check out the "articles" section on this site - - there are some great feral socialization articles there. You can also look (after you've looked here of course) at the website for a group called "Alley Cat Allies." They're a good, nationally-recognized group that basically pioneered the TNR movement. They do have sections on socializing there too.

You've gotten some great advice from tabbytom already. You've already taken a big (and SUPER important!) step - getting her spayed. You basically added years to her life already by spaying her. Most ferals live far shorter, often extremely difficult lives. Only 2 years is the average if they have no constant caretaker to give dependably give them food, water, and shelter - but it goes up some just by being fixed, because it reduces the chance of her getting several health issues (such as mammary cancer), and she won't spend her life being chased by non-neutered males. And most of all, she won't have to experience the difficulty of birth and raising kittens, as so many kittens just don't make it out there. And those that do just add to the huge number of already unwanted kitties out there. So trapping and spaying her was a GREAT first major step - ya done good so far!

First - she'll need to come out of the trap before too long. Traps aren't meant to house them for more than a day or so - but sounds like you're planning on letting her out of there soon bc you're trying to make plans to give this socializing a go! And yes - a 1 year-old feral is generally harder to socialize - but that's not saying it can't be done. MANY of us on here have socialized older cats. And you're right, it does take time. As someone here told me on here once - working on socializing a feral cat/kitten can be looked at as a way to learn more patience. And that it does!!!!!! So yes - it's likely to take more time then a kitten, but it's not impossible, and if you've got the time (and can work on the patience ) it can really end up being well worth it not just for the kitty, but for you too.

How many other cats do you have right now? Many of us on here socialize in different ways - - - so you may get many suggestions. Use what works best for you and for her (and your other guys!) - - because every cat is different (like people!). I actually start with a VERY large dog crate (as in Great Dane size) in the beginning, in which we put litter, food, water, and a small cat carrier w/o a door - or a box on its side will do too, and a large sheet to fully cover the crate, which will help her calm down (you can expose the front part of the day - but trust me, it'll calm her down here at the very beginning. We transfer them into there (make sure you do that VERY carefully - - I'm happy to offer suggestions if you want to go this way) - and then work with them in there until we feel a little better about letting them out into "their room" - as she'll need a place that's "just hers" if at all possible. You definitely don't want to introduce her to your existing guys yet - - - because she'll be very threatened by them, and likely vice versa. And it's a MILLION times easier to go forward slowly building a relationship with her and your others then it is to have a bad encounter and having to start "in the hole" relationship-wise.

If your garage will work for that - - as long as it doesn't get super hot in the summer (since it's REALLY hot this summer!) - - AND you won't be opening the door to back cars in and out, the garage is fine. Best, if possible at all, is a smaller room (like a spare bedroom) that can be "all hers" for now. We start ours in the giant dog crate in a spare bedroom, with no access to our other kitties.

And a great way to start building trust is to find out something that will tempt her toward you. Start slowly - - but I use what we all call "kitty crack" (Gerber's 2nd Stage baby food, Chicken and Gravy - - but that flavor only - most others contain things that cats shouldn't consume - I've attached a pic of it below). I always start by lying on the floor and talking softly, and periodically offer that on a long spoon. I've found that one of the biggest helps in socializing is just being in the room. Alot if possible!!!! I start taking to her in a sing-song voice (kitties usually do best with soft, high - re: usually female - voices) before I come in their room so she's never surprised by your presence. I know you'll feel dopey - but I do everything I can in the room where I socialize - I do my work (I'm a graphic designer and work from home, which helps) in there on the floor, all while talking softly, reading my emails/thepaper/a magazine etc out loud softly. You want her to learn you're not there to hurt her - and that YOU are the bringer of all things yummy! (my "sing song" usually includes a lyric or two about 'yummy kitty crack' ). And I leave a radio on softly in the room - - some people recommend classical - I often play NPR (lots of soft talking). It's calming, helps drown out other "house sounds" that will be scary right now to her, and gets her even more used to human voices.

Hope these suggestions help too! I (and many others here) can help guide you through this. It definitely CAN be done (I've done it with older kitties too - so it's possible)...and hopefully we'll be here to help you the whole way! Keep us posted!!!!!

View attachment 349319

It’s always a risk when you let them back out. It’s much harder to trap a second time. She will also be scared at first. She may take off and hide for a bit. If you can find a person to come and feed her inside you won’t lose as much ground. If you want to socialize for adoption, continuity is important. Being with her cat friend may help to keep her nearby. Tough time to need to leave. If she is somewhat socialized and trusts you, do you think she will stay put? The ferals May react to her differently now too. Can you get her friend? It would be helpful for her if they were together. Is the friend spayed/neutered?

I know, the timing is bad on my part, as I initially planned to release. We heard a cat meowing the past 2 nights, it could have been her friend calling her. I do not think her friend is fixed (ear is not tipped). And 3 ferals are around my porch right now, which is an oddesy as they take turns eating even with 4 bowls. I contacted 4 shelters this afternoon with no luck (2 are closed-only taking appointments for adoption, 1 is full and 1 only takes kittens). My friend is also calling around as I'm typing this. I plan to TNR the rest of the kitties.

 

[ArchyCat]

Please don't return her to the outdoors! What are you doing with your other cats? A pet sitter?

 

[Jcatbird]

 

[RmF]

I second the enthusiastic welcome by tabbytom ! I'm SO glad you found your way to this site. It's filled with many people who are happy to offer suggestions and help (never be afraid to ask something as, it never ceases to amaze me that, no matter what the issue - chances are SOMEONE here has gone through whatever you need help with or have questions about!!!!), to listen, and to be a shoulder when you need one. In other words - you've come to the right place! Also check out the "articles" section on this site - - there are some great feral socialization articles there. You can also look (after you've looked here of course) at the website for a group called "Alley Cat Allies." They're a good, nationally-recognized group that basically pioneered the TNR movement. They do have sections on socializing there too.

You've gotten some great advice from tabbytom already. You've already taken a big (and SUPER important!) step - getting her spayed. You basically added years to her life already by spaying her. Most ferals live far shorter, often extremely difficult lives. Only 2 years is the average if they have no constant caretaker to give dependably give them food, water, and shelter - but it goes up some just by being fixed, because it reduces the chance of her getting several health issues (such as mammary cancer), and she won't spend her life being chased by non-neutered males. And most of all, she won't have to experience the difficulty of birth and raising kittens, as so many kittens just don't make it out there. And those that do just add to the huge number of already unwanted kitties out there. So trapping and spaying her was a GREAT first major step - ya done good so far!

First - she'll need to come out of the trap before too long. Traps aren't meant to house them for more than a day or so - but sounds like you're planning on letting her out of there soon bc you're trying to make plans to give this socializing a go! And yes - a 1 year-old feral is generally harder to socialize - but that's not saying it can't be done. MANY of us on here have socialized older cats. And you're right, it does take time. As someone here told me on here once - working on socializing a feral cat/kitten can be looked at as a way to learn more patience. And that it does!!!!!! So yes - it's likely to take more time then a kitten, but it's not impossible, and if you've got the time (and can work on the patience ) it can really end up being well worth it not just for the kitty, but for you too.

How many other cats do you have right now? Many of us on here socialize in different ways - - - so you may get many suggestions. Use what works best for you and for her (and your other guys!) - - because every cat is different (like people!). I actually start with a VERY large dog crate (as in Great Dane size) in the beginning, in which we put litter, food, water, and a small cat carrier w/o a door - or a box on its side will do too, and a large sheet to fully cover the crate, which will help her calm down (you can expose the front part of the day - but trust me, it'll calm her down here at the very beginning. We transfer them into there (make sure you do that VERY carefully - - I'm happy to offer suggestions if you want to go this way) - and then work with them in there until we feel a little better about letting them out into "their room" - as she'll need a place that's "just hers" if at all possible. You definitely don't want to introduce her to your existing guys yet - - - because she'll be very threatened by them, and likely vice versa. And it's a MILLION times easier to go forward slowly building a relationship with her and your others then it is to have a bad encounter and having to start "in the hole" relationship-wise.

If your garage will work for that - - as long as it doesn't get super hot in the summer (since it's REALLY hot this summer!) - - AND you won't be opening the door to back cars in and out, the garage is fine. Best, if possible at all, is a smaller room (like a spare bedroom) that can be "all hers" for now. We start ours in the giant dog crate in a spare bedroom, with no access to our other kitties.

And a great way to start building trust is to find out something that will tempt her toward you. Start slowly - - but I use what we all call "kitty crack" (Gerber's 2nd Stage baby food, Chicken and Gravy - - but that flavor only - most others contain things that cats shouldn't consume - I've attached a pic of it below). I always start by lying on the floor and talking softly, and periodically offer that on a long spoon. I've found that one of the biggest helps in socializing is just being in the room. Alot if possible!!!! I start taking to her in a sing-song voice (kitties usually do best with soft, high - re: usually female - voices) before I come in their room so she's never surprised by your presence. I know you'll feel dopey - but I do everything I can in the room where I socialize - I do my work (I'm a graphic designer and work from home, which helps) in there on the floor, all while talking softly, reading my emails/thepaper/a magazine etc out loud softly. You want her to learn you're not there to hurt her - and that YOU are the bringer of all things yummy! (my "sing song" usually includes a lyric or two about 'yummy kitty crack' ). And I leave a radio on softly in the room - - some people recommend classical - I often play NPR (lots of soft talking). It's calming, helps drown out other "house sounds" that will be scary right now to her, and gets her even more used to human voices.

Hope these suggestions help too! I (and many others here) can help guide you through this. It definitely CAN be done (I've done it with older kitties too - so it's possible)...and hopefully we'll be here to help you the whole way! Keep us posted!!!!!

View attachment 349319

Thank you for your reply. This is bad timing on my part as I'm going out of town in 2 weeks. I think it would be too stressful to move kitty round, so I've called 4 shelters to help, with no luck...2 are closed and only taking appointments to adopt out, 1 only takes kittens and the other is full. I see you are in Ohio, are you near NE Ohio and have any connections?

 

[moxiewild]

Thank you for your reply. This is bad timing on my part as I'm going out of town in 2 weeks. I think it would be too stressful to move kitty round, so I've called 4 shelters to help, with no luck...2 are closed and only taking appointments to adopt out, 1 only takes kittens and the other is full. I see you are in Ohio, are you near NE Ohio and have any connections?

I can say with near certainty that you will not find a rescue to take this kitty.

You might have a chance if it is a rescue or sanctuary that specifically takes feral/semi-feral cats (or has a barn/garden/working cat program), but otherwise, it’s honestly not a good use of your time. She would fair much better after you’re able to socialize her.

I would highly advise against release. The surgery + stress of being contained PLUS a stranger coming around to feed soon, means her likelihood of not returning is relatively higher than it would usually be. It’s the pet sitter coming around to feed and/or your absence that could really do her in.

I’ve had cats who were buddies who simply weren’t after I TNR’d one or both of them and/or one or both of them took off for a few weeks or a few months after TNR. I wouldn’t count on the buddy convincing her to stick around.

It’s unfortunately just really unpredictable what they’re going to do after release, and you being gone after she endures TNR trauma just elevates the risk that much more.

I assure you it’s not square one if you keep her crated while you’re away!

I’ve had to do the same thing several times now 2-4 weeks into socialization. Either the cat was unaffected, or they were actually more receptive (I think due to feeling more comfortable and secure in their new “territory” and also craving more stimulation after being away).

I agree that bringing the buddy in with her might also help her socialization, and also help her stay entertained while you’re away. Do you have a room or even bathroom or laundry room you could keep them in?

I realize that’s a lot to take on. Is the buddy friends with the other ferals?

Will you have a pet sitter? If so, will they only be coming around for food and litter duty, or will they be staying at your house?

If you keep her crated, there are things you can do to help offer her stimulation while you’re away. I’d be happy to share what we did in the same situation if you’re interested!