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My question to the news group is............
She has some sort of a nervous condition (developed 6 months ago,
according to her former vet) in which her eyes shift from side to side,
almost constantly.

I can't help much on this one.

This little sweetie is grieving and tends to spend most of her time HIDING behind the sofa
(she's quarantined there for the next few weeks until she and my resident kitty
(declawed female) get better acquainted though the closed door).....

My feral rescue spent weeks hiding in the bathroom and more weeks
learning to trust me enough to let me really handle her. She's a huge
love, now. When I first brought her home, she was afraid of the
television.

When she does come out to interact with humans and be petted, she will often turn around
and deliver an occasional love bite when you stop.

My Isis (the feral rescue mentioned above) does this. She just gets so
excited about the attention that she *very* gently nips you if you stop
petting her when she's really enjoying it. Actually, sometimes she does
it while you're petting her, too. It's very gentle, like she just
presses her mouth against you without really opening it. Almost like a
human kiss. I find it endearing.

VERY skittish and distrusting about being picked up or put in a carrier,
after her 1 wk stay at the pound. Does anyone have any experience with this
kind of Hiding behavior? Any tips will be appreciated.

Give her time.
As she learns to trust you, and her environment, she'll come out more.
Just let her keep coming to you and don't try to force anything (like
removing her couch or hiding spot where she feels safe). Don't try to
pick her up or put her in a carrier if you don't have to (vet trip). In
time, she'll learn to accept, possibly even enjoy, being picked up, but
that's probably a few months to even years in the future. Some cats
never really *like* being picked up (they tolerate it, but don't much
like it). It really requires such a huge amount of trust on the cat's
part. A cat might love you to pieces and still not trust you enough to
allow such handling if they've been hurt in the past.
When you're ready to try to accustom her to being picked up, which I
don't recommend you do until she's totally settled in and lets you
handle her whole body on the ground, start by picking her up while
you're still seated and move from there. Sit on the ground and just lift
her front off the floor towards your chest, as though you were going to
pick her up, but stop there and pet her and let her go. Praise and
treats. When she accepts this with no problems, pick her up off the
floor, you still seated on the floor, and cradle her in your arms. If
she allows it, just do that a couple times a day for a very short time
and let her down (praise and treats). Only when she's totally
comfortable with you holding her on the ground for a minute or so should
you move towards picking her up while you're standing.

Good for you for adopting this kitty.

--
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~kaeli~
If a chicken and a half can lay an egg and a half in a day
and a half, how long would it take for a monkey with a
wooden leg to kick the dill seeds out of a pickle?
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