Poorly chicken

[meezers]

Well sort of new- I've had them a few weeks now, but just realised I never posted on here. One of my Siamese - my seven year old beautiful Boo was run over and killed a couple of months ago which made us a two cat household - felt way too odd and by applying 'chicken maths' to cats I now have an 11 week old Siamese who we've called Yoda ( also answers to monster, mr kittington , rascal and toe rag ) AND an older longhair Oriental who has been referred to as 'cat behind the bed' as that is where he has spent most of the last few weeks. Think he'll eventually be called Spook or Asbo due to his nervous anti social behaviour.

He's a bit of a worry actually as he is sooo nervous. He was 15 weeks old ( I think) when we got him and had spent all that time in a tiny cattery pen in the breeders garden - not socialised at all. I should have walked away, but didn't like the idea of him spending the rest of his life there. So now he's living in our bedroom It was supposed to be temporary, but he shows no interest in leaving.He has progressed from behind the bed to on the bed , but still won't let us touch him ( luckily he's vaccinated - don't know how we'd catch him to get him to the vets)and is even scared of little Yoda. How I'm going to introduce him to my other two cats I don't know - I let my Birman into the bedroom last week and he tried to launch an attack, don't fancy WW3 in the confines of the bedroom.Also don't fancy the litter tray taking up permanent residence but I've no where else to put the cat and doubt I could catch him anyway. Anyone else had success taming a semi feral cat ?

 

 

 

Yoda has found a playmate in my HUGE Birman - I'm on tenterhooks when they are together

Edited December 23, 2011 by Guest

[Olly]

Gorgeous, I feel all broody just looking at them! patience is the answer with your shy boy, and I'd recommend some Feliway or the new Pet Rescue Remedy that's been mentioned in another thread, it does calm them down a bit. How lovely.

[Snowy]

What beautiful cats, especially cat behind the bed, I'm not surprised you couldn't leave him behind!

As Olly says, time and patience will win him round.

[Griffin]

Chandler came to me aged five weeks with his mum and sisters. They'd been born outside and the kittens were totally feral. No amount of handling could convince them that humans weren't out to kill them They all had the run of the house and whilst they played like kittens do, they didn't seek out human companionship. After a couple of months they went back to Milton Keynes for rehoming but "Ooops, word censored!"ody wanted them

 

In the end I offered to have Chandler back here. He'd been perfectly happy here, just not friendly. I've found the best way with cats like him is just to carry on as normal, no special treatment. Food was served in it's usual place in the hall, if he wanted it he had to come down and get it. He spent about ten days hiding under beds, only coming out for food, drink and the litter tray. He was a bit confused because he remembered my cats and treated them like old friends, they didn't recognise him and were hostile I didn't break up squabbles, he had to learn his place in society. It was heart breaking hearing him crying for his mum and sisters at night He did that for about ten days too.

 

Progress has been slow but I love him to bits and I know he loves me too. We have some lovely chats, he talks a lot, mainly demands for food I can't walk over to him to pick him up, he runs away. Everything is on his terms. He'll chose to sit on me or next to me, he'll tell me when he wants a fuss made of him. I cried the first time he jumped onto my lap It meant so much to me.

 

During his first few weeks here he wore a collar with a bell, I can't tell you how much fun we had catching him to put that on It helped to know where he was in the house.

[fluffy chick]

All are gorgeous! I have a birman girl (jasmine) and love her to bits. I'd love another

[Alis girls]

What a cutie

[Griffin]

Just as an aside, are all Birmans in love with themselves? My mum has an elderly blue point Birman who has always been of the opinion that she's the bees knees, far superior to the other cats and she parades herself infront of visitors You can almost hear her saying "look at ME!"

[meezers]

Thanks Griffin, that's good to know. I don't mind if he's never a lap cat, I have the others climbing over each other to sit on me I'd just prefer if he didn't flinch and run whenever I go near him. I'm not sure about putting his food and litter tray downstairs - I have a feeling he'd just mess in the room and starve rather than venture out into the big wide house - and my Birman doesn't help matters. He's normally the biggest wuss, but seems to be rather protective of Yoda - he's chased my Siamese round the house a couple of times, all because Gremlin hissed at Yoda He knows cat behind the bed is there and he isn't happy about it. If he was to get aggressive there isn't alot of space for the loser to escape. Think I'll keep leaving the bedroom door open and hope curiosity gets the better of him.

[Olly]

Claudette (semi-feral) lived in the spare bedroom for about three months after I got her, I remember the red-letter day when she ventured downstairs, and an even more thrilling moment when she set paw in the garden for the first time, some six months or so after she joined me.

 

She and Wellington will never be good friends - she is scared and growls if he so much as looks at her. He would like to be friendly but not surprisingly he loses patience with the hissing and growling, and occasionally thumps her or chases her. There's little actual contact however, and they will now occupy the same room, as long as they are on opposite sides. She uses the whole house, though she often chooses just one room for several weeks at a time, and she enjoys the garden when she can get out there (she refuses to use the cat-flap).

 

I love her dearly, and can see that she is happy which is the main thing - she still bites and scratches unwary visitors, but the difference from when she first came to me is striking. Hang on in there, and cat-behind-the-bed will eventually come out and trust you, even if he never becomes cat-on-the-lap.

[meezers]

Thanks Olly. Did you feed her in the bedroom and leave the litter tray in there while she was living there ? Just feel it would be a bit mean to move it downstairs and force him to come out before he feels ready.

[Seagazer]

They are all gorgeous, beautiful cats. We were going to get a Siamese as well as Toby our ginger kitten but in the end we got Toby's sister. I'd still love a Siamese one day

[meezers]

Well we left the bedroom door open today. Mid afternoon huge noise from the bedroom - my Birman had paid a visit and scared poor CBTB half to death. Broken picture frame, numerous items knocked onto the floor and CBTB crouched catatonic ( pardon the pun) on the windowsill. He'd wee'd himself in fright and was too terrified to move when I cleaned him and the windowsill up. He's now in his 2nd favourite cubby hole - behind the ironing board . The door is still open but I think I may close it when we go to bed - don't fancy being woken by a replay in the middle of the night.

[fluffy chick]

Oh the poor thing. I hope he settled in soon.

 

Just as an aside, are all Birmans in love with themselves? My mum has an elderly blue point Birman who has always been of the opinion that she's the bees knees, far superior to the other cats and she parades herself infront of visitors You can almost hear her saying "look at ME!"

 

In my experience, yes!

[meezers]

The cat has left the bedroom ! - he's now in oldest sons room Don't know if he left voluntarily or whether Rolo evicted him. Now do I leave the litter tray and his food in our room, so he knows where it is ? or take the opportunity to move it somewhere more suitable ? Don't really want to encourage him back into our room, but don't want to confuse him either.

[meezers]

Well he seems to have got himself into a routine now. He spends the day in sons room then comes back into our room at night to eat and use his tray, how he crosses his legs that long I don't know but at least he has expanded his horizons.

[Griffin]

Oh bless him

[NouveauChick]

Glad he's progressing!

We got two kittens, from different people a few weeks apart; Oscar who we got first was always brave and self-assured. Evie was very, very shy at first, and wouldn't let us anywhere near her, she hissed and spat and run for cover if we tried But immediately got on with Oscar, and they are inseparable to this day.

It took a week or so before I managed to stroke Evie, she eventually got used to us, but wasn't happy if anyone else come in our house, however this too is better now, although even after two years she is very wary of some people! I suppose they all have different personalities just like humans. The house we got her from wasn't the nicest place, it was very dirty, and I didn't get a good vibe from the owner, but could never have left Evie there!

She's like my shadow now, and as soon as I get home she welcomes me and starts moaning for food!

[Daphne]

I just adore Birmans, its lovely to see your photos Ours was a wuss with humans and loved the attention but he was always anti other cats; although I don't think he used to fight, he just used to growl very very loudly at them! Even when very old and virtually blind he'd do this even though he stood no chance if they turned on him.

 

I think Olly hit the nail on the head, you will probably need loads of time and patience. When we first got our first 2 rescue cats, one spent most of his life in the under the stairs cupboard until he got brave enough (a couple of months) to venture out to other safe places such as behind the curtain or on a chair tucked under the table. In your case, I might try gently moving his food/litter tray nearer the door in your room, out onto the landing, and then down the stairs, in very slow steps. But personally I wouldn't be in a hurry to integrate him. We tried mixing an existing middle aged cat with 2 slightly younger ones and it never worked out particularly well because I rushed it I think. The advice is to keep cats apart in different rooms but let them into the same room at different times to get the smell etc. Then supervised sessions in the same room at the same time etc. This sounds a bit like chicken intros

 

My SIL has had several semi-feral cats; I hate to tell you this but one took years to venture downstairs he used to enter/exit the house via a plank through a bedroom window and his food was left on the landing (house was built in a hollow next to a high bank ...he didn't have to scale a 2 storey building in case you were wondering )

[chickencam]

We got a semi cereal cat when she was about a year old, she would go mad and scratch and bite when we first got her. I was a bit scared of her to be honest, she did eventually calm down and trust us and became a really affectionate old lady who lived with us for 18 years but it did take time.

 

He is gorgeous, just give him love and time to come around. Presumably he is still a full tom cat too, so he may be better when he is neutered.

[meezers]

My SIL has had several semi-feral cats; I hate to tell you this but one took years to venture downstairs he used to enter/exit the house via a plank through a bedroom window and his food was left on the landing (house was built in a hollow next to a high bank ...he didn't have to scale a 2 storey building in case you were wondering )

 

My remaining Siamese ( brother of the one who died) is quite shy, much better than he was though, it's only the last couple of years he's come round enough to stay in the same room as the boys - my 13yr old son stroked him for the first time about 6 months ago - we've had Gremmie 7 years He won't stay in the house if we have vistors - he heads out the cat flap if someone knocks on the door, which is kind of weird as he has to go past the person he is trying to avoid - he'd be safer if he just went upstairs, but no, he shoots out the cat flap like a streak of greased lightening scaring the living daylights out of the visitor on the doorstep

The bedroom door is now closed again. Rolo ( my Birman) paid CBTB another visit and though all he does is stare and swear it was enough to make poor CBTB wee and mess himself - fun trying to clear that up witout traumatising him even more. I've now resorted to bribery I bought a tub of Temptations - or 'cat crack' as we call it ( love to know what they put in them) I had to throw the first to him, then the 2nd one I put on the floor right by me, he came over and ate that, the 3rd one I offered in my hand - he sniffed my fingers but wouldn't take it until I put it on the floor-still, that's some progress I also managed to stroke him very gently with the back of my hand while he ate his tinned food (he has a little tinned food twice a day which he loves, I sit on the floor by his dish and he will come eat beside me) He didn't run - just ate faster , I've probably given him indigestion now

Yoda is doing fine, driving Roly mad with his constant taunting and teasing, but Rolo is quite tolerant and gentle with him. Yoda is even working on Gremlin now - that cat is such a grump, but Yoda is nothing if not persistent and won't take no for an answer even when he gets his bottom smacked by Grem, it's all fun and games here

[freddie]

The Joy of Kittens, I love, them, and would have more, but three is enough with everything else. Time, that's the greatest element in all this; enjoy, I'd love some more......

[meezers]

CB ( short for CBTB- cat behind the bed ) came downstairs for the first time yesterday ! he had a good sniff around the hallway and rather worryingly had a good look through the cat flap- would be just my luck if after confining himself to the upstairs for 2 months he decided to leave home on his first jaunt downstairs He was downstairs again today - even ventured into the living room .He is now friends with Yoda- Yoda insisted it took a few weeks but he finally began to play and now they have a regular game of chase around the bedroomk at 3am nice to see them snuggled up together afterwards though.

Rolo, my Birman is still rather put out by it all, not his usual self at all, has turned into quite a grump and spends much more time outside than he used to.