Adopted Feral Cat Behavior 2+ years later

Question
Hi Tina -

We socialized and adopted a 6 month old feral kitten back in December 2004.  She adapted well to being inside and became a great playmate to our male cat of the same age.  Both of them were fixed when they were kittens.  The formerly feral cat - Patches - had been doing great.  She was very friendly, sat on my lap to watch TV, loved to be with the family, and was as sweet as can be.  Two weeks ago we went out of town for 2 days and had my father come by twice a day to feed the cats.  He said he never saw her the whole time.  Since we've returned she's been acting like she doesn't know us.  She hides under the chairs and hisses if approached.  She also doesn't want to play with O'Reilly, our male cat.  I was able to examine her and could find nothing wrong physically.  She seems to be eating the food that's put out and drinking and using the litterbox.  But it's like she's reverted back to her feral days of 2+ years ago.  This isn't the first time we've left the cats for a few days.  We've done it many times and never had any problems.

Any idea what could be wrong?

Answer
HI Brett,

I've found that formerly- feral cats do sometimes react badly to a scare or unfamiliar situation. I think you'll just need to be patient and act as normal as you ca to reassure Patches. My formerly feral Emma sometimes reacts this way to a vet visit or petsitter, and it's hard to predict because she doesn't always go into hiding. Sometimes it takes a few days and sometimes a week for her to get back to normal. I think it's the way the petsitter moves and walks that sometimes upsets Emma - if they stomp loudly in shoes she hides, even though she is fine with loud guests when we are home she just doesn't have that confidence when we're not home.

However, if this goes on you may want to run the risk of further upsetting her and get her to the vet for a checkup and blood test - it is possible something is wrong that you didn't detect.

Otherwise, tempting her with favorite toys and treats are the best way to coax her out from hiding, try not to look at her too much or focus on trying to get her to come out.

You can also use Feliway spray to help calm her (in fact I always use this when we go away and have a petsitter now). Feliway helps reduce anxiety and inappropriate urination by cats, it mimics relaxing pheromones that cats exude from their cheek glands.  It is sold in most pet stores and online, for example at www.drsfostersmith.com.

In addition, I often use Bach's Rescue Remedy (herbal essence sold in health food stores) a few drops in her drinking water help alleviate stress and fear.

Good luck and kudos to you for  giving a wonderful home to a formerly-feral kitty.