So, how goes our feral taming experience? Patience - we have to remember patience.

We never realized what we were getting into when we got this 6 month old cat. Tabitha is an absolutely gorgeous seal point ragdoll siamese cat. But she is terrified of humans.

When I first got her on Christmas day, she smelled so much of urine and her beautiful coat was so dirty and ragged, that I had to give her a bath. She trembled in my arms afterwards for about an hour until she was dry. I had no idea that she did not like to be touched.

We got her home and kept her in a large cage for a few days in an area where she could watch our interaction with the other kittens. Once in awhile, I'd open the door and stroke her. Sometimes, we'd pull her out and hold her. We realized later that this was not the way to train her.

After a few more days, we let her roam the house. She would always find a place to hide and not come out to eat or drink. I would put moist cat food on my fingers and reach under the bed so she could eat out of my hand.

This worried us, especially when she started not using the litter box again, even when it was right next to her. I checked out the Alley Cat Allies site and did some research. I also called Michelle at New Beginnings because we were at our wits end with this situation. It seemed to be getting worse instead of better.

Following advice, and newly armed with knowledge, we put Tabitha in a little bathroom downstairs; we removed everything and left a food dish, a water bowl, and the litter box. A radio was tuned to a talk show channel and kept low. The cupboard doors under the sink were left open which left open access to the drawers on the sides. In the largest one, I place a little rug so she had a private place of her own.

Several times a day, someone from our family would go in and talk to her, reach a hand in to try and pet her, coax her into coming out. She was not coming out, she was not eating again, and not drinking any fluids.

Day two of bathroom confinement was pretty much the same as day one except that she would purr when I pet her. The concern over lack of food and water increased. I again offered moist food by hand. She would eat a bit and then turn her head.

Day three - when I fed her in her drawer, I slowly pulled my hand away so she had to stretch her neck to eat. Then she had to step out of the drawer. The last thing she did was sit *in* the cupboard, but her dainty little feet were not going to touch that floor! She also let me pet her quite a bit. She would not stop purring. I got her to play a little with a feather toy. When she had enough, Tabitha went back into the drawer. I had been dismissed! :)

Day four was a huge improvement. She came out onto the floor to be pet. She went to the bowl and ate food. I noticed that it seemed like her gums were sore, which explained why she probably would not eat the dry food. So, the food is now moistened with water which adds the benefit of fluids going down her throat. The litter box was showing signs of enough food and fluids now.

We tried to let her out for awhile, but she got that hunted (and haunted) look again, so we immediately put her back into solitary confinement.

Today is day five. Yesterday, I tried putting her on my lap to pet her. She seemed a little tense, but still purred. I made sure that I put her down and not let her decide when to get down. Today, she put her paws on my knees and settled into my lap when I put her on. She will walk by us now without looking scared. We opened the door again today and let her come out just into the hallway. She played with the other kittens a bit, played with the feather we dangled in front of her, but was still a bit spooked. After five minutes, I knew that it was time to put her away.

When I put her in, she went straight to the drawer and wouldn't come out for awhile. I stayed with her until I could coax her out. We parted on good terms.

All this extra work for a cat has brought on some side effects - we've all fallen hopelessly in love with Miss Princess Tabitha.

Concerns to bring up to the vet tomorrow - when she purrs, she does an awful lot of swallowing, almost gaggy. She did the same after eating. I know her gums are sore, but the gagging? We'll have to get her in for a good checkup.

More to come, I'm sure!

Labels: Cats, Feral Cats, Taming Feral Cats