My Tamed Wild Cat Stops Eating and Hides

:cry:
I am brand new to this forum... Driven here for advice... to alleviate my anguish.

I live in the Yukon... 10 years ago I live trapped a wild cat and her 5 kittens which were living under a building beside my house. Tried my best to socialize the kittens, then gave them away with differing results. Meanwhile I had the wild mother fixed and let her go again. Then spent a year and a half socializing her at her pace, until I could touch her. Mama is a very quiet, gentle creature that is easily scared off. She lives indoors but is free to get out the cat door during the summers.

Her body does not tolerate dry food well... She eats it, but it usually comes back up within a few minutes.

Five years ago, she stopped eating. She spent a week at the vets (5 hours away) They said they don't know why, but sometimes a cat starts losing interest in eating. And the less they eat, the less they desire to eat. A progressive downward spiral until they starve to death. So they gave her shots, then pills of Valium. (Valium makes cats ravenously hungry) The return to health is also progressive... The more they eat - the more they want to eat.

Last year in January the weather was averaging minus 30 to minus 40... Mama got out of the house... And then would not come back. She had stopped eating, and was settling in to starve herself out there under the greenhouse. I put different foods under there with her but she wouldn't touch it... And I couldn't reach her. After 3 frantic days involving the ripping apart of small buildings, we caught her, and thank goodness she ate the tiny bit of canned food I had laced with Valium.

Yesterday she got out again. I saw her just once... She meowed then went to hide under a building that I cannot tear apart. I called her all night and morning... I left food out overnight, but no luck. Thank Goodness we are averaging only around -10 every night - so freezing isn't a concern right now...

I don't know what to do now... Time is important... The longer she goes without food, the less she will want it. So I want to go chase her down, but when she is outside, the rules are different. Her wild instincts take over within a day or two making her run when I get near, and she just gets wilder as the days pass.

I swear last year I only caught her because she was weak from hunger... She won't go hunt for herself... Just hides under something and she will sit there and starve.

Anyone else dealt with this before...? Any Ideas...?

 

there is an antihisimine that will cause a cat's appetite to increase - I have it at home and will post the name when I get home.
The cat most likely should see a vet...have the liver checked. Cats who go more than 48 hours w/out food tend to get fatty liver disease. She might actually be dying and trying to run off to do so.
If you can get her inside start getting some Karo corn syrup into her to give her a sugar buzz.usually helps increase the appetite w/out drugs.
She's probably dehydrated and should be given fluids by your vet.
If you can get her she really should be at the vets under their care until they can find out why she won't eat....there has to be a medical reason

 

Today I am trying the back off method... The front door of my house is wide open at minus 10... A plate of canned food on the floor... No dogs or people home... I am hoping our other cat will draw her in by wandering around outside. And maybe, just maybe she will scoot in that door while it is quiet... But I doubt it...

This method is a risk in itself as each day outside decreases her desire for food and social contact. My first instict was to take the day off work and go chasing her, but she still has the energy to run the other way.

If she didn't go in the house by herself today, I will go shoveling to find where she is hiding this time... To determine if I will be able to tear it apart... Then take the day off work tomorrow to catch her. Gotta enlist someone else's help to catch her, as I can only block one direction.

I agonized over which method to choose today...I have a hard time waiting it out... But will I just push her further away by going after her...

Catitude !!! :x

 

do you have access to a humane trap? Which may or may not work since food is used as bait.
THis poor kitty....

 

I have used live traps before...

The problem is... The classice method to get cats to come is food... But if she has no interest in food, she has no reason to enter the trap.

Because of her wild beginnings, she gets spooked so easily... She will sit just outside the front door sunning herself on the step... Ready to dart inside if anything moves. But we also have 4 dogs, and I have seen her get spooked and run away from the house if approached from the wrong angle.

Mama had no illnesses or injuries... I really don't believe she went out to die, or I would not have seen her at all... She stopped meowed twice at me from across the yard last night, before running in the other direction.

Once she is outside, she loses the trust. And becomes wild within minutes is seems...

 

I just wish the rest of the world would get with the program... I want everyone to be insane just like me... and NOT think it is crazy to rip apart buildings for one little critter... One soft, gentle cuddly little critter who wouldn't hurt a flea...

I CANNOT just let her starve out there... Maybe some people would take the "leave her alone and she will come back" stance... That would work on almost all cats... But with this eating thing she has, I watched her just sit there last year for 3 days - in the same spot at 40 below. She was not ill or dying... She didn't run away because she was not eating... She just got herself isolated for a day - by the end of which she had not eaten, which "caused" the progressive loss of interest in food after that.

Once she was back inside, she went quite back to normal...

Pray for me... I might be single and have no family left by the time I'm done tearing everything apart this time...

 

:m23: and welcome! If she were my kitty, I'd get a live trap and put in her favorite toys, catnip maybe. I'd also put in live bait, Mary's mice perhaps, enclosed in a secure see through container, or a feeder fish in a secured bowl. She may not be interested in eating, but she may want to play. What does she normally like to do when she's in the house? If she doesn't like food, will she drink water? When my cats were sick, they will sometimes take water over food. Good luck!

 

I'm sorry to hear this. I don't have any advice to give other than what has already been offered but I do wish you luck in catching her again.
Keep us posted on your progress.

 

I'm sorry to hear all this. Maybe some of the advice mentioned above will help. It sounds like you're in a very tough situation.

The only thing I can say is that some people out there are like you (not everyone, but some people) - I know I would do anything to save one of my cats. I think that sentiment goes for a lot (if probably not all) the people on this board.

I hope you get the cat back and eating.

 

She is Eating Again...



Well she is still outside under the shed, but she is eating

On Tuesday night I warmed up a bit of canned food (hoping it would carry the aroma to her)and left it by the hole she is hiding in, , then went to bed... Of course it had Valium - cause I can't take the chance that it will be the only time she will eat. If she eats just a bit with Valium, then she will automatically want to eat more. The next morning it was gone...!!!

So I warmed up some more (with Valium) and left it again along with a bed, and some water... Food gone again, and she spent the entire day outside in the bed sunning herself... Our other cat went to visit her.

Of course if I try to go near, she darts under the building again, cause when she is outside - the wild instincts kick in again... But that's OK... She can live outside as long as she needs to, just as long as she is eating.

I want to thank you folks for your support... Mary - Your replies right on the day I was feeling so frustrated really helped... Vene, Vanessa and Lucidity, thanks so much for your support. Kistmet - I will get some of the L-glutamine...

I felt so much better just being able to talk about it to people who understand. Thanks for your advice... Consider yourselves hugged... :y_the_best:

 

Great news. What a relief. I'm so glad she's eating again!

 

I'm so glad to hear she is eating again!
You are truly doing a great job looking after this poor girl *applause* :mrgreen:

 

That's great news! I hope that things continue to go well.

 

Thank you, Thank you and Thank you all...

I am very happy about it...