There is a stray older cat that I try to help...can it be house trained?

Question

It is sort of almost feral or just used to living outdoors. My 80+ yr old neighbor has been feeding it outside for years (she already has 2 cats and a dog inside). I took it home and gave it a bath (it bit my hand so bad that I had to get antibiotics). It has since let me brush it. I kept it inside for a couple of weeks after the bite and took it in one other time for a week, but it is anti-social with my other cats and the last time it pooed twice on my kitchen table (nasty). It meows a lot, but when you get close it runs slightly out of reach. Accepts food if you are not close enough to catch her. She meows a lot indoors or out. Not sure why. My other neighbor feeds her sometimes too.I give her dry food and water outdoors now and the other neighbor gives her moist food, like the 80 year old neighbor does.

Answer 1

Spaying might help, but I have never had any real luck taming a feral cat. I wish you the best of luck with her.

Answer 2

Usually cats who have been living outdoors do not get used to living inside. So why try? If it has been outside for years, as you write, it does have a place in winter time, I suppose. You can go on feeding it as it is used, and that's it. Just think: The house indoors, the smells, the other cats - all seems to be a threat to her, it just upsets and frightens her. So why change?

Answer 3

Try to confine the cat to a small, closed room with food, water, and a litterbox (such as a bedroom or bathroom). Cats don't like to dirty the area where they hang out/eat, so he might start using the litterbox on his own. Even if it takes a while for him to become litter trained, he won't be using random areas of your house to eliminate when he's in a closed room.

Answer 4

I'm sorry, I busted out laughing when I got to the part about the poo!

That cat doesn't want to be indoors and is protesting. However a regular in/out will get her used to it.

Answer 5

I would just leave her outside because she will probably never get used to being a house cat. You can just keep leaving her food and water outside and give her a warm place to sleep.