cat question--not your normal question

[dembotoz]

Dear dear friend of mine recently acquire cat number 3 from a cat rescue facility.
Cat had been there apparently 2 yrs-slept in cage like setting - let out to socialize on reg basis
etc etc.
So they get this cat....
On the way back the animal craps the cat carrier rather mightily.
She lives in a condo with attached garage-upon arrival home, they open the carrier in the garage as to avoid bringing the stinky carrier into the condo....
You guessed it--the cat escapes the carrier and proceeds to hide in the garage.
To explain a bit further-the garage is a very very clutter rich area with way way too many places for a frightened feline to hide.
After a time of searching we were not even convinced the cat remained in the garage.
They left a litter box, some food, water, cat tree. After a day or so there is evidence that the cat is in the garage--water drank, cat box used, small amounts of food gone.
They have spent a number of hours in the garage reading etc. waithing for the cat to appear--so far nothing.
One of my cats loves to hide and if he really wants to--good luck finding him.
So the question--They will be out of town next week and i have agreed to feed and care for the cats.

How do i entice the animal to appear so i can introduce her to the much nicer rest of the house.

[Rosie1223]

1. I'd recommend tuna n/t

:hi:

[Sweet Freedom]

2. can you get a trap?

Put some food in it and trap her and then move her into the house.

[GoCubsGo]

11. Yep.

A Haveaheart trap and some stinky tuna cat food should do the trick. The shelter or local animal control may be able to loan you one. Put a blanket or towel over the sides so that the trap is enclosed like a box. It might take a few days.

[Gormy Cuss]

3. Don't.

The cat is using the litter box and eating, which is a good start. Let the poor thing develop some security about her new found home.

The cat will go into the house when she's good and ready and she'll want to be able to run back to her hiding spot in the garage a few times before she's content staying inside. If you did manage to entice her in the house you'd have to get her and the litter box into a room that can be closed off from the other cats because it's not a good idea to let her fend for herself with two other cats claiming the residence.

YMMV.

[dembotoz]

4. been think along those lines

owners main concern is the safety and wellbeing of the cat.

Would imagine the little thing is freaked out big time.

trying to use a cat toy on a stick to get some pouncing behavior.
according to the rescue the cat likes the laser cat thing, but with out knowing where the cat is
i do not know how to draw its attention to the red light.

hope with the toy on a stick--fabric and pipecleaner type thing, i can generate a little noise to make it curious.

Maybe tuna would be a good idea but am a little reluctant becasue i have a cat that is allergic to seafood--go figure.

[Gormy Cuss]

5. if you go with tuna, I recommend Trader Joe's tuna for cats.

It's the nastiest looking and smelling tuna ever but most cats go wild for the stuff.
That said, a stinky, meaty wet food would work as well as tuna. My cat's not that fond of seafood but open a can of Natural Balance venison or duck and he gobbles it up. If garage kitty is only getting dry food now she'll probably appreciate some wet.

Good luck.

[petronius]

6. My cats love that TJ tuna too, but it is vile. I think most of the nastiness is

due to our expectation - when I first opened one I was thinking "Hey, tuna, this will look just fine... <opens can> Oh my god! The horror!"

Perhaps calling the shelter for some advice, or to see if they have any traps the OP can borrow?

[LaurenG]

10. I agree with this

I'm sure that that much space is scary after bing in a cage for two years.

[david13]

7. Don't try to force the cat, the issue. Let the cat do at his own speed.

Just sit in the garage with the laser light and try it here and there. When the cat is ready, he will come out & chase it. But trying to trap him will just scare him more.
He has suffered some horrible trauma to get into that state, so sympathy for the horror he faced is in order.
And patience.
dc

[MiddleFingerMom]

8. Anything canned...

.
.
.
.
.
...when I had cats that were used to canned food, the mere
sound of the can opener puncturing and/or opening a can, if
not causing them to FLY into the room, was enough to entice
them out from their hiding spot.
.
.
.

[madinmaryland]

17. Yeap. Just turn on the electric can opener. nuff said.

[riderinthestorm]

9. I'll state the obvious, why did they adopt this cat if they were then promptly going out of town?

Sorry but that's pretty heartless if you ask me. The cat had been at the shelter for 2+ years - it wasn't going anywhere right away. So just as the cat may be getting used to them, they go away? And then they are asking you, ANOTHER "stranger", to "work" with their new pet? You are a very good friend may I say....

That said, I second the motion to just leave the kitty to find it's own way into the house and out of it's hiding spot. It's clearly traumatized and not trusting. Your friends are going to have to take a long time to get the cat to trust them (and now they are going away when they may have been making some progress), and another stranger is taking their place. That will set the process back again.

Good luck but I doubt you'll see the kitty while you are there.

[dembotoz]

12. Not a total stranger, I have spent time there during the initial search

Would agree that this episode does not cast them in a totally wonderful light, but
they really are VERY good with and to their cats.


thinking i might spend an entire night in the garage to see if i can speed things up a tad.
Am somewhat optimistic because this cat was reported to be very social.

[stuntcat]

13. good luck!

It sounds like it's just a sort of shock. If the cat used to be social then he'll probably get over this and be happy again.

I'm sorry for him being so scared but he's lucky to get people to take care of him!!

[Rochester]

14. Catnip?

If the cat is very susceptible to it, it might be too stoned to hide when you come looking for it.

[applegrove]

15. Get those little catnip cushions you buy at the pet store. My cat could

smell them in my purse and went and got them out of my purse that is how strong a smell they have. Either that or cat treats in a plastic wrap that you open..releasing the smell of the cat treats.

[TreasonousBastard]

16. I vote for YOU don't introduce the cat to the house...

just take care of the food, water, and litter. You don't live in the house, so there's little point bringing it in for who knows what to happen.

One of my cats took over two weeks to acclimate himself to his new digs at my place. Every day I noticed food and water gone and litter box used, but never saw the critter. Eventually, he came flying out of his hiding place and jumped on my lap.

It just takes them time to deal with change.

(And, yeah, it seems a little odd to adopt a cat and then take off for a week.)

[Duer 157099]

18. Put the cleaned (hopefully!) cat carrier in the garage with the door open

The cat is probably worried about having made a mess in the carrier, so showing it the clean carrier will give it assurance that everything is OK.

I know that sounds funny (and it's only half a joke, if that) but this cat may have experience with being punished for making a mess in the past, and may be hiding to avoid punishment.

:shrug:

edit: also, if the cat has lived for 2 years in a cage, it will be used to the carrier as security, more likely to come out to enter that than just come out into an open space. Put the food and water in the carrier. More than likely you'll find the cat in it very soon.

[jobycom]

19. I'm going to disagree with the majority here about leaving the cat in the garage.

She will get used to the garage, and may never move into the house on her own, and then when she is brought in the house, she will continually flee back to the garage, where she can more easily get out into the road, and can suffer all types of accidents, from poisoning to suffocation to being parked on top of.

Try tuna. Try catnip. Try a laser pointer. I'd even say you could try making the garage uncomfortable--open the condo door and start banging on boxes and cans in the garage to chase her from her hiding place. Don't be cruel--if it doesn't work right away, she's probably hunkering down in terror, so don't keep it up.

Leave the door between condo and garage open, and try to trick her into the condo with the food or the laser pointer. Then start working on her in there.

I hope the food is right up against the door into the condo, to get her used to the house and the smell. Try putting one of those little cat beds right next to the door. Sprinkle it with catnip, and maybe she'll start sleeping there. As soon as you can, grab her and toss her inside, then move all her stuff inside. She will probably go hide in a closet or cabinet or under a bed immediately, but at least she will be getting used to being in the house and not the garage.

It would be cruel to get her to acclimate to the garage, then move her again. That's two drastic moves for an animal that is scared, probably agoraphobic by now, and territorial. Cats are extremely dependent on people for affection and food--they only seem aloof, but they need familiarity around them. That is how they evolved (or were bred) into domestic animals in the first place. Getting her happy in the garage then forcing her to re-acclimate to the house is too much. Get her into the house as quickly as you can.