New to Cats, Need Advice on Stray/Feral kitty

[John Perram]

I'm going to judge you now...
THANK YOU FOR SAVING A CAT AND GIVING THE CAT A NEW LIFE.
It's going to take time, I have a 12-year-old indoor only cat that will occasionally sit on my lap. But will not let me wrap my arms around him and hold him. Some cats just are not cuddle cats. But he is a great cat and sleeps in the chair by my bed with his paw on top of my hand. So it takes time.

 

[fionasmom]

This is really all great news! The fact that she needed to be sedated is not a big deal for a cat like herself and she let a total stranger pet her. So glad that you found a good vet. Seven pounds is quite thin and she was in trouble when you rescued her. I agree with the vet that she had human contact and it might even be that her kittens were rescued or taken by others but she was left alone.

You gave her a window of a couple of weeks when you first encountered her, as I recall, before acting on getting her inside. I think that in that time if there were kittens, you would have heard or spotted at least one. I don't see any reason for you to stress about them as you have helped her and whatever happened with the kittens is not part of your story with her. Believe me, active healthy kittens who are still dependent on their mom are not easily missed. Sadly, as a younger and inexperienced mom, her kittens may have been lost to coyotes.

You have done a wonderful thing to have helped her.

 

[fionasmom]

I did not mention it in this thread, although I do a lot, that I own cats of long term residence in my house who have to be sedated at the vet. I am looking at your 4 year old Jamie!

 

[lisalu]

I did not mention it in this thread, although I do a lot, that I own cats of long term residence in my house who have to be sedated at the vet. I am looking at your 4 year old Jamie!

Awww, we were doing so well, but it's been a long day. Kitty ran and hid as soon as we returned from the vet yesterday (about 4:00 pm) and hasn't come out yet - hasn't eaten a single thing. Won't even be tempted to come out for her favorite treats. More than 24 hours now without food. Is this an extreme reaction? Don't know what I've gotten myself into, and dread taking her back for the spay - IF I can ever even make contact with her again. I want a pet cat, but not sure I'm prepared for how complicated this is.

 

[fionasmom]

This is not unexpected given her background. In fact, established pet cats are capable of doing this as well. Offer her food and water which she may eat when no one is around. People have posted about cats who hid for a week, but came out and ate when no one was around. Where is she hiding? Depending on her location, it might be a good idea to put the food closer to her.

How To Get A Cat To Come Out Of Hiding? – TheCatSite Articles

Right now, Kitty expects that a second vet visit could be imminent and will probably watch you for signs of body language that might make her think that another carrier is in sight. Once she realizes that it is not going to happen again, she should start to relax.

 

[momof3b1g]

I wonder if they could have been a barn cat? The 2 i cared for were so friendly. But not afraid of cars etc. So makes me think they were used to outdoors. But sadly not savy? As the bigger one got hit by a car. My indoor cats do not like the outdoors and are afraid of cars, noises etc

 

[lisalu]

This is not unexpected given her background. In fact, established pet cats are capable of doing this as well. Offer her food and water which she may eat when no one is around. People have posted about cats who hid for a week, but came out and ate when no one was around. Where is she hiding? Depending on her location, it might be a good idea to put the food closer to her.

How To Get A Cat To Come Out Of Hiding? – TheCatSite Articles

Right now, Kitty expects that a second vet visit could be imminent and will probably watch you for signs of body language that might make her think that another carrier is in sight. Once she realizes that it is not going to happen again, she should start to relax.

 

[lisalu]

Wow, all I know is someone flipped the switch on Miss Kitty.

Once she came out of her 24 hour funk (where I thought she'd starve to death under the couch) she has been a whole new cat. The kitty who wouldn't even let me touch her two weeks ago, now BEGS for pets. All of the sudden I can't pet her enough, she wants to be stroked from head to tail as much as I can give her. She gives me head butts, and rubs against me. She jumps up in my lap - where she is right now - begging for attention. And now she is playing with me, too, batting at me to get attention and giving me playful little bites to keep the games going. The feather toy she wouldn't even look at when she first came she will now pounce on and "kill" with enthusiasm. This morning she was waiting for me when I got up (usually she'd be hiding most of the day) and her tail was quivering with excitement when she saw me and she hasn't left my side.

I don't know what accounts for this very sudden change, it is like night and day!

 

[sarah430]

Awww...this is wonderful news! My Navi who was likely born feral did something like that last time she got out. After we finally lured her back home she was a changed kitty. Much more affectionate, would melt into my lap and would head butt my arm for pets, etc. I'm super happy for you and your kitty!

 

[fionasmom]

She is a beautiful little girl! I have seen this kind of thing happen and have no idea what is behind it. She realized that she had found a home and then thought that it was all lost when you took her to the vet but now is so relieved that it has all returned that she is able to express herself?

 

[lisalu]

So I posted a couple of weeks ago about the kitty I rescued that had been sheltering under my deck. The assumption is that she was feral - no one claimed her when I posted ads, and she had no chip. She was very thin and eager for the food I left out for her. She pranced around our yard during the day and would watch me curiously from a distance. She didn't seem overly afraid of me, although she never came close.

Finally I decided to trap her and bring her inside because we have lots of coyotes plus a busy street in our neighborhood.

As I posted in an earlier thread, she spent the first few days hiding although she would come out to eat, and sometimes walk around the house meowing loudly (she seemed to be "scolding" us for having brought her inside.) It took a few days before I got her to use the litter box, and it took more than a week before I could finally pet her.

Over the last couple of weeks she has come out of her shell, until now she is a full blown "lap cat" to the point that the minute I sit down, she is right on top of me. She cannot get enough petting and stroking. All her waking hours she spends either on my lap or following me around. She never hides at all anymore, just crawls under the couch to sleep. We don't let her in our bedroom at night, but when we get up in the morning she is standing by the door waiting for me. (She sometimes starts meowing about 4:00 am if she gets impatient.) My husband says when I'm not at home, she sits in "my" chair, waiting for me.

So, as a first time cat owner, I'm curious - is this overly clingy behavior for a cat, especially a feral cat? I've only ever had dogs, and I've never even had a DOG that was as clingy as this kitty! I'm enjoying her, she is a sweet kitty, but I don't want her to be so dependent on me that she will be traumatized if I go out of town for a few days. Also, is it surprising that a totally "unsocialized" cat - a true feral - would become so attached to a human so quickly? Just wondering...

(BTW, the vet said that she is a juvenile - maybe 8-9 months old. And she has already had kittens, although I never saw any sign of them)

 

[FeebysOwner]

Hi. I don't believe this cat was a feral - probably got dumped by someone or ran away from where ever she lived before, and may have been on her own for at least a little while. I had a young stray that showed up a year or so ago - sounds a lot like yours, skittish at first, no chip, and not spayed. Long story short, she finally came around, was spayed/vaccinated/adopted and at last I knew of her, she was a total lap cat as well. Your cat is young and still forming a personality, so it is very possible that the longer you have her the more confident she will become and as that happens she will likely be a bit less needy as time passes.

Here is an article about strays vs. ferals, and just in case it would be helpful to you I also included another article for first time cat owners.
A Feral Cat Or A Stray Cat? How To Tell The Difference – TheCatSite Articles
First-time Cat Owner’s Guide – TheCatSite Articles