Animal Welfare Professionals

At our rescue we have a cat that has been with us for about two months and is just not doing well in a kennel. She swats and hisses at staff and just sits in a scared panic stage whenever you open her kennel. I am super patient with her and she lets me clean inside her kennel without swatting, hissing or biting, but she is still scared and doesn't trust us. I have tried treats and churu with her, and it doesn't help. She eats well, but only when we are gone. We covered her kennel when she first arrived to let her decompress, but it hasn't seemed to change her behavior. She was originally in a home and then found on the streets and think she must've gone through something awful. I was hoping someone might have some ideas of anything I can do for her to calm her down and gain her trust. She has never let anyone touch her and will swat and bite if she feels threatened. Any ideas would be great as I just feel like she isn't doing well in a kennel.

#Behavior,TrainingandEnrichment

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Stefanie Schmidt
Animal Welfare Specialist
Hearts Alive Village
NV
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Maybe try using a longer object to pet her a bit. She may get used to the pets and start to be comforted. Hopefully you will then be able to eventually move to shorter object and then your own hand. 

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Kali Remington
President
Southern Paws Rescue
KY
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We tried a long object for pets and she started biting and chewing it.

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Stefanie Schmidt
Animal Welfare Specialist
Hearts Alive Village
NV
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Original Message:
Sent: 12-12-2024 07:48 PM
From: Kali Remington
Subject: Improving Kenneled Cat Behavior

Maybe try using a longer object to pet her a bit. She may get used to the pets and start to be comforted. Hopefully you will then be able to eventually move to shorter object and then your own hand. 

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Kali Remington
President
Southern Paws Rescue
KY
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Is there any way you can get her out of the kennel? Foster home, office, even a bathroom? Some cats just don't do well in cages and getting them out can make a world of difference. We've had several cats who were dangerous to work with when caged but when put into a room the aggressive behavior vanished. I'd also consider trying her on gabapentin to see if that will bring down her stress level, but ultimately I think the best thing you can do for her is get her out of the cage. 

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Sam Maurice
Humane Society of Jefferson County
Jefferson WI
https://hsjc-wis.com
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100% agree with Samantha here. Best thing is to get her out of the kennel. Gaba may help as well, if it is kennel stress. Poking and prodding at her while she is in such a fearful state is likely only to increase her FAS, not lower it. Foster home is likely the best option but an office is also great if fosters aren't available.

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Brianna Mendonca
Cat Enrichment Coordinator
Hawaiian Humane Society
Honolulu HI
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Original Message:
Sent: 12-14-2024 07:23 AM
From: Samantha Maurice
Subject: Improving Kenneled Cat Behavior

Is there any way you can get her out of the kennel? Foster home, office, even a bathroom? Some cats just don't do well in cages and getting them out can make a world of difference. We've had several cats who were dangerous to work with when caged but when put into a room the aggressive behavior vanished. I'd also consider trying her on gabapentin to see if that will bring down her stress level, but ultimately I think the best thing you can do for her is get her out of the cage. 

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Sam Maurice
Humane Society of Jefferson County
Jefferson WI
https://hsjc-wis.com
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Thank you so much for the advice. We have been working hard to find her a foster as she would do better just in a room by herself. I try to calm her when I feed her and she lets me clean her kennel without lunging or hissing now. She is definitely too scared to touch and goes crazy if we let her out in the free roaming area. I just feel so bad for her.

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Stefanie Schmidt
Animal Welfare Specialist
Hearts Alive Village
NV
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Original Message:
Sent: 12-15-2024 02:19 PM
From: Brianna Mendonca (She/Her/Hers)
Subject: Improving Kenneled Cat Behavior

100% agree with Samantha here. Best thing is to get her out of the kennel. Gaba may help as well, if it is kennel stress. Poking and prodding at her while she is in such a fearful state is likely only to increase her FAS, not lower it. Foster home is likely the best option but an office is also great if fosters aren't available.

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Brianna Mendonca
Cat Enrichment Coordinator
Hawaiian Humane Society
Honolulu HI
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Original Message:
Sent: 12-14-2024 07:23 AM
From: Samantha Maurice
Subject: Improving Kenneled Cat Behavior

Is there any way you can get her out of the kennel? Foster home, office, even a bathroom? Some cats just don't do well in cages and getting them out can make a world of difference. We've had several cats who were dangerous to work with when caged but when put into a room the aggressive behavior vanished. I'd also consider trying her on gabapentin to see if that will bring down her stress level, but ultimately I think the best thing you can do for her is get her out of the cage. 

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Sam Maurice
Humane Society of Jefferson County
Jefferson WI
https://hsjc-wis.com

We are trying to find a foster for her because she is just scared to death and super aggressive. We tried letting her out in our free roaming room and she just went crazy bouncing off walls and it was hard to get her back in a kennel because she got super aggressive.

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Stefanie Schmidt
Animal Welfare Specialist
Hearts Alive Village
NV
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 12-14-2024 07:23 AM
From: Samantha Maurice
Subject: Improving Kenneled Cat Behavior

Is there any way you can get her out of the kennel? Foster home, office, even a bathroom? Some cats just don't do well in cages and getting them out can make a world of difference. We've had several cats who were dangerous to work with when caged but when put into a room the aggressive behavior vanished. I'd also consider trying her on gabapentin to see if that will bring down her stress level, but ultimately I think the best thing you can do for her is get her out of the cage. 

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Sam Maurice
Humane Society of Jefferson County
Jefferson WI
https://hsjc-wis.com
------------------------------

Yes same for us. Crazy half feral its a sad back story and we ended up letting her out of her cage (which was in lobby) and she was a different cat.  She doesn't like other cats so we ended up keeping her in this kennel and we let her roam the lobby every day. Way better. She actually gets back in when she's had enough.

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Carol Williams
aralliancega.com
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Original Message:
Sent: 12-14-2024 07:23 AM
From: Samantha Maurice
Subject: Improving Kenneled Cat Behavior

Is there any way you can get her out of the kennel? Foster home, office, even a bathroom? Some cats just don't do well in cages and getting them out can make a world of difference. We've had several cats who were dangerous to work with when caged but when put into a room the aggressive behavior vanished. I'd also consider trying her on gabapentin to see if that will bring down her stress level, but ultimately I think the best thing you can do for her is get her out of the cage. 

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Sam Maurice
Humane Society of Jefferson County
Jefferson WI
https://hsjc-wis.com
------------------------------

Hi Stefanie!

Here are my thoughts on your situation:

1. Do you know the cat's background, as in where she was before she was in a home? Was she doing well while living outdoors? How did she behave in a home? I wonder if there is a chance the cat is feral or semi-feral, and is struggling living indoors. Maddie's University has a great course on angry versus feral cats called  "Feral and Fractious Cat Handling" which I recommend checking out. It can help you evaluate the cat's behaviors and find a suitable living environment for her in the long run, whether that is a home, a colony, or a barn.

2. Has the cat been seen by a vet recently? Pain or discomfort can manifest into aggression. 

3. Does the cat have access to other cats or animals? The direct line of sight, sounds, and/or smells can be stressing her out if she does not coexist well with other animals. If she cannot be placed in a foster home with an experienced foster that is equipped to handle fractious behaviors, isolating the cat from other animals until she decompresses fully may be helpful, or she may need to remain isolated from others if she behaves better on her own. Isolating her can also help with human socialization.

I would try adjusting the environment the cat is in and reviewing as much background and medical information as possible first. Then, discussing with your vet potential routes of medication can help reduce the cat's anxiety if she must remain in a kennel.

Kennel environments are extremely stressful for any animal, as we all know, and I think the 3-3-3 rule is super important to keep in mind with new intakes. 

I hope this is helpful and I wish you all the best!

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Lauren Shaw
Director
High Tails Animal Rescue, NFP
IL
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Thank you for the help. She is healthy as she got checked at our clinic before she was brought in. She was scared to death when she ended up on the streets and just panics around people. We are working on trying to get her a foster as she is just scared to death in a kennel. She gets super aggressive when the other staff tries to feed her or clean in her kennel and I am just trying to keep her calm. She can definitely hear the other cats that are kenneled in the room, but has a spot to hide. Just looking to see if there are any solutions we haven't tried until we can get her in a better environment.

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Stefanie Schmidt
Animal Welfare Specialist
Hearts Alive Village
NV
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 12-15-2024 04:25 PM
From: Lauren Shaw
Subject: Improving Kenneled Cat Behavior

Hi Stefanie!

Here are my thoughts on your situation:

1. Do you know the cat's background, as in where she was before she was in a home? Was she doing well while living outdoors? How did she behave in a home? I wonder if there is a chance the cat is feral or semi-feral, and is struggling living indoors. Maddie's University has a great course on angry versus feral cats called  "Feral and Fractious Cat Handling" which I recommend checking out. It can help you evaluate the cat's behaviors and find a suitable living environment for her in the long run, whether that is a home, a colony, or a barn.

2. Has the cat been seen by a vet recently? Pain or discomfort can manifest into aggression. 

3. Does the cat have access to other cats or animals? The direct line of sight, sounds, and/or smells can be stressing her out if she does not coexist well with other animals. If she cannot be placed in a foster home with an experienced foster that is equipped to handle fractious behaviors, isolating the cat from other animals until she decompresses fully may be helpful, or she may need to remain isolated from others if she behaves better on her own. Isolating her can also help with human socialization.

I would try adjusting the environment the cat is in and reviewing as much background and medical information as possible first. Then, discussing with your vet potential routes of medication can help reduce the cat's anxiety if she must remain in a kennel.

Kennel environments are extremely stressful for any animal, as we all know, and I think the 3-3-3 rule is super important to keep in mind with new intakes. 

I hope this is helpful and I wish you all the best!

------------------------------
Lauren Shaw
Director
High Tails Animal Rescue, NFP
IL
------------------------------