Need Help Socializing Feral Cat With Indoor Cats

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dbcatperson

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I’m sorry I couldn’t get back to you sooner—we got hit with some big problems so it’s been extra stressful lately. Not much to report yet with Bob. I blame this more on me for not pushing enough and not having more things outside of his kennel. He could be coming out at night but has been staying mostly in the kennel when I’m around to see him. My husband hasn’t had a chance to build his apartment. We are thinking of moving things around in his room this weekend—I just don’t think it’s set up right for him. Maybe for now we should get a cat tree in there until my husband can get the apartment built. I thought it would be good putting some of the toys in there that our other two cats play with but I think I’ll get him some new ones.

Hopefully things will improve for Bob soon and I'll actually see him outside of the kennel.

Thanks for checking on him.
 

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Thanks for the update. It would be a good idea to start enticing him to exit the kennel. If it goes on much longer, you may need to remove the kennel as he may not be choosing to come out on his own. It would be a good idea to move the litter box and feeding area out of the kennel. Then you will know that he is coming out. He may choose to wait until night time to eat, but as he gets used to things, he will adjust. You just have to give him some nudges along the way.
 
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Probably from being in there so long he’s afraid to leave the kennel, hey? plus my fault of feeling bad and keeping the food and water inside the kennel. Maybe we should give him one more week and then we could take the other carrier out with him in there and take down the kennel? Maybe if we had a couple other hiding places in the room for him, he’ll be okay?

I’m getting worried how we’ll ever get to trim his claws. The vet did trim them at his last appointment but I don’t know when we’ll be able to do that. I guess we have to take things one step at a time. Hopefully he won’t need them trimmed for a while.

We’ll see how things look next week with Bob.

Thanks!
 

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Before removing the kennel completely, I would first move the litter box and feeding area out. Give him time to get used to being out some of the time.

You do want hiding places, but you don't want them to be under or behind large furniture. Something like a cat tree with a hiding box is a perfect spot. You want him to feel safe, but also be more out in the open.

As for his nails, just be sure to give him lots of things to scratch on. Cat trees usually have sisal rope or even the carpeting on them for scratching. You also can get some horizontal scratching mats or boxes. You will have to figure out which he prefers. I have some cats that like vertical while other prefer horizontal.

Try a few catnip toys scattered in the room. It might make it easier to see if he has been out and about if the toys are moved. You could also just sprinkle a bit of catnip on a towel outside of the kennel and see if he does anything with it.
 
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Thanks. We’ll have to monitor how things are going when I have more things outside the kennel. We won’t take the kennel away from him too quickly. The cat tree we got him does have a vertical rope scratcher on it. I want to get one of the scratchers that lays on the ground as well. One of our cats loves the cardboard scratchers but won’t touch anything else. Our other cat only scratches our furniture so that’s frustrating.

We’re okay with the furniture in Bob's room and that he can’t go under the bookshelves but I want to add a couple things in there yet. Maybe a box with a hole cut out that he could hide in there? He has the two carriers to go in too. I’m not sure what else might work for him. Unfortunately the tree we got doesn’t have a good hiding spot—it just has a couple shelves and the scratcher. I have to try that yet with the towel and catnip—I forgot about that.

Thanks again!
 
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It’s been a while since I posted but I think we are going backwards with Bob. We made a big mistake on how we set his room up and we are having a hard time figuring out how to get the kennel out of there. Bob has been out of the kennel over a month but the problem is he’s been laying between the kennel and a file cabinet during the day and his back is against the wall so he can’t go anywhere but forward. I know sometimes he’s been growling and hissing when I go in there to feed him. Not always but sometimes. I can’t sit on the floor with him because I have bad knees but I try to bend over to talk to him. I think this is stressing him out more because I’m towering over him.

We would like to take the kennel out of there but we don’t know how to do that now. I was hoping for suggestions on how to tackle this. He won’t go in the carriers anymore.

He usually won’t eat during the day anymore either since he’s been out of the kennel. He mostly eats overnight and I know he plays with one of the toys that has catnip in it because it’s always missing the next day and I have to try and find it. He’s jumping up either on the desk or on the cat tree to maybe look out the window at night—I can hear him when he jumps down. I also heard him meowing overnight too.

We just want to get the kennel out of there to make more room but I don’t know how to do this without being attacked or without stressing him out too much. I feel like I need to start all over with him. I’m feeling so nervous every time I go in there since he growled at me.
 

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Is there anyway, you can get a chair to sit on or stool. Looming over him is never ever a good idea. It is truly doing more harm than good. He will continue to hiss and/or growl at you as he finds it very threatening.

I agree the kennel needs to get out of there. Is there a way to first move the filing cabinet? The entire process will scare him, but in the long run it is necessary. I gather the kennel is not collapsible? I truly do not believe he will try to attack you wile you are doing this. I would try to get him to be on the cat tree or desk. Just be sure that while you are moving the kennel that he cannot get out of the door. With 2 people in this room, he will most likely just hide. He will have to come out of the space between the filing cabinet and kennel, but should move when you approach and pick up the kennel. You also could try to box him in with a sturdy piece of cardboard. Use it more as a shield, to keep him back if necessary. Also you could wear long pants and long sleeves and gloves if that would make you feel better.

The biggest piece of advice I can give is to try and not be so nervous around him. He will pick up on your nervousness very quickly. This will in turn make him very nervous. Go into the room quietly. Say " Hi Bob, we are here to do a bit of rearranging. We are going to make this room even better for you.". Do not give any direct eye contact. Just talk quietly and calmly. You can tell him that his might take a few minutes, it might get loud, but that he is always safe.

I would do my best to get the kennel out ASAP, today if possible. He really needs to be out in the open more. Are you using Feliway? Have you tried any calming treats/supplements?

Let's concentrate on getting the kennel out of the room and then looking at ways to more forward. One step at a time. Steady and calm! I know you can do this and I am here to help talk you through it!
 
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Thanks for the reply. I do have a feliway diffuser plugged in but he doesn’t care for the treats I got him (vetriscience composure). Just once he ate them and wouldn’t touch them again.

My husband made a sliding door that blocks off part of the room that his computer is in so Bob has a little more than half the room and he gets the window. I don’t know why we didn’t think about this more and that Bob would use that space between the kennel and file cabinet which is making it harder now to take down the kennel--bad planning on our part. The kennel and the file cabinet are to the left when you walk in the doorway—the kennel is up against the wall and two bookshelves and the file cabinet is in the corner and Bob goes right in the middle. The window is straight ahead from the doorway with the cat tree under it. The desk is to the right side of the room. I’m really lost on how to handle this but maybe what you said about the cardboard might help. The kennel is collapsible but the problem is my husband had to add supports because he put two together so that could be a problem trying to get it out of there without using some tools. I was wondering how that would work to pull the kennel forward and have something for Bob to go in to hide behind the kennel then? But we would have to pull the kennel forward with him right next to it and try to put something behind it then. I wonder if there would be a way to hang up a sheet and block us off from Bob and pull the kennel through the sheet?

That really scared me the one day when he really seemed bent out of shape and was growling at me. That was last Friday. We really need to work with him more. It was very hectic for us the last couple months but things have calmed down that we should be able to put more time into Bob. I just hope this will work out with him. I should be able to bring a chair in there to sit by the doorway.

My husband works later today so we’ll probably have to try and do this tomorrow but I would like to start thinking about how to attack this without too much stress to Bob or us.

Back when we first brought Bob back home from the humane society and we were originally going to set him free, my husband had a container with a couple openings in it to have as a shelter for Bob to use outside. I was wondering if we should put that in his room or would that be a bad idea to have a place like that for him to hide in?
 

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You really really want him out in the open as much as possible. I would not put something else in there at this time unless it is a cozy bed that you can put in there for him. In order to get him more social, he needs to be out in the open more and more. You don't want any more hiding places where you cannot directly see him.

Putting a sheet up is an idea, but then you would not be able to see him. At this point, I think anything you do will cause some initial stress for all. Yet it is better to get it done soon so that things can progress forward.

Once the kennel is out of the room, I would suggest bringing a chair inside the room. You could just sit in the room with him and talk or read aloud to him. I used to bring a book or magazine and just sit and read. When I would enter the room, I would jingle a bag of treat so he knew I was coming. I tossed a treat in the cats direction and then sat down. Also be sure no direct eye contact. Just sit and read aloud to him or tell him about your day. After 10-15 minutes, you can leave and toss him another treat. It's ok if he doesn't eat it in your presence. In time he will get to know the sound of the treat bag and look forward to your visits. After a few days, make your visits a bit longer or do 2 visits in one day. This is a good starting point for him right now.
 
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Thanks for the great ideas. I forgot to mention that I was putting food and water both inside the kennel and outside and he’s been going by both. That’s one thing I’m so bad at—I keep looking at him in the eyes.

We have a cat bed in the room by him that is covered. I’ve never seen him in there but one day his toy was in there and some litter pieces that he was probably in there for a bit. So we should try to get away from any hiding places for him? Should we leave one of the carriers out yet? He use to go in there all the time when he was in the kennel but he doesn’t go by them now. When the kennel is out, I was wondering if it would be good to leave something behind that he knows? Or should we take them out too? I know originally we had planned to take half of the kennel apart and leave half in there to gradually get him use to it not being there but with him laying right by it, we just didn’t know how we were going to do that.

When I go in the room now, I’ll start talking right away and saying his name and that I’m just coming in to check on him. I’ll have to try that with the treats. I do leave some hairball treats and tartar control treats out and he does eat them.
 

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I would not leave out any of the carriers. Right now you really want him out in the open. He can get up on the cat tree or find other places. As for a cat bed, even a soft cozy blanket will do. Try sprinkling a bit of catnip on it.

I would take out all of the kennel. He isn't using it and you really want him out in the open now.

When you go in the room, greet him and keep your gaze down or over the top of his head. You want to do this for quite awhile. Once he settles down, you can do some soft slow blinks with him. Direct eye contact and looming over him are two of the things you must stop doing. With feral cats, these are the most threatening of all.

You have made such a sacrifice with him and this is so to be commended. As I have mentioned many times, working with feral cats is a very slow process. It is often one step forward and two steps back. Yet after a few break throughs it does get better. Time and patience are the key.

As for the Composure treats, many cats do not like the texture. You might try crumbling it up and putting it into his wet food and see if he will eat it. My cats hated the treats, but readily took Composure liquid max mixed into wet food. It's so much trial and error.
 

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Just checking to see how things are going? I hope Bob is settling in his new space.
 
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I’m so sorry I missed your last posts. I usually get an email to notify me but I didn’t see an email. I’m just feeling so hopeless and like a failure at trying to socialize Bob--I think i was doing better with him when he was in the kennel. We still haven’t taken the kennel out of his room mainly because I’ve been very nervous around Bob because of him hissing and growling at me. It’s been better today so far, though, but I don’t know if that will last. I’ve been mixing the feral drops in his food again from Jackson Galaxy’s website to see if that can help calm him down—I stopped using those back when Bob was having diarrhea. He also has been eating the calming treats again. I've been trying to be better about looking at him in his eyes too. I was really hoping he might calm down a little bit before we try pulling the kennel out.

My husband is finally building the condo now for Bob that you posted the plans for. Do you think replacing the kennel with the condo will be helpful? It’s just the part of getting the kennel out of there and what Bob might do—he sure is comfortable lying right next to the kennel so I don’t know what he’ll do when we try to pull the kennel out.

Also, another problem I just thought of is his nails haven’t been trimmed since he’s been to the vet in June. I noticed pretty many carpet pieces on the floor from his cat tree. It could be that he’s scratching on it but I’m not sure and I’m getting worried if he could get caught with his nails. I don’t know how fast they are growing, though. I don’t know if we should try and get him in the carrier somehow and take him to the vet to see if his nails need trimming? Maybe try and do this before the kennel is out of there.

Another thing I was thinking about is his room gets no sun. It faces the north so it never gets sunny in there. Should we get some kind of light for him or is this okay for him not having sunlight?
 

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I really think the kennel needs out of the room as soon as possible. I believe that once you try to move the kennel, Bob will move too. If you are afraid of him, taking a sturdy piece of cardboard or a sturdy pillow/chair cushion to use as a shied to gently push him back. Tell him what you are doing and talk softly to him. I think the new condo will be perfect for him. When you bring it into the room, sprinkle a bit of catnip on it to entice him!

As for his nails, I would not take him back to the vet right now. Instead get more scratchers. The key is to find out if he is a vertical or horizontal scratcher. Try the sisal rope on a stand. They are pretty easy to make yourself. My cats love them. Or get some of the cheap cardboard scratchers. Sprinkle catnip on them to attract him. Once he starts to scratch them, his nails will get better. I think another vet visit just for nail trim, is not necessary. If another health issue crops up and he needs to get to the vet, the nails can be trimmed then. If you are seeing pieces of carpet, he is scratching. I would leave the nails alone right now. You don't need another set back from a vet visit.

As for the room facing north, it still should be fine. Cats do love sunshine, but daylight is fine too. Just be sure the blinds/curtains are always open for him.

Really concentrate on getting the kennel out. You can do it before the new condo is ready. Also if you are fearful going into the room, Bob will pick up on your fear and react out of fear. Have your husband try to do it if you think your fear will cause issues.

Also how are your other cats doing reacting to the room where Bob is? It might be time to start doing some scent swapping between them. Bob may like the company of other cats and it might be a way to jump start some of the socializing. Just try some scent swapping and see how your other cats react and see how Bob reacts. The easiest way is to have a small blanket or towel and place it where Bob sleeps. Let it be there for a day or so. You can then take another clean towel and rub your other kitties down with it. The two scents can be mixed on one towel. Take that towel into Bob's room and just place it on the floor with a few treats on top. You want the cats to associate each other with something good. Do the same thing with the towel from Bob's room. Take it to your other cats and allow them to sniff at their leisure. Do not force them.

Keep me updated. Yet, please try to get the kennel out of the room. Also if possible, post a few pictures. I would love to see Bob and the room set up too.
 
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Now today he’s back to hissing and growling at me. I think my husband might have to do some of this because it’s hard for me to hide I’m nervous. Yesterday he was fine and no hissing or growling. I don’t know what changes day to day for him.

Okay, we won’t risk a vet visit right now and just concentrate on getting the kennel out. My husband isn’t done with the condo yet and he had to modify it to fit better in the room. I hope it will still work out okay. I’m hoping he can finish it today. The main thing that worries me is how Bob will react. I have a larger piece of cardboard that we can use. I think I mentioned this before but just for getting the kennel out and getting the condo in there, would it help using a blanket or sheet to also block his view of us while we do this? Maybe if he can’t see us, he won’t growl and hiss at us? We wouldn’t leave that up but just for redoing his room.

Oh I also forgot to mention soon after he was out of the kennel, I noticed a few small drops of blood on the floor right by the cat tree. When we first got Bob, he had that infection and injured foot and the vet said one of his claws was pulled out. The vet gave him the antibiotic shot and everything was good at Bob's last vet visit--the vet said everything was healed and his claw was growing back. I was concerned maybe he was getting hooked on the cat tree but I haven’t seen any blood since then. I can’t get a good look at his paws where he lays.

Our other two cats have walked in the room to go by the screened divider—bob hasn’t been by the screen when they go in there, though—bob stays back further and next to the kennel so I’m not sure if our other two have seen him—I’m sure they smell him, though. I have to do that with the towels yet—the only thing I have done was bring some of their toys in by Bob but I haven’t brought Bob’s stuff out by the other two cats.

Another problem is Bob stopped peeing in his big litter box. I still had the small box in the kennel but he didn’t touch it all this time he’s been out of there but now the last few days I see pee in that box. I shouldn’t have left everything in the kennel too—that probably confuses him but it’s odd he started peeing in only that box the last few days. I’m thinking I should scoop some of the peed litter into his bigger box so he smells it in there again?

I’ll work on getting some pictures of Bob this week and posting them.

Thanks again for all your help. Really appreciate it.
 

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What are you doing when he hisses and growls at you? Are you directly looking at him or getting too close? Also watch that your movements are slow and now quick. That might help him.

Putting up a blanket to block his view is a good idea, but getting it all set up might be more work and effort. If you can easily do it then give it a try, yet if it will just delay the process and cause it all to take longer then I would just forget it. Also since you are so nervous, I would let your husband take over. Just be sure that he moves slowly and no direct eye contact. I used to tell my newly inside feral cats " you are safe" I would repeat this over and over to them in a very quiet voice.

Since you aren't seeing any more blood, I would not worry about it. Just be sure he has lots of places to scratch.

Do start some scent swapping on both sides. I used to take the scent from my resident kitties and place it under my ferals food bowl. I am sure that all of them smell each other.

Since you have 2 litter boxes in the room, he might just have chosen to use one over another. With my 3 inside cats, I have 3 boxes. I notice that sometimes all at once, one box is hardly used. I don't think it's a big deal. When the crate is out of the room, you can keep both litter boxes in the room for a few days. Then just take the smaller one away and bury some of his urine/stool into the next box. It shouldn't be a problem.

Have you ever tried to play with him with a wand toy? With the wand being long, you might be able to get the toy near to him while you are at a safe distance. He may have no idea how to play, but really might enjoy it.

I know getting the kennel out is a bit daunting and frightening to you. Yet, things are really not going to move forward without it being gone and forcing Bob out into the open more. Be sure to check that he cannot get himself into another hiding spot!

This is all a process. The first feral I brought into my house took one solid year before he was acclimated to our house. He did not get out of his room full time for a year. After about 6 months, he was allowed time out during the day if my other cat was put away. It just took a lot of time and a lot of patience. Yet, now he is a sweet sweet boy. He is still skittish and always will be, but he sleeps on the bed with us at night and enjoys being pet. When we have company over, they never see him or know we have him. He hides under the bed. Yet I know inside is best for him.
 
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The hissing will start as soon as I slide the screen door over to go into his room--yesterday he was fine, though. The kennel is right to the left when you walk in the room but he can see me when I’m by the screen door—there’s towels over parts of the kennel yet but where he is, there’s an opening in the towels that he can see me by the screen door. I usually try talking to him first while I bend over before opening the screen door. I’ve been trying hard now not to look at him in the eyes but sometimes it happens but I look away right away. There’s still a door on the front of the kennel (the side is open, though) that I will reach in to top off or change his food and water that I still have in there—he has food and water outside the kennel too and eats in both places. I thought opening that door was kind of a warning that I was there changing his stuff but he’ll still sometimes hiss—not always. I have to walk past the kennel to get to the window and the litter box is straight across from where he is that he can see me clearly while I clean that. Just the one time he continued to growl while I was scooping his litter box.

I really think he was better when he first was out of the kennel—I was able to go a little closer to him and he didn’t hiss at me. I think it’s gotten worse for some reason and I can’t figure out why. I feel like wearing a suit of armor when I go in there. Ya, you’re right that I might have to ask my husband to do a bit more of this stuff since I’m so nervous.

It’s really strange how Bob was only using the big litter box when he came out of the kennel for peeing and pooping but now he just uses the big box to poop in the last few days. I’ll have to keep the small one in his room too then.

My husband has tried that and sat on the floor with a wand toy and he won’t touch it. Probably because he doesn’t want to come near us, hey? But yet the small toys that are in his room are being moved around so he is playing with them when he’s alone. That seems to be happening only overnight, though. Our bathroom is across from Bob’s room and that has happened where I came out of the bathroom, bob was just going by his litter box or food dish but then he’ll see me and freeze and I’ll freeze and then he goes back to his hiding place. It’s just so shocking when I actually see him moving around. I wish he would feel more comfortable.

The only other area that he could possible kind of hide is a spot he used at first. It's between the cat tree and the file cabinet but the cat tree is more open on the bottom so he’s not really hidden. He use to sit there sometimes but now he just sticks to the spot next to the kennel.

With the kennel out of there, do you think he’ll hiss and growl more without having a place to hide? Is this mostly because he’s a male cat? Or this is common with all ferals? Have you had a feral hiss and growl at you? I'm worried that this is personal and Bob just hates me for some reason and this will never work out.
 

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I would start to announce yourself before you enter the room. Just say" Hi Bob, it's me. I'm coming inside to clean your litter box and give you a bit of food. You are safe." Then enter the room slowly. A hiss/growl is a warning that he is scared. Cats also will growl/hiss when they are not feeling well. Yet, if he is eating and using the litter box fine, I would not worry about his health. Feral cats will hiss/growl. I have had many hiss/growl at me. It takes some trial and error to figure out what it is that I am doing that is frightening to them. Remember you have no idea what he has been through and if he had any interactions with humans before you. I also would suggest that when you come into the room, you offer him something extra yummy to eat. You can use plain cooked chicken ( I just save some when we have a whole chicken and freeze it into small baggies), bits of canned tuna or salmon or other fish. I would toss the extra yummy goody in his directions being careful to just toss it gently. Most likely he won't eat it while you are there, but after time, he will associate you with something good and look forward to you coming into the room. Do this each time you enter the room. I used to shake the baggie so that my cat associated the sound of the baggie with me and something good. The key is to find something he really likes. This is an important training tool.

Some feral cats like to pee/poop in separate locations. He may be doing that now because he can. I don't think you will need to have 2 boxes after the kennel is out for long. Most cats will adjust quickly to one box as long as it is cleaned each day. Feral cats often do not like to use a dirty box since when they were outside they scattered their pee/poop around so that predators don't find them.

Be sure to block the area between the filing cabinet and cat tree. Use old towels to wedge between them. You really don't want him there. Hopefully he will hide in the new cat tree your husband is building. He can still hide, yet he is out in the open and you can see him too. All of my former ferals hid in the cat tree as well as sleeping on it too.

It doesn't really matter that he is a male. He is just unsocialized and afraid.

Do you or your husband spend any time in the room with Bob just reading/talking to him or just being in the room on the computer? He needs to get used to humans being in the room and moving around.


Here is a really good thread about a couple that brought in a feral cat. They too had a lot of struggles, but they took things slowly and she integrated into the house. I don't think they could ever touch her, but she is safe and loved.

DC Feral/Stray Cat
 
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Thanks for the link about the couple with a feral cat. I’ll read this over today.

Bob hissed and growled at me again today. I wish I could figure out what I’m doing wrong but he probably can sense I’m nervous. We have a child gate on the actual doorway into the room and when I open that gate I’ll say to Bob that it’s just me coming in to check on him or to feed him or clean up. Then I’ll get to the sliding screen door and talk a bit after I open the door and then I’ll step in—this is when he’s been starting to hiss or growl as soon as I step into his area of the room. I don’t hear any trouble when my husband goes in there. Could it be because my husband is shorter than me? And maybe because he’s not worried about Bob going after him like I am? Like you said, he can sense it.

My husband went in his room yesterday and measured the file cabinet and Bob was right next to the cabinet and just got real flat but he didn’t hiss or growl at him. Really makes me feel like crap! My husband measured wrong at first so the condo is too big and he’ll need to make it a bit smaller or it’s going to create another hiding place and we don’t want that.

I scoop his litter box in the morning and do a complete change once a week. It’s so odd that he would suddenly start using the small box again but only to pee. And it was right after I did a full cleaning of his big litter box. But like you said, maybe he just did it because he can. I did a complete change on the small one last night and put a little of the peed litter into the big box and today when I checked it, he only used the big litter box so I was happy to see that.

I mentioned how part of the room is blocked off with a sliding screen door. Would that work for me to be on the other side of the screen door to sit and talk to Bob? I wouldn’t have to be right in the area with him? Since I’m nervous, I thought maybe that would work out better when I want to visit with him longer? Right now I’d say we are only in there maybe a few minutes at a time—I try to go in there every couple of hours. Early evening when I feed him for the night, I don’t go in there after that.

If we take the kennel out before the condo is done, could we have anything that can kind of block me when I go in his room or will I need to carry a hunk of cardboard each time I go in there? If he’s out in the open and I go in there for his food and water and litter, I’m still worried he will go after me if he doesn’t have a place to hide? I’m not sure my husband will be able to help all the time with this so I’m going to have to do some of this.

I’ve been leaving the calming treat and also some greenies hairball and tartar control treats out for him every day—he usually will eat them later in the day or overnight. He will eat tuna sometimes but not always--i don't give him tuna often, though--maybe every 2 or 3 weeks i'll put a little in by him. He’s kind of the same with baby food as well—sometimes he likes it and sometimes he leaves it. I tried chicken once but it was chicken I made with shake n bake and maybe I didn’t have all the coating off so he didn't eat it. I’ll have to try that next time I make some chicken and save him some pieces to try.

I’m glad to hear I’m not the only one that has had a feral cat growl and hiss at them. I was really feeling down about this. It’s hard when our other two cats are so close to me and so lovable. I’ve never had a feral cat before so this is all new to me.
 
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