Questions about a recovered stray/feral(?) cat

[gjarboni]

Good news. He meowed twice for me when I was with him tonight. He also stretched out a little more inside his house. So we're moving I'm the right direction.

Thanks for the input and support.

Jason M.

 

[ondine]

That is great news! Keep up your good work. He's learning slowly but he's figuring it out.

 

[gjarboni]

Thanks! Quick question: unlike the laundry room, the bathroom has no windows. I've already installed a night light. Should I:

A) Leave the lights on?
B) Install a dimmer switch and leave the lights on, but dimmed?
C) Leave things the way they are?

Thanks again for the help and support

Jason M.

 

[ondine]

I wouldn't leave the lights on all night unless you need it during the night.  Everyone needs a little dark to sleep.

 

[gjarboni]

More good news. He's started calling for me again occasionally. And the last time I was in the bathroom he came out of his house and peaked over the sink tilted on the floor and me for 30 minutes or so. So we're making progress. Now that he's not keeping anyone up, are there signs I should look for that say it would be a good time to move him. The only problem is that one cat is "annoying". It's gotten to the point that his litter mate hisses at him whenever he gets too close. He's probably the reason Oliver bolted. Now his new location is a lot more secure, but I wouldn't put it past Guildenstern, the annoying cat, to come in to the box and get in Oliver's face. Here's a picture:

photo 1 (1).JPG

• gjarboni
• Mar 22, 2014

And here's an earlier picture of Oliver:

photo 2 (1).JPG

• gjarboni
• Mar 22, 2014

Thanks for all of the help and encouragement.

Jason M.

 

[dsue]

i have to say the kitty is absolutely adorable!! And you have really helped the little guy so much that of course he is meowing for you!! Sounds like things are definitely improving and should keep improving in cat time!

 

[susank521]

If I'm understanding correctly when Oliver is in your room he is not isolated, the door isn't or can't be shut, so you can't keep the other cats out. Is that right? But, in the bathroom he's in now he is isolated, the door stays shut, and he's been in there a week. Is that right, too? If he can't be isolated in your room, then I would think that it is still too early to move him there again. Seems it would be best If you could keep him in that bathroom for a while longer so he can regain his confidence and trust. He is obviously bonding with you and you should be extremely proud of yourself!

 

[gjarboni]

@Susank521  , excellent deductive skills. Sorry to make you use them. Yes, I cut a whole in my bedroom door 11 years ago, rather than leave the door open and they've been going in and out through it ever since. I have a 50 pound box of salt I could block the hole with, but I'm sure my cats would yell and scream and no one would get any sleep. Here's a picture of the ugliness of my carpentry:

door.JPG

• gjarboni
• Mar 24, 2014

It's funny, it looked much better than that for a couple of years after I did it. I guess that's why you're not supposed to attach molding to a hollow door. I even spackled twice and painted, but, oh well, So I'll wait a while until Oliver is more comfortable with me, then I'll move him. I guess I should look for a sign, like him coming out more when I'm in the room? Or are there no hard and fast rules?

One more question about my room. I have a waterbed and there are drawers underneath on the sides, leaving a T shape of hollow space. The bottom of the T has a door that I can close and I can close off the sides. But would it be a good idea to leave it open so if Oliver got scared he could run under it to hide. He could come out when he saw fit?  But there's a chance that he could get scared and feel trapped too. That's happened to another cat that, luckily, trusted me more, so I was able to get her out. It's a tough call and I can provide more pictures or diagrams if it would help people understand.

Once again, thanks for all of the support.

Jason M.

 

[susank521]

Gocha! I'm sure you would have a lot of crying and scratching all night long if you blocked the whole in the door. To answer the easy question first, definitely block the access to under your waterbed before letting Oliver loose in your room again, just until he really trusts you.

The harder question is how will you know when it's a good time to try moving him back to your room. No magic answer for that question. But, I was wondering about using the crate for acclimation and introduction. The crate, mostly covered with a blanket or something, would act as Oliver's safe place and would be where he spent the night and time when all of the cats had free access to your room. Once or twice during waking hours you could block the door opening to your room to keep the other cats out and allow Oliver free range. Getting him back into the crate before unblocking the bedroom door opening could be a sticky point, but his food and water will be in the crate so would a helping of Fancy Feast or something like that lure him back in?

 

[dsue]

That's pretty cool what you do with the door! I gave up years back and just leave my door open. I basically sleep a lot better that way. Boy do cats hate closed doors!
think you are on the right track with all the hard work that you're doing already! Regarding the waterbed: I would be careful not to have a place that a cat cannot get back out of ..that is very scary for a cat. That's why if you have a shelter for Feral cats you must always have a back and front door... so the cats know ithey can get out at anytime. Best of luck!

 

[gjarboni]

I got eye squeezes!!!!! Two days in a row! On Wednesday he leaned his head far enough out of the cat house that I could see his head and when I told him I loved him I got a big eye squeeze! Same thing next day, but with less of an eye squeeze. Question, can you eye squeeze too much? I worry that I'm looking goofy eye squeezing every 5 seconds or so and I'm wondering if he thinks so too.

Thanks for the compliment, @dsue and thanks @Susank521 for the crate idea. Unfortunately, I never got a grate I just used a small/medium carrier and the only time I put him in it he stayed in the little cat house the whole time.

I bought a cat tower for cheap and I'm going to assemble it and put it in the bathroom. Hopefully that will give him someplace that he feels comfortable outside the cat house.

Thanks for all the advice and encouragement!

Jason M.

 

[gjarboni]

Okay, I need some advice. Oliver has been doing great. Now he comes out his house almost every time I'm in the room. He's going to the far side of the bathroom, near the door. Here is a picture from the front door to the bathroom:

photo 2.JPG

• gjarboni
• May 1, 2014

And here's a picture from the chair. You'd have to zoom in a lot, but Oliver is in the opening between the bathroom and the closet.

photo 1.JPG

• gjarboni
• May 1, 2014

So here's the question. The fact the Oliver is leaving his house is great, but does that mean he wants to explore the basement? Or is he just telling me that he feels more comfortable around me. I'm leaning toward the latter, because he's a cat and I'm supposed to take it slow. But, I'd welcome any input from anyone with more experience.

Thanks in advance for all of the help.

Jason M.

 

[gjarboni]

HELP!!!!!!!! Oliver does want to be out of the bathroom and walks out confidently, but within a minute is hiding under something. This happened two days ago and just now. Just now I had to turn over every piece of furniture downstairs and it took over three hours to get him back in his bathroom. What do I do to get him acclimated to such a big open space? The basement is 30' x 20' and has lots of hiding places. Should I be thinking of moving him to my bedroom? I'm kind of at my wits end!

Thanks for the help,

Jason M.

 

[ondine]

Sorry, Jason - I missed this...   Oliver is getting more comfortable about you and his surroundings - otherwise he wouldn't be moving around at all.  It looks like your house is being renovated.  Remind me - is Oliver is staying with you?  Is there a reason besides the renovations that he can't start exploring your home?

Until all the building is over with, it wouldn't be a good idea to give him full roaming privileges.  Is there another secure room you can put him in while the renos are being finished?

If not, you may need to block off the bedroom or bathroom and give him that room until the dust settles.

We made the mistake of doing full blown renovations (walls moved, plumbing and electric rerouted, etc.) with a cat in residence.  Scared him so badly, he ended up peeing on everything.  I had no clue it was the work we were doing and still feed badly about putting him through all that.

So Oliver has had a lot to adjust to, between being in a new home AND that home being in disruption.  Keeping him confined for a bit more won't hurt and will probably help him feel safe with all the noise and mess surrounding him.

 

[susank521]

If I'm remembering right, that bathroom has been in a halted state of remodel since Oliver took up residence in there, correct? And the bathroom is in the basement? Do the other cats have access to the basement also? Has Oliver had any contact with or introduction to the other cats yet?

 

[gjarboni]

@Susank521 -- great memory! The bathroom is as you described. The rest of the basement isn't under construction. Oliver has been introduced to the other three cats. The first time I opened the door the other three came in or came close. And the second time Oliver was hiding and being freaked out, he ran by Rosencrantz (the biggest male cat) and was within a few inches. Neither cat seemed to care. And yesterday he left the bathroom to follow Rogue (youngest female cat). So I think he's fine with the other cats. My theory is that the basement  is too big and he gets overwhelmed and panics, but I'm not by any means certain.

As for the reason he's not staying with me @Ondine, he used to be in the laundry room, but was meowing constantly, so I moved him to my room. But something freaked him out and he bolted and ended up downstairs. After me uncovering two hiding places he ended up in the bathroom. which was great because it has doors. And he's been there ever since. Two months, I think? Maybe it would make sense to move him to my room, but I need to block off access to the hiding places under my bed. That would probably take a couple of days.

Anyway, I'm looking for help and suggestions at this point.

Thanks,

Jason M.

 

[susank521]

Is there any reason that you don't want to let him have access to the basement and let him explore it on his own time and terms? That does seem the next logical step. It is kind of a scary thought, just letting him loose in the basement, given his history of hiding, but some of that hiding could be a result of fear, because you are searching for him. The noise, commotion, different tone of voice.  He knows his food, water, and litter box are in the bathroom. 

If you do move him to your room it would be best to block the cat door for a while (at least a week), to keep him in, the others out, and get him acclimated to that room again. 

 
And here's a picture from the chair. You'd have to zoom in a lot, but Oliver is in the opening between the bathroom and the closet.

 Are you sure that there is a cat in that picture??? 

 

[gjarboni]

@Susank521 - you're right there's no cat on that picture Sorry, I got my pictures confused. My concern is that Oliver seems to hide immediately. Two days ago, I opened the door and he walked out within a minute. I came out of the bathroom two to three minutes later and Oliver was under a couch and was all of the way in the back. I'm almost positive he hid right away. Obviously I don't know for sure, but it seems like he's panicking. Thoughts?

Thanks again for all the help,

Jason M.

 

[ondine]

I would say it was less panic than his natural reaction to a new place - find a safe spot.  No matter where he goes, if it is unfamiliar territory, he will find a spot where he can feel safe.

If he's already been in every room and the other cats and he aren't fighting, I would secure the basement hiding places and let him explore.  My only worry would be being able to shepherd him someplace if a cat fight breaks out.

Is there a way to separate him in the basement from the other cats when you aren't there to referee?

 

[gjarboni]

@Ondine, what do you mean by "secure the basement hiding places"? If you mean to block them off, unfortunately, that's impossible. Also there's no way to separate part of the basement, also unfortunately. I was thinking of putting the other cat house next to the couch where he usually hides. That way, he have a place to hide and I would know where he was. Also, I could spend time near him and talk to him. That's the other thing I'm worrying about. If he's hiding some place and I don't know where he is, there's no way to interact with him. And tracking down which hiding place he's in would freak him out. Anyway, thanks for the suggestions.

Jason M.