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10 PM ET Cats Let People Talk - Long Term Illness Support - 11 PM ET Cat Talk
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10 PM ET Cats Let People Talk - Long Term Illness Support - 11 PM ET Cat Talk
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Posted by Wiscats on November 27, 2002 at 23:23:18:
About one year ago I noticed a gray cat sneeking through my back yard. I immediately went outside on the back deck with a bowl of cat food. He saw me and ran away, slipping under the fence and disappearing into the woods.
I checked the food bowl daily, but he didn't find it for about 4 days. I had set it up on the picnic table so I could watch him eat through the dining room doors. From then on, he came about the same time every evening to eat a full bowl of food.
Living quite far up north means we have bitter cold winters, and I was worried about where the cat might be staying. I had recently bought a TV, so I took the box, covered it with plastic bags, cut a hole up high as an entry, put a thick quilt in it, set it on styrofoam for insulation, and placed it in a sheltered corner of the deck. He used it for shelter from then on. I still could not get near him, however.
The daily feeding routine continued for a couple of months. Even when I went away on a trip, I had my kitty sitter feed the "outdoor kitty" as well. Then one night in early February, the weather forecast was for a blizzard. Knowing our blizzards here, I felt it necessary to finally trap the cat and bring him in. I set up a Hav-a-Heart trap. I also prepared a kitty playpen for him. Right on time he came, sniffed the trap, saw the bowl of food inside and entered. The trap was sprung. I went out immediately, picked up the trap and hustled back inside.
I was not prepared for his reaction. He was a wild cat in the trap, and worse when I opened the trap into the pen. He immediately knocked over the food and water in the pen, was climbing frantically, hissing, yowling...it was impressive! This cat wasn't just a stray, he was feral. I left the room and closed the door.
A few hours later I went back in. He was hiding in the covered litterbox. I sneaked another bowl of food and some water into the pen and left again.
The next day he had eaten, and had used the little bed I'd put in the pen for him as a litter box, and was using the litter box as a hiding place. The next day he had used the floor of the pen instead of the box. With him up on one of the shelves in the pen, I was able to reach in to transfer some of his droppings into the box. From then on he understood what the litterbox was for and never had another lapse.
The end of that first week I managed to get him into a carrier and took him to the vet for shots, etc. They kept him, gave him some gas so they could work with him, and he got all his vaccs and was neutered all at once.
About 2 months passed, with him hissing and growling at me each time I entered the room--the room where I had my computer, so I spent time in there with him. I began to offer him some Science Diet A/D--very yummy stuff!--on the end of a knife, then on my finger, which he eagerly licked off. Finally after he wasn't hissing at me any more, I opened the door of the pen while I was in the room. About 2 weeks passed without him venturing out. Then one night I felt him brush against my leg. I let my hand fall down and he nuzzled it, allowed me to pet him, and purred. As they say, "the rest is history."
Lucky, aka Chanceux, or Henri le Chanceux, is now a Wiscat, a loving and loved pet, who plays with my other cats and is a well-behaved, socialized house kitty.
Norma