Give her some amazon boxes to hide in. Most cats love boxes. Just leave her be to unwind for a bit.
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Please help with big decision
- Thread starter Dinah Doll
- Start Date
Yay!!!!So let us know where she is tomorrow and we'll go from there -Congratulations,she's safe!
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- #23
Ok. So Dinah is still under the living room couch as of this morning. When she was in the house that one night she did "explore" during the night so, to my surprise, she did not move from there all last night. I have 3 IR wireless security cams around the house that would have picked up movement. The couch has "flaps" on the bottom so I lifted them up in the front and sides so she could see out a bit.
I am going to leave the house for a few hours today so hopefully she may come out and eat. I put her food where she normally went to eat when she did come in, and made sure she could see me place it there this morning.
Maybe later, I will lay down on the floor and talk to her for a bit. I have to find some more blankets to lay on as the floors are hardwood in the living room haha.
She'll be fine,when you get home she might be hiding somewhere else..... wherever she's hiding put a litter box with some dirt from outside - you might want to pick up some DrElsys Touch of Outdoors cat litter ,mixed in with dirt and DrElsys Ultra( which is a litter attractant ) sprinkled on top- remember she knows nothing about litter boxes so it must be made attractive smelling.....
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- #25
Thanks Kwik! I will get some "Touch of odors" and move the litter box near couch. I do have some DrElsys attractant in there now but with non-clumping litter. I will try and get some dirt too!
Ok, first thing first. Don't panic and don't worry and don't rush her and don't be discouraged. Let her calm down, study the room and gain trust and confidence and it may take awhile for all to sink in for her.
Yes, spend more time with her, lay down with her, do slow eye blinks with her and play some calming music for her. Do the same routine everyday.
It's still very early for any progress, please be patient and keep us posted.
Yes - you can forget about the litter and just use dirt & DrElsys Ultra litter attractant until she uses the box ,remember she only knows dirt and ferals and stays have a million choices of where to go outside never have to use the same place twice so the dirt is important,you gradually add litter to the dirt and increase the litter to dirt ratio little at a time until they are dependable and by then it's fully litter.... If she eliminates somewhdte in the house clean it well and put a box there for her.....litter box training for ferals is much easier in a small space so hopefully she'll be in the bedroom when you get home but if not we'll just work with what we have .... Slowly
And if she does go some where put it in the box so she can smell her scent
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- #28
Great advice! I will get some dirt tomorrow and mix it with the attractant. She is now behind the couch and moved a bit behind the curtain that is behind the couch. She is trying to be invisible for sure.
I got a new litter box today and placed it near the couch.
Been playing soft music at a very low volume when I am out of the house and I am watching TV in another room. Then I just speak to her softly when I enter the room. Maybe she will explore tonight when I retire for the evening.
Thank you,...Greg
My pleasure Greg.... you can ask
tabbytom
who was with me to support and encourage me when I first captured my boy Timmy- I was going through TV withdrawals because he was TERRIFIED of the television -and the refrigerator and the A/C and the opening verticals and the faucet,toilet,music 
Name it! Greg,I thought I might never watch TV again- it was probably about 30 days before he dared peek out of his cubby if their was images on the TV screen ( no sound) Probably like suddenly finding yourself on an alien planet---- time,just time and lots of love
tabbytom
who was with me to support and encourage me when I first captured my boy Timmy- I was going through TV withdrawals because he was TERRIFIED of the television -and the refrigerator and the A/C and the opening verticals and the faucet,toilet,music Name it! Greg,I thought I might never watch TV again- it was probably about 30 days before he dared peek out of his cubby if their was images on the TV screen ( no sound) Probably like suddenly finding yourself on an alien planet---- time,just time and lots of love- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #30
Sounds just like Dinah. She would not come in if she saw the TV on even with no sound. Any noise spooked her. I try and get in her mind and yes, it must be a different planet for her for sure.My pleasure Greg.... you can ask
Good news this morning! She did explore some right after I went to bed last night! Then again around 4:00 a.m. And, she is now out from behind the couch! She "pried" out a small pillow blocking access under a small bed in the "Cat" bedroom. This is where I put additional food and a litter box, plus a large open box with padding inside that my other cat used to sleep in! It is amazing to me that she had the courage to explore at all! Oh, and I did place "Amazon" boxes throughout the house too.
This is really great. It is a huge weight off my shoulders. So my TV withdrawals are short lived, I hope. I do know what you went through trying to be quiet all the time, closing doors softly behind you, etc. We don't realize what a strain this can take on us too. At least for me.
As far as I can tell, she has not eaten yet, but she will.
I will report back of course.
Thanks all!
Greg
She'll probably do much better as it will be less overwhelming if you can keep her in thst bedroom to get comfortable intitially- she will take to the litter box easier ,feel safer in a small room for starters- once she's confident and has established the small room as her familiar territory you can open up more room for her to explore and expand her territory- you go in and spend lots of time with her just talking ,not forcing or coaxing and you will have a cat that does not hide..too much,too fast makes for a scared hider
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- #32
Just an update. I got some dirt from outside. Luckily, the frost line is only about 1/2" deep. It took about 1 1/2 hours to dig and screen through the dirt. I picked out small to large rocks and tiny sharp ones along with debris including some shards of glass!
If anyone does this, make sure you comb through all of the dirt and remove this stuff. I then mixed in just a tiny bit of "Intersand Odorlock" cat litter. This was recommended by a private pet store keeper and helped to dry out the dirt a bit. Finally I mixed in Dr. Elsy's attractant.
Dinah still has not eaten but seems calmer and warm under her new spot under the small bed in the cat room. A security cam from above the room will alert me if and when she eats and uses the litter box. I come in and talk with her once in a while too.
There is still blocking material under the one long and short side of the bed. Once she comes out and roams in the room, I will slowly move those barriers. A large pillow and a small pillow on the one end, and two long boxes on the long side. I will move the pillows on the end first then maybe the next day move all of the barriers if I feel she is ready.
If anyone does this, make sure you comb through all of the dirt and remove this stuff. I then mixed in just a tiny bit of "Intersand Odorlock" cat litter. This was recommended by a private pet store keeper and helped to dry out the dirt a bit. Finally I mixed in Dr. Elsy's attractant.
Dinah still has not eaten but seems calmer and warm under her new spot under the small bed in the cat room. A security cam from above the room will alert me if and when she eats and uses the litter box. I come in and talk with her once in a while too.
There is still blocking material under the one long and short side of the bed. Once she comes out and roams in the room, I will slowly move those barriers. A large pillow and a small pillow on the one end, and two long boxes on the long side. I will move the pillows on the end first then maybe the next day move all of the barriers if I feel she is ready.
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- #33
Another update....Dinah ate a 1/2 can of her wet food, then another 1/2 can...then a 1/2 ramakon of milk (her favorite thing) and...used the litter box like a champ!!! I am so happy. Thanks again folks. This is a very happy day!
Great to hear that Dinah is making progress. Little by little she is getting more calm and gaining confidence and this is good.
Milk is very bad for cats. They are lactose intolerant. Is this cows milk or a kmr type milk?
Lactose free milks are fine in moderation as a treat but cows milk could cause vomiting or dihoreeah. Even if it doesn't it most certainly will cause cramping and stomach pain.
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- #37
Understood about the milk. I will get some KMR next time out. She would not drink water so I thought a little bit would be ok. This is why I am here. Thank you. Merry Christmas to you all!
You may want to try a drinking fountain. Some cats don't like stagnent water as mine have taught me.
If she is eatting canned she may not drink much at all either, getting hydrated from the food.
If she is eatting canned she may not drink much at all either, getting hydrated from the food.
Oh you just made my day with this fabulous update!!!!
Such a Merry Christmas!!!Outdoor kitties,,especially ferals can be a bit tricky with water sources- did Dinah drink from a bowl outside? I'm betting you've never seen her drink water,right?
The milk they can see in a bowl and yes please take
IndyJones
advice- you can get a powdered "milk" from your local pet store too that is lactose free,easy to keep & mix in seconds Back to the water- keep a water " dish" a good distance from both Dinahs food & litter-feral find water sources thst are not close to both- maybe opposite ends of the bed she's hiding under- you might want to try something not too deep and wide enough thst her whiskers don't touch the sides for starters- cats cannot really "see" water & thsts why many suggest a " fountain " type....they see (& hear) the movement
Bravo on the litterbox
Keep it meticulously clean- remember she had many options outside thst were undefiled- I know cleaning out the dirt is a royal pain but it's temprary- in a couple of weeks of reliably going in the box you should almost be at 100% litter only with the attractant sprinkled ontop only- you're doing a GREAT job!
Such great news! So glad she is inside. Our girl Gypsy was the neighborhood stray back in Sept 2016 when we first met her. We noticed her eating the food we had thrown down to the alley for the birds and squirrles and started throwing down cooked chicken breasts and all beef hot dogs just for her. I bought some dry cat food and by moving it up step by step got her used to coming up to our 2nd story porch to be fed & watered and brushed. By Nov she was coming inside for overnight visits & we got her to the vet for a check up, he thought she was 1 or 2yo. She had been TNR'd and was living in a falling down garage with holes in the roof (like your girl) we were letting her come & go as she pleased until Jan 2017 when she came home limping. We stopped letting her out and since it was winter she was fine with it, til Spring when she wanted out! By then we loved her too much to take any chances even though it was was (and still is) a safe neighborhood, so I researched and got her a cat walking jacket and she hasn't been out solo since. She took to the litter pan right away (have used Cats pride unscented since day one), still won't drink out of any type of fountain, and I've tried many! I use the smaller Correlle bowls for her food (fancyfeast and Sheba wet & Purina one hairball dry) and water, a clean one every time she eats. Two litter pans, two water bowls and two dry free feed bowls (she doesn't overeat) one set upstairs abd one set downstairs. All food and water bowls are on sturdy tables up off the floor. She doesn't like boxes she can't see out of but a paperbox lid was what gave her enough confidence to let us slowly show her how much she loves being loved on and massaged. She still sleeps and hangs out in low boxes and they are all over the house. She doesn't like overly soft or fluffy stuff to lay on. Sheba meat stick pieces are rewards and Inaba Churu is what she gets mixed in with her probiotics. The Churu have a high water content you should definitely try them. Our Walmart now carries them and the Sheba meatsticks.
Be very careful not to let Dinah out when you come or go outside. Gypsy never was contained in just one room but she was coming and going over several months, play it by ear with your girl, trust your gut. Sing her silly songs with her name in them. You are doing great just don't let her out, you may never get her back in. Keep us updated and we love photos.
Be very careful not to let Dinah out when you come or go outside. Gypsy never was contained in just one room but she was coming and going over several months, play it by ear with your girl, trust your gut. Sing her silly songs with her name in them. You are doing great just don't let her out, you may never get her back in. Keep us updated and we love photos.
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