Domesticating stray kittens?

mts · April 2012

eh, a 5 month male is pushing it. especially an unneutered stray.

that is bordering on him becoming a tomcat/asshole age

ceres · April 2012

There cannot be too many cat pictures.

Heir · April 2012

ceres wrote: »

There cannot be too many cat pictures.

Pretty much this.

And I second (or fifth or whatever) the call to neuter him. Tom cats are not good indoor cats.

LaCabra · April 2012

Yeah I'm shopping around for cheaper quotes at the moment. That place was quoting a couple hundred bucks, also said "we're definitely not the cheapest around".

The Ender · April 2012

EDIT: Wow I am dumb.

Do you have a pet store nearby where you can buy an inexpensive ball & bell cat toy?

E.Coyote · April 2012

If you call the humane society they should have the information on the spay/neuter programs available in the area. They might even give you a voucher for the vet. Just hanging out with the cat reading a book or some such will get him used your presence too.

LaCabra · April 2012

Siska wrote: »

LaCabra wrote: »

Dude favours the sink.

He might be a percher, as in he prefers to stay off the ground if possible. If you have an old computer chair, stool, ottoman or other padded furniture you don't give a crap about that's small enough to fit in the room, put that in there with him. Plus it means he is also not so intent on hiding anymore. Don't give up yet. 5 months is still youngish and easier to train than an adult. If you follow the steps in that article, feed small amounts several times a day, I think you can get him to the point where he is eating while you are in the room making noise within a few days. Alternate sweet-talking with not-paying-any-attention-to-you games when you spend time with him. And don't forget to avoid the steady gaze thing. If you catch him peeking at you give him a quick glance and a slow we're cool wink.

I totally put a shitty old computer chair in there. Let's see if he notices.

Awww. Was he looking at someone in that basket picture, out of curiosity?

Yeah, he was. My friend who helped me get him in the basket. Cat seemed more prone to hiss at him than me, which means he's maybe slightly more comfortable with me than with strangers? I'll take what I can get.

steamypile · April 2012

Just wanted to say good luck, I'm rooting for you! (And the cat too).

LaCabra · April 2012

ceres wrote: »

There cannot be too many cat pictures.

Fiiiiiiiine

LaCabra · April 2012

It's all over. My business is going to fail because I can't stop photographing this kitten.

LaCabra · April 2012

Okay, I think I just made some mad progress.
Today he's been letting me sit on the washing machine next to the sink his box is in, which is like a foot and a half from him, max, without freaking out and without feeling he has to stare at me 100% of the time. Then this evening, I spent like an hour in there sharing a tin of tuna with him. I got him to eat in my presence!
I'm sure it only worked because of how delicious tuna is. I placed some in front of his nose, and he just stared at it for like five minutes, glancing at me occasionally, and then went FUCK IT I'M EATING THIS. I was then able to occasionally hand some tuna over to him, my hand getting pretty close to his face, and drop the tuna in his box, and he would eat it. A couple times he hissed when I got close, but then I just put the tuna back in the can. I think he got the message about hissing being a bad way to get tuna after that, he let me get quite close. He'd take breaks sometimes to just stare at me and make sure I wasn't up to any shit before eating more.

I am feeling good about this development!

Taya · April 2012

Good job LaCabra. I am d'awwwing at that poor scared kitty. Does he have a name or a tempname yet?

LaCabra · April 2012

Nope! Houdini was being thrown around when he was escaping from all my traps, but then he pulled that thing with the window so it seems kind of ill-fitting now

Echo · April 2012

LaCabra wrote: »

Nope! Houdini was being thrown around when he was escaping from all my traps, but then he pulled that thing with the window so it seems kind of ill-fitting now

Well, you obviously interrupted him before he got to the third act.

Decomposey · April 2012

Can't think of a name? I direct you to these picture comparisons that occured to me after thinking about the traps you used.

Spoiler:

LadyM · April 2012

Neutering him is a good idea or he might start spraying. I'd have it done ASAP as cats sometimes start doing it around 6 months old. It will also make him less likely to want to escape from the house when there are female cats in heat outside.

You are making MAJOR progress with him, congratulations!

Stormwatcher · April 2012

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So this is my pretty Cleo, she's the sweetest thing, and was found by my wife on the sidewalk, starving, riddled with fleas and worms. She quickly recovered and she's a purring snuggling machine.

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405121_10150895059434951_773449950_12707476_664852964_n.jpg

This is Cleo being lovingly smothered by Flick, her older "brother". He's both a little devil and amazingly social and snuggly. We adopted him from a Pet shop doing an adoption drive for strays. He's already neutered (or spayed, I never remember which is which).

minirhyder · April 2012

Neuter for males, spay for females.

Draygo · April 2012

LaCabra wrote: »

Nope! Houdini was being thrown around when he was escaping from all my traps, but then he pulled that thing with the window so it seems kind of ill-fitting now

You should call him pancakes. Totally fitting with the window thing.

mts · April 2012

well techinically spaying is neutering a female,

Terra · April 2012

Please continue to keep us updated. This is my new favorite thread on all the internets!

One of my friends worked with a female about that age and got her pretty friendly, but a year later she still hates loud noises, fast motions, and kids. She's a real sweetheart around calm, adult company though. Something to keep in mind if you're planning on having kids.

_J_ · April 2012

Decomposey wrote: »

Can't think of a name? I direct you to these picture comparisons that occured to me after thinking about the traps you used.

Spoiler:

I endorse a name based upon these pictures.

MyDcmbr · April 2012

Wiley obvs.

LaCabra · April 2012

We decided to call him Oscar, because he is somewhat Wilde, and also a bit of a Grouch. Mostly because I like the name though. Today I worked some more at having him eat near me, he still doesn't like to approach but mostly doesn't mind chowing down on some tuna with me around. I think he probably will end up being the kind of cat who only really gets along with one person, but that's ok.
Hope I'm not jumping the gun, he could still turn out to hate me forever!

Artereis · April 2012

Pancake doesn't sound as good as Flapjack.

Madpanda · April 2012

LaCabra wrote: »

We decided to call him Oscar, because he is somewhat Wilde, and also a bit of a Grouch. Mostly because I like the name though. Today I worked some more at having him eat near me, he still doesn't like to approach but mostly doesn't mind chowing down on some tuna with me around. I think he probably will end up being the kind of cat who only really gets along with one person, but that's ok.
Hope I'm not jumping the gun, he could still turn out to hate me forever!

Don't go too nuts with the tuna, and make sure its the water packed. It should be a once in a while treat and not an every meal type of thing.

Siska · April 2012

Oscar is a lovely name, very regal.

The picture of him peeking out from under the blanket is very adorable. The one with him in the box in the sink is just funny. He looks so oppressed, like you just gave him a bath. Glad to hear you are making progress. Don't forget to spend some time not paying attention to him at all while right next to him. Cats often find good quality ignoring very intriguing. Gives him opportunity to get curious and check you out. Try and be really interesting, like eating a tuna sandwich while checking out ~~cat porn~~ cats purring on youtube.

The Ender · April 2012

....Did the vet check for parasites while you were there?

I'm a bit concerned about the red marks near the eyes.

LaCabra · April 2012

No, it was kind of just a quick visit to get his gender, age, and a quote on all the stuff they do.
Weirdly, he's been acting kind of more aggressive than usual today - hissing at me when I'm not even trying to touch him, ears flat to his head, etc. I dunno, maybe he's just gone from terrified to "HEY FUCK YOU BUDDY". Sigh.

Decomposey · April 2012

It could be any number of issues. One of my cats, which will normally rub up against my legs all the time, will hiss and flee when I'm wearing boots. So he could hate your shirt, or think you smell, or the dryer sheets get on his nerves.

Also, you should probably get him back to the vet to get a real checkup as soon as possible. Stray cats can pick up all kinds of nasty parasites, from intestinal worms to crap that gets into their heart. My own rescued kitten was FULL of worms when we found him and there's no real way to tell just from looking at them. Unless you want to look at their poop with a microscope. Do you?

Lukasz · April 2012

Or first cat I also got as a kitten, and she was a feral rescue from around somebody's barn. She was picked up in the dead of winter and we bonded pretty much as soon as we met. She's very shy but super-sweet, and she never had any food issues but she absolutely hates being cold.

CelestialBadger · April 2012

LaCabra wrote: »

Weirdly, he's been acting kind of more aggressive than usual today - hissing at me when I'm not even trying to touch him, ears flat to his head, etc. I dunno, maybe he's just gone from terrified to "HEY FUCK YOU BUDDY". Sigh.

Get him neutered before he hits puberty unless you want this to be permanent.

amateurhour · April 2012

Seriously, I know it's been said like 40 times already, but get him neutered. Call every vet in driving distance and find the cheapest one if you need to, but get it done, like this weekend.

Gaslight · April 2012

Neuter neuter neuter. Yyyyyyup.

Word of warning, don't be discouraged or surprised if he's even more terrified and neurotic when you first bring him home after the ol' fixeroo. The last cat my family had neutered was a basketcase for a good day or so after we brought him home from the vet when we got him neutered, and he was already well accustomed to us and our house by that point. Surgery is traumatic, plain and simple, even for people, and an animal has no capacity to comprehend what the fuck is going on.

But long term, getting him fixed will greatly improve the chances of him becoming a well-adjusted companion animal, probably offer the only chance of that happening really.

ceres · April 2012

Lukasz wrote: »

Or first cat I also got as a kitten, and she was a feral rescue from around somebody's barn. She was picked up in the dead of winter and we bonded pretty much as soon as we met. She's very shy but super-sweet, and she never had any food issues but she absolutely hates being cold.

It is like you are describing my older cat right now, because this is exactly how things went down, right down to her hating the cold.

LaCabra · April 2012

Turns out there's no vets near me that are open on the weekends unfortunately, but I will most likely get the appropriate parts of him removed on Monday.

LaCabra · April 2012

Hmmmm, ok. I rang up some vets, and one of them says they won't do it (desex him) if the kitty is less than six months old (he's five apparently), because it's not safe to administer a general anaesthetic. The other two vets are all "yeah whatever where the balls at".

minirhyder · April 2012

I'm under the impression that it's ok from 6 months onwards. My kitty got neutered at 7 months and we didn't have any spraying problems beforehand. But he wasn't a stray kitty and never lived on the street.

Though personally I'd stray on the side of caution and wait another month. I mean there must be a reason that vet doesn't want to do it before 6 months of age.
Anesthesia is a bitch to any animal.

mts · April 2012

LaCabra wrote: »

Hmmmm, ok. I rang up some vets, and one of them says they won't do it (desex him) if the kitty is less than six months old (he's five apparently), because it's not safe to administer a general anaesthetic. The other two vets are all "yeah whatever where the balls at".

thats bullshit, it just means they don't have a good surgeon/anesthesiologist on staff. we used to fix them around 3 months depending on their size and would sometimes go even earlier. 6 months is ridiculous

ceres · April 2012

The vet I worked for was like 3+ months for neutering, I think, but not less than 4 for a spay if possible. So yeah, that's a bit on the late side.

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Domesticating stray kittens?

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