My rescued feral cat is scared. How long until she adjusts indoors?

It was so good of you to take her in and try to help her out. Unfortunately, this is a feral cat and she may never warm up to people. If you think she needs more medical treatment, your vet may have a few long-acting tools to help. For example, there are a few long-acting ear medications wherein your vet applies it once and it lasts 2-4 weeks. Other than that, anti-anxiety medication and a lot of patience are really all you can do. Despite your best efforts, Suria, may end up needing to be an indoor/outdoor or outdoor only cat.

A cat who was basically feral for 5 months may take quite some time to become more comfortable with handling, and she may never be a cuddly lap cat. It does sound like she is willing to have some interaction with you, so I would continue what you are doing in terms of offering her nice tasty treats when she comes to you. Also feeding her near you if she will eat with you nearby but not touching her (don't want to overwhelm her at first, just get her more used to your presence being nonthreatening). I wouldn't pick her up if it scares her just yet, and I wouldn't force her to meet/be touched or held by new people just yet. I would give her a few more months of settling in. You may also add feline pheremone diffusers (Feliway is my favorite brand) to the house and try calming supplements such as Composure or Zylkene to see if these help relieve some of her anxiety as well. You can find all these products online, or at some vet clinics.

Hi there and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! I am sorry to hear that major health problems have set you back. Hoping all is well now! As for Baby, a change in environment can be quite big for a cat and may take several months for a cat to acclimatize to a new environment. I would recommend using the Feliway products to help calm him down in the new environment and these can be found online or at your local PetCo. Provide plenty of litter boxes in multiple locations in the new house as well. Some cats will urinate and defecate outside of the box in a new environment so providing multiple areas may help prevent this. I hope this helps! Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further.

Poor Sophia. Some cats never truly do warm up or want attention. But there are some things you can try. One is try feeding something she really wants by hand. Either cat treats or canned food. Or if she won't eat from your hand yet. Start by sitting still next to her food bowl when you put it out. Resist the urge to pet her initially. Let her get comfortable with close proximity. Gradually over time see how she likes being petted. Some cats may only accept attention while you're on the floor wth them or she's on the bed with you. Try to keep things in her comfort zone Feliway diffusers around the house may also help with her baseline anxiety level as well. I strongly recommend looking into Feliway for skittish cats. https://www.feliway.com/us#redirected But mostly it's going to take time. It could be months but if you are patient and gentle about it she will likely start to look for more interaction. Try not to force things and don't grab or pick her up unless necessary. Let her come to you on her terms. Good luck! Thanks for using PetCoach.

You will have to take your time and be extremely patient with them. You could try to feed them close to you and then slowly move the feeding bowl closer to you after a few days so they get used to being around you and trusting you. You could also try some Feliway spray or diffuser and see if that helps, too. Hopefully with some time they will let you actually touch and pet them.

You will need to catch her and keep her inside your new place for at least 2-3 weeks and feed her there. This will tell her where she now is being fed and where you now live. There is a good chance then that she probably will become tame enough to see your house as the new home. If she does not like your dog, you need to keep the two separate.

Hi. Alot of times when pets are feral to start off with, there is always that instinct that sticks with them. They can trust you and let you do something things, but they dont always become lovely, cuddly kitties. I had one like this too, and it never did change. She was just always independent, and didnt want attention unless it was on her terms. So, be prepared that it may not change. There isnt alot we can do other the continue positive experiences with her