Success!!!! I’ve trapped the stray. Except s/he’s terrified.

[reba]

I'm sure it will be fine. It really does sound like you've made a lot of progress with her already.

I also wonder how much of the "cat misses the outdoors" is projection on our part. I personally wonder if what we are observing in situations like this is just cats being stressed by change.

We all know that cats have issues with change, and they take some time getting used to it. As intelligent animals, I'm sure there are aspects to the indoors that they instantly appreciate. Guaranteed meals and shelter being the main ones. But being brought inside is an enormous life change that is going to be stressful as they adjust and get used to their new life.

If there is any real desire for "freedom" I would think is motivated by the remnants of fear. She isn't totally used to indoor life yet, and is still not 100% trusting, so if given the chance she might still choose to bolt outside, giving into fear and resisting change.

Who knows what goes on in the feline brain, but that's my airmchair-feline-psychologist's theory.

I think that all sounds very plausible. This has been a good reality-adjustment for me. I’ve taken in three adult cats from the yard now and never had to do much to socialize any of them. I don’t think I really appreciated what some of the rescuers put out in terms of patience and effort.

 

[cmshap]

Well that’s reassuring. So far the only thing she really seems to be enjoying is having cat company.

There are some ferals that have no chance of being brought inside, but everything you've described does sound like it's possible to me. Because you've made progress with her, and even if it's slow progress, it's not insignificant.

 

[reba]

Well surprise, surprise. She heard me fixing breakfast for the other three and came out to join us. Well tentatively at first and then came over to her food bowl and sniffed it. Then she turned her nose up at the Friskies wet and headed for another cat’s dish with the Purina Pro Plan. He’s my most dominant guy and more than twice her size. She stuck in nose in his bowl and he actually just stepped back and looked at her for a few seconds before he hissed at her.

She must’ve lived in a multi-cat household that got along. She doesn’t seem to be afraid of any of her new companions and will sit in the circle for playtime (even if she has to position herself under the bed.)

I figured I was going to have to switch them all to Purina Pro Plan wet, but boy the cost of that has exploded. There’s no way that the ingredients in Friskies wet are so different that it’s half the cost. And there’s still shortages of cat food I notice.

 

[Mamanyt1953]

You really are making progress! And so is she! That's just lovely. There may be (or not) a step backwards here and there along the way, but I think you've got this well under control! Well done!

 

[reba]

OK, here’s the latest. When she has free reign of the upstairs she hides under the bed or in some other nook and I can’t pet her. When we have playtime she takes her place in the circle but that’s from under the bed. If she comes and sits on the window ledge she heads back under the bed if I approach.

So I decide to close the door to the upstairs bathroom the upstairs bathroom where her bed is and stick her buddy in there (the male neutered stray I took in last year). I come in in the middle of the night and her bed is on the floor versus and she’s sleeping on the bench next to her buddy. So I go to move her bed back on to the bench and she moves into his bed.

Well… next thing I know he’s biting her on the neck and mounting her. So I kicked him out. But then he made a half-hearted attempt today. Is this normalI only? I have one other female cat and to the best of my knowledge, he’s never tried it with her. I’ve never seen her present her rear end to him or anything - she just likes to rub up against him when she sees him. Oh and she wasn’t happy he was trying to have his way with her (at least from what I can tell.)

PS I’m disappointed she hasn’t gotten more approachable. She didn’t even trying lying on the bed or anything when I let her out. She’s comfortable enough to enjoy playtime, but not to relax into the space.