Hello, I want to ask that all of you please be kind because I know almost nothing about kitties so I am seeking advice.
A couple of weeks ago a small cat - maybe half grown, I'm not sure - showed up in our yard and I started to feed her on our deck. She never came near me, but when she'd see me watching her she'd look at me curiously so long as I kept my distance. She seemed like such a thin little kitty and on her own, that I felt like she was probably lost rather than feral. When no one claimed her on Next Door or the Animal Shelter website, I decided to trap her and see if I she might make a good pet since I had been thinking about getting a cat anyway. (As we live on a busy road AND have packs of coyotes in the neighborhood, I didn't want to leave her outside.)
I caught her a week ago, brought her in the house where she immediately went into hiding (as I can understand.) She would come out to eat, but otherwise kept her distance. Over the past week she has become more and more "social" as far as she wanders around the room we're in and meows quite a bit. She will approach us cautiously but won't get close enough to touch. She has recently started rubbing against the furniture, and grooming herself. She seems mostly relaxed and behaves as a normal house cat (I think!) except that she won't use the litter box and she won't let us pet her. A few times when she's been under the couch I've been able to reach my hand in there and she will very gently touch my finger with her paw, then pull back. One time, I got her to lick baby food off my finger that way.
As for the litter box, I've tried putting yard dirt on top of the litter and it does look like she's scratched around in there, but I still find "accidents" on the carpet.
Yes, I WILL take her to the vet, I thought I'd just give her a week or two to warm up to us first before going through the trauma of trapping her again and taking her to a new, strange place. (And I will have to trap her, I don't know how else to get her in a carrier when she won't let me touch her.)
My questions are this: Does it sound like she is feral or a stray? How do I litter train her? I know I'm supposed to confine her to a small room, but that is easier said than done when I can't actually pick her up and put her in a certain place. (Her food, litter box, toys, and bedding are in our laundry room, and sometimes I am able to close the door when she goes in there to eat, then I'll leave her in there for a few hours to hopefully use the litter box.)
Please, no judgements, I am doing my best with very little cat experience. I would love to be able to make a pet of this pretty little kitty, and just need some advice on how to proceed. Thank you!
A couple of weeks ago a small cat - maybe half grown, I'm not sure - showed up in our yard and I started to feed her on our deck. She never came near me, but when she'd see me watching her she'd look at me curiously so long as I kept my distance. She seemed like such a thin little kitty and on her own, that I felt like she was probably lost rather than feral. When no one claimed her on Next Door or the Animal Shelter website, I decided to trap her and see if I she might make a good pet since I had been thinking about getting a cat anyway. (As we live on a busy road AND have packs of coyotes in the neighborhood, I didn't want to leave her outside.)
I caught her a week ago, brought her in the house where she immediately went into hiding (as I can understand.) She would come out to eat, but otherwise kept her distance. Over the past week she has become more and more "social" as far as she wanders around the room we're in and meows quite a bit. She will approach us cautiously but won't get close enough to touch. She has recently started rubbing against the furniture, and grooming herself. She seems mostly relaxed and behaves as a normal house cat (I think!) except that she won't use the litter box and she won't let us pet her. A few times when she's been under the couch I've been able to reach my hand in there and she will very gently touch my finger with her paw, then pull back. One time, I got her to lick baby food off my finger that way.
As for the litter box, I've tried putting yard dirt on top of the litter and it does look like she's scratched around in there, but I still find "accidents" on the carpet.
Yes, I WILL take her to the vet, I thought I'd just give her a week or two to warm up to us first before going through the trauma of trapping her again and taking her to a new, strange place. (And I will have to trap her, I don't know how else to get her in a carrier when she won't let me touch her.)
My questions are this: Does it sound like she is feral or a stray? How do I litter train her? I know I'm supposed to confine her to a small room, but that is easier said than done when I can't actually pick her up and put her in a certain place. (Her food, litter box, toys, and bedding are in our laundry room, and sometimes I am able to close the door when she goes in there to eat, then I'll leave her in there for a few hours to hopefully use the litter box.)
Please, no judgements, I am doing my best with very little cat experience. I would love to be able to make a pet of this pretty little kitty, and just need some advice on how to proceed. Thank you!
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