I got a feral kitty to foster...

[Lisa0825]

I tried to do things I'd read about, like bringing something with his scent on it, giving him his own space so he'll feel safe, etc. When he was at Whiskerville in about a 3x3 crate, he was starting to warm up to people a bit. We'd all talk to him and try to pet him a bit. But now, he's totally freaked out at the change of venue. If I walk into "his" room, he goes literally FLYING around the perimeter of the room looking for a place to hide. When he finds a place, he cowers there. If I manage to get a hand on him, he will let me pet him, but he doesn't seem to enjoy it. He just sits there like a statue. So, I mostly give him space, but go in a few times a day to talk to him. Today I am going back by Whiskerville to pick up his crate. I think he felt safe in his crate/room, so maybe he will like having that in his new home.

Any other suggestions for socializing the little guy would be appreciated.

[Lorien]

1. Stay in the room with him. Talk to him-and bring a fishing pole

type of interactive toy with you. Eventually his instincts and curiosity will get the better of him, and he'll warm up. Some of my most "hopeless' kittens became the most loving and velcro-like after a month or two.

[superconnected]

2. I have one also.

I left is along for 3 weeks and just fed it and let it come out slowly and play. Now I'm starting to play with it by rolling a ball across the room that it comes out and attacks. Most of the time it hides when I come in the room though and plays the instant I leave.

It loves the ball in the circle toy that I got for my other cats too.

Just leave it along and put food in the room with it and it should start to calm down.

Mine has still never been held past the person who caught it. (it tore him up and we still don't know if it's a boy or a girl.) It's a maine coon kitten. It has calmed down enormously. It just isn't at the point I can touch it yet, but I know it will be.

Oh, my cat Mischief adopted it and she runs around with the kitten chasing her. If you have a playful other cat, it helps.

[Grateful for Hope]

3. Can you get a pic of this little one?

Would love to see it!

[superconnected]

15. I am getting a pic of the little one, but it's very difficult.

I've been trying since this post. he/she/it runs from me the second I move for the camera. It runs out at various times to chase something I threw, or a cat ball I kick, or my cat mischief. But I can't get it to consistently come out. So far I have 1 backend pic of the kitten heading under the bed. I have plenty of pics with no kitten as it high-tailed as I was taking the pic.

[CottonBear]

4. Soothing music, a soft kitty bed with food and H2O close by a hidey hole.

It wil take time. It was almost 4 weeks before my feral kitty left the bedroom/bathroom and came downstairs. It was another few months before she sat on my lap and fell asleep! Now she's my sweetpea She still only will let me and Mr. CB pick her up. She hisses at other people. She's very good at the vet though. She is the best behaved cat there! (I think she's too worried to be naughty!)

It will take time, patience and love. :) :hug:

[radfringe]

5. how old is kitty?

if it's still a kitten kitten - while holding him, grab the nape of the neck as if you were his mommy carrying him

this is actually comforting to a kitten, it triggers endorphens and soothes them. Also while holding the nape, flip him over and rub the belly

going to take awhile for him to get use to people. Our Calypso was feral, lots of holding, (nape grabbing) and belly rubs soon turned her around. Now she's a love sponge.

[Lisa0825]

7. Thanks for the tip!!!

I never knew that! He is about 10 weeks old, I think. I will try that tonight:-)

[Lisa0825]

6. Thanks y'all!:-)

here's a picture of the new baby, "Chance."



Is that the sweetest little pink nose, or what??? :loveya:

He is doing MUCH better today! Having the crate definitely did the trick! He didn't like going in it at first, but after he got settled, I lifted the blanket so he could see, and opened the door, so he could see the other kitties walking around and playing. He was used to that because he'd been at the shelter a couple weeks. They sniffed each other out a bit, and he seemed to enjoy watching them. I reached in and petted him for a bit, and he didn't seem as freaked out as when he was hiding out in the room itself.

I left him in the crate overnight, and by this morning, he was meowing to get out! For the previous few nights, all he wanted was to hide away, but suddenly one night in his familiar crate, and now he wanted to come out! I couldn't let him exlpore the whole house today, because I had repairmen coming, and I was afraid he'd find a good place to hide, and I wouldn't be able to get him back in his room, so I barricaded the hallway to let him explore just the 2 bedrooms and bathroom area. He did pretty well sniffing out the other kitties. Of course they hissed and spit a little bit, but I could tell he was still interested and curious about where he was, and no longer just interested in hiding. He even came into my room for a couple minutes and peeked at me!:-)

He probably did get a little overstimulated for his first day out, and took up hiding inthe bathroom linen closet. When it was time for me to leave, I picked him up. Normally, when someone picks him up, he becomes like a "kitty pin!" that is what the shelter folks nicknamed him, because he'll let you hold him, but he will dig every claw into you like he is holding on for dear life and if you peel one off and go for another, the last one is already dug back in again!LOL! Well, this time, he actually relaxed a little and even nuzzled me!!! I almost cried!!!

I'm sure he wouldn't have made such quick progesss if he hadn't already had so much attention from the other volunteers over the past couple weeks. I think he only regressed so much because of the trauma of being taken away from the only place he'd been familiar with. It's really amazing how much more comfortable he got when he was able to spend the night in his crate!

I have class tonight, so I won't be able to spend time with him until after 10pm, but I am going to stop back by the house on my way so I can let him explore on his own... or do you think I need to be there to keep an eye on them before letting him loose? The other two kitties are pretty nice, and I don't think there will be any fighting.

[CottonBear]

8. He's beautiful! I would be there when he's with other kitties.

My two older cats took quite a while to warm up to Tabitha.

[Patiod]

9. What a gorgeous little animal!!

I bet he finds a good home! :loveya:

My Little has always been friendly and adventerous, but she's beginning to get funny about visitors. She now hides until she's sussed out whether they are to be trusted (she does NOT like children).

A few weeks ago, the electrician was in my closet looking at the fuses. My S.O. heard a voice from inside the closet
Electrician: "Hey!!! there's a cat in here!"
S.O. "Yup"
Electrician: "Does it bite?"
S.O. "Yup"
I can't imagine what the cat thought when someone actually came barging into her hidey-hole!!!!

[legally blonde]

10. He's beautiful!

:hi:

[japple]

11. He's a sweetheart, and yes, that little pink nose is

precious! You sound like you're doing a great job with him. You'll probably have him socialized in no time. How about Calms and Feliway? Does he have a name?

[Lisa0825]

12. update...

Chance seems to be getting used to the other kitties being around. They walk by him and he doesn't flinch. I didn't see anymore hissing going on this morning. But he still won't let me touch him voluntarily. He sat about 10 feet away from me, and I sat on the floor and talked to him a while, but as soon as I tried tomove closer, he took off! Hopefully once he's more comfortable in the house, he'll come around to me too. I'll be getting Feliway Thursday or Friday, so maybe that will help as well.

[demnan]

13. Just keep at it

One day you'll be watching T.V. and he'll come up along side of you and lie down against you, like Charley did, and you'll be shocked!

[Lisa0825]

14. Step by step...

So, he was still in hiding last night. As I was looking under and behind furniture, I saw a flash of gray go by, and there he was in the hallway toward the bedrooms. I sat and talked to him a while, and he listened intently. When I moved toward him, he ran into "his" room. I went in and closed the door. He was much easier to pick up this time! He ran away from me once, but not nearly as quickly. The second time I reached for him, he hissed, but didn't try to move away. He let me pet him and then pick him up. I took him into my bedroom, and leaned back against a pillow, holding him on my shoulder. He crawled all around my neck, nuzzling me and purring as I petted him, even on his belly! This went on at least 15 minutes. Then he sat next to me for about 10 minutes. Then he moved to the foot of the bed for a few minutes, and then he left.

Since I will be home most of the weekend, I hope to get a lot more snuggle time with him! :loveya:

The one thing about his demeanor that still seemed really tense was that he held his tail down, either wrapped around his back leg or under his hiney, not up in the air like a happy kitty.

I should get the Feliway today, and then I will have all day tomorrow, Saturday, and Sunday to hang out and see if he comes around voluntarily.

[superconnected]

16. Good Job! You'll get there sooner than you think.

This is Pounce Quick. My ferral kitten.

She has been with me 5 weeks and is much calmer and trusting now.

I only found out today that she is a she. I took her to the vet for them to look at her eye. (the one that isn't glowing green from the flash). She has a white scar tissue covered eye. Turns out she will not lose her eye as I feared or cost me thousands but she will always have the scar tissure that covers the eye. It isn't painful but she cannot see through it. It's from a wound when she was even younger. She's probably 4.5 months old now.

She was tested and happily doesn't have feline aids or leukimia (had me on edge because thats what the vet thought caused the eye problem, now the vet says it's a healed over wound. She has an upper respiratory infection and has to take anti-biotics for a week then start her immunizations and get fixed.

She comes out and plays with my cats. She sits out in the room now even when I'm on my bed. Big accomplishment as she was darting out from under the bed only for food and to use the litterbox. She's is still too fast to get a pic of in my bedroom.

I got to pet her for the first time today. She was hissing when I brought her to the vet(captured her by putting meat in the cat carrier and closed the door.) And I opened the door and pet her and she didn't attack me. It was the 2nd time human hands had touched her. (first time was when she was captured which took about 5 seconds for the guy to get her into the carrier and she tore him up.

The vet said she was very calm and easy going.

She is far more socialized than a few weeks ago. I believe I have a house cat :)

[Lisa0825]

17. Awwww.... how sweet:-)

Chance will let me pet him if I can CATCH him, and he seems to really enjoy it. He nuzzles up to my neck and shoulder. But I haven't tried to catch him since I gave him the run of the house. When he was crated at the shelter, we would reach in to pet him and hold him whenever we were there, but now that he's loose, he doesn't want to be held.

He has now come into my room 3 straight nights! Only for a few minutes at a time, but that's still the closest he has voluntarily come to me! Last night, he came and sat at the doorway while the other kitties were on the bed playing with me. I think he was really studying us interacting.