Kalyahna wrote:

While I'm at it, Megan... do you have
any advice on my situation? I took a
terrified little grey tabby in June, and
it's only in the last few weeks that
she'll come over in the early morning
and make happy paws on me. I still can't
approach her once I'm up and around. The
problem is she has chronic
conjunctivitis, and it's getting worse,
so she has to go back on terramycin. The
difficulty is that the only time I can
reliably get the cat without chasing her
around for half an hour is in the
morning, but I don't want her to start
associating me with medication and
ruining what trust has been built so
far. My only other option is putting her
in the bathroom for two weeks. Any idea
how best to positively socialize her and
still get the medication going? She does
like treats; she'll come out to sniff
and eat them, but as soon as I touch
her, she bolts.

Actually, putting her in the bathroom is the best way to accomplish both
goals.
I always recommend starting ferals out in a small space which generally
consists of a large cage or small bathroom. This is the best way to get
a cat used to you coming close to it without it having an opportunity to
get far away and teaches them that when you do get your hands on them
they live to tell about it ;-)

I would put this cat in the bathroom and then make a concerted effort to
make medication times become a positive thing by following the
administration of the meds with really good things that she loves such
as treats. There are many cats that know that when it's med time they
get yummies and are more than happy to endure a moment of inconvenience
for a tasty reward. Since this will be a new thing for her, I'd bring
out the heavy artillery and use prime treats like tuna and chicken or
similar.

If you are feeling guilty about keeping her in the bathroom, don't. Two
weeks out of a lifetime is nothing, especially when the reason is to
help her. If you do want to bring her out, get a walking jacket (a
regular harness is not appropriate for a feral and these are much better
anyway) and get her used to wearing one.
http://www.hdw-inc.com/walkingjackets.htm I use these when I first start
bringing a feral I am socializing out of the cage and start integrating
them into the household. They have more freedom than a cage, but I have
them on a leash so they can't run away and they learn with time that,
whether I'm sitting or moving around, I'm not a threat outside of the
cage either.

While using this method does not guarantee they will become lapcats, I
have found that when I do have to pick them up it's not a half hour
ordeal and I usually can get them fairly quickly if I move slowly and
gently. The key is to never give them the freedom of large spaces until
you can make reasonable progress handling and moving around them on a
regular basis. The above would be a good exercise for you to work on
with the cat for a few weeks while she's getting meds. HTH.

Megan



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