# feral kitten



## opokki (May 5, 2003)

About 1 1/2 wks ago my roomate caught a feral kitten (about 3months old) near her work and brought him home. I set him up in my front hallway (its a large hallway) to keep him isolated from my other pets. He looked sick, thin, had gooey eyes, dried discharge all over his nose, a scratch across his cheek and a wound on his neck which at the time I could'nt really get close enough to him to see how severe it was. I took him to the vet last Saturday and the wound on his neck turned out to be a large, deep hole filled with maggots 8O . The vet removed 30 - 40 maggots, cleaned out the wound and sent me home with some antibiotics and antiseptic fluid so I could flush out the wound every 8hrs. The vet also discovered that he has a hernia which will be fixed when he is neutered and he tested negative for Felv/FIV. 
Its been a week now and his wound has healed up nicely. It looks like he has gained weight and he just looks so much better than he did when I first got him. I decided that I will keep him and attempt to tame him but this is my first experience dealing with a feral so I was'nt really sure how things would turn out but so far so good...I think I am making progress. For the first few days I visited him in the hallway and talked to him softly but did not attempt touch him. However, I had no choice once I took him to the vet because I then had to handle him to give his meds and flush the wound but he was so sick that he did'nt put up much of a fight. Now that he is feeling better he is much more hissy and growly. Visiting with him frequently, moving slowly around him, avoiding direct eye contact and talking softy seems to be helping him feel somewhat comfortable around me as long as I don't try to touch him. If I do his ears go flat and he hisses and spits at me. Yesterday, I decided to see if I could get him to play so I got a shoe lace, found him in his hiding spot and dangled the shoe lace around him. At first he hissed but after a few minutes he began batting at the shoe lace and played with it for about 1/2 hr. He seemed to really enjoy himself so I attempted to do the same again this morning...he again played and seemed very relaxed. This evening I gave him his meds and brought out his canned food and then sat on the steps while he ate (I always sit out there while he eats and he seems okay with it as long as I'm at a distance). When he finished eating he stretched a bit and cleaned himself and then kept looking at me. I kept talking softly to him and he came pretty close to me. I decided to try playing with him while he was out of his hiding spot so I got out the shoe lace and dangled it near him...after a few minutes he was playing and chasing the string, batting it and trying to bite it. He looked so happy and for a few moments I forgot that he was feral. This must have gone on for about an hour and he seemed so comfortable he even played right near my feet. I thought he was tired so I pulled the shoe lace up an set it next to me because I was about to go back in the house...he ran up the stairs and sat right next to me! He batted at the shoe lace and kept looking at me so I played with him a bit longer. It was so nice being able to interact with him like that....I really hope that he will let me pet him one of these days.
Just wanted to share. Thanks for listening.


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## BlueAnimal (May 23, 2003)

Awww! That's such a nice story.  The maggots I'm sure wouldn't too appealing but it's good that you got him taken care of. Sounds as if you have already gotten pretty attached to him. I bet he's very cute. Anyway, I haven't really tamed any ferals but I've heard it just takes time, patience and love.  It sounds like you have gotten him a good start at warming up to you. I hope you keep us posted about the progress with him. Any name ideas yet?


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## opokki (May 5, 2003)

I was going to name him Stanley but it just does'nt seem to be sticking. Its sure hard to choose a good name when you don't know their personalities yet. Now that I'm seeing a bit of his personality I'm hoping I'll be able to come up with a name that suits him.


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## BlueAnimal (May 23, 2003)

That's okay, naming an animal should take some time.  (unless it's one of those names that fit perfect and instantly come to you..but I don't have that luck lol) It always takes me a while to name my pets because they quickly become a new addition to your house and family so they need that perfect, lifetime name.  Anyway, I hope the kitten opens up and shows you his personality more each day. I'm sure you'll find the perfect name soon! Wishing you the best with your new kitty...


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## opokki (May 5, 2003)

Here is a picture of him:

http://hometown.aol.com/opokki/myhomepa ... and=AOL_US


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## spacemonkey (Aug 12, 2004)

He's cute.


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## BlueAnimal (May 23, 2003)

What a beautiful little kitty! It actually made me go "Awww!"


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## rosalie (Oct 9, 2003)

Double Awww  He's so cute..sounds like you're bonding with him nicely.. I guess that also offering a bit of baby food_put a dab on your finger and let him lick it_ (chicken or beef, make sure there's no onion in it) will help. It's a treat and he'll love you all the more for it :wink: Best of luck and did you name him yet? It takes time sometimes and others you have the right name as soon as you meet him.


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## Jeanie (Jun 18, 2003)

This is a wonderful venture! I hope you'll give us a running account of your progress. I named my black and white cat "Checkers." I agree, though, that it's nice to have your cat's name fit his personality.


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## rosalie (Oct 9, 2003)

Indeed! We all name cats for different reasons; my b&w cat's name is Madam, nothing to do with her color, just because is female and my husband calls all female cats 'madam' so we compromised. We did have a Madam Stripes (all striped of course) once, the white kitty in my avatar was Madam Anthoine (after an ancestor..Toni to many) etc, etc
Only Madam_previously owned_ has been a housecat all her life, the others were strays.


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## Lynda J (Sep 8, 2004)

My Tiddles started off as Nine (because figured he has used up all 9 lives) then the Vet called him Freeway because he said hewas one of the few cats he had seen survive under the hood of a car going down the freeway. He never responded to either. But one day while I was doctoring him, I called him a Tiddle Little Cat and he rolled over and began purring. So he became Tiddles. Had a cat here at the shop we called Miss Kitty. Ended up calling her Kit. Or miss bitch. 
In the Show Cats. One song talkes about cats having three names.
The one they call each other, their heavenly name and the one they allow their humans to call them.


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## Dutchman (Aug 25, 2004)

*Great looking cat.*

You have a great looking cat that you are working with... I wish you the best of luck in your efforts. It really looks like you are making some headway.

I have three black kittens hanging around my place that I've been feeding. I've got a post all about them in this same section. Dummy me, I never thought about trying to play with them..... duhhhhh 

I'll be giving that a try right away!!

Dutchman


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## opokki (May 5, 2003)

Thankyou all. He finished up the last of his meds tonight so hopefully he will warm up even more now that I will no longer be trying to shove a syringe into his mouth 2x a day. I will try the jar baby food too. I still can't touch him (if I try to he turns into a monster, flattens his ears and spits and growls) but he eats and has gone to the bathroom in front of me and he will come out of hiding on his own to play and will even sit right next to me while he is playing. Last night when I walked out there he was laying on the floor....he did'nt even run and hide (as he usually does) when he heard the door opening. Still no name yet though.....
I'll keep you posted.


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