First order of business: checking in on my murder baby. ❤️ For those who missed it, I've been trying to work with this scared girl for a couple weeks. She's bitten one of my coworkers and is just now starting to allow me to touch her.
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2 months ago I captured a feral kitten aprx 7 months old and brought him home. We named him Bowie after his slightly mismatched eyes and he finally started letting us pet him a couple of weeks ago! Now he's a little cuddle bug 😻
Then vs now
I love the scared and hissy ones, can't lie. I don't love that they're in that position, but I love being able to try to help them feel a little better about things while they're in my care. ❤️
Aw, thanks for your patience. She is so scared. So many of us need patient loving kindness so we can learn not everything in the world is out to hurt us.
It's also tricky in a shelter environment since there's lots of strange smells and sounds, and she doesn't get the consistency of a single person caring for her. But we do the best we can with what we have and it's always so wonderful to see progress. :)
Don’t do it! My daughter’s “murder baby” bit through my finger nail and put me in the ER with red streaks running up my arm! Took two bags of antibiotics to fix it.
Cat bites are no joke! After working with her the last couple weeks and petting her with a scratcher, she started giving me more open body language on Monday. I still didn't try for full on pets until today when she was indicating she would be okay with that. Definitely important to be careful!
The tough ones are always the most special. I socialized a little devil years ago who bit me so hard with her little sharp kitten teeth I saw stars. I keep at it and one morning I stuck my hand in and she purred!! I had her for 16 years. ❤️💕
Oh bravo! It's such an amazing feeling when the tough ones decide that maybe you've proven you're a safe person after all. I'm glad you could give yours a loving home for so long. ❤️
I adopted a kitten that was very skittish. It was 4 weeks before I could approach him without him running away. He is now 11 years old and is always by my side.
I got feral cat from local SPCA with a false story of background & that he was a little shy. He wouldn't come out of the corner of a bedroom for a month, but gradually came out. Finally l let him go outside and he apparently showed me appreciation by leaving on my doormat a dead squirrel & bird.
Takes time but she'll come around. In a couple of weeks she'll be purring all over you. Mine took almost 4 years. I never gave up. We rescue her and her kittens determined to be her forever home and give a kids loving homes. And that was not going to change. They are all thriving
I don't know that I'd say that myself, but some cats are true ferals that are simply not okay with humans. This one is right at an age where she could go either way, and is still likely to get adopted out as a barn cat. But if we can socialize her even a little, she's going to have an easier life. ❤️
I got a rescue who had been in horrendous circumstances, with zero human interaction. Took about a year for touch, and 2 years to holding. But the last 10 were glorious.
I volunteer at an animal shelter and am with the cats. They become different cas when someone chooses them and gives them forever home. They are usually scared. The older cats who have been surrendered because of an owner’s death are the ones I feel the most sorry for. They seem lost .
I also feel so bad for the ones who come in because an owner has passed. If we get cats that are truly feral and suffering in our care, we can TNR them and get them back to their community. The owner deceased ones are sometimes just as upset but without an option to go back somewhere familiar. ❤️
You seem like a very experienced, patient (and successful) rescuer. I love this site to read stories of fellow rescuers (usually a reclusive bunch - and for good reasons). I have been trapping, rescuing and fostering for over 30 years. Most satisfying and rewarding thing I have ever done.
Bravo for all the work you've done in that time, and thank you for the compliment! I love what I do even in the tough times and I feel very lucky to be able to do it. I'm really pleased to have found so many rescuers, fosters, and shelter workers on this platform. ❤️
Thank you as well. If you are bored, I have a YouTube channel for many of my rescues. I post DIY videos for helping ferals and for helping pets with special needs. All the videos are happy videos (no horror stories or sad endings). I do not monetize any of the videos. https://www.youtube.com/@hoc31rescue
Yes, adult ferals take time. Starts in a trap, then to a cage, then move the cage into a corner of our family room, so that everyone gets accustomed to everybody, before 'putting skin in the game'. Some take weeks, some take months, some take years. But they are all safe, warm and loved.
Ooof. Two months is right there at that cliff. Thank you for doing this, and I know how it feels once you’re finally allowed to touch them and give them physical affection. It feels like you’ve won an academy award. At least for me 😍
Exactly this, on the age and the feeling! I wasn't sure if we'd be able to make an impact especially in a shelter environment. She's likely to go barn cat but I'd love if she could at least trust people a little bit.
That goes a long way though! If you can take good care of her & have her fixed, she could be a great barn cat. That’s the issue that plagued us this year… Our neighbors don’t give a fuck about their barn cats & don’t get them fixed or give them proper medical care. Kitten season was fun 😒
So on another post someone was having very good luck with some drops put out by Jackson Galaxy. As you may know, cats can be profoundly affected by scent. I think it’s worth investigating.
It was so funny. I talked to him like a normal adult all through the class, and then when we did pics at the end I suddenly got this immense rush of social anxiety and I'm like, "I'm so sorry, I'm super anxious all of a sudden and I really love all of your work!" 😆
I'm legit thrilled. 🙂 Especially with the shelter environment, I wasn't sure if we'd make much progress with her. It's such a scary place for a feral kitten. ❤️
Yup, and wouldn’t we? From their perspective they got yanked out of their home, they can’t check out what’s going on out of view, and there’s no prey to hunt like usual so that’s another source of insecurity.
This is my adopted feral,Mia. It has taken a while to get her comfortable with being touched as well. She really loves to snuggle at night, but still, after 7 years, she's careful not to let her guard down
my shelter skittish kitty is like that too. Keeps his distance all day, only allows head and neck scratches, but i have to be careful he doesn't suddenly have enough and bite me. But strangely at night he demands to sleep either on top of me or closely snuggled. Confusing....
(1)Our shelter goes by the 3 rule 3 days to get used to a single space in the home 3 weeks to get the lay of the house 3 months to get used to you and become comfortable.
I adopted one who was a year and she warmed up instantly to me and the family
(2) I adopted a 5 mo old and she was skiddish a few days around me then after a a month she warmed up to my daughter and then just a couple days ago she allowed my son to touch her. We have had her almost 3 months and she is still skiddish at times … touch and go with my husband. It takes time.
Working on trying to get a feral cat to trust me. They look up at me in the kitchen window when I’m late with food.
I’m in Chicago suburbs and I’m worried about the cold. I do have a feral cat house in an outside porch.
Once murder baby kitties learn there is a good person who can be trusted-they fully go all in with becoming a mush baby 💞 but you already know that, keep going 😁
I’ve had a murder baby, all black female, in one bedroom for 3 months now and we still cannot touch her. I’m fostering to get her adoptable but all she’s doing is getting fat, hissing and puking hairballs.
Her Royal Highness the Princess Naomi was like that as a kitten. I locked her in a room with food, water, and a litter box but no toys. I came in every day for about an hour with wet food and Friskies treats, but she only got them if she came out of hiding while I was there.
I kept moving the treats closer and closer to me until I could 1st pet her with the feather wand and then slightly touch her. Eventually I put the treats on my legs and stomach so she’d start touching me. She didn’t like being touched or touching anything for a long time
Sansa is a young feral adult polydactyl who came from the shelter loaded with toys, 4 feet like baseball mitts. She warmed to my daughter enough to sniff her shoe but because I changed the room to eliminate her hidey hole, she hates me all over again.
I have a rescue who was a feral cat for what the vets think 8+ years and is 1/2 blind; we’ve had him for a few months now - and he loves the pets, and is slowly getting used to cuddles and being picked up ❤️ I love him to bits and plan on giving him a beautiful life! No more gross outdoors for him.
Sometimes even murder babies can start to like scritches if they trust you. ❤️(But also do not try this at home with scared bitey kittens unless you are also a professional.)
As another cat fosterer who specializes in murder babies, I have been bitten so many times. The nice thing about kitten teeth is they haven't developed all the dangerous bacteria yet, but I still recommend hot salt water soaks.
*Note the claw marks on my wrist in the first pic are not from her. That was Calvin, one of our TNR cats at home. You know how I keep saying even though he acts so friendly he can be a butthead? Yeah.
Always speak softly and constantly reassure her with “It’s OK” in a soft voice. Also, “Good girl”, when appropriate. Talk to her a lot. No sudden moves. When she’s aggressive, a quick, sharp “No”.
I’ve had several cats and have care for strays.
Patience and love. Thanks for caring for her.
Daughter volunteered at a no kill shelter so when we captured the feral I made a deal w/animal control. If they couldn't adopt her out we'd take her. She bit through a Kevlar glove so we got her. 10 days later she was accepting pets & now is sweet. BF adopted her & she's a dream.
I volunteered with a cat rescue for many years and came to realize their behavior in a kennel is nothing like their actual personality. They are usually just scared and sad.
So true. My mother's cat is horrible at the vet. Needs to be sedated. He gets so scared. He's perfectly sweet and happy at home. He was in a foster home when she got him.
I mean we’re probably not talking about a my cat from hell predicament though mine nearly became one because she’s a second generation feral and was generally aggressive and skittish. She’s made progress though!
We need help with the little feral cat family we have been feeding. How do we get tabbies to not be afraid of us? We did trap them and get them fixed. We have been feeding them morning and evening. Just ordered them a cat house. My honey warms their water since it is cold out.
Honestly, a lot of it is just time and not pushing their boundaries. But we have a black and white kitty who for years still runs whenever he sees us, even with other TNR cats comfortable! Alley Cat Allies, Neighborhood Cats, and The Community Cats Podcast all have great websites with advice etc.
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Then vs now
I’ve rescued dogs before. I’m sure cats are similar.
Love of your life.
Turns out, she didn’t want me to stop loving on her. Took weeks to fully trust each other.
Psycho
It took at least a year before I was allowed to pick up and cudle Elsa
She actually plays with the other cats now 😻
… but it certainly concur lol
Wear scars proudly as Badge of Compassion.
I love them.
Most cats have human friends; Tuxedos have servants.
ESPECIALLY when they are the lone cat in the house!
They tell you when to get up, when to go to bed, when to eat, when to feed them...
I adopted one who was a year and she warmed up instantly to me and the family
I’m in Chicago suburbs and I’m worried about the cold. I do have a feral cat house in an outside porch.
I’ve had several cats and have care for strays.
Patience and love. Thanks for caring for her.