What do you suggest for a depressed, fearful cat?

[Jilly_in_VA]

We have a cat in the stray jail at the shelter who is scared and depressed. She's been there a week and only seems to come out of her feral den to use her litter box when no one is around. She's not eating and is drinking very little. The background is this--she is apparently a feral cat who was caught in a trap by someone a week ago and was in the trap overnight, where she beat up her face quite badly trying to get out. Since she came to us in strays, she just sits in her feral den with the window open and either sleeps or stares blankly out of it, refusing to interact at all. We've tried tempting her with toys, treats, catnip, and the best wet food we can find, to no avail. We're all worried about her. Anyone have any ideas?

[Ocelot II]

1. A vet visit to find out if she is unwell; maybe a prescription for gabapentin?

[bucolic_frolic]

2. I've no experience with pets

Music.

[fierywoman]

3. Do you know the Tiny Kittens site on YouTube? They deal with ferals all

the time.

[raging moderate]

4. Are you sure she wasn't forced to abandon her kittens?

Cats do sometimes bear kittens this time of year. Or maybe a fellow cat she loved?

[Wingus Dingus]

5. Feliway spray or diffuser?

Sweet calming talk around her enclosure but without any pressure to interact.

[Wingus Dingus]

7. I'm no vet, but if she's not eating for days on end, can't she

get fatty liver disease? That would be my big worry.

[TexasBushwhacker]

11. Yes. Pretty quickly

And as the fatty liver disease progresses, they get even more anorexic. It's kind of a death spiral.

[Wingus Dingus]

12. My hope is that she's eating a little when no one's looking--overnight

or at quiet times. Poor kitty.

[TexasBushwhacker]

13. She'll start showing signs of jaundice

if she's getty FLD. Her skin (look at her inner ears) and the whites of her eyes will get yellowish. Since it's stress related, they can try giving her an injection of an antianxiety medication like Valium to get her to eat, but obviously that's just a stop gap.

I hope she starts to eat. Try baby food meat, or those Churu lickable treats.

[moniss]

6. I agree about having a vet look at her

because if she beat her face badly trying to get free she may have broken bones etc. and be in great pain which could answer her not eating etc. If the vet says she is OK then I have two suggestions to consider. One would be if you have any very little kittens available and if you feel it would be safe you could put one in her cage and see if she responds in a friendly way. That might get her coming out of her trauma a little. Another thing to try might be for you to move her cage to a small room that is quiet and away from hearing other cats. After a couple of hours, if you think she wouldn't lash out, you could try having a human go into the room with a blanket to lay down on curled up after they open the cage door. Just lay there quietly and don't talk. She will see or smell that something is different and she may come out to look or investigate. Remain still and quiet. She's been horribly traumatized and noise and unfamiliar movement is terrifying to her. Be as nonthreatening in manner and appearance as possible. Consider it a victory if after an hour or so she comes out to "sniff" this being in her area.

Assuming she isn't in terrible physical pain then most of what remains to be done is to help her break through her trauma and just the long term presence of the scent, warmth and stillness of this "being" in her proximity may be non-threatening enough to bring her to want to check it out. If she does come out and check out the cuddled up person just remain still for as long as she wants to check it out. A movement of a hand etc. may send her running back to cover terrified all over again. If she goes back slowly after checking the person out then the person can slowly and quietly move away.You might have to repeat this for a few days. Keep noise to a minimum around her. She doesn't understand what all of this is happening around her and she knows she was in great danger, had a horrible struggle and she is now in shock in a sense.

Good luck.

[PlutosHeart]

8. Vet check.

I rescued two feral young and one never really adjusted normally although made a great housecat. She just was skittish.
I imagine she is also depressed. It is too bad that she cannot be fostered in a safe home without other cats or dogs. She might come around.

[Jilly_in_VA]

9. I've passed on

the suggestion for a vet check to the person in charge of cats. Unfortunately this may have a bad outcome and we will all cry. I won't be back there until next week because I'm doing a gem show in Tennessee this weekend, leaving Thursday morning.

[justaprogressive]

10. Someone is just going to have to rescue

the cat! Trust her to come around and be the best pet you've ever had!

[Jilly_in_VA]

14. While I was gone for the weekend

the kitty was euthanized. I don't have the full story yet (hope to on Friday) but apparently she had a lot wrong with her, including, as someone suggested, broken facial bones. She may also have been either FIV+ or FELV+, in any case, deemed unfit for any surgery. I had been prepared to take her home and foster her while nursing her back to health, but it was not to be. However, she is happily romping at Rainbow Bridge, free of pain and enjoying herself again.