Need immediate advice on cat

[CJ2008]

Hi FiMO

Just for you, I took these of her right now.



She's eating. She peed overnight.

No poop though.

I added a second litter box because I read somewhere that outside kitties don't usually poop and pee in the same spot/vicinity.

I'm also going to go out right now and buy some tuna in oil or something really smelly.

I'd like to entice her to come out of the carrier all the way to the bathroom door. She may have done that, but I want to SEE it.

I would like some reassurance - without forcing anything - that she is coming out at times. And if she isn't, I'd like to see if I can entice her.

I wish I had a camera I could hook up in there.

I am hoping @sonnyjane will stop by again and give her take on my plan, maybe even other ideas. Or maybe just say to leave her alone that I am rushing it by trying to entice even if I don't think I am.

 

[ringo865]

She is such a pumpkin. Good that she's eating and peeing. She is healing from her surgery. Do you spend much time in the bathroom with her, just "being"?

 

[LaylaR]

She doesn't sound completely feral to me either.

She may have bee socialized as a kitten and then at some point got out and lived wild, or been hurt by humans.

It is a great sign she didn't 'defend her den' against you when you reached in there. A feral cat would hve done that 99% of the time.

I have my fingers crossed for you and her. And I am sorry the vet visit was so traumatic for you both. I've had vet visits like that it's like your skin is being peeled off you. ((HUGS)) you are doing a great job .

 

[CJ2008]

She is such a pumpkin. Good that she's eating and peeing. She is healing from her surgery. Do you spend much time in the bathroom with her, just "being"?

She IS such a pumpkin.

I do spend some time in there. I put a little stool and I sit there and surf the Internet with my iPad. But I don't do it enough times. Maybe twice a day. I *know* it's not enough.

 

[CJ2008]

She doesn't sound completely feral to me either.

She may have bee socialized as a kitten and then at some point got out and lived wild, or been hurt by humans.

It is a great sign she didn't 'defend her den' against you when you reached in there. A feral cat would hve done that 99% of the time.

I have my fingers crossed for you and her. And I am sorry the vet visit was so traumatic for you both. I've had vet visits like that it's like your skin is being peeled off you. ((HUGS)) you are doing a great job .

I was clenching the wall with my hands, and crying.

I felt her anxiety and desperation as if it were my own.

The vet must have thought I was nuts.

Thank you for telling me I'm doing a good job. I read that on my phone while I was out getting the tuna and it brought tears to my eyes.

I put the tuna in there far away (well however many feet the bathroom is) about 2 hours ago. I'll give another hour and a half and go in there. I hope it's gone. I just want to give it a loooooot of time make sure I don't happen to walk in the minute she gets the courage. She is going to feel very, very exposed venturing out that far, especially if she hasn't done it yet, and I can't take the chance with it.

 

[sonnyjane]

CJ,

You KNOW she is coming out because the food is gone you don't need reassurance, you have proof that the food is gone! You can keep working on moving the food a little bit farther back from the opening (not drastically, just small approximations). I'm talking literally a few inches a day. Nothing extreme. I can't stress enough that this is not a race. She has food and water. She will live. Please don't push her to do things only because YOU want to see the progress.

I suggest that you go in, put the yummy wet food in the bowl inside the wire crate (but outside the carrier) and then sit there and read a book or something, not right there watching her, but just in the room far enough away that she sees you but doesn't feel threatened. Sit there for 20-30 minutes. She may not come out and eat, but that's ok. Just get her used to your presence without any expectations. "Hey, here's your food. I'll just be hanging out right here".

I wish I were there to do this with you! I've had to do this hundreds of times with various animals but ours was the opposite - training them to go INTO a crate for medical purposes.

 

[PintoBean]

You're doing great @CJ2008

 

[arkieb1]

Hugs!!!! You are doing a great job. I don't think she is completely feral either she would have been trying to trash/scratch the cage, trash/scratch your hand and try and get out of there if she was.

 

[missy]

CJ2008 you are doing such a wonderful job with the sweet kitty!!! You go girl and I am sending more hugs and encouragement your way. You got this!!! ((((HUGS))) to you and kitty!!!! And she doesn't sound feral to me by the way...

Have you named her yet? Maybe Pumpkin?

 

[junebug17]

You're doing a great job CJ! I was hesitant to say anything because I'm not very experienced but I'm also thinking she might not be a feral.

Yeah, I think I would do what Sonnyjane is suggesting, just hang out with her. She hasn't figured out yet that you're one of the nicest people on the planet but she's on her way!

 

[ringo865]

Pumpkin pie. Sweet little muffin.

 

[freezing_in_MO]

She is a beautiful kitty! Most importantly, she is safe and healing. Thank you for everything you have done and are doing for this sweet little girl.

 

[CJ2008]

SHE POOPED!

And @sonnyjane I did what you said, twice today.

She didn't come out and eat.

But what DID happen is that she MOVED, ever so slightly.

That may seem insignificant, but IT'S NOT.

I could tell it was the slightest of moves, as if she didn't want to make any noise and let me know she was moving, or like maybe that she was even THERE.

Just wanted to stop in really quick and let you all know.

Thank you for all the posts and check-ins. xoxoxx

 

[sonnyjane]

SHE POOPED!

And @sonnyjane I did what you said, twice today.

She didn't come out and eat.

But what DID happen is that she MOVED, ever so slightly.

That may seem insignificant, but IT'S NOT.

I could tell it was the slightest of moves, as if she didn't want to make any noise and let me know she was moving, or like maybe that she was even THERE.

Just wanted to stop in really quick and let you all know.

Thank you for all the posts and check-ins. xoxoxx

Great! I think that's the best approach - just get her slowly used to your presence. "Just minding my business. Nothing to see here!" Eventually she'll associate food time with you and will get quicker and quicker to respond.

 

[elle_71125]

It sounds like things are going pretty well. Sonnyjane had a good idea. Just hanging out during feeding time is a great way to get her used to you.

 

[freezing_in_MO]

Yay!!!!! Your hard work is paying off!

 

[freezing_in_MO]

How is kitty? How are you?

 

[CJ2008]

Hi FiMO <3 how are you?

So this morning I went in to feed her, put her bowl down, and sat down with my iPad on the little stool I have in there.

About 20 minutes later I heard her eating behind me.

She ate the whole thing while I was there.

Yes. She did.

I was very careful not to turn around or do anything that might spook her.

What's weird - and I hate to spoil such progress by anything other than celebrating it, but it was weird...is that she took about 20 minutes to eat what was in the bowl. It was only a half can of Fancy Feast, so it's a very small amount. It takes my cats 2-3 minutes if that to finish that amount. So I don't know what that was all about. And like I said I didn't want to turn around so I just waited until she finished. It *was* one of those flimsy Styrofoam bowls that has no weight to it so it was possible it was moving around on her but yet I didn't hear that except for until the very end.

I do remember when she was outside (and man oh man does this little girl NOT belong outside!) she would take little bits of food and scurry over a few feet. Finish, go back, and do it again.

Maybe her little mouth hurts, or she can't smell that well so she thinks there's more food than there is?

I don't know.

I am so touched that she trusted me enough to be eating behind me.

@sonnyjane I figured you'd want to see this.

 

[elle_71125]

This is great progress!

Maybe she isn't eating for the full 20 minutes. I have a dog who is mostly deaf (and has been all her life). When she eats, she tends to spend more time looking at me than actually eating her food. It takes her way longer to finish a meal than my other dogs. So. Damn. Long....

 

[sonnyjane]

Hi FiMO <3 how are you?

So this morning I went in to feed her, put her bowl down, and sat down with my iPad on the little stool I have in there.

About 20 minutes later I heard her eating behind me.

She ate the whole thing while I was there.

Yes. She did.

I was very careful not to turn around or do anything that might spook her.

What's weird - and I hate to spoil such progress by anything other than celebrating it, but it was weird...is that she took about 20 minutes to eat what was in the bowl. It was only a half can of Fancy Feast, so it's a very small amount. It takes my cats 2-3 minutes if that to finish that amount. So I don't know what that was all about. And like I said I didn't want to turn around so I just waited until she finished. It *was* one of those flimsy Styrofoam bowls that has no weight to it so it was possible it was moving around on her but yet I didn't hear that except for until the very end.

I do remember when she was outside (and man oh man does this little girl NOT belong outside!) she would take little bits of food and scurry over a few feet. Finish, go back, and do it again.

Maybe her little mouth hurts, or she can't smell that well so she thinks there's more food than there is?

I don't know.

I am so touched that she trusted me enough to be eating behind me.

@sonnyjane I figured you'd want to see this.

I can't even tell you what a breakthrough this is!!! Fantastic!!! Well done for being patient and moving at her speed. I wouldn't worry too much about the speed of her eating during that one session. It probably wasn't "full speed" eating like your other cats. She was likely taking a tentative bite, stopping to watch your reaction, etc. She was likely waiting for to see your response, and you did the right thing by just waiting.

My next approximation i would suggest is doing exactly what you just did, but sit facing sideways, so that you're not staring her down directly, but are CASUALLY glancing over at her every now and then while still focusing on your iPad too. Make sense?

 

[ringo865]

Yay! Progress

 

[freezing_in_MO]

It makes sense that it would take her a while to eat if she is cautious. This sounds like fantastic progress!

How is her nose? One of my cats is a doll-faced Persian, so his face never seemed flat to me. After I compared his eating to our other cat's, I noticed that even the little bit of flatness placed him at considerable disadvantage when it comes to eating. If her nose is sore, that may have a similar effect. I have a tilted, raised bowl for my cat, and it has made a big difference. It shouldn't be hard to rig something similar.

Congratulations on getting so far with this sweet kitty! I am so happy that she has you looking out for her!

 

[CJ2008]

So today I did what sonnyjane suggested.

I might have had a breakthrough even bigger than intended.

I put the food bowl down and was sitting there with my iPad when I remembered I hadn't opened the door to let my boy cat out (I keep him in the laundry while my girl cat eats otherwise he will knock her over and eat all her food ). So I put my iPad down and stepped out. When I came back a minute later and opened the door, she was eating. The 2 times I had caught her that way before, she had immediately darted back in to the carrier. This time, she looked at me and stopped...I immediately put my head down, went on all fours (yes I did this ) and very slowly crawled onto my stool and grabbed my iPad. She observed me, and stayed. And I was there sitting sideways to her so she could really see me, and out of the corner of my eye, or if I turned my head slightly, I could see her.

Of course, I waited until she was completely done. This time, she took a normal amount of time to eat, too.

I also notice she lays in the carrier more towards the middle rather than all the way in the back.

 

[arkieb1]

Yay!!! Small steps. It might be worth the effort the next time she has to go to a vet to ask them to check her teeth and mouth if she keeps chewing or eating really slowly. It could be just fear, but sometimes if they have bad teeth, a dental abscess or gum disease cats can display similar behaviour.

 

[CJ2008]

I can't even tell you what a breakthrough this is!!! Fantastic!!! Well done for being patient and moving at her speed. I wouldn't worry too much about the speed of her eating during that one session. It probably wasn't "full speed" eating like your other cats. She was likely taking a tentative bite, stopping to watch your reaction, etc. She was likely waiting for to see your response, and you did the right thing by just waiting.

My next approximation i would suggest is doing exactly what you just did, but sit facing sideways, so that you're not staring her down directly, but are CASUALLY glancing over at her every now and then while still focusing on your iPad too. Make sense?

You are probably right, she was probably just taking a tiny amount of food, watching me for a bit, then taking another tiny amount.

I am so touched that she is starting to feel safe around me. I want her so badly to know she's safe.

I also have DH going in there and peeking his head in. Maybe today I'll have him go in and put down the food bowl (he did it once before.)

It makes sense that it would take her a while to eat if she is cautious. This sounds like fantastic progress!

How is her nose? One of my cats is a doll-faced Persian, so his face never seemed flat to me. After I compared his eating to our other cat's, I noticed that even the little bit of flatness placed him at considerable disadvantage when it comes to eating. If her nose is sore, that may have a similar effect. I have a tilted, raised bowl for my cat, and it has made a big difference. It shouldn't be hard to rig something similar.

Congratulations on getting so far with this sweet kitty! I am so happy that she has you looking out for her!

Her nose seems like a normal cat nose, except for whatever was wrong with it. It looks like it's healing but still doesn't seem 100% normal to me.

Thank you FiMO. (((hugs)))

This is great progress!

Maybe she isn't eating for the full 20 minutes. I have a dog who is mostly deaf (and has been all her life). When she eats, she tends to spend more time looking at me than actually eating her food. It takes her way longer to finish a meal than my other dogs. So. Damn. Long....

Thank you

She ate normally today. It may have been a mix of stress/being careful, and a little bit her hearing (which probably makes her even more jumpy.)

I cannot wait for the day I am able to get a full checkup on her just to know if she is indeed hard of hearing, check out her teeth and lips, etc.

She seems to have a lot of brown spots by her nose and lips. I wonder if that's from the sun, or what it could be.

 

[CJ2008]

Yay!!! Small steps. It might be worth the effort the next time she has to go to a vet to ask them to check her teeth and mouth if she keeps chewing or eating really slowly. It could be just fear, but sometimes if they have bad teeth, a dental abscess or gum disease cats can display similar behaviour.

You read my mind, arkie (see post above, we must have been posting at the same time.)

And yes, thank you we are making progress for sure.

 

[sonnyjane]

So today I did what sonnyjane suggested.

I might have had a breakthrough even bigger than intended.

I put the food bowl down and was sitting there with my iPad when I remembered I hadn't opened the door to let my boy cat out (I keep him in the laundry while my girl cat eats otherwise he will knock her over and eat all her food ). So I put my iPad down and stepped out. When I came back a minute later and opened the door, she was eating. The 2 times I had caught her that way before, she had immediately darted back in to the carrier. This time, she looked at me and stopped...I immediately put my head down, went on all fours (yes I did this ) and very slowly crawled onto my stool and grabbed my iPad. She observed me, and stayed. And I was there sitting sideways to her so she could really see me, and out of the corner of my eye, or if I turned my head slightly, I could see her.

Of course, I waited until she was completely done. This time, she took a normal amount of time to eat, too.

I also notice she lays in the carrier more towards the middle rather than all the way in the back.

AMAZING progress. It makes me happy because that's exactly the reaction from her I'd hope for! As for next steps, it kind of depends what you feel she's comfortable with. You don't want to push too hard, but if the momentum is there, take advantage of it! Over the next few feedings I'd approximate your distance to her while she's eating. Keep nudging forward until you get to the point that you can feed, remove your arm, close the door, and sit there while she comes out to eat. You can also say in a soft voice some nice, reassuring words to get her comfortable with you on another level. "Good kitty" etc. That can be the goal (if you like). There's no NEED to sit there and watch an animal eat (I certainly don't with my cat haha) but it might be another way to get her comfortable with you. Once that comes, you might try getting the yummiest of all treats (tuna, etc.) and work on feeding through the bars! First just throwing a piece in through the bars, maybe as she's just finishing up her meal if she's still out. Then holding it, etc. That step might take a few sessions but should be a fairly easy new step. The important thing is that she will be SUPER on edge so hold in your sneezes, don't scratch and itch, etc. lol. Stay very calm and reassuring. Even grabbing for the next piece of tuna too fast might set her off so make sure all your movements are calm and deliberate!

Keep me posted! AWESOME WORK!

 

[sonnyjane]

Also I apologize I haven't read every post in this thread, but what are your long-term plans for her housing? It'd be nice to get her a little bit more space now that she seems to be feeling better.

 

[december-fire]

Haven't read all the posts but want to say how happy I am that there are so many animal lovers.
We can never have enough caring, responsible animal lovers!

@CJ2008 , what a wonderful thing you'd doing for this little sweetie! Bless you!

 

[azstonie]

It's going so great, and thanks to YOU, CJ

They make cat bowls that are designed to accommodate whiskers--- I understand they are a real kindness to the cat. Maybe one of these?