My lost cat now found but very feral!

[fairy cakes]

Awwww just realised tilly looks alot like my bean x

[fairy cakes]

Hi pinkbear, i was worried about cystitis but seeing as shes not peeing on other things now iv taken her bedding out i thought we could rule it out, do you think its still a possibility?there isn't any bloood in her urine or anything and she doesn't appear to be in her litter tray an over amount of time.

Glad to hear tilly is all good these days, it gives me hope x

[Pinkbear (Julie)]

You can see how Tilly is doing for yourself.  I would say it took her around 2 or 3 months to get back to normal. 

Have you explored the possibility that Lil has a touch of cystitis?  Cats feeling stressed, especially females, will often go to pee in the wrong place and/or more frequently than normal. Tilly also has a history of cystitis and we found she would go to wee on anything soft like a towel fallen on the floor (or a bed???  ).

Fear can have many triggers, including pain, and a period of rough living takes it's toll on them physically as well as mentally. Teeth are worth investigating. My Tilly needed 8 teeth out following her Big Adventure - we think she damaged them trying to eat bones etc. All a cat knows is that it feels pain but doesn't know why. Pain can make them very nervous. So I'd definitely have a good check up at the v-e-t. 

I'm sure with all the advice and measures you've been given, Lil will be back to normal eventually. 

[Liz]

I had a break through moment with our Harper he was trapped in July at age 18 months approx and he was total feral and lived in my upstairs study behind the chair now we have the 3 kittens Charlie, Echo and Pagan he has started to come down stairs a lot more and yesterday I got 4 strokes on him and a purr only cause Charlie and Echo were helping me top uipthe food bowls but he isn;t hiding so much and is downstairs in daylight hours so time is the best tool along with Zylkene for us

I also have nice cats for each generation of ferals some of the ferals love human company but don't want the touching but they do curl up together and love the laser pen I can have 20 odd leaping ferals and 2 Border Collies most night at the moment as all mine are grounded due to the snow!

[fairy cakes]

Thankyou pinkbear, the 3 month theory makes sense, my poor lil bean was out there for 5 months, it must be like a lifetime for a cat!I was letting her wander around the place in the day (although she only really came out when it was dark and quiet) until she started going in our bed to wee,now unfortunately her world is the back room but to be totally honest she seems to have become a little more confident since making this the arrangement, i think it makes her feel we arn't able to just come and get her and she has plenty of warning to escape when we are comming!How is little Tilly doing now?

Apparently bean is currently sitting at the door watching Dave and her sister Gizmo (who also doesn't seem to remeber she used have a sister to cuddle up with) im hopeing her seeing a very happy cat with us wil help 

x

[Pinkbear (Julie)]

Only just spotted this. Shows you what notice I take! 

I've been in exactly that position when my own Tilly went missing a couple of years back. I also work with ferals for CP. 

A cat's memory (from my personal experience) is around 3 months. I've seen this myself settling ferals into new environments and also observing my own cat adjust back from feral living to being a pet again. After 3 months they seem to forget certain things about their past or where they lived. My Tilly was missing for about that 3 month mark and she too was a very different cat at first when she got home. Her body language and behaviour was very feral like at first. I dare say give it another couple of months and it would have been a great deal worse.

The first days adjusting back to her normal life, maybe even up to a couple of weeks, Tilly did seem to suffer nightmares. She would cry out in her sleep and wake up looking very scared. I didn't know if she was scared about what she went through before being found, or whether she was scared because she didn't know where she was. I don't like to think too much about what it was like for her - she's an older cat, only has a couple of teeth left and it was mid winter like it is now. Certainly the ordeal was enough to greatly upset her and it was like recovering from a trauma.  I could tell this was a very disturbing and unsettling period for her so helping her recover did require some thinking. The way I handled it was to carry as normal around her, perhaps pausing for some quite chats and lots of fusses. Slowly, her brain started to recognise certain things around her and you could see the dejavous flicking across her face. 

My advice is to follow the excellent tips Liz has given. Feliway or Zyklene will help I am sure. But in order for your puss to remember her previous life, you need to carry on your daily living around her in a way that was familiar to her before. Sadly it sounds to me as if things have got so emotional that you are sending out 'signals' which she's reacting to. Anxiety travels through your shoes, across the floor and into the paws! Forget she's come back if it helps... put her food down, tray down and let her get on with it. Let her explore and get her memory back in a way and at a pace that she feels comfortable with. 

At CP we are used to working with long terms strays a lot. Some of them take longer to come round than others. Patience is the key. But we have never known a case of a cat who has once had an established domestic life before straying that didn't adjust back to it eventually... indeed very many of them are so grateful for the easy life again they turn into great big cuddle monsters. 

[Gill (sneakiefeline)]

I am so pleased that she is showing tiny signs and the message is very slow slow slow.

I think these little signs are good and she will gradually become more curious, but just let her do it at her own speed 

[fairy cakes]

Thankyou so much  the peeing appears to have stopped now i'v just stopped giving her bedding,strange i know!!!!I do wonder what will happen when she is able to come out and come into contact with bedding like materials again?But i will worry about that when the time comes.I have noticedin the last few days she has stopped pawing at the window to try and escape (this was a daily ritual),its tiny things like these that make you think you are maybe getting somewhere (if be it incredibly slowly).Occasionally she  does tiny little quiet meows so iv started talking to her soothingly as i thought maybe she wants some reassurance and she soon goes quiet again!This morning she was sitting at her door (it has a grate at it so she can see whats going on and her sister whist still feeling secure) watching me make the fire and eating my breakfast,when i went into our room to get dressed she backed off a bit, then had a sneaky peak and then returned to the safety of her bunk!

We have both been taking it in turns to sit and read in her room ignoring her and although she goes and hides under her bunk last night i could here her cleaning herself which i thought must be a good sign 

I think she was probably stealing gizmos food as she probably had to take what she could in the wild, i must admit though she didn't look terribly skinny when we got her back but she's always been a really good hunter and was well known for bringing small rabbits back!!!!

I do think it is unlikely she will be the same cat again,she will always probably be very timid but her tiny steps make me smile and at least i know she is safe and well.i think this site will also be great help and encouragement on the bad days!

[Gill (sneakiefeline)]

  to Purrs 

There is so much wonderful advice and expewrience on Purrs that I am sure you will be ablew to feed of it 

The others have given you great advice and one thing I dont think anyone has mentioned is try having a second litter tray cos she may not like using one that she has used.

I have a semi feral who I have had for over 5 years now, she was a rescue who lived in a cage for well over a year, was rehomed twice and sent back, I still cant touch her unless she is trapped to go to the vets. However she loves her home and also one of my other cats Misa, she understands that strokes are nice but she just cant bring herself to allow them.

She freezes at the vet, is never scruffed by them but I sadly  broke her trust in me after having her foor about 4 months when I had to put her in a cattery for a few days, She was letting me stroke her on the stairs as long as she was two steps higher than me LOL but since the cattery incident she has never come round again, which is so sad.

I would give her time, loads of time, cos Sasa was found living with ferals and try not to break any trust that she gradually builds with you. Allow her to come to you rather than the other way roound, give her her distance, young cats are curious. once they allow themselves not to be too scared.

Remember we are around for you to bang heads with.

Loads of luck with her, she will get there in time 

[Fire Fox]

 

Inappropriate soiling may be scent marking/ swapping, I believe human beds are the classic site. My ex had a dog that soiled after the stress of having pups, we put a waterproof fitted sheet on our mattress so at least accidents were easy to clean up. Is the litter tray well away from her food, bed and water bowl (difficult in a small space)? It may be worth finding out how much electricity a Feliway uses as you may find it's a low energy lightbulb or less, you might then use that sometimes and the spray to top up.

Also some vets will do home visits, oftentimes they approach and secure a cat in such a way that it will freeze and allow the basics to be done swifltly (exam/ worm/ flea/ ear mites). Yours won't be the first traumatised/ semi-feral cat an experienced vet will have dealt with unfortunately. They might even agree to prescribe a sedative that you hide in food - Liz is experienced in these matters!

My suggestion is looking on YouTube at clicker training, as it has so many applications. If she likes prawns they are a good treat as smelly and ready portioned! Do you think she is stealing food because she is hungry (thin?), could she have worms, do you think it is just a habit from being stray?

[fairy cakes]

Thankyou,will aventually get to grips with things! x

[Sam (Fussy_Furball)]

p.s can't quit work out how to pm you  x

Under Liz's name there is a little speak bubble ..... click on that and it will send a pm

[fairy cakes]

p.s can't quit work out how to pm you  x

[fairy cakes]

Liz that must have been awful to have to retrap so many.I have so much respect for what you do,have often thought about rescueing as most of our cats that came to us when i was a child were strays that always seemed to find our house!Maybe bean is provideing me with the lesson for that life 

[Liz]

Not all  mine are feral I have domestic and my neurotic rescue ragdoll

I also had the traumatic experience of moving 37 cats 4 years ago and waking up the day after to find 7 in the house and spent over 6 months trapping a mixture of feral and domestic cats so have been through the trauma stage they all go through

Time is your best friend we do not know what trauma she has been through to survive and be able to come back home - if only they could tell us

I have a neurotic foster who is a shredder and is here for the long haul although she is slowly coming round and I use all of my tried methods on her as her past is very traumatic

[fairy cakes]

Have just read the other thread and it's good to see we arn't alone (although i don't wish all this on any poor lil kitty) it just reminds me how much time and patience this is going to take and like buddy bean was wary of other people other than ourselves (unlike her sister who is a right little tart! )

Liz you must have read my mind,iv been worrying about her getting cold at night as everytime i try to give her something to snuggle into she wees on it and was just considering a box,maybe she'll except it as a bed.I think your experience could help although she isn't a true ferral she is very much in that mode at the mo!Am going to go get some Bachs remedy,although she doesn't drink much water i do ocaasionally hear her lapping it up so getting some in her  may help!

Tiggys mum i'm going to try get some spray,its got to be better than nothing!!!!

Thanks for all the support,will definately keep you all posted,speaking to you all makes me feel im not going as crazy as i thought  x

[Kay and Penny]

I would suspect it's the time spent away from you and her home which has traumatised her, rather than being caught and brought back

she may have had a lot of frightening experiences out there, which she will need time to get over, before she feels safe and relaxed again

I'm sure she'll get there in her own time

[Liz]

As the mother to 30+ ferals ranging from shredding at will to sitting on your knee can I add a couple of helpful hints

See if you can get some Zylkene from the vet and split the capsules and sprinkle on to her wet food - this is most cases takes the edge of them and makes them feel a little more relaxed

Bachs rescue remedy in her water bowl - usually a bout 5 drops to the bowl - changed daily also helps

Try not to have eye contact with her but sit on the floor and read a book and generally ignore her

Keep her shut in the one room so she can have this as her safe place add a nice covered cardboard box with some sort of bedding - an old towel, covered litter trays are good - we still have 3 with sheepskin fleeces in our love them

Try some shredded chicken placed on the floor not to far from you they tend to like this but again make no sudden movements or look in their direction it will spook them

I have spent a lot of time on the floor over the years and have found this to work feel free to pm me

If you look up some of the Clan cats stories you can see my scarey ferals - most of mine have been in to adult =hood and now live in our home with us - Harper came in in July this year at about 18 months old and is now sitting nect to us when we put food out, sammy feral now lets his daddy stroke hiom under the chin and purrs up a storm

It will be 1 step forward and 3 steps back but time is your best friend - most will not remember anything nice about humans despite where they started

[Tiggy's Mum]

is it important to have the feliway diffuser on constantly?I'm not on mains electric so unfortunately i would't be able to have it on all the time but im very interrested!i will go check out the other posts now 

Thanks x

Yep, it's designed to be on permanently so probably not suited to your home. They also do a spray but I found the plug in  more effective but it's worth a go, you can get the spray online or at a vets too. Might also be worth considering rescue remedy but as you're not able to get close enough to rub it onto her outer ear then a few drops in the water would be the way forwards.

Edit: re the rescue remedy, quite a few of the cat rescues on here use it with nervous cats that come into their care so worth consdiering.

[fairy cakes]

Thankyou so much to all of you!im really glad i found this site  yeh shes definately ours and was seen on her own and we had her spayed at 6 months old.Unfortunately i haven't had her checked over by a vet as she won't let us anywhere near her,i was concerned it may taumatise her more 

is it important to have the feliway diffuser on constantly?I'm not on mains electric so unfortunately i would't be able to have it on all the time but im very interrested!i will go check out the other posts now 

Thanks x

[Janeyk]

I'm so sorry you lost your kitten    Just wondering, are you sure she is the same kitten? It's great if she is but what worries me with trapping her is she may be part of a feral colony - or did the lady say she was just a stray on her own? I wonder has she been spayed?  I look after a group of ferals and in my experience they can be very attached to another cat within the group and if so taking her away I'm sure this would stress her    Just a thought?

Regarding taming ferals I have no actual experience of this myself although the ones here over time now I can get within an inch of most of them if she is semi-feral it will just take lots of time and patience I think, gently talking to her, on her level not forcing things, keep us updated 

eta:  to Purrs too 

[Tiggy's Mum]

  to Purrs, sorry it's not under happier circumstances 

My first thought was a Feliway diffuser, it's basically a plug in that releases calming and relaxing cat pheromones. I have a very sensitive cat (who actually leads a charmed life but there you go!) and the Feliway works wonders with him allowing him to relax and be his normal happy self.  You can get it from the vets but it's likely to be very expensive, it's around the £22 mark when ordered online - http://www.vetuk.co.uk/feliway-products-c-1/feliway-diffuser-pack-incl-feliway-diffuser-and-feliway-vial-p-334

We have had a member with a similar story, her cat went missing for two months and when she found him he was absolutely traumatised. He improved slightly but it was a very long haul. I've linked the thread at the point he was found as she first posted when he was missing, might be some useful hints/tips on there for you.

http://www.purrsinourhearts.co.uk/index.php/topic,25623.msg472455.html#msg472455

Has she been checked over by a vet since she was found? She might have stress related cystitis which could account for the inappropriate weeing, especially as she is using her tray as well as weeing elsewhere.

[Dawn F]

I agree with blackcat, sounds like you are doing everything right - there are some feral experts on here though so I'm sure someone will be along soon

[fairy cakes]

Hi thankyou for your reply  Yup she is most definately ours i'd know that little face anywhere!Sounds like a good idea,i have been doing the whole no eye contact thing with her but sitting calmly in her room makes alot of sense!I haven't heard of these plugs before but will definately look into it.It's good to hear from someone as sometimes you wonder am i doing the right thing?

Thanks ever so much x

[blackcat]

Hi fairycakes it can be really scary when a cat comes at you to defend itself, can't it!!

I guess the first question you need to ask is, 'is this really our lost kitty or someone who looks like her?' Not that this is going to change your course on keeping her, but it may explain the extreme feral behaviour a little.

You are doing the right thing in keeping her in a small space with plenty of cover. But perhaps instead of simply going in to service her room, you could try sitting down, completely ignoring her, and reading a book for a while each day. You can even try talking quietly to her while you are there, but not trying to make eye-contact or trying to touch her. She is, as you have realised, absolutely terrified in her 'new' surroundings and will take some time to get past that terror to recognise the positive aspects of being indoors, warm and dry and fed regularly.

One other thing you could try is putting a Feliway plug-in in the room with her, so that she is exposed to its calming influence.

There are several members here who have experience with feral cats, but you seem to have arrived in the middle of our annual auction, so it may take them a while to catch up with your post - but never fear, they will be along soonish.

[fairy cakes]

Hi, i was wondering if anybody could help me?I'v been scouring the internet but it's hard so find anyone in the same position,i'll tell you the whole story Just over 2 years ago i brought home 2 kittens who are sisters,bean and gizmo.6 months ago bean unfortunately went missing,we were absolutely heart broken and tried everything to find her to no avail.Then out of the blue  1 month ago we had a fone call off someone believing they'd seen her!We went up looking but couldn't find her ourselves so we set a humane cat trap and what would  you know there she was!!!!!!We are so increddibly happy to have her home but the strange thing is she doesn't seem to have any recolection of us her sister or home infact she is terriefied!She has taken to living in our back room on the bottom bunk,she will come out for her food which is nearby (usually just in the evening when it is quiet) but if she hears one of us comming she will dart back in her bunk to hide.She is using a litter tray however she also pisses on her bedding!I have used different bedding in different places but every time she insists on going and peeing on it, infact i have had to give up on giving her blankets etc as she'd rather use them as a toilet,she does wee in her litter tray aswell!Infact i thought maybe her accidents were due to sometimes being to scared to come out of her bunk and use her tray so i'v put it under there with her and it hasn't made a difference.In the evening if it was really quiet she'd come and have a sneaky look around the place (mainly to steal gizmos food!) and if she thought we hadn't noticed her she'd take a little look at us but twice in the last week she has got under our bedcovers and had a wee so unfortunately i can't let her do this anymore  A couple of days ago i unfortunately got to close to her to give her her treat (we like to give her one when we go in to do things i her room so she gets good assosiations) this made her lash out and hiss at me (obviously fear) so the next day when i went to go under she automatically started hissing and pouncing towards me even though i was nowhere near.The whole thing is very upsetting as i am very emotionally involved,it's not like she is a random stray but a kitty we had from a wee nipper who used to curl up in bed with us and her sister and meow like mad when you said biscuits or porridge!!!i miss the old bean and i'm worried shes not going to ever be back to normal  if anyone has any advise please help!Thanks so much for reading my essay x