How can I help my poor cat

[happyhoix]

I’ve been sending money to a local cat/dog/goat shelter in my little rural town for several years now. She’ll post pictures of some of the residents periodically, and last year she posted one of a 3 year old male cat that was the only one left from a litter she had hand raised, and she said he was so sweet she was surprised he had never been adopted. I told her I might be interested, if he got along with other cats (I have a 15 year old MC). She said he was currently living in the ‘cat house’ with other cats and had no problems. I offered to come look at him, but she said the adult cat house was at the back of her property, and she was the only one who visited out there, so it would be better if she brought him to my house. After about two months of trying to come up with a mutually good time, she finally brought him by. 

The poor boy is feral. My family have had cats since I was born, and I remember once we adopted a ginger kitten who lived behind our sofa for a week. We put his litter box at one end of the sofa and his food and water at the other, and after a week he started venturing out.  But it’s been three months now, and Big Boy is still living upstairs (we have two bedrooms up there that we don’t use). His litter box, food and water are up there in the bathroom, and I go up and check on him every day, but if I get within four feet of him he flees downstairs and hides under the master bed until it gets dark and we go to bed - then he sneaks back upstairs. 

He does come downstairs at night. He leaves his white hairs on the back of our sofa (I think he sleeps there). I also find tufts of it around the first floor, even in our room. 

Only improvements in the last 3 weeks - they both get hard food all day, but I put out a small amount of wet food in two bowls for them at night. I put the Big Boy’s on the stairs. In the last couple weeks, he has started to come to the top of the stairs to watch me put the food out. In the last few days, he has actually snuck downstairs right before I normally put the food out - he comes down and hides under our bed. 

In the last month, he has started calling when he’s downstairs. My MC has a raucous screaming cry - Big Boy has what I would call a chirp, and he chirps four or five times in a row. 

Two mornings last week, he came downstairs and scurried (but did not scramble) to get under our bed. I work full time so I don’t know if he goes back up stairs at some point or if he hides under the bed all day. 

Last night he came downstairs and headed to our bedroom door, but I called “Big Boy” to him and he paused, looked carefully over at me, glanced over to DH, back to me again, then continued his scurry under our bed. 

I’ve never had a truly feral cat. Is he always going to be this way? Will he ever feel comfortable in our house? We have a great screened porch with a cat tree and a cat walk around the perimeter of the porch (MC lives out there in the warmer months) - I know he would enjoy it, but I’m afraid he’ll stay the permanent upstairs cat, stuck up there by himself. 

Also, he needs his shots. I don’t think trying to chase him down and cram him in a carrier would help him right now. Plus, how do I get him back into the carrier once we get to the vets? The only good thing is he doesn’t turn violent when you try to pin him, he just panics and freaks out until he can scramble away. 

By the way, Big Boy is not his name. I wait until I get a feel of their personality until I pick a name, so I don’t end up with a big tough Tom named marshmallow. Because he is a big orange and white fluff, he’s just Big Boy right now. Poor scaredy cat Big Boy. (DH calls him Casper the Ghost). 

[TheOtherMe]

I follow Beth Stern on Instagram and the rescue she works with.  

Some cats will never be lap cats or hang around people.  It's their personality.  Some cats take a very long time to adapt to living with people.  

A couple adopted a feral pair of male cats several years ago now.  Beth did not think it would work.  The people were wearing leather gloves around the cats.  Now those two boys are total lap cats.  

There is a female cat at present who will get on the bed alone but when her human comes, she is under the bed.  She is happiest if she can touch the remote.  Who knows why so they got a remote that isn't attached to anything.  She has a favorite blanket and hates when it is being washed.  She doesn't sit with her people but she doesn't hiss any more.  She has just started going downstairs to walk around when they are there.  So far, she walks around and goes back upstairs.

There is one cat who was traumatized by seeing his owner brutally murdered.  That was 4 years ago.  The person who decided to adopt him refused to give up on him.  He hissed.  He lunged at her.  He scratched her numerous times.  It was definitely baby steps but he is now a total mush.  He does not like men.  She assumes it was a man who murdered his owner.  

I know Beth would tell you patience and it may never happen.  

He feels your love and doesn't yet know how to engage.  Give him time and he will be more accepting.

As for the vet, are there any that come to your house?   They can be cat whisperers.   

I am very lucky.  The two cats I have get in their carriers with no problem.

[resolution]

My boys will battle with me when it's time to go into the traditional cat carrier. I have one that will brace all four of his legs on the outside of the door and start scratching and biting if I try to cram him in. If I take the top off, he will escape while I try to get the top clipped back on.

To resolve it, I got one of the soft sided carriers with a zipper opening on the top. I can pick him up and set him right down in it, push him down, and zip it up before he knows what is happening.

   

[billisonboard]

Sorry, nothing on the behavior issues but a story on name.  Got a couple year old golden retriever from a shelter. They had given him the name Calvin which we continued to use. It was obviously not his name. We would use it and he would give us this quizzical look of,  "Who are you talking to?" We tried others but never hit on the right one. He finally gave up and accepted being called Calvin. 

[Tennesseer]

happyhoix - I have some experience with this.

Among the many cats who have lived in my home, there were three sister litter mates.  The three were born outside and lived in my backyard in 2005.  Only one of the three was friendly to me and I took her in.  She was maybe 4-5 months old.  Over the next few months I saw her two sisters looking into my home at their sister inside.  Winter was coming.  I said what the hell-wrestle them down and bring them inside.  

In addition to their sister inside my home, I also had a male and two females.  None of them were related to each other.  I got the two sisters inside never expecting them to become lap cats.  For the next 17 years the two sisters never wanted anything to do with me.  If I got close to them, the stranger-danger alert went out. 

The two sisters fell in love with my male cat.  The male cat always slept right next to me on the bed.  And seeing the two sisters loved the male cat, they slept next to him while he slept next to me.  That was the only time I could give the sisters a pet.  A single pet or they they booked off the bed.  

After about four years of hearing the two sisters caterwauling when they were in heat I had enough of that and it was time to get them spayed.  Also got them declawed.  There was no way in hell of getting them into pet carriers to bring them to the vets to get spayed.  What I did have on hand were several live traps I used to get the other outdoor cats spayed/neutered.  So I set the baited traps up in one of my bedrooms and caught both of them.  I had to get them their shots while they were being spayed.  They would not ever be going outside anyway, so I didn't have to bother getting them future shots.

My home is small.  Yet for a number of years me and six cats lived in peace.  I expected nothing from the two sister cats and that was all right for them and me.  When they male cat passed away, they teamed up with their other sister (who was friendly with me).  And that's the way it was until all three sisters passed away.

Just give your Big Boy cat time and space.  

As to Big Boy's previous owner, they will often times not tell you the truth of what the animal is like just to get the animal unloaded.   

In the earlier years, I had a male and a female cat.  Their owner had passed away.  At the same time, the cat I had from 1980 to 1997 had passed away.  I adopted the two cats and had no problem with them.  In 2004, the female passed and I wanted the male cat to have company.  So I went to a cat rescue and saw two that I was okay in adopting and willing to pay.  One of the cats had a sad story in that her owner was called back to active duty and he need to find homes for his dog and cat.  The pets' owner's parents were will to take in the dog but not the cat.  So I felt sorry for her.

I told them let me take one home first to get her settled and then I would come back for the other.  So I paid for the first.  Once the first cat was settled in I went back for the second.   Had the second cat in the carrier and reached for my wallet.  The lady said it was on the house.  They were just glad she had a home.  Got the cat home and found out she was possessed by Satan.  No wonder they didn't charge me!  The damn cat hated all the other cats in the house and took it out by spraying my stove, microwave, toaster, washer and dryer. I tried to give her back though to the rescue group but they said nope!

Miss Beelzebub finally settled down. 

So getting back to Big Boy.  Give him space and time.  If you need to get him shots to protect the other cat, a vet might loan you a live trap to catch him and bring him to them to give him his shots.  Or the lady who have you the cat might have a live trap you can borrow.  

[toomuchreality]

Mar 9, 2024 11:30:17 GMT -5 happyhoix said:

I’ve been sending money to a local cat/dog/goat shelter in my little rural town for several years now. She’ll post pictures of some of the residents periodically, and last year she posted one of a 3 year old male cat that was the only one left from a litter she had hand raised, and she said he was so sweet she was surprised he had never been adopted. I told her I might be interested, if he got along with other cats (I have a 15 year old MC). She said he was currently living in the ‘cat house’ with other cats and had no problems. I offered to come look at him, but she said the adult cat house was at the back of her property, and she was the only one who visited out there, so it would be better if she brought him to my house. After about two months of trying to come up with a mutually good time, she finally brought him by. 

The poor boy is feral. My family have had cats since I was born, and I remember once we adopted a ginger kitten who lived behind our sofa for a week. We put his litter box at one end of the sofa and his food and water at the other, and after a week he started venturing out.  But it’s been three months now, and Big Boy is still living upstairs (we have two bedrooms up there that we don’t use). His litter box, food and water are up there in the bathroom, and I go up and check on him every day, but if I get within four feet of him he flees downstairs and hides under the master bed until it gets dark and we go to bed - then he sneaks back upstairs. 

He does come downstairs at night. He leaves his white hairs on the back of our sofa (I think he sleeps there). I also find tufts of it around the first floor, even in our room. 

Only improvements in the last 3 weeks - they both get hard food all day, but I put out a small amount of wet food in two bowls for them at night. I put the Big Boy’s on the stairs. In the last couple weeks, he has started to come to the top of the stairs to watch me put the food out. In the last few days, he has actually snuck downstairs right before I normally put the food out - he comes down and hides under our bed. 

In the last month, he has started calling when he’s downstairs. My MC has a raucous screaming cry - Big Boy has what I would call a chirp, and he chirps four or five times in a row. 

Two mornings last week, he came downstairs and scurried (but did not scramble) to get under our bed. I work full time so I don’t know if he goes back up stairs at some point or if he hides under the bed all day. 

Last night he came downstairs and headed to our bedroom door, but I called “Big Boy” to him and he paused, looked carefully over at me, glanced over to DH, back to me again, then continued his scurry under our bed. 

I’ve never had a truly feral cat. Is he always going to be this way? Will he ever feel comfortable in our house? We have a great screened porch with a cat tree and a cat walk around the perimeter of the porch (MC lives out there in the warmer months) - I know he would enjoy it, but I’m afraid he’ll stay the permanent upstairs cat, stuck up there by himself. 

Also, he needs his shots. I don’t think trying to chase him down and cram him in a carrier would help him right now. Plus, how do I get him back into the carrier once we get to the vets? The only good thing is he doesn’t turn violent when you try to pin him, he just panics and freaks out until he can scramble away. 

By the way, Big Boy is not his name. I wait until I get a feel of their personality until I pick a name, so I don’t end up with a big tough Tom named marshmallow. Because he is a big orange and white fluff, he’s just Big Boy right now. Poor scaredy cat Big Boy. (DH calls him Casper the Ghost). 

I haven't had a cat in the last probably 40 years and I have zero experience with feral cats. So I'm of no help. Sorry.
But I admire you for taking him and trying.

I would have expected him to be more curious and want some companionship by now. Even more trusting. Especially since he comes down to various areas sometimes.

Do you ever watch the cat show with Jackson Galaxy in it? I used to, but haven't in some time.
(My cat from Hell, I think it's called)

Maybe you can watch it on YouTube and get some ideas from it?

Good luck!

[toomuchreality]

Tennesseer- I was going to tag you in this thread, but I see you already posted.
I was sure you'd be able to help!
Thanks!

[The Walk of the Penguin Mich]

I adopted a cat from the pet store.  He was with a bunch of kittens, but while the rest of the kittens were clearly much younger, this one had been passed over for awhile.  He was also black.  My thought was….black cat with an attitude, what could go wrong?

For about 3 months he lived in my apartment.  Food was eaten, litter box used but unless you saw those items in my apartment, you’d never know a cat lived there.  He lived either under the furniture or in the back of the closet. 

I just let him have his way.  I woke up one morning and he was sleeping wrapped around my head.  I have absolutely no idea what changed.  The only thing I suspected was that he was abused by a male, he HATED men.  

BTW….I named him Grendel.  Everyone should have a monster liv8ng under their bed!

[happyhoix]

Mar 9, 2024 11:47:12 GMT -5 TheOtherMe said:

I follow Beth Stern on Instagram and the rescue she works with.  

Some cats will never be lap cats or hang around people.  It's their personality.  Some cats take a very long time to adapt to living with people.  

A couple adopted a feral pair of male cats several years ago now.  Beth did not think it would work.  The people were wearing leather gloves around the cats.  Now those two boys are total lap cats.  

There is a female cat at present who will get on the bed alone but when her human comes, she is under the bed.  She is happiest if she can touch the remote.  Who knows why so they got a remote that isn't attached to anything.  She has a favorite blanket and hates when it is being washed.  She doesn't sit with her people but she doesn't hiss any more.  She has just started going downstairs to walk around when they are there.  So far, she walks around and goes back upstairs.

There is one cat who was traumatized by seeing his owner brutally murdered.  That was 4 years ago.  The person who decided to adopt him refused to give up on him.  He hissed.  He lunged at her.  He scratched her numerous times.  It was definitely baby steps but he is now a total mush.  He does not like men.  She assumes it was a man who murdered his owner.  

I know Beth would tell you patience and it may never happen.  

He feels your love and doesn't yet know how to engage.  Give him time and he will be more accepting.

As for the vet, are there any that come to your house?   They can be cat whisperers.   

I am very lucky.  The two cats I have get in their carriers with no problem.

I live in a rural area with just one vet, and they don’t do house calls. However someone below mentioned borrowing a live trap - actually the shelter lady told me because he was so large (He’s probably close to twenty pounds) she couldn’t wrangle him into a carrier, but he’s food motivated so she lured him in with food. If he continues to keep coming out more, maybe I can get to the point where he will enter a carrier with tuna in it (already found out he likes tuna) so I can trap him. Then let the vet wrangle him back into the carrier when it’s time to leave. 

[happyhoix]

Mar 9, 2024 14:36:59 GMT -5 toomuchreality said:

Mar 9, 2024 11:30:17 GMT -5 happyhoix said:

I’ve been sending money to a local cat/dog/goat shelter in my little rural town for several years now. She’ll post pictures of some of the residents periodically, and last year she posted one of a 3 year old male cat that was the only one left from a litter she had hand raised, and she said he was so sweet she was surprised he had never been adopted. I told her I might be interested, if he got along with other cats (I have a 15 year old MC). She said he was currently living in the ‘cat house’ with other cats and had no problems. I offered to come look at him, but she said the adult cat house was at the back of her property, and she was the only one who visited out there, so it would be better if she brought him to my house. After about two months of trying to come up with a mutually good time, she finally brought him by. 

The poor boy is feral. My family have had cats since I was born, and I remember once we adopted a ginger kitten who lived behind our sofa for a week. We put his litter box at one end of the sofa and his food and water at the other, and after a week he started venturing out.  But it’s been three months now, and Big Boy is still living upstairs (we have two bedrooms up there that we don’t use). His litter box, food and water are up there in the bathroom, and I go up and check on him every day, but if I get within four feet of him he flees downstairs and hides under the master bed until it gets dark and we go to bed - then he sneaks back upstairs. 

He does come downstairs at night. He leaves his white hairs on the back of our sofa (I think he sleeps there). I also find tufts of it around the first floor, even in our room. 

Only improvements in the last 3 weeks - they both get hard food all day, but I put out a small amount of wet food in two bowls for them at night. I put the Big Boy’s on the stairs. In the last couple weeks, he has started to come to the top of the stairs to watch me put the food out. In the last few days, he has actually snuck downstairs right before I normally put the food out - he comes down and hides under our bed. 

In the last month, he has started calling when he’s downstairs. My MC has a raucous screaming cry - Big Boy has what I would call a chirp, and he chirps four or five times in a row. 

Two mornings last week, he came downstairs and scurried (but did not scramble) to get under our bed. I work full time so I don’t know if he goes back up stairs at some point or if he hides under the bed all day. 

Last night he came downstairs and headed to our bedroom door, but I called “Big Boy” to him and he paused, looked carefully over at me, glanced over to DH, back to me again, then continued his scurry under our bed. 

I’ve never had a truly feral cat. Is he always going to be this way? Will he ever feel comfortable in our house? We have a great screened porch with a cat tree and a cat walk around the perimeter of the porch (MC lives out there in the warmer months) - I know he would enjoy it, but I’m afraid he’ll stay the permanent upstairs cat, stuck up there by himself. 

Also, he needs his shots. I don’t think trying to chase him down and cram him in a carrier would help him right now. Plus, how do I get him back into the carrier once we get to the vets? The only good thing is he doesn’t turn violent when you try to pin him, he just panics and freaks out until he can scramble away. 

By the way, Big Boy is not his name. I wait until I get a feel of their personality until I pick a name, so I don’t end up with a big tough Tom named marshmallow. Because he is a big orange and white fluff, he’s just Big Boy right now. Poor scaredy cat Big Boy. (DH calls him Casper the Ghost). 

I haven't had a cat in the last probably 40 years and I have zero experience with feral cats. So I'm of no help. Sorry.
But I admire you for taking him and trying.

I would have expected him to be more curious and want some companionship by now. Even more trusting. Especially since he comes down to various areas sometimes.

Do you ever watch the cat show with Jackson Galaxy in it? I used to, but haven't in some time.
(My cat from Hell, I think it's called)

Maybe you can watch it on YouTube and get some ideas from it?

Good luck!

The shelter lady did mention he was shy around people but I don’t think she realized the extent of his shyness. Around her, she said his only vice was that when she was trying to put the food down for the cat shed, if he thought she wasn’t paying enough attention to him, he would nip her arms (I had a cat who did that, too). So I’m hopeful he can get to that state with me. 

I won’t take him back to the shelter, in any case. I’m wondering if the lady running it is actually an animal hoarder. She was telling me her plans of expanding her buildings to take more animals in, but she doesn’t seem to have regular visiting hours to get people to come by and adopt them. If he went back he’d be back in the ‘shed’ with the other adult cats and only her once a day visits - that’s not much of a life. 

I also wondering if she had electricity in the shed. He probably isn’t used to the sound of the TV or the coffee grinder or any of the other noises in an household. And I know he’s not used to people always being around. A lot for a ginger sharing one brain cell to adjust to. 

I have seen Jaxon Galaxy, I’ll see if I can find his episodes and search to see if he has one for very timid cats. My Maine coon isn’t helping, if she sees him she hisses loudly. Bossy girl. 

[happyhoix]

Mar 9, 2024 17:03:18 GMT -5 The Walk of the Penguin Mich said:

I adopted a cat from the pet store.  He was with a bunch of kittens, but while the rest of the kittens were clearly much younger, this one had been passed over for awhile.  He was also black.  My thought was….black cat with an attitude, what could go wrong?

For about 3 months he lived in my apartment.  Food was eaten, litter box used but unless you saw those items in my apartment, you’d never know a cat lived there.  He lived either under the furniture or in the back of the closet. 

I just let him have his way.  I woke up one morning and he was sleeping wrapped around my head.  I have absolutely no idea what changed.  The only thing I suspected was that he was abused by a male, he HATED men.  

BTW….I named him Grendel.  Everyone should have a monster liv8ng under their bed!

My first cats out of college were two half Siamese black brothers. I had them for 18 months before I got married and DH moved in. The biggest one was laid back and chill. The smaller one adored me and hated DH. He’d lurk around the walls and furniture until DH would walk past, then he would leap out, wrap himself around DH’s leg and take a few hard bites before DH could shake him loose. For a while, the two of them sparred constantly, but eventually the cat was able to tolerate DH, although he never wanted DH to touch him. To be fair, DH didn’t want anything to do with him, either, but at least they weren’t always poking at each other. Cats can be so weird. 

[Tennesseer]

Here in Memphis we have a clinic which neuters cats and dogs.  The also offer a low cost for feral cats.  In the paperwork you have to complete prior to the surgery, one of the questions asked is the breed of the cat.  If the cat is feral they wrote (with a smile) the breed of the feral cat is LION.  A warning for the surgical team.


  

[toomuchreality]

Mar 9, 2024 17:03:18 GMT -5 The Walk of the Penguin Mich said:

I adopted a cat from the pet store.  He was with a bunch of kittens, but while the rest of the kittens were clearly much younger, this one had been passed over for awhile.  He was also black.  My thought was….black cat with an attitude, what could go wrong?

For about 3 months he lived in my apartment.  Food was eaten, litter box used but unless you saw those items in my apartment, you’d never know a cat lived there.  He lived either under the furniture or in the back of the closet. 

I just let him have his way.  I woke up one morning and he was sleeping wrapped around my head.  I have absolutely no idea what changed.  The only thing I suspected was that he was abused by a male, he HATED men.  

BTW….I named him Grendel.  Everyone should have a monster liv8ng under their bed!

DD2 had a black cat like this, but it never did like anyone but her, all it's life.

Even when I cared for it, when they went out of town, the cat would sit by the sink, wanting a drink of water. But when I tried to turn the water on, it hissed and swatted at me.

It was a good thing DD2 loved that cat! It had many issues, especially during its last 5 years of life.
I couldn't deal with that.

[happyhoix]

Well, thanks everyone for the advice, let me know if you have any more. I’m going to get one of the carriers mentioned above (hopefully I can find a pretty big one!)

Big Boy came scuttling downstairs about an hour ago, which is earlier than he ever has before. Went right in under the bed. I think I’ll go put some tuna in a dish and slide it up under one side of the bed, let him know he’s a member of the family, even if he can’t yet join us in the great room.

I need to think of a brave name for him, maybe help him to be less timid. (The shelter named him Snowball - that’s not brave at all). If I can figure out how to post a picture of him, I will, I have one from when he first came here, in his carrier. (Or I can post a blurry one of him racing past me).

[toomuchreality]

Mar 9, 2024 17:50:23 GMT -5 happyhoix said:

Well, thanks everyone for the advice, let me know if you have any more. I’m going to get one of the carriers mentioned above (hopefully I can find a pretty big one!)

Big Boy came scuttling downstairs about an hour ago, which is earlier than he ever has before. Went right in under the bed. I think I’ll go put some tuna in a dish and slide it up under one side of the bed, let him know he’s a member of the family, even if he can’t yet join us in the great room.

I need to think of a brave name for him, maybe help him to be less timid. (The shelter named him Snowball - that’s not brave at all). If I can figure out how to post a picture of him, I will, I have one from when he first came here, in his carrier. (Or I can post a blurry one of him racing past me).

I would love to see pictures! ♡

[happyhoix]

Mar 9, 2024 17:36:07 GMT -5 Tennesseer said:

Here in Memphis we have a clinic which neuters cats and dogs.  The also offer a low cost for feral cats.  In the paperwork you have to complete prior to the surgery, one of the questions asked is the breed of the cat.  If the cat is feral they wrote (with a smile) the breed of the feral cat is LION.  A warning for the surgical team.


  

Forgot to mention, he’s been neutered already. Shelter took care of that, and his rabies shots, but he’s due for another rabies shot. 

I think that may be partly why when he’s fearful he runs away, rather than attacks. That plus, although he’s never lived in a house, he’s never lived completely on his own (always in the kitten room and then the cat shed) so he’s not technically feral - he just behaves like most feral cats would, from having such limited contact with people and normal house noises. 

[countrygirl2]

I found a tiny feral cat and raised her. She was so little she should have been on a bottle. Back then you just couldn't find them, long time ago. I just named her Black. She did the same, she hid all the time. Like I said so tiny she plunged her face and front paws in her food to try and suck it up. So I mixed wet with milk and she was able to eat it. I worked back then so she was alone a lot.

She would never set on your lap or rub on your legs and was not real big. The vet said she wouldn't live long as she had some kind of kidney or liver problem, I know she had a tiny bladder.

This went on for years at least 8. One time I went on a trip for 2 weeks, had never left her before. A nice lady friend of mine kept her. When I got home, she said it would not come out from behind the couch except at night to eat and use the litter box. She had an old cat but he didn't bother her. And yes she had been fixed and had all her shots.When I picked her up I had to get her out from behind the couch, she was shaking.

I took her home that night and let her out. I was sitting in my recliner watching TV. That little cat came in, jumped up on the recliner, crawled up to my neck and lay down and went to sleep with a big sigh. I was shocked. Apparently it traumatized her so much to not be around us she changed quickly. After that she was on my lap all the time and crawled in bed with me. She always slept curled up in my left arm. At that time hubs was working overseas, when he came home on leave she was not happy. She would sit in bed and stare at him. He said every time he woke up that damn cat was looking at him. Yes, she scratched him and tried to bite him, she got better though.

She moved with us up here and lived to the ripe old age of 21, she just had to be put down a few years ago. I still miss that sweet little kitty and she clung to me the rest of her life after that. Who would have thought. It was like don't ever leave me again. She traveled with DD and I in the motorhome all over the US. She had no desire to get out or leave. So they can change, that little baby did. She liked to sit on the dash and watch the world go by. Either that or curl up in her heated catbed over the diesel engine and sleep many miles away, she was my little love.

[countrygirl2]

Do you really want to declaw him? I wouldn't that is very cruel to do to a kitty. Please think twice before doing that. It leaves them defenseless if they should ever get out and run off.

[Tennesseer]

Mar 9, 2024 17:54:48 GMT -5 happyhoix said:

Mar 9, 2024 17:36:07 GMT -5 Tennesseer said:

Here in Memphis we have a clinic which neuters cats and dogs.  The also offer a low cost for feral cats.  In the paperwork you have to complete prior to the surgery, one of the questions asked is the breed of the cat.  If the cat is feral they wrote (with a smile) the breed of the feral cat is LION.  A warning for the surgical team.


  

Forgot to mention, he’s been neutered already. Shelter took care of that, and his rabies shots, but he’s due for another rabies shot. 

I think that may be partly why when he’s fearful he runs away, rather than attacks. That plus, although he’s never lived in a house, he’s never lived completely on his own (always in the kitten room and then the cat shed) so he’s not technically feral - he just behaves like most feral cats would, from having such limited contact with people and normal house noises. 

If you are sure he will never go outside again I would not bother with the next rabies shot.

If he could be an escape artist, then another rabies shot is in order.

[TheOtherMe]

I do get rabies shots every 3 years even though neither of these attempt to go outside.

They got the FeLV as kittens at the shelter after testing negative.

They get calcivirus, feline distemper and Feline Herpesvirus.  

These two don't need vaccines until summer.  I got them off the same day schedule as the vet wouldn't give Maddow vaccines at the same time as he was being treated for his UTI.

It's much easier for me to handle one cat at a time.

Amelia never makes a peep for the entire trip.

Maddow howls in the car and then is afraid to get out of the carrier.

[toomuchreality]

Mar 9, 2024 18:19:14 GMT -5 countrygirl2 said:

Do you really want to declaw him? I wouldn't that is very cruel to do to a kitty. Please think twice before doing that. It leaves them defenseless if they should ever get out and run off.

I had a declawed cat years ago, that would sneak out and chase the neighbor's dog! It even climbed trees with no problem. It's name was Frigger. That cat was a PIA! Thus, it's name. I wasn't looking for a cat. I was dating Ex2 at the time. He brought it home from work and left it at my place.

[Cheesy FL-Vol]

Mar 9, 2024 18:29:19 GMT -5 Tennesseer said:

Mar 9, 2024 17:54:48 GMT -5 happyhoix said:

Forgot to mention, he’s been neutered already. Shelter took care of that, and his rabies shots, but he’s due for another rabies shot. 

I think that may be partly why when he’s fearful he runs away, rather than attacks. That plus, although he’s never lived in a house, he’s never lived completely on his own (always in the kitten room and then the cat shed) so he’s not technically feral - he just behaves like most feral cats would, from having such limited contact with people and normal house noises. 

If you are sure he will never go outside again I would not bother with the next rabies shot.

If he could be an escape artist, then another rabies shot is in order.

My vet told us the rabies is required by law. One of the girls gets no shots. A decision made with my vet in Florida. The other one the vet here says I have to vaccinate even though neither of them are ever outside.

[Tennesseer]

Mar 9, 2024 19:37:59 GMT -5 Cheesy FL-Vol said:

Mar 9, 2024 18:29:19 GMT -5 Tennesseer said:

If you are sure he will never go outside again I would not bother with the next rabies shot.

If he could be an escape artist, then another rabies shot is in order.

My vet told us the rabies is required by law. One of the girls gets no shots. A decision made with my vet in Florida. The other one the vet here says I have to vaccinate even though neither of them are ever outside.

I cannot speak for your state but the 14 cats I have had (indoors only) here living in Tennessee were never required by the vets (and all saw a vet at least once in their life) they needed to have a rabies 'booster' shot. Oh I would receive a notice now and then but it never stated Tennessee mandated multiple rabies shots over the cats' lifetimes.

[happyhoix]

Mar 9, 2024 18:29:19 GMT -5 Tennesseer said:

Mar 9, 2024 17:54:48 GMT -5 happyhoix said:

Forgot to mention, he’s been neutered already. Shelter took care of that, and his rabies shots, but he’s due for another rabies shot. 

I think that may be partly why when he’s fearful he runs away, rather than attacks. That plus, although he’s never lived in a house, he’s never lived completely on his own (always in the kitten room and then the cat shed) so he’s not technically feral - he just behaves like most feral cats would, from having such limited contact with people and normal house noises. 

If you are sure he will never go outside again I would not bother with the next rabies shot.

If he could be an escape artist, then another rabies shot is in order.

I think my state must require the rabies shot annually - vets have never discussed if I want it or not. I also get the feline leukemia because our screened porch has a back porch off of it and the neighborhood cats like to come by and either visit with or taunt the Maine Coon through the screen door. Before they had a vaccine for that our family had a cat die from it, so I get paranoid the MC might catch it through the screen. 

I’m curious to see how the Big Boy’s personality plays out once he’s no longer living under the furniture or up in the unused rooms. I hope he isn’t a door dasher because we’re not as spry as we used to be. I’m hoping he’ll be afraid enough of the great outdoors he won’t want to chance it. 

[toomuchreality]

Mar 9, 2024 22:38:11 GMT -5 happyhoix said:

Mar 9, 2024 18:29:19 GMT -5 Tennesseer said:

If you are sure he will never go outside again I would not bother with the next rabies shot.

If he could be an escape artist, then another rabies shot is in order.

I think my state must require the rabies shot annually - vets have never discussed if I want it or not. I also get the feline leukemia because our screened porch has a back porch off of it and the neighborhood cats like to come by and either visit with or taunt the Maine Coon through the screen door. Before they had a vaccine for that our family had a cat die from it, so I get paranoid the MC might catch it through the screen. 

I’m curious to see how the Big Boy’s personality plays out once he’s no longer living under the furniture or up in the unused rooms. I hope he isn’t a door dasher because we’re not as spry as we used to be. I’m hoping he’ll be afraid enough of the great outdoors he won’t want to chance it. 

I think rabies shots are required in my state also. But I could be wrong.
I know when my daughter was bit by a guard dog, at a business, I requested it be quarantined for rabies, since they couldn't prove it had been vaccinated. But that was years ago and a dog. I would do the same with any animal, if my child was involved.

[happyhoix]

Y’all this is nuts. I think Big Boy has some Vulcan mind meld with me or something. He knows I’m talking about him.

Starting around 10:00 PM this evening, this chunky fluff has been repeatedly running back and forth through the living room - from the foot of the stairs to our bedroom door way. Pause at each end to stare at us. An occasional sneak partly up the stairs, then he’s back, trotting over to the bedroom door again. But he’s NOT going under the bed. He even paused to eat the MC’s food in the kitchen, and then again later, paused to hit the cat fountain. When he gets to the stairs, he slows down, and if I pat my leg and make encouraging sounds, he even stops and stares at me. Twice he even came next to the sofa I’m sitting on before trotting back to the bottom of the stairs.

He wants something - pets, belly rubs, cuddles. Right now he’s back under the dining room table, making his tiny chirping mews.

Now he trotted over to the stairs again, then actually STROLLED back to the dining room table. Laying down and licking his paw!

This is a huge break through. I think we’re almost there

[toomuchreality]

Mar 9, 2024 23:22:51 GMT -5 happyhoix said:

Y’all this is nuts. I think Big Boy has some Vulcan mind meld with me or something. He knows I’m talking about him.

Starting around 10:00 PM this evening, this chunky fluff has been repeatedly running back and forth through the living room - from the foot of the stairs to our bedroom door way. Pause at each end to stare at us. An occasional sneak partly up the stairs, then he’s back, trotting over to the bedroom door again. But he’s NOT going under the bed. He even paused to eat the MC’s food in the kitchen, and then again later, paused to hit the cat fountain. When he gets to the stairs, he slows down, and if I pat my leg and make encouraging sounds, he even stops and stares at me. Twice he even came next to the sofa I’m sitting on before trotting back to the bottom of the stairs.

He wants something - pets, belly rubs, cuddles. Right now he’s back under the dining room table, making his tiny chirping mews.

Now he trotted over to the stairs again, then actually STROLLED back to the dining room table. Laying down and licking his paw!

This is a huge break through. I think we’re almost there

That's great! I'm happy to hear it. I hope it continues, even if we need to keep this thread going!

What a relief!

[The Walk of the Penguin Mich]

Mar 9, 2024 18:19:14 GMT -5 countrygirl2 said:

Do you really want to declaw him? I wouldn't that is very cruel to do to a kitty. Please think twice before doing that. It leaves them defenseless if they should ever get out and run off.

I had Sheldon declawed when he put out one of Harpo’s eyes and caused $5000 in damage to the other…..playing.  

There was absolutely NO push back from my vet….who hates declawing.  

[The Walk of the Penguin Mich]

Mar 9, 2024 23:22:51 GMT -5 happyhoix said:

Y’all this is nuts. I think Big Boy has some Vulcan mind meld with me or something. He knows I’m talking about him.

Starting around 10:00 PM this evening, this chunky fluff has been repeatedly running back and forth through the living room - from the foot of the stairs to our bedroom door way. Pause at each end to stare at us. An occasional sneak partly up the stairs, then he’s back, trotting over to the bedroom door again. But he’s NOT going under the bed. He even paused to eat the MC’s food in the kitchen, and then again later, paused to hit the cat fountain. When he gets to the stairs, he slows down, and if I pat my leg and make encouraging sounds, he even stops and stares at me. Twice he even came next to the sofa I’m sitting on before trotting back to the bottom of the stairs.

He wants something - pets, belly rubs, cuddles. Right now he’s back under the dining room table, making his tiny chirping mews.

Now he trotted over to the stairs again, then actually STROLLED back to the dining room table. Laying down and licking his paw!

This is a huge break through. I think we’re almost there

I found that meat baby food is like crack to cats.  Maybe a bribe?

[Cheesy FL-Vol]

Mar 9, 2024 20:47:24 GMT -5 Tennesseer said:

Mar 9, 2024 19:37:59 GMT -5 Cheesy FL-Vol said:

My vet told us the rabies is required by law. One of the girls gets no shots. A decision made with my vet in Florida. The other one the vet here says I have to vaccinate even though neither of them are ever outside.

I cannot speak for your state but the 14 cats I have had (indoors only) here living in Tennessee were never required by the vets (and all saw a vet at least once in their life) they needed to have a rabies 'booster' shot. Oh I would receive a notice now and then but it never stated Tennessee mandated multiple rabies shots over the cats' lifetimes.

I am over on the other end of TN, but maybe it is our county that has the law?

Hmmm, the domestic animal requirement is on page 2 under Prevention.


www.tn.gov/content/dam/tn/health/documents/reportable-diseases/rabies/TN-Rabies-Manual-2023.pdf