- Joined
- Jun 19, 2012
- Messages
- 32
- Purraise
- 2
About 6 weeks ago we noticed a Calico coming in our yard (we almost never see loose cats around here). I have no idea where she came from. She's smaller than our 10-month old. I'm just guessing she's maybe 8 months to a year old? I started putting food out immediately and she began showing up several times a day. I put a little cat bed out there and would see her sleeping in it in the middle of the night. I called my vet to ask if I was somehow able to catch her could I bring her in right away and they connected me to the vet tech. who is also a rescuer. She lent me a safety trap and a transfer cage. Of course the cat was scared to death and hissing/flailing around when she was trapped. I covered her immediately and was able to get her in the transfer cage. I felt bad about the whole thing and wondered if I was doing the right thing. When I brought her to the vet a few hours later she was much to freaked out to examine, but he was able to give her vaccinations and gave me antibiotic pills to put in her food for some smalls scratches and a little blood around a couple of her claws ( they said it probably happened because she was so upset in the trap). Arrangements were made to have her spayed the following week and while she was sedated for the spaying they drew blood, checked for fleas, mites and worms. All negative (yippee!) except for hookworms and roundworms. I have given her two doses of Nemex 10 days apart and I'm having her stool checked tomorrow hoping she's all cleared up.
On the advice of the rescuer we have been keeping her in a large pet cage/crate for the past month because we have two other cats, a busy household and literally no separate room or even bathroom to keep her in. I don't know if this was really the right thing to do or not. She spent the first week in the crate in the basement and then we transferred her up upstairs. There was an incident while she was in the basement where I stupidly thought I could pick her up and put her in the transfer cage to go for the spaying, but she got very scared and escaped into the basement. I borrowed the trap again and caught her the following evening. There were some rough moments along the way, but she has now adapted very well and become very comfortable. She has a litter pan, bedding area, toys and bowls that attach to the side of the cage. She does spend a lot of time sleeping in the litter pan, but my vet said that's because she feel safe in there right now and hopefully that will stop once she's out of the cage. I keep the litter pan meticulously clean and she never stays in it if she's gone to the bathroom.
She took to me almost immediately and by the second day I could brush her with a brush I taped to a long handle. A couple of days later she let me pet her head and would lick whipped cream off my fingers (I figured that was a good way to show her my hands weren't something to be feared). She would let me sit on the floor near the back of the cage (where she pretty much stayed) and just visit with her. I named her Monks (after my favorite stuffed animal as a kid). Now she lets me rub her whole body, belly, paws and tail included, lets me groom her with a comb & brush, even wipe her down with special cat wipes (since I can't bathe her). She'll rub her cheeks on my hands and pulls my hand back with her paw sometimes when I stop petting her. She loves to play with her toys and very much enjoys me just sitting near her cage and reading. I play classical or flute music for her and have done everything I can think of to make her feel safe, happy and loved. Our 10-month old kitten/cat named Lester (silly name I know) has become like a buddy to her and they paw each other (gently) through the cage, go nose-to-nose and seem to really like each other. My older cat named Kid (another silly one) will sniff around a little and even hangs out in a cat bed in the same room sometimes, but will growl at Monks when she goes up to the cage. I kind of expected this though because the Kid is this way with every person and every cat she meets unfortunately. She is incredibly loving to me though and I adore her. I understand this is just her personality. She is like a big, furry black bear instead of a cat. Anyway.....
The only real problem we're having with Monks is she seem deathly afraid of faces and hair! If my mother (older lady) puts her face or head too close to the cage she'll hiss and sometimes even swipe at her with her paw. She has no problem being petted by my mom or when she puts food in her crate and cleans the litter pan. No problems or fear there. I have enough sense now not to put my face too close and even if I get too close for comfort she'll hiss at me, but doesn't try to strike me. Do you think this fear will subside once she's out of the cage?? Will we always have to be afraid of putting our faces/head to close to her? What exactly scares her about out faces and hair? I've just never experienced this before with any cat, so I have no idea why this is happening. I have tried to show her the other cats feel safe being right next to my face by hugging them and kissing them on the head, etc.
Assuming the worms are gone I'd like to start the uncaging process tomorrow afternoon. She has put both paws outside the cage a few times and shown an interest in possibly coming out. I have no idea the right way to go about it and would really appreciate advice. Should I just leave the door open, pet her and she if she starts to venture out? Should I immediately move her litter pan and food to the floor or should I leave them in there and set up extra new ones on the floor? How will I know when to dismantle the cage completely? As soon as she comes out or should I leave it up and open for a few days or even weeks? What do I do if she hides under a bed or something and doesn't want to come out?
I've done my best so far to try and do everything the right way, so I don't want to mess this up or cause her any extra stress. Please help me understand the proper way to go about it and also about her fear of faces/hair.
Thank you in advance!
Laurie
On the advice of the rescuer we have been keeping her in a large pet cage/crate for the past month because we have two other cats, a busy household and literally no separate room or even bathroom to keep her in. I don't know if this was really the right thing to do or not. She spent the first week in the crate in the basement and then we transferred her up upstairs. There was an incident while she was in the basement where I stupidly thought I could pick her up and put her in the transfer cage to go for the spaying, but she got very scared and escaped into the basement. I borrowed the trap again and caught her the following evening. There were some rough moments along the way, but she has now adapted very well and become very comfortable. She has a litter pan, bedding area, toys and bowls that attach to the side of the cage. She does spend a lot of time sleeping in the litter pan, but my vet said that's because she feel safe in there right now and hopefully that will stop once she's out of the cage. I keep the litter pan meticulously clean and she never stays in it if she's gone to the bathroom.
She took to me almost immediately and by the second day I could brush her with a brush I taped to a long handle. A couple of days later she let me pet her head and would lick whipped cream off my fingers (I figured that was a good way to show her my hands weren't something to be feared). She would let me sit on the floor near the back of the cage (where she pretty much stayed) and just visit with her. I named her Monks (after my favorite stuffed animal as a kid). Now she lets me rub her whole body, belly, paws and tail included, lets me groom her with a comb & brush, even wipe her down with special cat wipes (since I can't bathe her). She'll rub her cheeks on my hands and pulls my hand back with her paw sometimes when I stop petting her. She loves to play with her toys and very much enjoys me just sitting near her cage and reading. I play classical or flute music for her and have done everything I can think of to make her feel safe, happy and loved. Our 10-month old kitten/cat named Lester (silly name I know) has become like a buddy to her and they paw each other (gently) through the cage, go nose-to-nose and seem to really like each other. My older cat named Kid (another silly one) will sniff around a little and even hangs out in a cat bed in the same room sometimes, but will growl at Monks when she goes up to the cage. I kind of expected this though because the Kid is this way with every person and every cat she meets unfortunately. She is incredibly loving to me though and I adore her. I understand this is just her personality. She is like a big, furry black bear instead of a cat. Anyway.....
The only real problem we're having with Monks is she seem deathly afraid of faces and hair! If my mother (older lady) puts her face or head too close to the cage she'll hiss and sometimes even swipe at her with her paw. She has no problem being petted by my mom or when she puts food in her crate and cleans the litter pan. No problems or fear there. I have enough sense now not to put my face too close and even if I get too close for comfort she'll hiss at me, but doesn't try to strike me. Do you think this fear will subside once she's out of the cage?? Will we always have to be afraid of putting our faces/head to close to her? What exactly scares her about out faces and hair? I've just never experienced this before with any cat, so I have no idea why this is happening. I have tried to show her the other cats feel safe being right next to my face by hugging them and kissing them on the head, etc.
Assuming the worms are gone I'd like to start the uncaging process tomorrow afternoon. She has put both paws outside the cage a few times and shown an interest in possibly coming out. I have no idea the right way to go about it and would really appreciate advice. Should I just leave the door open, pet her and she if she starts to venture out? Should I immediately move her litter pan and food to the floor or should I leave them in there and set up extra new ones on the floor? How will I know when to dismantle the cage completely? As soon as she comes out or should I leave it up and open for a few days or even weeks? What do I do if she hides under a bed or something and doesn't want to come out?
I've done my best so far to try and do everything the right way, so I don't want to mess this up or cause her any extra stress. Please help me understand the proper way to go about it and also about her fear of faces/hair.
Thank you in advance!
Laurie