Hi all,
I've posted about "HLA" a couple of times here (most recent thread: Sad feral kitty update) I'm starting a new thread as I'm hoping that the outcome of all this will no longer be "sad."
The current situation is that HLA is a 10-plus year old feral that we've been feeding for that whole time, but she's never taken shelter on our property, nor has she shown interest in being petted. She meowed at me once, years ago, when I got home in the middle of a blizzard and she was waiting in our driveway to be fed. But otherwise she's behaved as your typical wary feral. You can get within about a foot of her to feed her.
She had an ear infection in early November, for which we caught, treated and released her when she lost interest in eating after a week. The ear infection came back, and we caught her again Weds. night of last week, in advance of a big winter storm with Arctic temps. She's been in our spare bedroom ever since, mostly sleeping in her cat carrier outfitted with blankets. She is still eating, as of today, knock on wood.
My questions are:
I read a lot about ferals that shut down and get depressed in captivity. At what point does one consider a cat to be too depressed or shut down to continue keeping inside? As long as she's still eating, should we continue on with this? As I said, she is sleeping almost 24/7. Has anyone had a feral that shut down like this or was generally disengaged but nonetheless came around and was eventually able to be socialized?
Any tips on socializing a senior cat in particular? I have found a ton of info stating it cannot and should not be done (this article is an example: Socializing a Feral Cat: It’s all about Trust--the last sentences read "Please do not force a feral cat older than three years to live inside. There are certainly many instances where older kitties, especially if they’re ill, are ready for the change. But most older feral cats will never adapt, and it is not an act of love to force these kitties to 'learn' to live inside.") However, some members of this forum seem to have been successful with this?
We have an appointment with a good, cats-only vet in mid-January to have her ears and general condition evaluated, but I worry that trapping her and taking her in will destroy any sense of trust or security we might have built up before then. The vet does not do home appointments. I was planning to see if we could get some flavored gabapentin to add to her food before her appointment to basically drug her for the whole ordeal. But should we just skip it altogether?
I have several other questions, but this has gotten long enough as it is. Thanks for any thoughts you might have!
I've posted about "HLA" a couple of times here (most recent thread: Sad feral kitty update) I'm starting a new thread as I'm hoping that the outcome of all this will no longer be "sad."
The current situation is that HLA is a 10-plus year old feral that we've been feeding for that whole time, but she's never taken shelter on our property, nor has she shown interest in being petted. She meowed at me once, years ago, when I got home in the middle of a blizzard and she was waiting in our driveway to be fed. But otherwise she's behaved as your typical wary feral. You can get within about a foot of her to feed her.
She had an ear infection in early November, for which we caught, treated and released her when she lost interest in eating after a week. The ear infection came back, and we caught her again Weds. night of last week, in advance of a big winter storm with Arctic temps. She's been in our spare bedroom ever since, mostly sleeping in her cat carrier outfitted with blankets. She is still eating, as of today, knock on wood.
My questions are:
I read a lot about ferals that shut down and get depressed in captivity. At what point does one consider a cat to be too depressed or shut down to continue keeping inside? As long as she's still eating, should we continue on with this? As I said, she is sleeping almost 24/7. Has anyone had a feral that shut down like this or was generally disengaged but nonetheless came around and was eventually able to be socialized?
Any tips on socializing a senior cat in particular? I have found a ton of info stating it cannot and should not be done (this article is an example: Socializing a Feral Cat: It’s all about Trust--the last sentences read "Please do not force a feral cat older than three years to live inside. There are certainly many instances where older kitties, especially if they’re ill, are ready for the change. But most older feral cats will never adapt, and it is not an act of love to force these kitties to 'learn' to live inside.") However, some members of this forum seem to have been successful with this?
We have an appointment with a good, cats-only vet in mid-January to have her ears and general condition evaluated, but I worry that trapping her and taking her in will destroy any sense of trust or security we might have built up before then. The vet does not do home appointments. I was planning to see if we could get some flavored gabapentin to add to her food before her appointment to basically drug her for the whole ordeal. But should we just skip it altogether?
I have several other questions, but this has gotten long enough as it is. Thanks for any thoughts you might have!
I sat with her in there for a couple hours this morning, and have also started sleeping in there (it's a spare bedroom), so she is definitely getting her fill of me! Our vet receptionist is checking with the vet about Composure liquid. Our vet can't see her for her ear infection till January 10 at the earliest, which frankly just sucks. I was hoping to see this particular vet, as she's very, VERY good at what she does and specializes in cats with difficult illnesses. 
and you are so not a monster 
