My cat, Cali, was feral after the neighbors abandoned her. I think they had abused her. She gradually worked her way into our home after a year of being skittish and running away while we fed her outside. We lived in Hawaii where being outdoors was safe. Cali gradually became more affectionate, and seemed to want to be an indoor cat after having always been outdoors, going out for about 15 minutes daily at most.
Then two months ago we moved her to California and kept her indoors. It seemed to be going well. She learned to use a litter box and started voluntarily climbing into my lap and sleeping with us at night. But as of a few weeks ago, she wanted to go outside and slipped out one day. After that, she cried incessantly, all day and all night, to be let out. I tried to keep her in but she drove me nuts with constant, constant loud crying so I started letting her out during the day, assuming she'd come back for meals, which she did, and then we'd keep her in at night.
She was supposed to go to the vet for dental surgery today. I let her out before breakfast yesterday since she had been crying since 5 am, assuming she'd come back to eat as always. But for the first time, she didn't come back to eat. I made a huge mistake. I went looking for her, brought food to her, and when she was eating I tried to pick her up to bring her back into the house so she'd be around for the surgery. She freaked out, scratched me, and ran off. And since then, she's been in hiding. She hid outside all day yesterday and then last night I put her food inside the door to the living room, and she slunk in to get it, but rushed out as soon as she saw me approaching to close the door. She spent the night outside and hid all day today (missed the surgery).
I was worried because she didn't eat all day yesterday, so I left food outside on the porch this morning and I saw her eating it, so I know she's around, though she's been hiding all day. I call her every few hours and she won't come, so I left food out again tonight. It's gone so I assume she ate it, but she won't come in or show herself, even though it's getting really cold.
To make matters worse, we're supposed to move in a few weeks. Cali was supposed to stay with a friend of mine for 8 days while my husband and I drove across country, and I bought my friend a ticket so she could fly Cali to us, carrying her in the cabin. Now I'm feeling like maybe I should just try to find someone to adopt her so she doesn't go through any more trauma, and also because she really can't be an outdoor kitty where we're headed.
Help!!!! Any advice????
