Expert: Ali - 9/7/2008

Question
Hello,

I have 4 cats which I rescued all of which were between 2 mos to 1 year. The oldest now is 6 years & the youngest approx 2-3 mos.
About 6 weeks ago I noticed an older kitten had been badly injured but scared. I left some food out for it & it came to eat it late. I now feed this cat who I have named Tighe & he/she comes just inside the back door to eat but leaves. Yesterday he came in the kitchen & then ran out. Tighe has a severe limp & I would like to trap it & get it to a vets to be looked at, vaccinated & spayed/neutered but because of the bad leg, I would like to adopt it. I keep my own cats in the other part of the house while I open the door for Tighe to come & eat. Do you think I could tame him/her? I know it would take some time but every night after Tighe walks away after eating, I am so afraid he/she will be attacked by a raccoon. I have been leaving the back door open about 4 inches for him to get in overnight for safety. I saw Tighe coming up the steps & run out this am. He/she came back in when saw the food.
I have been feeding Tighe preventative & holistic food to get him/her a bit stronger. He/she looks much better now but the limp is severe. I know if Tighe is caught by animal services, they would put him/her down!

Thank you,
Dannie

Answer
Dannie,

My recommendation would be to speak with your family vet to find out the best way to borrow a humane live trap in your area. In fact your vet may actually have one that he/she can lend you. The idea is to bait the trap (which closes by the cat stepping on a trigger)with something irresistible to cats and strong smelling. In my experience foods like like tuna, salmon, sardines work well for this purpose. You will need to set the trap when you know that he is going to be around(I would recommend outside in your yard rather than in the house to avoid Tighe associating the fear of being trapped with you or the house). It's extremely important that you only set this trap out when you can be sitting within earshot, but just out of view because a cat trapped in a humane trap for an extended period of time can become very fearful and stressed. When you hear the trap close you will need to be ready with a large towel or small blanket to cover the cage. This will minimize Tighe's stress levels and allow him to settle down a bit prior to you opening the door to the trap and trying to handle him. I would suggest that you use a pair of heavy leather gloves while handling him initially to get him out of the trap as he may be aggressive because he is fearful. It's best to allow Tighe to relax in a comfortable quiet room that is dimly lit. You should try to get things prepared in advance so that once you've trapped him you won't need to create more fear and anxiety by rushing about trying to prepare a bed, food, water and a litter pan for this little fellow. In situations like this I normally have a jug of filtered water, a bowl of food covered with saran wrap and the litter box and a cardboard box lined with towels set up so that all I have to do is remove the saran wrap from the food dish and pour the water into the bowl prior to releasing the cat from the humane trap. Try to move slowly and quietly to minimize stress on Tighe during this time as he will most likely be very fearful as he isn't used to human handling. You can add a homeopathic remedy called Bach's Rescue Remedy to Tighe's water which will help to calm and reassure him. Rescue Remedy is a blend of flower essences and it is a very safe and effective remedy to use in situations like this. In this situation I would recommend that you try using about 6-8 drops of Rescue Remedy added to Tighe's fresh water each morning. You should start to see a difference in his anxiety levels although if he is completely feral he may take awhile to settle. Ultimately it's going to take a strong commitment, lots of time and patience, and love to gain Tighe's trust. It is obviously crucial that he receives veterinary care as soon as possible so that he will have the best possible chance of recovery. Be sure to call ahead to your vet's office to let them know you are bringing in a feral/fearful stray kitten for medical treatment. It's not a bad idea to have your vet prepared to sedate Tighe so that he/she can examine him properly, however sedation has a higher risk in situations like this where you know very little about a cat's history. Since Tighe will be under anesthesia it would probably be best to have him neutered and vaccinated at the same time in order to minimize the number of times that he must be sedated. It's best to keep Tighe isolated from your other cats until he is given a clean bill of health from your vet and been tested for serious feline illnesses including FIV and feline leukemia which act somewhat similarly to HIV/AIDS in people. You will need to spend quiet time in Tighe's room every day just sitting there so that he becomes accustomed to your presence. It's a good idea to read a book or do something else that occupies your attention as direct eye contact will increase Tighe's anxiety levels and may be viewed as being confrontational. Over time since cats are naturally very curious Tighe will come out of his shell and begin to inspect you. When he does don't reach out to pet him, don't speak to him and don't give him eye contact as this could cause a setback in your efforts to gain Tighe's trust and tame him. Since Tighe has been willing to get fairly close to you and your home on a regular basis I think that there's a reasonable chance of taming him and gaining his trust if you don't rush through it. Just remember, limit the noise you make in his room, don't be the first to touch him or make eye contact. Tighe will likely respond well if you take your time. Once he is willing to rub his face against you it's okay to gently and slowly hold up a couple of fingers for him to rub against his cheek and really once you've gotten to this point you should be on the way towards slow, steady progress. It's very important to remember Tighe's wild past though so slow, steady and patient approaches to everything are best. Good luck! Congratulations, you are about to embark on an incredible, amazing road to making a lifelong friend.