Should My Untouchable Feral Now Have The Run Of The House After 10 Months In Her Own Room

nancyhiner

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I Have an older, spayed feral female I have fed for over 10 years at my old house. She had a hea''ted house, water and food bowl. She never let me get within 3 feet of her or she was gone. I moved and brought her with me, and she has been in her own specially kittified room for 10 months now. She will eat baby food off of my finger, but then its back to back off. She refuses to allow me to touch her, she will hide under her "tent" chair when I come into the room, but she does allow me to lie on the floor about 2 feet from her as she eats, under the chair! I am contemplating giving her the run of the house, at her own pace, I will just leave her door open. Is this a mistake? I want her to have more room and acclimate to the rest of the house. I live here by myself, no one else, no other pets. Will this be good, or will she be better off closed off in her little bedroom with the door closed. She doesn't seem to mind, but I feel she is in jail. She never really did much at my other house outside but lay around and wait to eat! I'm very torn what to do? Any experienced suggestions???? Nancy
 

maggiedemi

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Have you ever tried petting her with a long handled feather duster or something soft taped to a stick? That's sad that you haven't gotten to pet her in 10 years. My ferals have the run of the house, but I can pet and pick them up now. If you were to try letting her out into the rest of the house, would you be able to get her back in the room if it doesn't work out?
 
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nancyhiner

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I,m not too sure about getting her in the room when I want her in there, but I would continue to feed her in their and hopefully could have some control from that. I have attempted to touch her with a long handled, feathered toy and she was having none of it. She is VERY leary, she was outside a long time and feels no way to escape from the room, so she just keeps away from me as she can within her confines. I know she would probably hide under the bed or sofa for a while, but I think she would go back to her room to eat and maybe because it is familiar to her. She may be afraid to leave the room at all! I just don't want her miserable, even though she has all she needs and no worries!
 

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Hello N nancyhiner , if your house is made cat safe, no escape route, I don't see why not letting her have free access to the whole house. Some ferals get acclimated and socialized fast while some may take a longer time. But some might not be true ferals at all. Could be abandoned but because of certain experiences, they behaved feral.

Continue what you are doing which I think it's a great progress. Just leave the door of the bedroom opened and when she feels safe, she'll move out to explore and if she's suddenly afraid while exploring the house, at least she can go back to the room as she is already familiar there as it is her safe spot.

What you can do is, place her towels or blankets that she have now, if she dosen't have, get some and placed it where she is sleeping or near where she rest to let her get her scents onto the towels or blankets.

After she have her scents on them, place them around the house so that as she venture out, she'll smell her own scents and she'll feel more comforted and safe. Let her own the house but remember, love, patience and routine are keys to get her get use to you and the surroundings. Keep her indoors at all time.

Do introduce yourself and your kitty to the community in 'New Cats on the Block' under the Social Forums and do post photo of her.

Feel free to ask questions and do check out the rest of the site for the many good reads and forum pages.

Do keep us updated of your progress :wink:
 

maggiedemi

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Yes, please let us know what happens and post a picture of her if you can. I hope she will warm up to you more when she comes out of the room. Do you have any recliner chairs in your house? Just be careful of those, if a cat hides under them they can get hurt.
 
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nancyhiner

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Dear tabbytom. thanks for your input on the situation. I thought pretty much like you, that she will do at her pace and if need be, she can always go back to her room. I plan to put her towels she lays on around different areas of the house and add another litter box with some of her "old litter" in it to maybe help her feel she is the only cat and safe in other rooms. My house is kitty proof since I always have had cats, but my little Aeriel just passed about 6 months ago with cancer. As soon as I get her done at at the vet on Thurs.( if I can get her in carrier) for flea preventative tx. I will wait a couple of days for her to calm down, and then leave her door open. Thank you so much for your insight. Nancy.
 

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Dear tabbytom. thanks for your input on the situation. I thought pretty much like you, that she will do at her pace and if need be, she can always go back to her room. I plan to put her towels she lays on around different areas of the house and add another litter box with some of her "old litter" in it to maybe help her feel she is the only cat and safe in other rooms. My house is kitty proof since I always have had cats, but my little Aeriel just passed about 6 months ago with cancer. As soon as I get her done at at the vet on Thurs.( if I can get her in carrier) for flea preventative tx. I will wait a couple of days for her to calm down, and then leave her door open. Thank you so much for your insight. Nancy.
You are welcomed and so sorry to hear about Aeriel :alright: :grouphug:
 
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nancyhiner

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Dear Maggie, I will keep you updated, but I can barely navigate The Cat Site, don't know how to upload pics, don't even have a smart phone! I will just type in comments and updates as they come up. She is so cute, she is a tortiseshell calico. Also, I have no recliner chairs, but good idea to mention that, I may not have thought of that if I did have them! Thank you for your response and good wishes, I need them with her!!!! But I love her and she will be safe for the rest of her life. Nancy.
 

msaimee

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Yes, allow her the run of your house. Leave some catnip toys around, and if finances allow, maybe even get a cat tree for her and place it by a window (least expensive ones are on ebay and amazon).

Have you tried engaging her in play using a wand toy or laser toy? Even if you cannot pet her, you can enjoy playing with her. One of the three ferals I took into my home are just like your kitty. She does not like to be touched, and she panics whenever I have to catch her and hold her to trim her claws or groom her. She has the run of the house but chooses to stay upstairs. She enjoys playing with me with the wand toy. I accept her for who she is and I'm glad to have her living safely inside with me. Four years ago when I took her into my home, she had been shot several months earlier and it broke her leg which healed crooked, so she walks with a funny gait. She would not have survived long outdoors. I think we can derive a lot of satisfaction out of providing safety and a loving home to these feral cats even though they may never be affectionate to us as a typical domestic cat. I have had many cats in my lifetime, but the one I was closest to was a feral Tomcat I cared for on my porch for four and a half years. He never allowed me to touch him, but he spent many hours sitting beside me on my porch and providing wonderful companionship, and I miss him dearly. There are many ways to love and connect with a cat even if they are not physically affectionate. It is wonderful that you are caring for the feral Kitty you took into your home. I am sure that she loves and appreciates you.
 
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nancyhiner

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Hi msaimee, thank you for responding and the good tips. This girl will scratch and bite me or anyone that tries to even pet her, let alone pick her up. I bought her a cat tree, she wouldn't go near it. I've tried numerous times to play with her with every toy I can think of, including wand toys, and lasers and she just looks at me, nothing. I give her catnip on her round, on the floor scratch toy. It is a ring with the corrugated cardboard circle in the middle and a ball that is in the edge ring around it. She uses that, I can see the damage of her little claws! After that I hear her playing, batting around her favorite balls and stuffed critters. She just won't play with anyone, just when she is alone and secure in her room, door closed. I am still planning on letting her out soon, if she will come out; at her own pace. Maybe then after she sees nothing scary is outthere she will come around. If she doesn't, I'll be fine with that, I just hope she is as well behaved in the rest of the house, using litter boxes all the time, scratching her scratch posts, etc. I guess I will have to keep feeding her in her room, in case I need to be able to catch her if need be, for any problems. She will always have a safe home with me, and I love her , even if I never get to pet her. Need to catch her tomorrow for vet appt. and dread it, my brother has to grab her as she flies around the room and I worry about her getting hurt. She's had broken nails and even lost a tooth, (she's only got 6 or 7 left)while biting his thick gloves. Tried to get her to eat in carrier and shut door, no luck. Just hoping tomorrow isn't too bad. We've tried everything, but when you can't get within more than 2 feet of her, it really limits your options. Keep your fingers crossed for us, thanks Nancy.
 

maggiedemi

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Oh no, that's so sad about her losing her teeth. Poor little girl is so scared. I just leave the carrier out all the time and my two former ferals go in it all the time to sleep. I was lucky that it didn't take very long for my ferals to get used to us. I hope giving her the run of the house helps. Maybe that will help her get used to you and your routine. Good luck!
 

msaimee

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I am sending prayers and positive vibes your way for you and your Kitty and your brother. Unfortunately, occasional veterinary care is a necessary upset for all cats, both feral and domesticated. It's great that your kitty plays with toys when she is alone in her room. She is enjoying being a carefree cat at least sometimes, which is much more than she would enjoy if she were outdoors fending for herself. It takes a very special kind of person to care for a feral cat who does not express affection in the traditional ways that cats do. Many people become frustrated and impatient and want to give such a cat up. You've only had your kitty indoors now for 10 months, and I suspect that as time goes on she will form a very deep and loving bond with you because she knows you have rescued her.
 

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I'm far from expert, but want to offer some support from my own experience with the Bug. Allowing them out of "solitary", I've found, to be stimulating to their natural curiosities. Being free to explore and wander a bit (even within the safe confines of the house) may relieve some stress....just overall positive. I'd still leave the room fully accessible and intact...same feeding and L-box spots....free to come and go. Def worth a shot.
 

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I'm going to suggest you try something bold. I didn't note if you were sort of free feeding her or not. It could be that with the amount you give her there is always some left over for her to come too later. My suggestion is to limit that amount to only what she can eat within say a half hour, so there is none left...that is if your schedule allows it of course. My suggestion is to allow her to get a little hungry before you feed her, plus ensure the feeding is close to the same time each day. You want her hunger to motivate her past the fear of you even for a brief moment.

Use keywords for feeding time so she understands it is din-din time...preferably before you try my suggestion. Don't put down her food and move away...but challenge her to come to it while you are near. After a time keep moving closer and closer to her dish. The goal is to have her approach the dish of food while you are nearly over it, with the back of your hand stretched forth for her to sniff it. Begin having your palm down hand between yourself and the dish, not over it. After a few days move your palm down hand closer each day until your hand is between her and the bowl. Give her just a brief moment to approach you, and if she refuses to approach call it progress and repeat it the next day. Cats want to smell us, as it provides them with some sort of information. Wanting to sniff us and get a dish of food at the same time is a strong motivator. The palm down says you mean them no harm. It is like the nose of another cat as they touch and sniff one another.

Once she starts approaching the dish as your palm down hand is within touching distance of it, let her eat while you hold it there for a moment. Repeat this for a few days. The goal here is to slowly and gently brush your fingers against the top of her head between her ears, as she is kneeling down to eat. Some cats that I have done this with, will butt my hand as it is over the dish. My TNR now literally bunts my hand to move it out from over the dish...even while I'm spooning the food out from the can. Slowly move from brushing to stroking her head gently for a moment. Be patient with her. After over a year of doing this with my TNR, she still refuses to allow me to touch her from the side to slightly underneath (as if to pick her up) with both hands. It has taken at least two weeks just to get her to accept one hand for a brief moment. I use feeding time and praise as a motivator, as well as a wet can food she can't resist. I'm ok with that. She goes to the vet in a few days for a checkup (possible respiratory congestion), so it's probably back to square one after her visit. The last time she was in a carrier or trap was to get spayed. Best of success to you. Keep us apprised, please. :wave3:
 

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I don't believe in withholding food in the socializing process, especially for cats who have experienced hunger while fending for themselves outdoors. The same goal can be attained by leaving dry food out all of the time, but encouraginh socialization with special food. I was able to approach my ferals and sit close by them while feeding them roast chicken breast, tuna, or their favorite canned food. I would use the phrase, "Do you want a snack?" They knew what that meant. But I would always leave out a bowl of dry food, because cats who have experienced hunger never forget that experience and carry around a certain amount of stress regarding food the rest of their lives. At least this is what I have noticed in the cats that I have rescued.
 

maggiedemi

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I was thinking the same thing, have like 3 set meal times. Does she have a name? Say her name and the word "Dinner" every time you feed her. She will start to associate you with food. Also, say her name and the word "Treat" when you give her treats. My cats know several words. I use Dinner for all three meals. Also, have high places for her to climb and boost her confidence, like a cat tree or shelves.
 

rubysmama

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Condolences on the loss of your Aeriel.

And good luck with the transition of your feral girl to a house cat. What is her name?
 

orange&white

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I would be willing to bet that shortly after giving her run of the house, you will notice her following you to sit in whatever room you are in. She may not ever crawl into your lap, but she'll show you she loves you by wanting to sit in the corner or under a table (or closer maybe) in the same room with you. Very kind of you to give her a forever home. I'm sure she appreciates it and loves you for it! :cloud9:
 

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I don't believe in withholding food in the socializing process, especially for cats who have experienced hunger while fending for themselves outdoors. .
Having an appetite before a meal isn't a negative thing. The cats I've known that have not been cared for properly or have had to fend for themselves will overeat if allowed to free feed. If there is any food left in the dish afterward, that could be considered free feeding in my opinion. If I'm not mistaken, many rescuers use this to a greater extent in capturing a feral to get them medical care, spaying or neutering. I will have to do this tomorrow for my TNR just to get her into a carrier so I can get her medical attention for her apparent respiratory infection. There is no harm in allowing them not to free feed. The harm is in allowing them to do so, especially if they have been accustom to hunger, as many will over eat. The same applies to us as humans in America with our high number of obesity.

Consider the professional trainer Robert Dollwet. One if not both of his cats are in the Genius Book. Didga was after another record riding a skateboard on her own. People have asked Robert what the treat is he gives his Didga and Boomer as rewards or to reinforce their behavior for the amazing stuff they do. It is their food and not treats. CATMANTOO
 
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