Hi Kelley,
Welcome to the world of "How the heck am I going to overcome all that's
happened to this poor aggressive cat?". The key is patience, love and
respect, with a heavy emphasis on patience. Some of these poor scared
individuals are more difficult than others, but with understanding of
the trauma they've been through, you can eventually gain their trust.
Everyone's suggestions have been really good. (Thank you so much Chris
for the detailed description of how you dealt with Romeo's acclimation.
Well done!). Keeping Caroline in a confined, smaller space at first
will help her feel safer. She's "hiding" in the sink because it's the
best place she's found in the bathroom to protect herself from
intruders, (that's you my dear). It's got walls of a sort and she has a
good vantage point to defend herself. Do make sure you give her
someplace more appropriate and protected to hide. Think of it as her
fort. I understand the thought about not free feeding her, she does
need to know the food comes from you, but in her current state I think
it's better to keep dry down all the time, (do you know what she was
being fed before?), and then offering her something incredibly yummy
when you are in there with her. She's going to know the food is coming
from you, she's scared, not stupid. That way she will come to know her
new home provides everything she needs and you don't want her to go
hungry if she doesn't have to. Heaven knows she has enough stress,
don't add hunger to the equation. Make it as comfortable as possible in
her bathroom, shower someplace else, if you can. I usually put a very
soft bed down on the floor to encourage them to venture out of their
"safe place" for more than food, you can put an article of clothing on
top to get her used to your smell. A scratching pad or post, (if it
will fit), will eventually help her burn off some anxiety too. The RR
and Feliway can't hurt and just might help, (spray the Feliway on
articles away from her presence, sometimes the sound of the spray sounds
like hissing to them). If you do decide to give her a portion of
antihistamine, wrap a bit of pill pocket around it and slip it into her
food, don't try to pill her in the state she's in. I would wait on
trying to drug her though, she needs her wits about her to figure out
that she's really okay, that you are a good guy and she doesn't have
anything to worry about. The "eye contact" and body language
suggestions are good. You don't want to be pushy with her at all. Let
her decide on her own when and if to approach you. Move very slowly and
deliberately. Sit on the floor as far from her as you can in the
confined space and bring a book to read. After she begins to get used
to your presence, start to read aloud to her, or sing her a soft and
gentle song with her name in the lyrics. Bring some treats to toss her
way, if she doesn't take them in your presence, leave them on the floor
for her to find later. Give her a routine she can count on. Feed,
socialize, clean the litter box all at the same time each day. I
usually bring a sleeping bag and pillow in at night to say goodnight.
Shut the light and get as comfortable as possible, eventually, she'll
come and check you out when she thinks you are sleeping. Talk to her
and tell her what you are going to do when you are with her.
I'm so glad to hear that you are already considering keeping her. What
a lucky girl to have found such a compassionate rescuer. Let her know
that she will never go through this sort of thing again, that you will
take your cue from her about whether or not your's will be her forever
home. Poor little girl, she's been through so much and the trauma is
far from over. Shame on her former human, help her understand that
we're not all so unconcerned about responsibility to our friends.
The very best to both of you. Please let us know how Caroline is doing,
Nina
Kelley Saveika wrote:
Hi guys,
I took in an owner surrendered cat last night. Most of my rescue
friends love taking in owner surrendered cats because they generally
have at least some medical history. I got this cat in, and she is
*extremely aggressive*. She acts completely feral. I'm not able to
get within a foot of her at the most. I have her in the bathroom by
herself in hopes she'll calm down. The previous owner states the cat
was friendly with her and never attacked any visitors. However, the
paperwork from the vet lists "aggression" as a condition going back at
least 4 years.
Any ideas? I think this is going to become one of my cats. I can't
adopt out a cat I know to be aggressive. At this point, if she needed
medical attention I'd need to trap her to take her in .
Has anyone ever dealt successfully with a cat like this? If I didn't
know better I'd swear she was feral and had never been around humans
at all.
--
Rescuties - Saving the world, one cat at a time.
http://www.rescuties.org
Vist the Rescuties store and save a kitty life!
http://astore.amazon.com/rescuties-20
