Semi-feral odd behaviors

[cloudyday2]

My mother adopted a semi-feral kitten almost a year ago. I was volunteering at the animal shelter at the time, and I would spend 30 minutes per day petting the kitten. She seemed to enjoy being petted at some level, but she was also shivering from fear quite a lot.

So my mother heard me talk about this kitten and decided to adopt her. For the past year, the kitten has matured into a cat, but she spends 99% of the time hidden under a bed or any other furniture she can squeeze beneath. In the morning and in the evening, the cat will come out if my mother has no guests (she lives alone). My mother can't pet or hold the cat, but the cat will sometimes allow her to touch it briefly.

Now to the main issue. The cat stopped eating her canned meat this week. Finally my mother tried cutting the canned meat into small pieces (it is already a soft pate). That was enough to persuade the cat to eat her food this morning.

I could go on and on with the weird behaviors. If the sun goes behind a cloud or a piece of furniture is moved, this cat will often hide under the bed. I was encouraged this Saturday, because the cat actually came out while I was present for the first time ever. I hadn't seen her in the light for over a year. But I don't know if that was just a fluke or progress.

Any ideas?

EDIT: If it matters, the cat is part Russian Blue, and I have never heard her meow. She is never aggressive. She never hisses or claws; she just tries to escape and hide.

 

[tansy]

Well, I don't know about the food thing, but my sister had a cat (can't remember where she got it from) that would rarely come downstairs, nor go outside, but would stay up in the attic room which they kind of used as an office or whatever. It was a lovely cat, not afraid of people as such, but would walk across the computer keyboard when you were trying to type. Her other cats were just fine, went outside and everything.
I think the cat had been traumatised or perhaps ill before my sister acquired it, so perhaps your cat was also traumatised in some way?

 

[PropheticTimes]

It sounds as if she might be more comfortable up high. Some cats are "bush" cats and are content to be down low. Some are "tree" cats and feel safer observing from up high. I would recommend getting her a cat tree that she can climb up on and see if that changes her behavior. She may have had some deep trauma in the wild and is afraid.

 

[rockytopva]

1. I had a feral cat I raised from a kitten
2. I now own two kittens raised in a good home

The feral cat
1. Would allow you to be affectionate on his own terms
2. I had a hard time training
3. Would take times being by himself

The two kittens
1. Have never done their business outside the litter box
2. Are affectionate all the time
3. Are very fun and playful

I don't believe once a cat goes into the dark side that there is any hope of bringing him back.

 

[cloudyday2]

It sounds as if she might be more comfortable up high. Some cats are "bush" cats and are content to be down low. Some are "tree" cats and feel safer observing from up high. I would recommend getting her a cat tree that she can climb up on and see if that changes her behavior. She may have had some deep trauma in the wild and is afraid.

That sounds like an idea. We have a cat tree but it is only about 4 or 5 feet tall. A higher cat tree might make her feel safe. She enjoys her small cat tree at night especially. This cat always is hidden under a bed when anybody is visiting. When my mother is home alone, the cat will come out for 30 minutes to an hour in the morning and evening.

It's not a huge problem, except that I think the cat might have a lot of stress for no reason. The fact that she stopped eating her meat worries me. She seems to be extremely paranoid. I wish I could help her feel more confident and relaxed.

 

[rockytopva]

If E = mc2 then we can divide and conclude that...

Mass (m) = Energy (E/c2)

And there are three varieties...

Natural E/c2 - All mass is basically cooled plasma
Mental E/c2 - Mentally, A mathematical formula, but this has chemical and spiritual properties as well.
Spiritual E/c2 - E (motivation, warmth, love) / c2 (faith, hope, charity, joy)

It is a soul amazing thing to see the spiritual energy and light disappear from the earthly creatures.

"When your rank is high in the world, then your vitality and spirit are depleted daily, eventually to become dissipated and not return to the body. When the vitality, spirit, will, and energy are calm, they fill you day by day and make you strong. Therefore the sages keep nurturing their spirit, make their energy gentle, and flow with the way." - Lao-tzu

Kittens, as in humans, have a virtue that needs to be protected. In the case of cats, once it dissipates away, sometimes very early in the life of a kitten, you most likely end up with a cat with serious issues.

 

[PropheticTimes]

That sounds like an idea. We have a cat tree but it is only about 4 or 5 feet tall. A higher cat tree might make her feel safe. She enjoys her small cat tree at night especially. This cat always is hidden under a bed when anybody is visiting. When my mother is home alone, the cat will come out for 30 minutes to an hour in the morning and evening.

It's not a huge problem, except that I think the cat might have a lot of stress for no reason. The fact that she stopped eating her meat worries me. She seems to be extremely paranoid. I wish I could help her feel more confident and relaxed.

I had a similar issue with a cat and getting a high cat tree made her a new cat. Being down low made her afraid and she felt unsafe. She was a whole new cat once she could rest up high.