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

[msaimee]

Withholding food for the purpose of trapping or surgery is necessary. It's not neessary, though, to withhold food to socialize. I have 5 rescued cats and I keep dry fod out 24/7 in addition to their special canned food, and they are all healthy. They play with their toys and each other, also with me with a laser and wand toy, so they get exercise. They don't over-eat or gorge themselves because they know that food is always available and not an issue. Cats who have been raised as young kittens indoors don't have the same issues as former feral cats or strays who have experienced hunger or starvation, so I am giving my perspective based on my experience socializing cats with these issues. Trust can be earned through play time and giving special food and treats. We can agree to disagree on this subject, each cat is different and I trust that each caregiver knows what is in the best interest of their special Kitty.

 

[KatKnapper]

msaimee Let's both agree that "withholding food" and not allowing free-feeding are two different things. I never said to withhold its food, I suggested stop allowing kitty to free feed.

The first thing Jackson would tell you if you asked about your cat's odd behavior?

Stop free feeding!

CAT MOJO: You're Feeding Your Cat All Wrong!

 

[msaimee]

I think we've gotten off topic here, and I think if we want to continue this debate we should do so through private messaging. I hope we can agree that each cat is different, and each situation is different, and one size does not fit all. As long as a caregiver's cats are healthy and happy, that's what matters. I do not regard Jackson Galaxy as an expert on socializing feral cats, at least not based on what I have seen and read, so while I find some of what he says helpful, I don't regard everything he says as the final word on every topic.

N nancyhiner If you are still around, can you please let us know how your kitty is doing?

 

[mani]

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.

N nancyhiner can we help you with the site? We have tutorials here. Please do let us know if we can help you more, and how things are going.

 

[maggiedemi]

Nancy, please come back and update us on your sweet little girl. Did you let her out into the rest of the house? Is she warming up to you at all?

 

[nancyhiner]

Thank all of you for taking the time to give me wonderful advice and encouragement with my little feral girl , who is named Momma Kitty. Where I used to live, when I first found her, she had kittens. Then she was always around the neighborhood and always had more kittens. Well, I did the TNR thing, after realizing she wasn't going to be leaving the neighborhood and I couldn't bear to see anymore babies suffer. She always hid them after I would find them. After a while I saw she was barely eating and her mouth was swollen, so I trapped her again, and she had a physical and dental. She had a bad infection in her mouth and ended up with teeth falling out on the vet's table. We fixed her up as good as we could and again I let her go in the neighborhood and continued to feed her and provide total warm and protected living area. Now we are up to last week, when my brother and I caught her in her room and put her in the carrier to go to the vet for Advantage and a injection of 6 month program, to not have any flea problems. Now she is fearful of me again, but not as bad as the first time we went to the vet. I am waiting for her to come back around to the trust level we had pre-vet visit, and need to also finish catproofing my house. She does free feed, but never over eats. She gets 2 wet meals a day, one in am and one at lunch. After that, thru the nite she will eat some dry but never a huge amount. I am anxious to open the door and let her explore, if she will even come out of the room, very shortly. I will establish 3 meals a day, the way I did when she was outside. A double sided bowl with wet in one side and dry on the other. She ate what she wanted, and then I brought the bowl back in the house and would signal her when it was time to eat again. She never went too far from my house the last couple years. I will try this type of feeding again, so she knows she will be eating in that room, period. I don't think at her age, and the years she was outside she will ever want to be touched, but I'm letting her choose the pace. Maybe being out in the house will ease her nerves and let her choose several new places she wants to curl up and relax, with me in the house!!!! I will let you know when, Momma has been freed, and how she is doing! It will be soon now, and I am really excited to have her feel at home and comfortable to leave her room. She deserves to have peace and security after all her years of vigilance and suffering. I will certainly never give up on her, whatever she chooses to do. Thank all of you for what you have done for all of the wonderful cats you have helped. And, again thank you for your helpful advice for me and Momma. Will keep you updated. Thank you, Nancy

 

[maggiedemi]

I'm excited to see how she does! I think she will eventually let you pet her once she is out living with you in the house and gets used to your daily life. My little feral girl can be really mean at times, but she's starting to come around.

 

[tabbytom]

That's good to hear N nancyhiner , from now, do a slow introduction to the house for her and let her explore and discover at her own pace and leave the room open where she is now for her to retreat as her safe room. Gain back her trust after she comes back from the vet.

Keep her feeding station and her litter box at the regular place so that she knows those spots are hers and make sure she know that you are the one that feeds her and not food fall from the sky. It's good with the established 3 times a day meal as she can see you putting down the food for her.

Remember, love, patience and routine. Please keep us posted