# When is the right time to move Tuxie indoor?



## NOLAKitties (May 30, 2013)

So i want to know when is the right time to transition a young adult feral (already fixed, I recognize it from his eartip) to become indoor.

For the past year or so I've been feeding a young feral named Tuxie. Our relationship had improved so much for the past year, from him being scared, always hiding whenever he sees me preparing the food to now where he runs to approach me whenever I called him for feeding.
Now he: 
- lets me rub his back, back of the neck and head during feeding time
- rubs my leg and hand during feeding
- scratches and meows at the door for food or extra treats
- still hisses if he sees my hand try to rub his back:?
- sometime hisses then immediately meows at me
- sleeps comfortably and regularly at the deck and stay around when I do things in the back yard. 
- plays with my indoor cats through the french door
- swats and scratches my hands if he feels they got to close
- he still doesn't know how to take treats from hand, he forced scratch my hand instead to drop the treats.

- had some Diotamaceous Earth treatments to eliminate fleas and parasites naturally. I can see that his skin and fur has improved so much and didn't see fleas on him lately. 
- is not aggressive to other ferals around so far even to possums that show up every night.

So do you think it's the time to move him indoor? Or should I wait longer? While I'm writing this, Tuxie is scratching the back door and looking inside. I fed him dinner already and he got some treats so I know he is full.

What do I have to prepare for him moving in? 
Thank you all!


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## tonyd4life (Nov 20, 2013)

I would do it now. I had two semi-ferals that were really friendly to me and I waited too long to move them inside. Sadly the property owner where they had lived for three years had them removed and disposed of. I am so mad at myself for not moving them as I had planned to since April.


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## fanwoodguy (Oct 14, 2011)

It sounds like he is ready. Expect some hissing at first but I see no reason to wait any longer. I moved my feral Lexi into the house when she reached that stage expecting trouble. She moved in like she lived there all her life.


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## NOLAKitties (May 30, 2013)

Ok. Thank you for the responses. Will prep the house/ room. Take him to the vet. And fgure out how to litter train him too. I've never house trained feral adults before.


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## Jenny bf (Jul 13, 2013)

Actually they are pretty adaptable to a litter box. If you have any problems then use soil and mix with litter and slowly transfer over. They are pretty smart and figure a lot out quickly. As with all cats it can be either a simple transition with all the usual intro process to your other cats or it takes time. Once inside you just need to go at his and your other cats pace. Patience will pay off in the long run


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## howsefrau32 (Mar 6, 2013)

My feral had no problems at all adjusting to using the litter box while she was sleeping in my garage during the cold winter evenings. I was surprised, I figured she'd hold it, but nope, took right to it, and I know for a fact that she had never been inside before. Possibly when she was a very small kitten, because someone had her fixed and her ear tipped, so maybe then I guess. But she has lived outside for possibly as long as 10 years.

I am pondering the same thing with her. All she does is sleep and eat. I am pondering putting her in a spare room. I put Revolution on her, but I feel like she is soooo dirty and has so much flea dirt and whatever else on her, that she really would need to be bathed and dipped at the vet, probably given a capstar first. I think that would traumatize her though. I think about it a lot lately though, bringing her inside. She's getting old, and I really fear for her safety. And it's so hot out right now. I'm in FL, it is miserable here now.


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## NOLAKitties (May 30, 2013)

I hope he can transition easy. I plan after a vet visit, to put him in one bathroom so he can be trained with the litter box. Hope he won't be traumatized with that. Slowly introduce him with my other two cats and can get along. 

Every few days I give him food grade Diotamaceous earth on his fur to eliminate fleas/ ticks and mix a bit of it in his food to eliminate worm. I tried giving him dewormer meds but he refused to eat his food completely. I figured DE is a longer/slower route but it is non invasive and not going to ruin my relationship with him. I also give him omega 3 fish oil to help his skin bumps.

*finger crossed*


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## howsefrau32 (Mar 6, 2013)

I hope it works out for you. Arwen won't eat any worm meds I try to put in her food, absolutely will not touch it either. Ferals seem to be very smart about food being off. When I did manage once to trick Arwen in to eating food with drontal in it, it was in very stinky fancy feast fish appetizer. And she did eat it. But then it made her so sick. For two days she did not eat and she didn't come around either. I was so scared, I thought she had died. But then she perked up and was all normal. I think she has a very bad immune system and I suspect she may be FIV + . Also, she HATES when I put Revolution on her. She cringes and belly crawls away from me and then runs off. I used to put it on her while she was eating and distracted, and now she is leery that I am going to put it on her then and she keeps looking back at me, so Im' going to just have to wait and do it when she's not eating so she doesn't associate her food with that bad experience of me putting the stuff on her. I think it's just the smell of it that bothers her. I always wonder if maybe it burns her? I don't know. I do know that it keeps her ear mite problem in check though, and I've never seen a tick on her. She does scratch a lot, and i don't think Revolution is the best flea product. I may try Advantage on her next time and see how that works. 

Good luck!


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## Jenny bf (Jul 13, 2013)

I would suggest when he goes to the vet, get as much done as you can then, so he may get his worming meds flea treatment etc. He's going to find it tough anyway but then its all done and dusted and he will then only associate you with the good stuff.


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## Carmel (Nov 23, 2010)

Do it now, you make so much more progress inside after the initial inside freak out. Jasper became a normal cat in about 3 months, although I think that was pretty shocking turn around from how aggressive he started out as... expect hissing and biting and swatting. In Jasper's case there was also sever food agression, sever seperation ossues (he would maul me to keep me in the room) and sever lunging at random and biting into my leg through jeans...

I'd wear protective gear on your hands at first, oven mitts worked pretty well for me. Oversized ones... when he bit like he wanted to murder me, usually he bit the tips and no fingers were there.


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## NOLAKitties (May 30, 2013)

Oven mitt! That's a great idea. I will def try that. I want to make sure the transition is as smooth as possible, especially with the other two indoor kitties I have. One is very territorial.


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## NOLAKitties (May 30, 2013)

Looks like DE works so far. I haven't seen any flea in a while.


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## NOLAKitties (May 30, 2013)

So this is Tuxie this morning  wanting some treats.

I was wondering why Ponyo loves to lay down on that sofa so much, until I saw Tuxie's silhouette right outside.


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