Tom cat problems

[Letch]

Hi I may have bitten off more than I can chew here, I have locked in a spare room a 9kg+ unhappy Tom cat that I am trying to make more sociable he has already bitten my finger so hard my nail fell off, so not good start. The cat used to roam around the carpark at work and I would often see him jumping over the 600volt third rail on the nearby rail line, so for his safety I trappped him in a fox trap and brought him home. Since he"s been home his problems are numerous like antisocial if you put food down he will growl while eating and lay into your leg if you hang around, peeing on the old mattress in his room and laying in it . So a beginners guide to pacifying angry cats would be appreciated or perhaps I should just relocate him away from electrified rail lines

A rare pic where he looks halfway happy

 

[Willowy]

Has he been neutered yet? I think that would go a long way in improving his attitude. Make sure the vet knows he's feral/aggressive (most true ferals are not aggressive so he probably started life as a pet) so they can take the proper precautions.

Baby food on a long spoon (taping a spoon to a dowel works) is a good way to make friends.

Is he really 9kg+? Wow! He doesn't look fat at all so he's a big boy!

 

[FeebysOwner]

Hi. I don't have any experience with feral or even-semi feral cats, but here is a TCS article (see link below) about them that you can read until some more experienced members come along and offer their assistance on how to handle the situation. There are comments at the end of the article that might give you some tips as well.

Do you have a litter box or two in the spare room just to see if he will use one? You can also place soil/mulch mixture in one of the boxes, as he might be more inclined to use a box that way - even start with a good sized cardboard box lid or very low sided litter box.

Laying into your leg seems rather odd for an actual feral, so maybe as W Willowy mentioned, this a pet that was abandoned and has had to fend for himself for a long while. The growling while eating is just him telling you to keep your distance while he chows down.

Should You Try And Tame A Feral Cat?

 

[susanm9006]

Thanks for trying with this guy. I would remove the mattress and other soft stuff he could pee on except for a cat bed. Hard furniture or a cat tree he can jump on are better surfaces for him now.

Growling while eating is a common thing for cats that feel they need to guard their food. Just give him a wide berth while he is eating. As far as laying on your leg, that is probably a good thing as long as he doesn’t get aggressive when you move it. If he does then move away before he lays down.

If he doesn’t get aggressive you can sit in the room with him, on the floor is best and talk to him a few times a day. If you are not sure how he will react to petting but seemed relaxed do it with a long handled brush or wear heavy leather gloves. You have to pay close attention to his body language to gauge whether he is enjoying it or ready to strike out.

It may be a long road to socialize this cat but if you are patient he will likely come around.

 

[Letch]

Has he been neutered yet? I think that would go a long way in improving his attitude. Make sure the vet knows he's feral/aggressive (most true ferals are not aggressive so he probably started life as a pet) so they can take the proper precautions.

Baby food on a long spoon (taping a spoon to a dowel works) is a good way to make friends.

Is he really 9kg+? Wow! He doesn't look fat at all so he's a big boy!

Thanks for your reply, he is not fixed and coronavirus prevents non emergency veterinary procedures and he had a fleet of fleas when he arrived so to calculate the correct flea treatment idosage i calculated the difference in weight between him being in the trap and out so that weight may be off a little but nevertheless he's the biggest non fluffy domestic cat I've seen

 

[Letch]

Hi. I don't have any experience with feral or even-semi feral cats, but here is a TCS article (see link below) about them that you can read until some more experienced members come along and offer their assistance on how to handle the situation. There are comments at the end of the article that might give you some tips as well.

Do you have a litter box or two in the spare room just to see if he will use one? You can also place soil/mulch mixture in one of the boxes, as he might be more inclined to use a box that way - even start with a good sized cardboard box lid or very low sided litter box.

Laying into your leg seems rather odd for an actual feral, so maybe as W Willowy mentioned, this a pet that was abandoned and has had to fend for himself for a long while. The growling while eating is just him telling you to keep your distance while he chows down.

Should You Try And Tame A Feral Cat?

Thanks for the link when I feed him now I wear wellies because he often has go at my legs he does use a box for number 2 but no covering up

 

[Letch]

Thanks for trying with this guy. I would remove the mattress and other soft stuff he could pee on except for a cat bed. Hard furniture or a cat tree he can jump on are better surfaces for him now.

Growling while eating is a common thing for cats that feel they need to guard their food. Just give him a wide berth while he is eating. As far as laying on your leg, that is probably a good thing as long as he doesn’t get aggressive when you move it. If he does then move away before he lays down.

If he doesn’t get aggressive you can sit in the room with him, on the floor is best and talk to him a few times a day. If you are not sure how he will react to petting but seemed relaxed do it with a long handled brush or wear heavy leather gloves. You have to pay close attention to his body language to gauge whether he is enjoying it or ready to strike out.

It may be a long road to socialize this cat but if you are patient he will likely come around.

Thanks for your reply the mattress was destined for the tip before he arrived but as you say I will have to get rid of it now because it stinks of Tom cat and I am very patient with animals

 

[susanm9006]

So he pees on your legs or does he try to scratch them? And does he run up to you to attack or is it only when you get too close to him?

 

[Catsnquilts]

What a handome moggie! Thank you for trying to help him! I’m sorry I don’t have any advice for you I just wanted to say thank you!

 

[hexiesfriend]

Patience is probably the best advice. Neutering him will solve the problem but I know getting him in a carrier requires him going in or you handling him. Try to sit in the room as he eats so he associates you with good things. Also buy lots of catnip. It will take sometime but he will come around. This is going to take awhile!!

 

[fionasmom]

I have had similar cats. Take a lot of time and once you get him arranged with whatever boxes or beds you want, just visit or do whatever has been or is safe. The growling is always sad as it is usually a cat who has had to struggle for food or could not guarantee that he might be able to finish a meal. I also agree that if he is interactive with you he might not be a feral but a long abandoned pet or a cat who was on the outskirts of someone's life and has some adaptation to people. Who knows what their story is? Just recently a clearly older and unneutered tom showed up for food where I used to feed my two now-indoor girls. I can touch his head but that is about it. Where he has been for the other years is a mystery as I keep tabs on all cats around my property.

He does not look scared in the pic. The true ferals I have brought in the house when needs must have never reacted with anything but complete hiding and waiting in silence to see if it was safe. Oddly, my vet has never complained to me about a feral I brought in, but they do make me get my baby Jamie...also an orange boy...out of his kennel when they are done with him as he will readily attack and bite once he is upset about something.

I love orange boys and wonder if he will be true to that personality that you see so often. Let this ride but protect yourself as you evaluate him. Touching with a wand type toy or something to protect your hand is a good idea. Feliway? Catnip?

 

[Letch]

So he pees on your legs or does he try to scratch them? And does he run up to you to attack or is it only when you get too close to him?

Thanks for your reply. N o he doesn't urinate on me he urinates on the mattress , but if I don't make a hasty retreat after putting his food down he will try and bite/claw my legs so I wear wellies or just open the door enough to get the food in the room BTW. he bit holes in my poor wellies yesterday

My resident cat who lives downstairs is affectionate when recieving her food I think I would have given up on cat ownership if the aforementioned behaviour was common among domestic cats.

 

[Letch]

What a handome moggie! Thank you for trying to help him! I’m sorry I don’t have any advice for you I just wanted to say thank you!

His antics on the railway were dangerous so I had to do something

 

[Letch]

Patience is probably the best advice. Neutering him will solve the problem but I know getting him in a carrier requires him going in or you handling him. Try to sit in the room as he eats so he associates you with good things. Also buy lots of catnip. It will take sometime but he will come around. This is going to take awhile!!

Thanks for your suggestion Iwill try some catnip toys hopefully it may help to relieve some his frustration

 

[Letch]

I have had similar cats. Take a lot of time and once you get him arranged with whatever boxes or beds you want, just visit or do whatever has been or is safe. The growling is always sad as it is usually a cat who has had to struggle for food or could not guarantee that he might be able to finish a meal. I also agree that if he is interactive with you he might not be a feral but a long abandoned pet or a cat who was on the outskirts of someone's life and has some adaptation to people. Who knows what their story is? Just recently a clearly older and unneutered tom showed up for food where I used to feed my two now-indoor girls. I can touch his head but that is about it. Where he has been for the other years is a mystery as I keep tabs on all cats around my property.

He does not look scared in the pic. The true ferals I have brought in the house when needs must have never reacted with anything but complete hiding and waiting in silence to see if it was safe. Oddly, my vet has never complained to me about a feral I brought in, but they do make me get my baby Jamie...also an orange boy...out of his kennel when they are done with him as he will readily attack and bite once he is upset about something.

I love orange boys and wonder if he will be true to that personality that you see so often. Let this ride but protect yourself as you evaluate him. Touching with a wand type toy or something to protect your hand is a good idea. Feliway? Catnip?

Thanks for your reply I thought feliway was for easing stress within groups of cats not solitary animals. I don't intend to keep him incarcerated in that room forever I am hoping he will become more trusting so I can let him outside, its a much safer environment where I live BTW. The pic was taken from a remotely controlled tablet so I cheated a little.

 

[fionasmom]

I have never had Feliway work for me, but some people swear by it. This boy is lucky that you have given him a safe place to live and being in a decent room is not bad at all for a transition.

 

[susanm9006]

He sounds very feral. If a few months of patience doesn’t stop his aggression I might consider getting him neutered and seeing if there is a managed feral colony that could take him

 

[moxiewild]

I don’t think this was directly addressed by anyone, but sorry if I missed it -

While it appears you have hopes of keeping him (yay!), at least for future reference, I wanted to ensure that you know that relocating a community cat is not a good idea. It is practically a death sentence for any animal to be haphazardly relocated.

Community cats can be safely and successfully relocated, but only if you follow strict guidelines that entail confining the cat at its new home for 3-6 weeks before releasing - but even that is not a guarantee.

It is so wonderful that you saved this little guy! I agree with some of the others, he doesn’t sound like a true feral. How long have you had him now?

I know socializing cats like these can be a bit frustrating and even a little unnerving at times, but it just takes a whole lot of patience, time, and understanding!

As someone suggested, please search the forums for threads on taming and socializing feral cats - this topic comes up all the time!

Also, please be aware that cat bites have an extremely high rate of infection, and this can become very serious, very quickly.

I work with companion animals and wildlife, I’ve been bit by just about everything.

The two animals with the most painful bites I’ve experienced are the squirrel and the cat - squirrels due to the physical pain, and cats due to the pain of infection (when it occurs).

I’ve been to the hospital twice due to a cat bite infection, and may still need surgery despite receiving treatment within only a few hours of being bit. Infection can happen VERY fast, and the pain had me in bed for weeks, it was excruciating. The bites themselves didn’t hurt all that much, but the subsequent infection was terrible.

So keep an eye on your bite, and be sure to thoroughly clean and disinfect any bites or scratches quickly!

Also, not sure where you’re from, but I gather it is not the US based on your use of the metric system and some fun words I’m unfamiliar with!

However, if you have rabies in your area, you should evaluate kitty for 10 days after the bite incident.

If during that time, he begins to show any symptoms of rabies, you need to receive a rabies post-exposure prophylaxis immediately. And report the poor boy to local authorities so they can humanely end his suffering.

Anyway, thank you for being so kind hearted! Hopefully you’ll have more access to veterinary services soon so you can get him neutered, as that should substantially help!

And we’re always here for any questions you may have!

 

[Letch]

He sounds very feral. If a few months of patience doesn’t stop his aggression I might consider getting him neutered and seeing if there is a managed feral colony that could take him

Thanks for your reply I am hoping he will come good eventually I'm not expecting a lap cat just so long as he trusts me enough to allow me to feed him and attend to any medical needs

 

[Letch]

Also, not sure where you’re from, but I gather it is not the US based on your use of the metric system and some fun words I’m unfamiliar with.

However, if you have rabies in your area, you should evaluate kitty for 10 days after the bite incident.

If during that time, he begins to show any symptoms of rabies, you need to receive a rabies post-exposure prophylaxis immediately. And report the poor boy to local authorities so they can humanely end his suffering.

Anyway, thank you for being so kind hearted! Hopefully you’ll have more access to veterinary services soon so you can get him neutered, as that should substantially help!

And we’re always here for any questions you may have!

Thanks for your reply I'm from England ,sorry about the "fun" words at least there is no rabies to worry about here, He bit my hand when I tried to get spot on flea treatment on him I'm not looking forward to administering the next monthly treatment in 16days time .

Vets visits are out due to coronavirus plus I am completely chicken about getting him in a pet carrier I have already lost one fingernail.