Lizzie
03-23-2006, 12:00 AM
I would appreciate advice from those of you with adult feral experience on how to get Macduff to come upstairs.
I trapped Macduff when he was about two years old and it took a long time to socialize him since he was an adult feral. Now he's about 14; he'll let me bury my face in his tummy fur and adores attention from me, though he panics when picked up still. I have moved Taranis upstairs successfully and now I want Macduff to come up also. I thought of putting him in a carrier and simply taking him upstairs, blocking off the stairs with something solid so he doesn't see it as a way to get back down, but that seems too brutal. After isolating Los and Tom, who live with him downstairs, I've been leaving the door to the downstairs open for hours at a time during the past two weekends in the hope that he will be curious and come upstairs. I have seen him poke his head around the door frame a few times, but he won't come onto the stairs. I've tried fussing him and then slowly moving out through the door while calling to him, but that didn't work.
Do you think he will be tempted by cat treats on the stairs? Any ideas on how long this could take? Do you think he will move one step at a time or just suddenly decide to come all the way up? I know it will take time, and I'm prepared to give him that time, but I'm curious how long others think it will take. Any other ideas on how to get him up the stairs? He's not much of a cat nip freak and, although he enjoys playing with a feather toy occasionally, he's not one to follow toys.
To clear up any confusion, downstairs is the daylight basement, upstairs is the main living floor and my bedroom. I really want this cat upstairs with me to get the attention he's deserved for years.
I trapped Macduff when he was about two years old and it took a long time to socialize him since he was an adult feral. Now he's about 14; he'll let me bury my face in his tummy fur and adores attention from me, though he panics when picked up still. I have moved Taranis upstairs successfully and now I want Macduff to come up also. I thought of putting him in a carrier and simply taking him upstairs, blocking off the stairs with something solid so he doesn't see it as a way to get back down, but that seems too brutal. After isolating Los and Tom, who live with him downstairs, I've been leaving the door to the downstairs open for hours at a time during the past two weekends in the hope that he will be curious and come upstairs. I have seen him poke his head around the door frame a few times, but he won't come onto the stairs. I've tried fussing him and then slowly moving out through the door while calling to him, but that didn't work.
Do you think he will be tempted by cat treats on the stairs? Any ideas on how long this could take? Do you think he will move one step at a time or just suddenly decide to come all the way up? I know it will take time, and I'm prepared to give him that time, but I'm curious how long others think it will take. Any other ideas on how to get him up the stairs? He's not much of a cat nip freak and, although he enjoys playing with a feather toy occasionally, he's not one to follow toys.
To clear up any confusion, downstairs is the daylight basement, upstairs is the main living floor and my bedroom. I really want this cat upstairs with me to get the attention he's deserved for years.