Questions about a recovered stray/feral(?) cat

[dsue]

Ps Viola!! Love her name!

 

[gjarboni]

Success, good news, and surprises!

First, she's a he, much to the surprise of my roommate New name: Oliver. The blood was from a rear claw that had been completely ripped out when he was outside (ouch!). Negative on FIV, and Feline Leukemia. Had a white blood cell count that was elevated, probably due to parasites. He's about 10 or 11 months old and is in great health.

He was very calm in getting in the carrier. He fought a bit when I closed the house with my hands, but once I got him in the carrier, he became calm. I took him to the vet and they sedated him. After a few minutes, the doctor (who sees all of my cats), told me about the gender, although at that point she didn't know the cause of the blood. Because he'd already been sedated they neutered him then. I waited about two hours total and then took him home.

Once I picked the carrier up with one hand he started flinging himself again the carrier door. Once I got him inside the house and back in the laundry room, he calmed down. I waited about 45 minutes like the doctor said, then opened the door. He seemed pretty calm so I tried to scratch his head. That was a bit of a mistake as he recoiled back in to the carrier. I left for about thirty minutes to get something to eat and to get food and water for him. When I got back he was bouncing off the walls. He would run in his house, then run out, then run behind the washer/dryer, etc. I left him alone for a couple of hours and took a nap.

When I woke up around 5 pm he must have been out and about, but instead of going in to his house, he went down the stairs to the door to the garage  and hid in a cardboard box that was propped up against the wall vertically. Then I had to go out. When I got back around 9:30pm, I peeked inside and saw him back in his house. Unfortunately he peed everywhere (at least that's what it smells like). I had to run out again and get some prescriptions. When I came back I heard him bouncing around, but when I called out, he stopped. I later went in and he was in his house again. I've been in here for at least 15 minutes and I haven't heard a sound. The doctor said he'd regress, but bounce back quickly. That seems to be the case.

I'll keep everybody updated as he makes progress. Now that he's clean we can have supervised visits with the other cats. They just can't use the same litter box until I give the vet a fecal sample in a week so we can be sure he clear of all parasites. Apparently some parasites can be spread just by having cats use the same litter box. So once the fecal comes back negative we can leave the door open.

Okay he's moving around a little bit, which is a good sign. Thanks again for all of the help and support. He seemed like a calm kitty even before he was neutered, so he should be even sweeter after.

Jason M.

 

[gjarboni]

Pro tip   Don't grab a Feliway diffuser with a bare hand. Man do those things stink  

 

[susank521]

Awesome job Jason M!

 

[ondine]

 
Pro tip   Don't grab a Feliway diffuser with a bare hand. Man do those things stink  

LOL!  They do.

Wonderful news, wonderful job!  And you are correct, he will calm down a lot once the testosterone stops flowing.  He should turn out to be a very nice house cat.

That was so sad about his claw, though.  Shows what dangers there are out on the street.  Thank you for saving him from that life.

 

[dsue]

Wonderful news!! Even though he just got back from the vet.. He was already exploring more territory than before.. Showing he is feeling more at home. He will be forever grateful to your kindness. You saved his life. Lucky kittie!!!

 

[gjarboni]

Okay, things are pretty much back to the point where they were before I took Oliver to the vet. He comes out of his house to hear me talk or type and he meows when I leave. I'll end up taking a fecal sample to the vet on Wednesday. Assuming it comes back clean for parasites, meaning there's no reason to care which litter box the cats use, should I just leave the door to the laundry room open? Or should I make the interactions between him and the other cats supervised? I can't imagine the results coming back before Thursday, so we have plenty of time to discuss.

He did hiss at one of my cats, but that was Thursday or Friday, so he was still obviously freaked out. I kind of worry that him meeting the other cats is now a big deal because he's been separated for so long.

Thanks,

Jason M.

 

[ondine]

I would definitely supervise for a bit.  Is there a way you can block the door way with a screen door or baby gates?  That way, all the cats can meet at the door and see one another but fisticuffs can't break out.

Also, if you can get something Oliver slept on, leave it out for the other cats to smell and examine.  Feeding treats on the item will help them associate good things with his smell.

At the same time, get something from your other cats and do the same for Oliver.

There is a trick to use but this might not work.  You rub opposite ends of a towel on each cat and feed treats to Cat A on Cat B's side of the towel.  Of course, this will only work if you can rub the towel on Oliver. LOL

This is an exciting time!  Lots of adjustments to make, for everyone.  But soon, they will each get used to one another and hopefully, be besties.

 

[gjarboni]

Okay, here's another issue. Oliver meows for me at night, a lot. When my roommate told me that she didn't get a lot of sleep Sunday night and Monday night, I couldn't fall asleep and stayed up with Oliver on Tuesday night from 4am to 8:30am, after putting up a baby gate and some cardboard, He wants me to be in the room or right outside the door or he meows. Because of this, I'm thinking of moving him from the Laundry room to my room using the same method I did when I took him to the vet. Grab the house, but it in the carrier, take the carrier to my room, open it and take the house out. I'd put the house in the far corner of the room, by my bed, but not by anything else.except smelly clothes.

The disadvantage to this is that he's no longer isolated from the other cats. They don't seem angry at him even though he hissed at one of them last night. They really don't seem to care too much either way. But I have a lot of empathy for my roommate if she's been kept up by Oliver because that sucks. Thoughts, anyone?

Thanks for the responses,

Jason M.

 

[ondine]

If your cats don't use your room, maybe your room can be the new isolation room for a day or so?  At least until you can test the reactions of everyone having access to the whole place.  If your cats are used to being in your room, you might have to bite the bullet and see how they all do together.

Do you have any cat trees?  We've found them to be invaluable, as they increase the real estate the cats can use.  With more territory, there are less issues with sharing.  I'd invest in one and see if that relieves some of the tension.

Him crying for you is actually a good sign, BTW.  He's realized you mean good things!

 

[dsue]

Sounds like things are progressing well despite unfortunately waking up your roommate. If your other cats are ignoring his hissing it means that they have accepted him in catland and are ignoring him.. Giving the new CAT space. His hissing is very normal & expected ...setting boundaries warning and telling the other cats he is not ready to get any closer to them. I think your idea of moving him is good so that there is peace in the home for you & roommate. If you can remain relaxed and yawn and stretch and turn your back & show that you are very casual about everything that helps the cats also feel there is no threat. If a fight breaks out of concern which will happen if cats are staring at each other (not ignoring ) and pounce... you can always distract them by shaking some pennies or dropping something loud "by accident." This will give everyone a chance to scramble to safety and calm down. Try to increase things that are enjoyable for them such as sharing meal time or play.. With time and patience which you clearly have patience and love for these kitties all will be well!! Good luck!

 

[gjarboni]

Well, that didn't turn out well. Oliver bolted around 5:30am on Wednesday morning. I didn't locate him until Friday night -- he was downstairs hiding in the crawl space under the stairs. I left some food out for him and he ate a lot of it. Now he's hiding under a couch.

I think the original problem was that I had has house facing outward and that made him feel exposed. He kept crawling behind it. Here's a picture:

photo 1.JPG

• gjarboni
• Mar 15, 2014

I have another solution which involves a large cardboard box with the flaps taped open:

photo 2.JPG

• gjarboni
• Mar 15, 2014

His house is inside this box. Questions:

Does this look okay?

If so, should I move his food and water inside the box?

Any other suggestions on how to keep him happy and safe?

And now for the big question: How to get him back upstairs in to my room? Should I use the humane trap? I know it will freak him out, but I don't see another way. Suggestions are, of course, welcome.

Thanks again for all the help and support.

Jason M.

 

[gjarboni]

The one big worry I have is that the longer he stays downstairs in hiding, the more he regresses. Is that realistic?

 

[gjarboni]

Well, I'd rather be lucky than good. Oliver is now sequestered in the downstairs bathroom. (Long story) I've moved in a house, food, water, and a litter box. Plus a feliway dispenser. Assume this is a positive, but am unsure how to proceed.

 

[blind manda]

People seem to have given you most of the advice that you need. As far as what I know at least. But I would suggest finding a home vet in your area to come in and check her and maybe put caps on her claws if she has clawed at you? (Didn't read everything in here sorry a lot to read on an iPhone) I personally have never used a home vet but that seems like the best and safest idea for you and the cat. (Literally am watching my cat from hell and just found out about them like 10 minutes ago.) Hope you can help her she seems to be doing great so far!

 

[blind manda]

Sorry didn't see that there was another page! My last post can be ignored.

 

[gjarboni]

Correction to post 52 - Oliver bolted 5:30am on Thursday and I found him Friday night. Saturday morning he was under a couch downstairs. Saturday night around 11pm, I put out food near where he was hiding. He bolted from under the couch and ended up in the bathroom. Now the bathroom has a disconnected sink that's resting on the floor and is at an angle with the ground. Whenever I come in Oliver is under the sink in a place I can't easily see him. He's still hasn't made any noises or calls for me.

One more question: I have put another cat house in the bathroom downstairs, not the house Oliver spent so much time in. Should I switch houses? Right now the house is at the far end of the bathroom. I'll include a picture of the room tomorrow.

Thanks,

Jason M.

 

[susank521]

He's scared, Jason No calling for you until he gets comfy again. You never know for sure how they're going to react until you try. Do you mean he bolted from your room while the door was open? Facing the house towards the wall would make him feel safer.

The good news is that he's now confined again and you can start over. Do everything you did before in the laundry room to get him used to you. Nothing new for you to learn, you're just in a different room now. It would be a good idea to put his familiar house and other things in the bathroom with him to help him feel safer. Safety and food, he's back to basics for the moment.

 

[gjarboni]

Well, good news. I was spending time with him doing work on the computer and he ventured out of his house. I don't know if he's back in there, but I think he got scared by the space heater (it's a little cold in here too, but not as bad as the laundry room). So we're making progress again. It probably didn't hurt that I brought his blanket in today.

Thanks for all the help and support.

Jason M.

 

[ondine]

Sorry I didn't see this earlier.  Susan is right.  He's scared - anything new will disconcert him, so his adventures in the basement, then in the bathroom - whew!  So anything you can do to re-establish a routine will go a long way toward helping him feel comfortable again.  You have no idea of his experiences, so they may have been so bad for him that he will never feel completely comfortable.  All you can do is help him take small steps.  Be kind and be quiet and he'll come around again.