Cat experts! Help needed (update on abandoned cat)

I'm hoping some of the cat experts out there can help me. I posted recently in the "Show us your pets" thread of the abandoned cat that's been hanging around my apartment building. A couple of days ago a small, local volunteer TNR program agreed to help get the cat medical care and to get him neutered. Because he's not feral none of us felt comfortable about releasing him back to the street. He returned back to my building today and I have him inside. He hasn't really eaten anything but he's drinking up a storm! :eek: And he appears to not know what a litter box is for. :eek::eek:

Any idea of how to box train him?

Here's a picture I took of him shortly after he arrived home.

[IMG]http://i207.photobucket.com/albums/b...le/LGCRSZ3.jpg[/IMG]

He's in a very sunny window (with a breeze today! Yay!!) curled up in the basket, periodically napping and on the lookout for an overly affectionate dog and a much less enthusiastic resident cat. :)

Try a litterbox with leaves and dirt, to start. Or pine needles and dirt (the pine sort of neutralizes their pee and doesn't smell as bad). Or maybe sand (didn't catch where you're from to guess what he's used to). He would probably rather go there than your carpet! Then you can gradually add litter and take away nature as he gets used to it.

Both of mine were strays/wild at one point. They can be remarkably picky about cat food after living from dumpsters or what not, but he'll eventually be hungry enough to eat. Maybe try putting his food where he won't feel as vulnerable - near a corner, but far enough out so he can sit behind the bowl and watch outward.

Thanks for taking him in! Good luck!

Nothing to add but good luck and bless you. I took in a similar cat years ago and it all (eventually) worked out beautifully.

there's a brand of kitty litter out there infused with feliway (can't remember the brand, but saw it at Petcetera). You may want to try that and just plunk him in there. More often than not cats know where to go when they need to go, unlike dogs who need to be taught.

I've not had any experience with feral cats, aside from leaving food out for them, but by the sounds of it your kitty wasn't feral by birth or you wouldn't be able to touch him. He probably just needs to be able to relax and take a breath and eventually figure out what/where the litter box is.

Good luck, and thank you for helping him - I'm sure it's no coincidence he was hanging around your apartment!

Thanks for the suggestions.

I believe this cat had been owned by people who lived in the building behind mine. I first spotted him over the winter and he was wearing a collar at that time. It was around the time that some of the people living there moved out (mid-spring) that I noticed he was our yard more and no longer had a collar.
Eventually he took up residence under one of the porches here. When he did start seeking some attention another tenant and I noticed how ridiculously skinny he was...if you look at him from above he just looks like fur stretched over bones. I bought a stash of food that I kept in my car to feed him. When he started sneaking into the building and sleeping outside my door, I decided something needed to be done to help the poor little guy.

I'm thinking now that perhaps the events of the previous 24 hours just wore him out and he needed some down time rather than a meal (crated up, going with rescue volunteer, vet, surgery, back home here). He ate a little bit this morning. He has his own litter box so I'm keeping my fingers crossed. :)

I think the cat will be fine. If he's been stressed by the last 24 hours (certainly sounds like it), he probably wants a safe space where the resident cat and dog can't get to him. If you have a room to spare, put him in there with food, water and his litter box and close the door. He'll eat when he's ready and cats pretty much understand what a little box is for. You should only worry if he refuses to touch a single scrap of food for more than 48 hours, in which case, take him to the vet. Otherwise, he'll be just fine.

Its so great that you took him in, enjoy your new cat! =D

Aw, he's a real cutie :-) You're great for taking him in! I agree that he's probably stressed with being in a strange place and with enforced contact with strange animals, so he probably isn't using a litterbox the way he otherwise would. If you have a smallish room he can have as his own for a day or two, preferably with no carpets or soft furniture and a "shiny" hard floor, he'll probably choose the litterbox when left to himself. I've "homed" cats in a bathroom with success.

He shouldn't be drinking excessively for too long, though.

My cat had some issues using a litter box when I got her from the pound. She was declawed so I can't imagine her previous owner didn't litter box train her but she was year old and had no interest peeing in the box. I took 4 months of trying and trying, finally we figured out she would use Swheat Scoop Litter. It has no smell unlike the pine so maybe that is why she finally started using it? She seemed to despise the pine litter, recycled newspaper type and the clay types as well. She also seemed to take to having a larger box but not one of those hooded ones. I agree his biggest worry might be stress right now. Good luck with your new addition and you are a wonderful person for taking him in!

good point about the lid-less box, aggie.

If a cat's been having to fend for himself and was in a crate and stressed, I'd imagine the last place he'd want to go and relieve himself is in a shape similar to a crate. But I'm assuming the box has a lid. Is he in a room by himself with the litterbox? that might help initially in getting him to use it.

Is he your new house mate? :)

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Originally Posted by badger

Is he your new house mate? :)

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I think we may have a new tenant here :rolleyes: He's been trailing behind me all day that I think "Shadow" is looking like an appropriate name.

There's no lid on the litter box. There's "evidence" that he did use it. He does have a room to himself. Since the door is glass he can see/smell us but not have to worry about an inquisitive dog or a peeved cat. :)

He's eating a bit and sleeping a lot. Maybe his over anxious caretaker just needs to take a chill pill and let him breathe. :rolleyes: :D

He looks like a pretty cat. It's so good of you to give him a home. I don't have any advice; I just wanted to wish you good luck. Keep us posted (with pics).

Hi Nancielle,

Shadow just needs time to adjust to his new life. Going from being scared, out on the street, scrounging food, standing up to a truly feral cats, to being kept in a house with food is traumatizing. Not to mention the Vet visit, a dog in the house and your resident kitty.

The best thing you can do for him is after 3 or 4 days start spending sometime in his room. Maybe 5 minutes then gradually move up to 15 minutes. I would take a book in there and just read to pass the time. Let him be. When he feels comfortable with you, he will come out and sniff you. Later he will make an eye contact with you... Some cats will adjust quicker than others. Some will take 3 month to adjust. This is one time when you have to let the cat adjust at his own pace and you can't rush. If you rush, he is going to withdraw and will take much longer time to adjust. Patience!!

Your resident cat and Shadow will hiss at each other for a while. You need to let them work things out to a point. Last thing you want is either one to get hurt. So if it gets serious, you will need to separate them.

Shadow and your dog will work things out. It may be easier than working things out with your resident cat.

I think this is all the information you really need. If you are worried, concerned, or have questions, please feel free to contact me.

Smilingcat

Two things I noted from your posts about this cat: he is very underweight and he drinks a lot. Those COULD be signs that he is diabetic - you may want to have a vet check for that. I had a barn cat that developed diabetes as he aged, and he suddenly lost a TON of weight, drank constantly (and ate a ton, but puked a lot of it back up), and peed a lot. He didn't respond well to insulin injections and had to be put down. :(

Edit: I'm not sure these points apply anymore, since he looks pretty healthy in that picture, but I figured I would leave the note anyway. I might not be comprehending very well, either, after a long and tiring weekend.

Otherwise, he's a cutie and I hope he gets along with your pets soon! Good for you for looking out for him!

Drinking a lot, and peeing where he shouldn't be could also be a sign that he's ill. Kidneys or diabetes. Cats naturally will use a litter box unless there's something wrong. The something wrong is *usually* because of the litter box (lots of great suggestions about types of litter, boxes here)... also sometimes placement (they like privacy).

He is beautiful! And I'm not even a cat person. I have no advice, but wish you both well :).

Nancielle,
Hope your new kitty is settling in. I wound up buying Dr. Esley's Cat Attract kitty litter for one of my litter finicky kitties. Now I use "precious cat" (also a Dr. Esley product) - both of which were recommended on some other thread here on TE. There's also a bottle of the attract herb stuff you can sprinkle on your existing litter.

Maybe as things settle down, your new friend will feel more at home, nice and secure. It didn't take very long for the semi-feral kitty that I adopted to figure out that meals were served regularily, my only problem was that he liked it better outside, and wanted me to join him out there, no matter what the weather. :rolleyes:

Thanks again for all your comments & suggestions.

I think the fact that despite taking in Brat Cat (aka Hunter aka Widget), who was a known entity to me prior to my taking him in, I'm still pretty cat illiterate. The TNR program who helped me with Shadow had noted that he didn't use the litter box when he stayed at a volunteer's place the night before surgery (Thursday), nor when he got back to the volunteer's place after surgery (Friday night). He had peed on her floors Friday night and Saturday morning. He peed in his carrier on the way back to me (and soiled it on our way home GAK! :eek:) Then peed in the room I set him up in (Thank goodness for Nature's Miracle. If only it were available in handy vat sizes :rolleyes:).

He's set up in my front room. The bathroom has been Hunter's refuge since he moved in so I didn't want to disrupt that and possibly get him spraying again in protest (took months to break that behavior.) Shadow has his litterbox, food and water in there. My computer is also there so I can be online and there are enough "safe spaces" in there where Chloe (dog) can't reach him.

Shadow's picture doesn't really show how skinny he is. If he were to brush up against you or you were to look down at him you can see his spine and ribs. Hunter was underweight when I took him in but not like this. I've got an appointment to bring him to my vet. I will say this, for the small donation they requested of me, the vet that the TNR group used for the neutering did a lot for him (neutering, worming, Feline Leukemia test, FIV test, rabies vac, and a few other things). But I know they brough in a bunch of ferals to be spayed/neutered and there's only so much that can be asked of them.

He's had several stressful days on top of being on the street for so long. I will hang back and let him breathe and sort out his new surroundings. I'm off this week so I can keep an eye on him for any trouble and help him to acclimate. He's asleep in the window behind my computer right now.

Thanks again for all your comments and suggestions. I really appreciate the time you took to respond. :)

did the vet mention how old he/she thought Shadow was? I would ask for a blood panel done when you go see the vet to make sure his kidneys, liver, and thyroid are hunky dory.

Anyways, hopefully he's just skinny from not eating and he's got tons of healthy life ahead of him!

I ended up with a stray through craigslist that someone else had taken in but couldn't keep. She was bone-thin and never gained any weight - and it wasn't for lack of eating (even though she was blind she would push my other cat out of the food bowls, and the other cat just sat and took it). Hopefully Shadow will start eating again soon, but he may just have a weird metabolism from being in the wild for awhile.

There's an old trick of using soiled cat litter in a litter box to let the cat know what exactly the box is for. Of course, you'd want to use his own pee and poop to soil the litter in the box. Its a bit disgusting but you can try it out and see whether it works. Maybe he's just not sure what the litter box is for.

He's a lovely looking cat, and I'm not really a cat person. Hopefully he and your other cat start getting along and he settles in.

i have a cat who won't use a box that is totally clean. took him to the vet once and he refused to use the litter box they had or to go anyplace else and held it in for 36 hours! poor guy! i guess it is good that he doesn't go other places but i have needed to collect a clean specimen of his pee for testing a few times and it was tricky.

anyhow hope your shadow turns out to just be skinny from being outside so long. worms can cause that and is easy to treat and that he gets used to using the box. such a pretty cat.

ha, I actually had that exact problem 3 weeks ago when I needed my cat's urine sample to check that his kidneys are ok.

They gave me those non-absorbing pellets, and I had to lock him up in the bathroom as I have another cat. Came home from work: nothing. Back up plan was to take him to the spca with me that night as I was going there already to volunteer, but the vet couldn't get a sample via syringe as he's *ahem* a little on the fat side. Came home and locked him up again for a few hours: nothing. Long and short, he did eventually pee, but he held it in for well over 24 hours.

my vet gave my cat a mild sedative to get her urine. can't hold your bladder when you're doped up.

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Originally Posted by nancielle

Thanks again for all your comments & suggestions.
Shadow's picture doesn't really show how skinny he is. If he were to brush up against you or you were to look down at him you can see his spine and ribs. Hunter was underweight when I took him in but not like this. I've got an appointment to bring him to my vet. I will say this, for the small donation they requested of me, the vet that the TNR group used for the neutering did a lot for him (neutering, worming, Feline Leukemia test, FIV test, rabies vac, and a few other things). But I know they brough in a bunch of ferals to be spayed/neutered and there's only so much that can be asked of them.

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hi nancielle, how did your appt go with shadow? i'm hoping well. you got a lot of good feedback here and i am hoping he's just under nourished and its not kidneys or diabetes. IF it is, i have a feeling that Shadow is the luckiest guy on earth that he found such a caring home. You definitely seem like the type of person that takes care of their pets. I love fellow pet people! :)

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Originally Posted by lisathew8lifter

hi nancielle, how did your appt go with shadow? i'm hoping well. you got a lot of good feedback here and i am hoping he's just under nourished and its not kidneys or diabetes. IF it is, i have a feeling that Shadow is the luckiest guy on earth that he found such a caring home. You definitely seem like the type of person that takes care of their pets. I love fellow pet people! :)

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No underlying issues (kidneys or diabetes), he just hasn't had regular feedings. He snagged a piece of chicken I had prepared for me (no bones) and just went to town on it. He's been eating and drinking (much less drinking than when he came home, thankfully) and appears to be getting the hang of the litter box after some accidents.

He's still very skinny but as long as he's eating regularly I think he should be ok.

He got out of the apartment yesterday when some people came over. Couldn't find him anywhere (where could he get to so quickly?!) When I went to take Chloe out for her before dinner walk there he was, sitting by the back door, waiting to be let in.

Here he is during one of his trips out of "his" room taking a snooze in one of the bathroom windows.

http://i207.photobucket.com/albums/b...SDC10199-1.jpg

wow he is a pretty kitty. hard to believe no one is missing him! i know i would! again, i will say he's one lucky guy to have come to your door. i have four but it would be hard to resist a walk up like Shadow!

well of course he was sitting outside the door. He knows where the chicken lives now. :)

glad he is safe and doing well.

marni

Gorgeous cat!!

He knows where home is. ;)

One of the recent issues of Cat Fancy discussed problems with litter boxes. I have been lucky but apparently there are a million reasons cats won't use a box. It is a cat's natural instinct to bury pee and poo so if a source is offered, they should figure it out. CF recommended a large litter box (so the cat is not cramped) - like a sweater storage container, lots of litter to dig in and someplace where the cat feels safe. If the cat feels it can be cornered, it may not use the box. I actually have a cover on my litter box but I've turned the entrace away from sight from people and the cat can look out the sliding glass door but no where can get behind him when he digs. Of course there is the issue of having clean fresh litter (which most cats prefer) and litter that is not irritating. Also make sure to properly clean up spillage with Nature's Remedy or something like that. If the cat smells the pee on the floor he may continue to use that spot.

Thanks for taking him in - it's a good thing you do!