My sister's cat is an asshole...

[ibshafer]

...except he's not my sister's cat anymore - he's mine.My sister passed away in January and I have inherited her four cats, each with their own set of issues I've had to work my way through. (Not to mention integrating my two into the mix.) I am living in her home and have a similar personality - I love kitties, am very affectionate with them - so

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[ibshafer]

I didn't mention in the post, but being a former feral (he's been "in" for 14 years now, but trust has always been a problem for him) he is notoriously, nay impossible to catch, so my consultation with the vet was via sample. (My sister had him in last fall, though, for a full round of tests and all was clear.)

We ran tests on stool over the winter - all clear, again - and my last convo with her, weeks later when I ran into her in the supermarket parking lot (love small towns!), was that when I removed other stressors from the living sitch (one of hers wants to eat one of mine for lunch - or just play; much screaming on both their parts; I now keep mine in my huge bedroom, and we are all, now, less stressed. :) ) his digestive issues (which is all they were at that point - not much in the way of floor pooing) seemed to have resolved themselves. (He had way more problems than just inappropriate pooing, sadly... Oy, I could write a book on just this one cat!) That was the last time I talked to her. I tried to sedate him to bring him in to see her and though he got the sedative with no problem, it didn't work. I gave him another dose - still no dice. He is, apparently, unsedatable. (?)

I remember when my sister first brought him inside. She was feeding a feral colony near where we both lived. There was a bobcat sighting in the area (or maybe a lynx) and she feared for the kittens. She feared for them all, really, but the older cats she knew she'd never catch. The kittens were a little easier and she'd been working on them for a while. She's bring a few at a time inside and keep them in the bathroom, which was small. Seeing how they reacted to floors and walls, cold porcelain, the sound of metal on metal (door mechanisms) for the first time was surreal. Poor little things! Some adjusted well, Benny took a while. And he never lost that "fear is my first response to everything" mentality.

Hoping to find someone I can talk with. It's quite the complex tale. And there are other cat problems I need advice on - relating to others in my brood.

He IS handsome. :)

[chelseagirl]

There are two things we are concerned about for the upcoming move -- the books (now down from the high 1700s to 1660 after intensive weeding and donating) and Gracie Gray, our darling feral girl. So I sympathize with the Benny issue.

[ibshafer]

Have you ever tried/had any luck sedating her? I could get the pill in him - buried in yummy canned food, something he cast resist - be just never became sedated. Maybe that would work for Gracie?

Also, kudos on the book winnowing.

[silme]

I remember that there was some sort of feral cat organisation in northern Colorado -- they sometimes had a table in front of the supermarket where I shopped asking for donations etc. They worked with trapping, neutering and releasing ferals, but they also worked with socializing and re-homing them as well.

Is there any group like that near you that might have some words of wisdom?

[ibshafer]

Hmmm, I don't know but I could certainly look. Even if they weren't in the area, I think I just need to talk with someone.

Thanks for the suggestion. :)