Once I have Feral in the house...then what?

[kittyperson]

I had been feeding a young cat since last June...it is now November. I successfully trapped her in a cage borrowed from my humane society. I had a carpenter come in and build a big floor to ceiling cage about 5' x 5'.

I took the kitty to the welfare league to be checked out - shots - check for spaying to find that she is already spayed. Brought her home and let her loose in the cage. She is eating well and using a litter box. 

I have 3 other cats. I have kept them away from her until she get acclimated. She has now been in the cage for a week. She has come out from hiding behind the carrier on the floor and lays on the top shelf. When I go in to check on her she just stairs at me. She meows loudly for short periods of time now and then.

I would like to spend more time with her but I work 3 days a week and her cage is in the basement while I spend most of my time upstairs.

When should I let my 3 kitties in to meet her? The gage on the cage is 1/2" so they will be able to see each other but not touch each other.

Am I doing this right? Is there something that I am doing wrong?

Thanks for any directives.

 

[StefanZ]

The first short advice in a hurry: spend more time with her!  Just sit there doing what you are doing, reading, being on the computer.  talk some, sing some, make friendly noises....   That is nr 1 at this moment.

Letting your cats play and pet them with you while she watches comes in soon too...

What a dedication, with a carpenter build cage!

Good luck!

 

[ondine]

Yes, that cage was a good idea. Like Stephan said, spend some time with her. It is the only way she will learn that you mean her no harm. If she has been cleared for germs, the other cats can visit but i would definitely supervise.

 

[shadowsrescue]

Spend lots and lots of time with her.  I used to do many short visits and just allow the cat to take the lead on how long I stayed.  At first it was just talking.  I would tell the cat all about my day or what the next day was to bring.  I would talk softly and avoid eye contact.  Whenever I would come into the room and whenever I left the room I always gave a yummy treat.  I would sometimes bring cooked plain chicken or sometimes just yummy cat treats.  The cat will then associate you with good treats/food.  At first she may not eat them in your presence and that's ok.  Just give her time.  You can also give her some toys to play with and as time progresses, start to play with her.  My ferals loved laser pointers and feather wands.  Another trick is to try Gerber stage 1 chicken or turkey baby food.  Cats go crazy for it. 

I would definitely start to give her some more space.  Do you have a smallish room that would be safe for her?  You wouldn't want to set her free in a basement where she could hide or get stuck.  I use a guest bedroom and put the bed up so my cat wouldn't get under and I couldn't get him out.  It's mostly just an empty room with a bed against the wall.  Make sure she has a place to hide.  An old box with a soft blanket makes a good hidey hole.  I would let her get used to the environment before introducing your resident cats to her.  Take it slow and have lots and lots of patience.

Playing soft music for her is also helpful.  Anything you can do to keep her calm.

Thank you for rescuing this sweet baby.  Since she was already spayed, she most likely was someone's pet.  She may come around sooner than later.

 

[kittyperson]

Thanks for you advise.

I have opened the door so my two house cats, Greggy and Esther can visit. Since Glenda (new kitty) is in this big cage with shelves, there is no way that they can get to each other. Also, Greggy and Esther are declawed in the front. Greggy and Esther have become acquainted with Glenda when she came to eat two meals a day for the past 5 months. I also have a 6' by 6' by 6' cat cage outside that sits on my patio. The cats can come and go from the house to the outside cage. This is how they know who Glenda is. Hopefully, this will reduce the friction.

I do have talk and music on. The best station with a mix of calm music and talk is the Moody Bible Institute station. I also have a Feladay plugged in near the cage. She is very calm and likes to stay up on the high shelf most of the time.

Unfortunately, I do not have a smallish room to put her in. I had considered letting her loose in the basement room that the cage is in at some time in the future but as you mentioned I am conceded that she might get into a spot that she might get stuck in above the heating vets that run along the ceiling.

And, if I did have a room to let her loose in how in the world would I get her there? I couldn't pick her up. She came to my feet when I was feeding her outside but when I would reach to pet her she would run a few steps away. So, picking her up to move her...yikes...not yet.

You have been so helpful!

 

[shadowsrescue]

  
And, if I did have a room to let her loose in how in the world would I get her there? I couldn't pick her up. She came to my feet when I was feeding her outside but when I would reach to pet her she would run a few steps away. So, picking her up to move her...yikes...not yet.

You have been so helpful!

If she did need to move her, you could get a cat carrier and place it at the opening of the crate and gently tilt the crate causing her to run into the carrier. 

I would just keep her in the cage for a while longer since you don't have a safe room to keep her in.  You certainly don't want her in the vents or getting stuck some where. 

Glad she has met your resident kitties.  That should help. 

Just take it all slowly.  Let her get acclimated and comfortable before overwhelming her with the cats. 

 

[ondine]

You could also just put a carrier in the crate with her.  Leave it for a few days to get her used to it.  (my recuperating ferals often use it for their safe room, so it's easy to just close the door on them).

However, I think the crate is really serving the same purpose as a room for her; she has everything she needs in there, the place is her own and she's fine.  It does sound like an ideal set up for her.  Sooner or later, she will be able to venture out and join the family.

 

[mscatlady]

Greetings kittyperson!  It's nice to chat with another "newbie" here on this site!  I too have rescued 2 kittens from a parking lot when I used to work at a casino. "Missy" was my 1st parking lot rescue in early 2010 and "Spunky" was the 2nd parking lot  rescue in October 2010.  Although "Missy" was just a wee tiny furball when I rescued her, she was not shy at all. In fact, when I "heard" her in the parking lot meowing and when I called "here kitty kitty", she came running across the parking lot in the direction of my voice.  During the drive home, she was all over me and meowing all the way.  My method of "quarantining" any newcomers has been to keep them in my hallway bathroom for at least a week, not only for observation but for acclimation too.  Now, "Missy" is the more affectionate cat between her and Spunky.

When I rescued "Spunky" -- it had to wait until I got off work that night. When I first saw the kitten, she had been up inside a wheel well of a big truck. I was able to pick her up briefly to move her and then she scampered away. This kitty was so lean looking that I thought it was a boy kitty.  It took me almost a 1/2 hour till I was able to corner her under the bushes she crawled under. During the drive home, she hid in the area under my shifting column in my car. I had to "entice" her out from her hiding spot with some cat food once I got home.  I still thought this kitty was a boy until "Spunky" went into her first heat!  Wow! Was I ever surprised. My other cats would hiss at her, but then I just told them "oh stop, you were little like that one time too!"  Now, Spunky and another rescue cat [Casper] are great buddies and often inseparable. "Spunky" still retains some of her feral personality and will sometimes complain when I try to pick her up & love on her. But when I'm in the bathroom doing my thing, she is all over the floor and rubbing up against me wanting her tummy rubbed.

Every cat I've got now have all been rescues, except for "Lil Boy".  He was born to a cat that I had been taking care of when I lived in an apartment many years ago.  There is a chance for a feral cat to acclimate to his/her new surroundings, but it will take time and patience. The new kitty has to come to understand that you don't mean it any harm.  Just continue to do what you're doing and your feral kitty will come along.  Good luck!!