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Cat Forum / Health and Behavior / December 2005Very Scared Indoor Cat Now Outside in COLD NJ
Hi, My 4-yr old spayed female tabby got outside over Thanksgiving weekend. We don't know how because she is very, very timid and hides whenever we have company which we had over Thanksgiving. The weather then was unseasonably mild. In fact we didn't know she was missing (because she hides so much) until my son saw her running from our shed at the back of the yard to under our deck. A few days after Thanksgiving it got cold and is getting colder!! From the day she escaped, I put her usual dry food out on the front porch. Every couple of days we see her on the front porch. One night, late I looked out the door, she saw me looking & ran off. I've set up the Hav-a-Hart trap & she hasn't gone in it. I was told to cover the trap with a blanket which I've been doing. I've tried chicken, turkey, tuna and regular canned cat food. Last night I moved it down to the far side of the porch (side where we see her running when she sees us). I put a trail of cat treats leading to the trap plus cat treats in the trap & then cat food in a bowl at the far end of the trap. Also did not cover the trap with a blanket. Checking this morning...nothing touched, not even the trail of food. It's been so cold here I don't understand why she doesn't come to the front door to come inside. We suspect she is under our front porch. We can't see because there are mounds of dirt under the porch put there when the house was built. She also escaped out of the house back in the spring and within a few days I was able to trap her. I assume she's learned not to go in the trap. Thank you for any suggestions! Also, she was born to a feral mother & trapped after the mother left the litter but she's been an indoor cat ever since. Please, what else can I do? She is very tiny....maybe 8 lbs. And the weather here in NJ is predicted to be in the single digits tonight. >Hi, My 4-yr old spayed female tabby got outside over Thanksgiving >weekend. We don't know how because she is very, very timid and hides [quoted text clipped - 29 lines] >Please, what else can I do? She is very tiny....maybe 8 lbs. And the >weather here in NJ is predicted to be in the single digits tonight. What I did when our very timid indoor cat escaped at the cottage was leave all the doors propped open (this was late at night). Just like your cat, mine came up to the cottage deck but ran off when he saw me looking at him. So I just sat in the dark (mainly to keep bugs out) and sure enough within an hour he sneaked in. I realize that winter is not the best time to do this and also this all occurred the same night for me. While I was walking around calling his name and poking in the bushes he remained hidden. I was really freaked because this was not his normal turf and I was thinking of al the stories of how cats set out cross country to return to their former home, but he had been there last year. Keep in mind that your timid cat is now in self defense mode (read scared) and will typically run away from an owner. In their mental state they do not connect you to the solution, but I do bet he wants in. Good luck. -mhd Oh boy, I hate it when these things happen. We had a former-feral kitten that crawled up inside the chimney on top of the insert, then crawled down between the chimney wall and edge of the insert. Long story short, we finally found her at the bottom of the chimney and could not get her out. She escaped out through the tiny door in the chimney and was outside. We knew she was around but after a couple days and nights of searches and calling, she still would not show her face. I think former ferals slip back pretty easily into feral mode when stressed. My sig. other finally thought about leaving the garage door open just a few inches under our house. There are stairs that lead up to a door to the house. That night, I heard a meow at that door and there she was! She came in on her own. We had even tried to catch her with a trap. Any way you can help her come in on her own? Good luck! Let us know as soon as you have her! Rhonda > Hi, My 4-yr old spayed female tabby got outside over Thanksgiving > weekend. We don't know how because she is very, very timid and hides [quoted text clipped - 29 lines] > Please, what else can I do? She is very tiny....maybe 8 lbs. And the > weather here in NJ is predicted to be in the single digits tonight. Thanks for your reply. As I speak it's 1:00 am and the thermometer reads 6 deg F. I feel awful thinking about how cold she must be. Also wondering if she is still alive because we haven't seen her for a few days. It's hard to see what/if she's eating because I have an indoor/outdoor cat that may be eating the food left for her. I would leave the garage door open but it is too cold and my son's bedroom is over the garage. At this point I feel pretty helpless and out of ideas. In fact, if this cold hasn't brought her to the door to come in then what will. And if she won't come up to us because she's scared, then I don't like to think this, but this situation is pretty hopeless. Beverly > Oh boy, I hate it when these things happen. > [quoted text clipped - 51 lines] > > Please, what else can I do? She is very tiny....maybe 8 lbs. And the > > weather here in NJ is predicted to be in the single digits tonight. Beverly, It is pretty scary and I know it's cold, but opening the garage door may save her life. Just open it a few inches so she can crawl under. If it causes your son's room to be too cold, is there any way to just close off that room for now and have him sleep somewhere else? I don't know his age but heck, I'd be happy to sleep on the couch for a few nights if I could get a cat back! At the very least, could you make a shelter for the cat outside? Even a cardboard box sitting on plastic or styrofoam, with some sort of warm bedding inside? If she won't come up to you, it's not hopeless -- it's normal for a former feral, but you're going to have to get creative about how to help her get inside on her own. Good luck, Rhonda > Thanks for your reply. As I speak it's 1:00 am and the thermometer > reads [quoted text clipped - 67 lines] >>>Please, what else can I do? She is very tiny....maybe 8 lbs. And the >>>weather here in NJ is predicted to be in the single digits tonight. >If it causes your son's room to be too cold, is there any way to just >close off that room for now and have him sleep somewhere else? I don't >know his age but heck, I'd be happy to sleep on the couch for a few >nights if I could get a cat back! I most certainly wouldn't hesitate to turn up the heat rather than refuse to open the garage door. Besides the garage is already close to the ambient outdoor temperature so opening it a few inches wouldn't make much of a difference. -mhd Rhonda, I keep a small dog "igloo" on my porch with a rug inside of it on a permanent basis. It's not been used. Last night I put a down throw in a cardboard box & put it on the front porch (where she was last seen) and it wasn't used. The Hav-a-Hart trap is set with moist cat food (now frozen!!). The chicken skin & pieces left last night were untouched this morning. (Sometimes knowing what's going on food-wise is complicated because I have an indoor/outdoor cat. I've seen my indoor/outdoor cat eat even the dry food I have outside...why I don't know because there is a La Bistro filled with dry food inside he can eat whenever he wants...so don't know why he eats the food left outside.) But he was inside last night before I put the chicken out and he was still inside this monring when I checked & saw the chicken wasn't touched. I just now say blue jays eating the dry cat food on the porch. Yesterday, I was down on my hands & knees at one end of the porch (which is about 40 ft long) trying to see or hear something. There are mounds of dirt under the porch so it's hard to see....but I saw nothing & heard nothing. We'll try leaving the garage door open a few inches. However, if she is hiding, say under the porch, I doubt she will venture very far and the garage is way around the side of the house from the front porch. But it's worth a try!! Since no one in the family has seen her for 3 days & being pretty sure she hasn't touched the food.....I'm beginning to feel that she is gone. Beverly Little comfort I know, I have seen timid 'with human' cats, behave completely different 'outside' and with other cat's. lets hope your little miss tabby is having a holiday and comes back soon. To be honest I'm in the Uk, and we don't keep our cats indoors. It could be a bit of freedom is what she want's. Mine will sit outside for hours in freezing weather, then come in the cat flap and jump all over me with little freezing cold paws. I hope yours come back, it's such a worry. Hi Catlover, One thing on the trap, you might want to line the bottom with a dirty t-shirt, pj's, anything you or someone your cat knows has worn. The scent might attract her and she might also feel better about crossing cloth instead of cold metal to get to the food. Try tuna or mackerels or something really smelly in the trap. I hope she shows up. Have you gone around and told all the neighbors to keep an eye out? You could give all of them your phone number in case they see her. Might ask them to open up all their garages and out-buildings to make sure she didn't go into one of theirs for warmth, then got stuck. I still have my fingers crossed for her. Rhonda > Rhonda, > [quoted text clipped - 28 lines] > > Beverly > Since no one in the family has seen her for 3 days & being pretty sure > she hasn't touched the food.....I'm beginning to feel that she is gone. > > Beverly I wouldn't give up yet. My semi-feral cat Antonio got out of the house accidentally and was out for over a month. We did not see him AT ALL the entire time. I had no idea if he was alive or even still in the area. I set 5-6 traps around our condo complex. Once the weather started getting cold, I put Snuggle Safe warming discs (see Drs. Foster & Smith catalog) in each trap to make sure he or any other animal that gets trapped doesn't freeze to death. Also, I thought maybe the warmth would attract him. Just as I was about to give up, a neighbor spotted him. That night, I put a trap near where he was spotted, and the next morning, there he was!!! Since it's been so cold, your cat may have found a hidey-hole and isn't coming out. You may want to set a few traps around, and also make sure the traps are set correctly. Microwave the food before putting it in and change it frequently. Put newspaper or cardboard in the trap to hide the trip plate. Sometimes the cats can step right over it to get to the food. Make sure all your neighbors are aware your cat is missing. Go door to door and actually talk to them. I did this, and handed out full color fliers with a big picture of him. Speaking with them instead of just putting up fliers makes the story more personal and they will be more apt to be on the lookout. Especially talk to people who walk their dogs and joggers. Good luck! Don't give up!!! -Kelly Thanks to all for the suggestions. Thank heavens we have seen her again. She was once again on the front porch. She ran past the trap to the other side of the porch & we think went back under the porch. Since this end is near the garage we opened the garage door all the way & set chicken skins/pieces in a bowl near the door. Both my husband & I called and called for her. We kept going back into our house to warm up & then back to the garage to call for her. We kept the garage open until midnight but she never showed. It seems that the food left on the porch is only eaten at night, and only once we turn off the porch lights. I firmly believe she is living under the porch and then comes out to eat only when it's dark and there are no lights on the porch. So we know where she is. One suggestion would be (rather drastic) to rip up the porch. But we fear she would run out from the porch once we got close to where she is and she would run off to the woods. I have tried chicken, salmon, cat food in the trap. I think no matter what she is not going in that trap. She's been traped once & hasn't forgotten it. (She got out once before in the spring and I trapped her within 6 hours of setting the trap......so she's learned!). I have to emphazie that even in our house she would run away from any of us for little reason. My husband named her Spooky and his favorite line was to ask her "who's trying to hurt you today Spooky"...because that's how she acted....always on the alert that something was going to hurt/scare her. That's just the way she is. The other cat from the same litter is calm as can be. So how do I bring in a cat who's living under my front porch, won't go in a trap, shows up only when it's dark & only on the front porch & then runs away when she sees anyone? The porch is at least 40 ft long....none of us fit under the porch and most of the area is mounds of dirt. Do we somehow cover up the entire sides of the porch (sides are sheets of vinyl lattice) leaving only a small area for her to get out & try to make her come out? And hope we can catch her if she runs out? > So how do I bring in a cat who's living under my front porch, won't go > in a trap, shows up only when it's dark & only on the front porch & [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > out & try to make her come out? And hope we can catch her if she runs > out? It's good that you've seen her. I wouldn't rip up the porch either because she probably would run off. At least now she is semi-protected and close by. She must be very scared, poor baby. I wish you could get her into your garage. I guess I would make up a warm shelter for her right next to the porch with blankets and those microwaveable heat things, make it very attractive and snuggly for her. Or put it in the garage. She must be cold. Maybe it's a little warmer under the porch but it still must be awful cold. I'm afraid I don't have any suggestions, it's very sad. You want to provide her with warmth, though. Feral and skittish cats revert to being wild pretty easily. I'll be thinking about her... Candace > I have tried chicken, salmon, cat food in the trap. I think no matter > what she is not going in that trap. She's been traped once & hasn't > forgotten it. (She got out once before in the spring and I trapped her > within 6 hours of setting the trap......so she's learned!). I don't know if anyone has mentioned this, but when you put the food in the trap, you really should put some kind of heat pad in it to keep the food warm. Once it gets cold, it will lose its smell--the thing that will attract your cat to it. Is your trap covered? That might be a help, too--to cover the trap. And perhaps you could borrow one or two other traps to increase the likelihood of getting her. Good luck! > Thanks to all for the suggestions. Thank heavens we have seen her > again. She was once again on the front porch. She ran past the trap to [quoted text clipped - 10 lines] > up the porch. But we fear she would run out from the porch once we got > close to where she is and she would run off to the woods. A couple of suggestions: DON'T call to her when you see her. That's scaring her and causing her to run. She sounds very much like my Antonio. He will also run if you look at him sideways. When you see her, be as quiet as possible. Like Rona said, cover the trap. It will make it look like a nice hiding spot. If you know for sure that she is under the porch, you could cover the sides of the porch except for one spot, and put the trap up to the spot. Don't bother setting the trap during the day. She's only going to come out at night. Also, only set food in the trap. If she has another source of food, there is no motivation to go in the trap. Make sure it's really smelly too. I used mackerel and cheap grocery store canned food. Good luck!! Yeah, that is good news! She's still around and still eating. Do your best to camouflage that trap -- inside and out. Did you put something soft on the inside so she wouldn't be stepping on cold wire? Keep us posted. I think you'll get her in again, the question is just how long will it take. Rhonda > Thanks to all for the suggestions. Thank heavens we have seen her > again. Hello Everyone! Well it's 3:00 am EST and we have her!! I was checking the Hav-a-Hart trap before going to bed (up late wrapping Christmas presents) and was amazed to see the door shut because I didn't hear it slam shut. I thought oh no, a raccoon. But when I went to check.....there she was sitting in the trap!! Not looking scared, just sitting there!! I woke my husband up to tell him. We are so relieved. What finally worked was: 1. not setting the trap in the daytime because we only saw her at night (we have an inside/outside cat & kept having the shut the trap each time he went outside in the daytime) 2. turning off all the lights inside & out at the front of the house 3. not checking the front porch at all except before going to bed to keep noise down & not scare her away 4. lining the trap bottom with newspaper (2 sheets thick) 4. not giving her any other food outside of the trap 5. leaving a trail of cat treats starting about 1 ft from the front of the trap and placing more in all the way to the far end of the trap with a small pile past the trip plate Using tuna, chicken, mackerel and placing the glass bowl on an electric coffee mug warmer did not work. Last night I did the trail of cat treats and then the other side of the trip plate was the coffee mug warmer & bowl of tuna. When I checked the trap about 2 am, all the cat treats were gone in the trap but the tuna wasn't touched and the trap wasn't tripped. So I figured she was OK going into the trap but for some reason wasn't tempted with the tuna...maybe it was TOO hot & she could feel the heat? Who knows. So just 1 night of only using cat treats and she was caught!! She appears to be fine but is meowing & meowing. I'm keeping her in the basement until tomorrow so I can take her to the vet to get checked out before letting her around my other cats. I bet she is so enjoying being out of the cold and inside where it's warm & familiar. She must have been so scared outside. Thank you all for your support and suggestions!! Happy Holidays!! Beverly > Well it's 3:00 am EST and we have her!! Brilliant! I've been following this and I am so glad she's back in! Happy Xmas Lesley Slave of the Fabulous Furballs HOORAY!! Gail > Hello Everyone! > [quoted text clipped - 41 lines] > > Beverly > HOORAY!! I'm glad for a story with a happy ending!  SignatureWeb site: http://www.slywy.com/ Message board: http://www.slywy.com/phpBB2/ Journal: http://slywy.blogspot.com/ Great news!!! What a nice Christmas/Hanukah present for you. > Hello Everyone! > [quoted text clipped - 41 lines] > > Beverly > Great news!!! What a nice Christmas/Hanukah present for you. > [quoted text clipped - 43 lines] >> >>Beverly Nice work! Merry Christmas! > She appears to be fine but is meowing & meowing. I'm keeping her in > the basement until tomorrow so I can take her to the vet to get checked [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] > > Beverly Yay!!!!! What a relief. I'm so happy for you. Merry Christmas!!!! Candace
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