Lost Video Island

[Wildcat]

I have no idea what to really do... long story, short... last October, some of you may remember that I got a cat. She's sweet and everything but now I'm coming to the realization that she's not the right pet for me and my family.

The reason being is the fact that when we got her, the people at the Humane Society told us that her and her brother were fine with a clean bill of health... turned out that Lily had 3 different type of worms. We don't know about the brother because he got outside a week after we got them and never came back... So we got Lily treated and got some stuff for our dogs too in case those worms got to them. and she is mentally and physically stunted.

Flash forward to now... it's almost been a year and this cat has been really hard to deal with; she *never* listens when i tell her to stay off things she's not supposed to like cats do, but it's over-board. I can't leave town without worrying that she might break something trying to get out of my room, or if my dad lets her out of my room thinking it would be fine. She absolutely will not let my mom go near her or touch her at all. She'll meow at my mom for food, but she won't let her touch her, and my mom doesn't like that and I don't blame her... plus, Lily won't let me touch her either sometimes. Lily even hisses at my mom for no reason and my mom has never been mean to her for Lily to act this way toward my mom. Lily won't even let other people go near her, instead she runs and hides.

I have to do another test to see if she has worms again because she's acting hungry all the time, meows all the time too... and she's due for her rabies shot and distemper shot ect.(the Rabies and distemper isn't that big of a deal except for the fact that i don't have enough for it right now) I can't leave her alone outside of my bedroom because she destroys my mom's wreaths, breaks stuff ect... and nobody remembers I have a cat so if they open a door to let the dogs out, she runs outside and then it takes almost an hour to get her back inside. We have wild animals so I don't like leaving her outside at all, same with having a busy road; aka highway.


So... here i am trying to *really* decide if I want to give her up so she can have a better chance with a better home. It's just hard because I love her a lot and don't want to give her up, but I feel like it might be best thing to do... :/
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*~Summer~*

[eloramoon]

I'm so sorry, Summer.

As someone who has raised five cats, four of which were strays, I understand what you're going through. I still lived at home when I got the first cat (well, we had a family cat when I was a kid, but that's different) so I know how hard it is to have a pet that is yours and not the family's, too.

My advice is to talk to your vet to see if they have any advice. One thing you might be able to do is crate train her. I know this sounds crazy, but we did it with our youngest cat (who was a stray and a nightmare at first) and it has been amazing. You would want to get one that's over-sized, like for a medium-sized dog. I know they cost a lot, but it would be worth it if it makes everyone's life better and lets you keep your kitty. What we did to crate train our cat was to leave it open and place treats in there for her to eat. Then we started feeding her in there (with the crate door open), then we put a bed in there for her (always leaving the crate door open), and finally (after a few days), we put in a small litter tray. Then when we had to leave, we would put her in there with food and water and close her in. She would meow at first and be upset, but over the course of a week or so she got used to it and seemed to enjoy being in there. Now she goes in there on her own. (You can get little food and water dishes that attach to the inside of the door so no litter gets in there. )

That would solve your concern about leaving her while you're gone and doors being open, etc. Then, when you're home, try having your mom come into your room with treats (cat treats, tuna, a tiny bit of cream, etc.) and have her sit on floor with you and the cat and have her give the cat the treats and pet her. Do this for 5-10 minutes every day and chances are she will soon get used to your mom. You could even do this with other members of the family, too.

Beyond that, you might want to try writing up a list of rules about your cat that other family members need to follow, such as not putting it outside, not letting it out of your room while you're away, etc. Tell them that if they respect your wishes it will make everything more pleasant for everyone.

Another thing you can try are over-the-counter calming aids which can be bought at pet stores like PetCo and Petsmart. We got one for one of our elderly cats who gets quite upset at times, and it seems to work really well. Here's the one we got, but there are lots of others.

If all else fails and you absolutely have to give her up, if you can't find someone you trust to take her (who promises to keep her despite her many issues), do some research on-line and find a "no kill" shelter to take her to.

Good luck, Summer! I'm so sorry you're going through this.

~ Julia
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[Wildcat]

Thank you Julia for the link and telling me what you did, I will try those. I do want to keep her so I will try anything at this point. I hope to have her for years to come.
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*~Summer~*

[eloramoon]

You're welcome, Summer I hope something works! I couldn't believe how much happier our cat was after we crate trained her. Now she's calmed down enough that we almost never have to put her in there, but she always goes in there on her own to nap. I'm sure your vet will have some recommendations, too. Good luck and let me know how it goes! If you have any questions or need more advice, feel free to PM me anytime!
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