Cats in Boxes

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swittle Dec 2023 11:18pm, 9 Dec 2023 102,908 posts	0 swittle ^ That is very "cat".
DrMags Dec 2023 10:43am, 10 Dec 2023 180 posts	0 DrMags I love hearing about/seeing the progress you make with your scared wards, jda. The latest new mum at the shelter doesn’t hiss or lash out and even accepts a bit of head scratching, but she’s a hider and there’s a limit to the time I can spend lying on the floor coaxing her out. She’s got a good grab-and-retreat technique as well 😼 The two kittens seem to have learnt from her how to be masters at hiding, but unlike her are very fierce. Still, they will now emerge for wet food, so progress is possible.
jda Dec 2023 11:22am, 10 Dec 2023 16,064 posts	0 jda We actually have the mum in too DrMags but only for a few days and aren’t attempting to tame her. She won’t eat anything while I’m in the room. I’ve heard it can sometimes be possible to tame adults with enough dedication but much much harder than kittens and we don’t have space or time for that. She’s going back to her chicken factory soon where I’m sure she will be very happy albeit probably short-lived.
DrMags Dec 2023 11:38am, 10 Dec 2023 181 posts	0 DrMags Similar policy here, Jda, although i think this mum is an ex-housecat rather than feral, so I’m hoping we can re-tame her and keep her with the other cats in the common room. At least she’ll be health checked and sterilised. Makes me feel better about the cat I managed to let escape after only 2 months working at the shelter (oh, the shame!) - he’d been in long enough to be castrated, was at least 3-4 years old (i.e. a survivor) in good health and relatively tame but really hated being indoors. Maybe a tougher life outdoors, but i assuage my guilt by thinking it’s a more acceptable life for that one.
Icy Tinsel Garland 🇮🇸 Dec 2023 10:21pm, 10 Dec 2023 17,224 posts	0 Icy Tinsel Garland 🇮🇸 Edda making herself cosy and watching the replay of Lukaku's goal (before game went to doodoo). Hard to believe she was ever a wild thing living outdoors!
Hanneke Dec 2023 9:48am, 11 Dec 2023 115,816 posts	0 Hanneke She has adapted quickly!
sallykate Dec 2023 10:11am, 11 Dec 2023 12,821 posts	0 sallykate I have two cat problems at the moment. 1. Realised that Kyri has worms (so the others may well do as well). Easy enough to fix for Kyri and Caspar by drops (I hope); Ellie's probably better with a pill in her food or in Easipill (too wriggly for drops, though a vet would manage it as she's more subdued there). None of our cats has had worms before, I guess it's just been a consequence of going out over the summer. 2. Caspar keeps weeing outside the litter box, usually on textiles - bed, chairs, the blanket I'd put in Ellie's favourite cardboard box. I don't know what's causing this! We have three litter trays which we keep as clean as possible (scooping twice a day). He can go out if he wants to. I can only think it's stress for some reason, but I can't say what's caused it or how to fix it. Grrrrr. Still love the little beggars.
RooA Dec 2023 10:13am, 11 Dec 2023 2,514 posts	0 RooA Health check for the weeing? As a starting point. I don't know about cats but that's my first thought for a previously clean dog weeing where they shouldn't.
sallykate Dec 2023 12:50pm, 11 Dec 2023 12,825 posts	0 sallykate Yes, it would be worth eliminating anything health-related.
RooA Dec 2023 12:54pm, 11 Dec 2023 2,524 posts	0 RooA Other than that I've heard it suggested to put litter boxes in the locations where they are peeing. Is it worth trying a different type of litter as well? Honestly I'm guessing, Marlinspike is my first cat and I'm still amazed he just arrived knowing how to go to the toilet.