I Want To Bring Her Inside

[lizbud]

Some of you may remember Baby Kitty, she is a tiny cat that was a
companion to RB Momma Kitty for the last 4+ years. She has always
been with another cat (she first showed up tagging along with a male cat who
later died from an injury) then Momma accepted her so she stayed on after
the male cat passed on. They both lived in my garage.Since Momma died
last April, she has been living alone in the garage.

She seemed to enjoy the company of another cat, unlike Momma who
could take them or leave them and they used to cuddle together during the cold
winter weather to keep warm. Now, she is alone. Sometimes I look out my
kitchen window and see her sitting on the inside window ledge of the garage
watching for me to come outside.

Here's the problem. she is still pretty feral and won't let me touch her, after
all this time. She does rub against my legs & "talks" to me when I bring out
her food & even comes close to my hand to sniff but then the fear takes over
and she darts away again. I want so bad to bring her inside, but hesitate
to take this on because I can't yet get her to let me touch her.

Do you think it's possible to trap/bring her inside & then proceed with the
"trusting" thing, or should I just let this go for now and try again next spring?

[Randi]

Liz, I think you should try getting her inside, she seems to trust you more and more. You could entice her with food to come in further and further like we did with Fister - first into the corridor, then one room, then another. You'll have to be patient, though. Perhaps if you can leave the door open and let her take her time.

Once she has seen it's not dangerous inside - and a lot warmer, she just may start to settle down and suddenly one day, she'll be asleep on your bed.

Good luck!

[Taz_Zoee]

I agree! Bring her in.
If you could get a trap or somehow get her, then just set her up in a bathroom or secluded room. Spend time in the room with her, just reading or doing whatever, not directly related to her. This is what I did with Paizly. She was in the guest room and I would go in and watch TV in there on the floor. It works!
Or, if you don't want to trap or capture her, you could do as Randi suggested if you are able to do it that way. My house is not set up where I could do this procedure.
Good luck!

[happylabs]

I would say bring her in as soon as you can catch her. My Mama cat was the same way before I brought her inside. She would rub and meow and she loved Casey. However, she would not let me pick her up. After she had the 3 kittens and I brought the kittens inside I tried for a couple days to catch Mama. Finally I got her and held on tight until I got her inside. Once she sees you love and care for her she will come around. Mama wasn't a lap cat for a long time and also would only let me pet her if she was on my bed. Now she gets on my lap, purrrs (which she did not do in the beginning either) and lets me pick her up. It is a slow process but once they come around it is so rewarding.

Good luck. I hope you can get her inside where it is safe and warm.

[Freedom]

Based on my experience bringing in feral kittens, you can bring her inside and she will adapt just fine to the "luxuries!"

I have 2 that came in at age 4 months or younger and just have not tamed up. I pretty much have to corner them in a bedroom for their vet visits, and scoop them into a carrier. I can't do their nail clipping the way I do the others.

They Do come running when I put the kibble in the dish. They know their names, and all that. They just aren't people friendly.


So she may not, and may never, be a cuddly cat, but by all means bring her in!

Do you expect any issues with your current pets?

[moosmom]

I'm with Randi. Try to get her inside before it gets really cold out. It breaks my heart to think about all the abandoned cats out there fending for themselves in this awful weather.

Good luck.

[Cataholic]

Liz- I meant to respond to you the other day, but was on my phone and its too hard to type on that thing!!

My experience- some cats can manage it, some can't. The ones that can't manage it, still are safer than outdoors. Take Minnie, for instance. It is going on 9 or so years with her. Maybe only 8. LOL. She still hides 90% of the time, but she has fresh food, water, litterbox and 3 beds to choose from, all underneath my queen sized bed. I do see her in the evenings, most of the time, she still scurries away. BUT, it is still, IMO, a better deal for her.

I have these four fosters right now. One of them was an outside kitty. He is 6 months old, already, he is showing positive signs....he will probably be fine in 30 days.

Somewhere inbetween probably lies your kitty. In case you aren't aware, please know that cats can panic/flip out in ways you would never, ever imagine. I would be certain, if you aren't trapping her, to wear a thick, long sleeved, coat/jacket, sweatshirt. I would encourage you to consider leather gloves, but sometimes the gloves freak the cat out. It might be easier to trap her, in a humane trap, and take her inside. Also, make sure you have multiple litter boxes in the room you plan to put her in. I would add some Cat Attrack, too. If kitty is used to going where she wants, re-acclimating her to a litter box is crucial.

With the kittens, the feral one pee'd all over Jonah's bed. I added one more box (for total of 2), and doubled the amount suggested of Cat Attrack in the boxes and this kitty is completely trained. So, it is possible, easy...but you need to think it out first.

Make many safe places for her to hide, too.

Good luck!

[krazyaboutkatz]

Yes, I agree that you should try to bring her inside. You've already been given very good advice here. Good luck.

[GILL]

By all means bring her inside, we have one Sweety that is the mother of Peak, Mits, and Boots. After almost 7 years we still ar enot allowed to pet, but she holds true to her name. She will sit and talk with her eyes for hours. Boots was from her second litter before we got Sweety in. I am allowed to pet every once in a while, just the head. We are so honored to have these 2 and know that they are safe.

[lizbud]

Thanks for the good advice & tips to help with this. I had a post all
typed out earlier today but lost my internet connection and it disappeared.

Anyhow, I have decided to go ahead with my plan & bring Baby Kitty
indoors. I believe she can stand the cold, but I hate what this isolation
might do to her personality. She is a sweet, playful girl & I am pretty sure
she will like having the company of other friendly companions. If my, not
so objective judgment, is correct, I think my 4 boys will accept having her
around. I've been scoping out places to keep her safe inside while they
all become acquainted. I do have a separate room to keep her in.She is
already litter trained, so that shouldn't be a problem.

The first thing I must do after she is trapped ( I do have a humane trap)
is visit the Vet for a exam & flea meds. I always treated Momma Kitty but
could never get close enough to dose Baby.

[Freedom]

GO FOR IT! Prayers from RI that you do get her in!!!

I am not sure who the 4 you have now are? If you have dogs (sorry if you already know this, but better safe than sorry), the dogs should not have access to the litter box or cat food. It is too high in protein for them. This means it will overwork the dog's kidneys. Just not worth the worries and vet visits.

[phesina]

Prayers that she comes in safe and sound!

[catmandu]

This may take some time before Baby Kitty realized that you are her friend, it took some time before Scrappy Two and Tubster Panther felt secure enough to join My Found Cat Companion Army
And there sadly are some Cats like Pouncer Roccalno who are free agents , and go from home to home, sort of like a small Littlest Hobo
Good Luck with Baby Kitty and we pray that she will be at home with you soon!!!

[moosmom]

Thank you Lizbud for caring and bringing her in.

[lizbud]

I think I just might set the trap tomorrow & then run by the Vets to
pick up some Advantage flea stuff for BK. It has turned so cold here and
Baby keeps holding up her paw from the cold concrete floor of the garage.
She has a nice warm bed with flannel blankets, but she can't stay in bed
all the time. Poor baby. I hope to have her inside by tomorrow evening.
Sure hope this all goes smoothly & I don't jinx myself by talking about it
before it happens. Knock wood.