Do domesticated feral cats revert to type?

[Gill (sneakiefeline)]

Things sound really good and hope the pair come in as it gets cooler 

[Liz]

Good news and hope it continues, mine are starting to come in for the winter so to speak and my utilityroom is now like bed central

[Hippykitty]

Victoria came home monday 14th, she still has to go back to the vet every two days to have her dressing re-done and they've now started leaving the wound exposed saying it will heal more quickly that way. I take her to have her wound examined and cleaned, though I'm starting to feel that I could do the latter myself if they gave me the correct solution.

She's healing well and is VERY lively! I'm keeping her in an old kittening pen I used when I did the feral rescues and I think she's getting a bit bored. She takes her antibiotics from my hand (Clavaseptin) and I mix drops of anti-inflammitories (Loxicom) into her food. She doesn't seem to mind the E collar she has to wear.

Everytime I open the pen to clean her litter or feed her she makes a run for it, always heading for the french doors. Luckily, all the handling she's had over the last few weeks has made her easy to scoop up and put back into the pen without too much objection.

Cydric and Lucy are still living outside, coming to the back doors to be feed twice a day. If the colder weather doesn't bring them in, I'll probably trap them. They always stay in my garden and come when called, so I'm not overly worried; I'd prefer them to come indoors sometimes though.

Thanks for all the good wishes; will try to keep you updated. 

[Sootyca]

How are things going with them all?

Hopefully Victoria is improving. 

 

[Gill (sneakiefeline)]

So sorry for the setback but the vet sounds very positive and good that you let her stay at the vets 

I am sure that she will be fine and is getting really good care,

Give her a gentle stroke from me when you see her next.

[Sue P (Paddysmum)]

HK - a bit of a setback but still positive news.  Stay upbeat and we're all sending good vibes for you both. 

[Hippykitty]

I went to see Victoria yesterday (sat) and spoke to the vet who is dealing with her case. Unfortunately they missed some of the infection during the op and necrosis had set in, so she had to have another op today to remove the rotten tissue. They are also leaving the graft off until certain that all the infection has gone. She will have to have another op to replace the graft.
When I saw Victoria yesterday she was far more subdued than on friday and looked extremely sorry for herself. She didn't perk up when I spoke to her, though did manage to purr a little.
During a phone conversation today, I asked the vet what her prognosis was, she said it was very good. The poor cat has so much to go through. I'm not visiting her today so that she can recover from the op, but will go tomorrow.
Just hoping that all will be well in the end.

[Gill (sneakiefeline)]

Hope the other two will come in when Lucy is home.

Sounds like they are doing a great job with Lucy 

[Hippykitty]

I'm so glad that I went to see her today. She knew me as soon as I walked in and perked up just a little at first. Initially, I chatted to the vet nurse about how she's been and the treatment she's been getting and also asked what food they were giving her now she has no teeth. He immediately went off and returned with a bowl of some mushy and very smelly - delicious to cats  -  cat food which she wolfed down faster than I've seen her eat for a long time. He said that I'd probably be given some when she leaves.
Victoria had a kind of sock on her paw which the nurse said was a canula (sp?) in case they needed to re-attach the drip. He said she was a little confused about not being able to wash normally by licking her paws and wiping her face.
Her face was much better than I had been imagining. They had taken a small amount of fur from her neck/shoulder area and sewn it onto her cheek very neatly. When it has healed and all the fur grown back, it will be hard to tell there was ever anything wrong.
The most comforting aspect of the visit for both Victoria and me was the closeness between us. I stroked the top of her head, her ears and behind her ears and spoke softly to her and she began to purr. She rolled to slightly expose her tum and purred even more when I rubbed her tum. She isn't normally so loving. All the time I was speaking softly. She didn't seem to blame me or to be angry or distressed.
I was very impressed by the hospital and the nursing care, they seem like an excellent vet practice.

The plan is that she's coming home on sunday. but if she needs more time there to heal I'll let them keep her, in spite of the extra expense. She isn't insured, but downsizing from a rambling terrace house sought after by developers to a smaller semi in a quiet area released just a little cash, so I can afford her treatment.

Lucy and Cydric are living in the garden, still not coming in except to be fed twice a day. I think they're a bit confused by Victoria's absence. This will probably work itself out in time.

Paws crossed that the graft takes.

[Gill (sneakiefeline)]

So pleased they all came home and in time for Victoria to get treatment   

Visiting cats is really good and they respond well, try and do it everyday if you can.

My vets is like yours, previous one used Vets Now and totally useless having to keep moving ba sick cat.

I agree with Purdy thathe other two were looking after her.

[Purdy Bear]

Lots of healing sent to Victoria.  The other two were probably looking after her when she was out, so when she came home, they did too.

[Dawn F]

that is good news, I wonder if being in pain was the reason she withdrew from home in the first place, hope you find her looking better anyway 

[Hippykitty]

Thank you for the support. They will let me visit but I have to ring first, so after checking with them, I'm going to see her this afternoon. I hope the visit will reassure both her and me. I'm sure that what I'm imagining is far worse than the reality so seeing her might be a good idea. I'll tell you later how things went. Thanks.

PS I forgot to mention that they're a round the clock practise and run their own emergency service: the south side emergency clinic, on their normal premises. So no bothering her with being moved to the dreaded VetsNow.

[Sue P (Paddysmum)]

Good idea Liz. 

You had little choice Hippykitty.  She neeeded to e attended to, and you did it.  Without teeth she'll still manage to eat relatively well, and as long as they can keep the wound wite clean  (hence her stay) she's going to have a really good chance of a full recovery.  I know you'll be as unhappy about it as Victoria is, but keeping all crossed, and sending healing vibes for her. 

[Liz]

Our vets let us visit perhaps that might help and I take one of their beds in as well = we are allowed to visit after last appointments and in the afternoon may be worth asking x

[emmmy_lou]

Of course it had to be done 

Keeping my fingers crossed for a speedy recovery 

[Hippykitty]

I had a call from the vet at 2pm on thursday; things were worse than expected. Victoria had ALL her teeth removed, even her canines, and the place where the abscess was turned out to be far more damaged than it looked, going almost through to her mouth. So the vet took some fur from her neck and grafted it onto her cheek. Apparently it doesn't quite match but will do the job.
Because of her difficult-to-nurse nature they are keeping her in for five days to administer antibio's and pain meds and to be certain she doesn't go out (though I have a kitten pen I could have put her in). I agreed to let her stay because she is difficult to give meds to.
She must be totally bewildered and I can't help but feel guilty that I took her to the vet and put her through this even though sensibly I know it was the best thing in the long run. I'm looking forward to having her home. I just hope all goes well from here.

[emmmy_lou]

Hope she's ok, let us know how it goes!

I have met a cat with no teeth at all, he managed to eat just fine, in fact he was a lot heftier than his sister! 

[Liz]

Glad they are back, and good luck Victoria - speaking from experience with ferals and dentals - Harper had 13 teeth removed in Feb of this year and has recovered all his lost weight, I have several ferals with no teeth at all who in time go on to crunch their biscuits and apart from some ropey grooming all are well x

[Sue P (Paddysmum)]

Am so relieved to know that they've returned, and also that you've been able to uss out what ails Victoria, so she gets the help she needs.

Keep us posted.   

[Dawn F]

so glad they are back, I remember how hard you worked to help them out before, hopefully the dental will help her settle and the others will calm down too

[Hippykitty]

UPDATE: Late on tues night, Victoria reappeared and ran through the french windows when I was calling them. She ate like a piglet. It took me a while to realise that she had a huge swelling on the side of her face and all the fur around there looked odd: dark and flat. She was also unusually affectionate. When she jumped on my lap, I noticed just how thin she was: there was nothing to her but fur and bones!

Cyd and Lucy both came in that evening as well.
On the following day, I rang the vet and took her in. By this time the swelling had reduced a little because Cyd had been sleeping with her all night and grooming her and had burst the abscess which was slowing draining.
The vet had to take her into a back room to examine her (she's not a co-operative patient and they probably put her in a crush cage) and came back to tell me that she also had very bad teeth. In her opinion, most of them needed to be removed, but she would try to save the canines. She thought the teeth issue had contributed to the abscess.

At this moment, Victoria is at the vets for her operation.
She was probably in cat hiding mode for those days she was away, then suddenly realised that coming home for help was a better idea. The other two cats are still behaving strangely; I think they are aware something is going on and not sure whether I'm being nice or horrid to Victoria. They were probably aware that she was ill and knew where she was, which might explain their odd reluctance to come into the house, perhaps they were protecting Victoria (?).

Paws crossed that she pulls through the op okay and soon returns to better than normal health. Those teeth must have been hurting. 
Thank you for all the advice.

[emmmy_lou]

I think it depends on how much you socialised them as kittens. If they are caught before 5 weeks, they can be regarded as 'domesticated' If they have been left to themselves, then they will have learnt feral behaviour from mum which is hard to get them out of.

Is this the first summer in your new house? They may just be exploring more in the warmer weather and getting to know their new territory? 

[Mymblesdaughter]

I'm sorry to hear that Hippykitty it must be very upsetting for you.  I don't have much experience with ferals but I would say some of your cats were adopted as kittens so aren't really exferals only the adults so can't understand why they would go back to living outdoors. Were they every friendly with you or always like wild cats living in your house?

Has anything changed in you house appart from the move?

[Purdy Bear]

One of ours was feral, then domesticated and feral, then came to us for the last 20 years of her life and spoilt domestication.  She did go semi feral in the Summer, living out side most of the time only coming in for food and water.  When the cold weather came it became the reverse, although she did love the snow and sitting out in it - daft cat.  She lived to her mid 20s so it couldn't have been bad for her.

It could just be that because of the nice weather they are sunning it up.

[Sue P (Paddysmum)]

Oh Hippykitty.  Am so sorry this has hapened.  It seems as if something has spooked them - maybe not something that's easy to put a finger on at the moment. 

I wonder if it's worth getting in touch with your local cat rescue to see if they can shed any light on it from their experience of ferals? 

[Gill (sneakiefeline)]

If they have been truely domesticated I dontthink they return to type but if only partially and not living/sleeping indors I dont think they are fully domesticated.

So sad all your cats have left, maybe they just didnt like the new house!

have yountried your old house to see if they have returned there?

[Hippykitty]

I'm sorry I haven't been here for ages, but I sometimes find the posts upsetting.
I've lost ALL my cats!
Let me explain.
I used to have six cats, all ex-ferals who I rescued while living at my old address: a student area with lots of ferals and abandoned cats. Victoria and Fred were a brother and sister I kept from the first rescue of eight, the other six were found homes. This was in 2007.
I year later I found a mother and her three flu infected kittens in my back lean to. I trapped them, took one to the vet, treated and nursed them. Later, I decided to keep them. In Oct 2013, Pebbles - one of the 'kittens' - went missing one month before I was due to complete on the house sale. He was never found. Soon after the move, Fred went missing, followed a week later by George - another of the 'kittens'. They were never found despite a few sightings of Fred.

Recently, the remaining three cats: Lucy (the mom cat), her son Cydric and Victoria have all been behaving oddly. They have been increasingly reluctant to come into the house; Victoria even displayed a reluctance to come into my garden. Nothing has changed here.
Now Victoria has disappeared. I haven't seen her for three days. Cyd will enter the house for food, but immediately leave. Lucy won't come into the house and just eats a few munchies which I put on the doorstep.

I've spoken to cat-loving friends about this who have given advice such as "don't feed them outside" but I'm concerned that Lucy and Cyd will starve or lose their bond to the house.

All the ex true feral cats I have ever had have 'returned to type'. When I was nine years old my mother bought home a kitten who had been living in the grounds of the hospital she worked at. A few years later, this cat disappeared.

I'm extremely upset and feel catless. Have I done something wrong? Should I have tried to domesticate these cats in the first place, or just left them to their fate? I've just let them live here and never forced attention on them, so I don't think I've scared them.
I'm so confused.
I feel catless and lonely.
Any advice greatly appreciated.