Motel 6 developed a quaint little slogan for their motel chain some years back; I’ll leave the light on! For the stray cat soon to be occupying a corner of your home, the same amenity should be offered to him. Leave the light on.

Make this light inviting for the cat, so Stray Willy feels welcomed. Remove light bulbs that produce harsh glare and replace them with lower wattage bulbs. Indirect lighting works well, night lights can create a calming effect on a stressed out cat in captivity for the very first time.

Cats are unable to see in pitch darkness. Instead, they see with their noses, ears and whiskers. Cats have touch receptors located in various places on their body, but the most intense concentration of receptors is located in their whiskers. The whiskers are tuned to respond to anything touching them including air currents. If a cat is stripped of his whiskers and placed in a pitch dark environment the cat is visually handicapped. Three blind mice could pass right by him and the cat wouldn’t be able to find his prey.

Using a night light or other indirect lighting sources becomes beneficial in helping Stray Willy acclimate to your home. Being in semi-darkness will help him feel less exposed and vulnerable. When exposed to lower density light, the cat’s pupils enlarge allowing in more light. A cat can see with a sixth of the amount we ourselves need.

Kid & Pet Free Zone-
At Motel 6 kids stay free. In this new sanctuary for your cat, your kids should also stay free. Free and clear of the room! Especially toddlers who can be so enchanted with the prospect of a new kitten- that pudgy hands smelling of food and other enticing odors pushed into cats faces often get bit.

Assign one maid for the room. Her responsibility will be to see to the comfort of the new resident and hang a Do Not Disturb Sign outside. Instead of carrying out dirty towels and emptying waste paper baskets, her job will be emptying out the litter pans, providing food and water, general housekeeping and furnishing companionship.

Running the vacuum would make Stray Willy head straight up the wallpaper, but there will be mistakes to mop up. The new boy is going to be stressed. The target organ for stress in cats is the kidneys says Sharon Forster Blouin PhD DVM of Corvallis Cat Clinic. You can bet if your cat is stressed, there will be little (or big) puddles of proof on the floor, or the wall, or the ceiling depending on how old and how accomplished a sprayer Willy is.

Motel 6? welcomes pets. In Stray Willy’s sanctuary, other pets should not be on the welcome waggin. Keeping the new cat away from the resident cat(s) family dog, or even your child’s hamster will help ensure that Willy’s stress meter doesn’t get pegged in the danger zone. He needs time to adapt to the new smells, sights, sounds, vibrations in the house before being exposed to more smells which will just serve to raise his stress level.

Music for the Ears-
When you check into the motel there is a card by the phone offering free HBO and ESPN. Willy, not a NASCAR aficionado, and I am willing to bet that if you bounced a basketball anywhere near his presence, he would perform a jump shot that would make Michael Jordan drop his Haines, you CAN make your guest more comfortable by offering him music.

Although Ted Nugent is a good singer, Cat Scratch Fever is not the music the doctor ordered. Transport your kitty into the mellow world of harp music. Diane Schneider J.D. Ph.D.,offers a veterinary edition of the Harp of Hope CD; a unique recording of therapeutically sequenced harp music that addresses symptoms of fear, restlessness, tension and sleeplessness in animals. Set Willy up with his own personal CD player, one that offers the function of continuous play. Place the unit in a secure spot- Willy might decide to try out for the Cat Olympics when first released from his carrier/trap into the room. If necessary, use bungee cords to strap the player down. Put the volume on low. He is blessed with almost super-sonic hearing. Even if you can’t hear the harp music playing, it’s a sure bet he can. No matter where he is in the room, Willy’s ears can rotate to 180? thanks to thirty special muscles located in his outer ears. Before you let him loose in the room for the first time be sure the CD is playing.

Only the Cat should be Wired-
In every room at the motel there is a data port. This allows easy connection to data machines, fax machines and other electronic devices. These devices serve to make your stay easier. If the room where Willy is staying has electronic equipment, be sure and keep the wires up and out of sight. There are several easy ways to accomplish this task without resorting to the use of spraying liquid cat deterrents on the wires, cords and cables. Measure the cords that are hanging loose. Cut a flat piece of board to fit. Lay the cords on the board and tape them in place with duct tape. Flip the board over and secure it to the wall. Walla! Willy’s temptation has been averted.

You can also visit a RadioShack and buy some flexible tubing. Slit open the tubing, insert the wires, cords cables then duct tape the tubing closed. This will stop Willy from getting the shock of his life. Another useful product to stop shocking encounters can be found here: Stop Shock

Or, take a trip to the local Home Depot and buy an economy package of paint roller covers and duct tape. Unplug your devices, thread the roller covers through the cords and secure the roller covers together with duct tape until the cords are completely covered. Willy may play with the roller covers, but he won’t have to be rushed to the vet because of burns in his mouth.

Unlike guests staying at the motel Willy doesn’t need complimentary coffee in the morning. He may be so buzzed when you let him loose in the room that he might appear to look wired, but he is running on fear. Because cats are fight or flight animals when they are scared they do one of two things. They stay and fight with what scares them, or they get the heck out of Dodge.

To help alleviate this response Farnum Pet makes a product that has become this households staple. The Comfort Zone Room Diffuser with Feliway for cats. Feliway is a synthetic reproduction of the feline facial pheromone known as the happy pheromone. When cats rub their faces together, this is their friendly way of greeting each other. Cats have facial glands located under the eyes, on the chin and below the ears. When they rub against something, they deposit this mark on the object marking it as theirs. The first time Willy head-bumps you, he is giving you a sign of acceptance by this act. That feeling is going to be worth all the trouble the two of you have traveled to arrive at that moment. The Comfort Zone Room Diffuser plugs into an outlet. The pheromones drift into the air, working their subtle magic into calming a stressed cat. These scents carry with them hidden messages that only cats fully understand.

Cave In to His Needs-
Although cats can’t see in the dark, they draw great comfort from being inside a dark area. Willy, like his wild ancestors needs a cave. Someplace he can feel secure. Where he can see the world, and be assured in his kitty brain, that the world can’t see him. When it comes to cat caves, you can go cheap or you can go wild!

Cardboard boxes are an ideal (and inexpensive) kitty cave. Set them on their side with the top open. Put some soft rags for bedding in one corner- leave the other corner bare (Willy may not be able to comprehend padded living conditions). Take a towel or a blanket and drape it over the open end of the box, allowing enough space underneath where Willy can slip into oblivion should he choose to do so. Weight down the box with a book or other heavy object.

Other cave possibilities are: cupboards, a section of closet, an old file cabinet with the drawers pulled out, an empty dresser drawer (just be sure that Willy can’t get from the drawer down under the furniture). If there is a park or wooded area near your home take a walk and look for a hollow log. Bring it home and wash it down. Let it set in the sun for a few days to get all the bugs out of it. Then put it in Willy’s room. Are you near a beach? Check and see if the driftwood is protected. If not, you can find some nifty pieces and build a cave from them. You can buy pre-made kitty caves online or at local pet supply stores.

Boys and their toys-
If your cat is a true feral cat, or a stray with strong feral tendencies, there is a good chance that store-bought cat toys will be completely ignored. One toy that never has been ignored in this household by any cat is Da Bird. Da Bird takes some coordination on your part, but you can manipulate this aerodynamically designed cat toy to mimic the flight of a bird. Even kitties in hiding will jump out to play when Da Bird drops by for a visit. Like any toy on a string, Da Bird needs to be supervised play only. Cats are fascinated with string.

My private belief is the long, slender string resembles a mouses tail and triggers an intense prey response. Always be careful when playing with your cat or kitten with string, yarn, shoelaces or rope. Swallowed string can cause obstruction, constipation, diarrhea, and even death.

After any intense playtime session (generally 10-20 minutes of interactive play is good) give Willy a nice meaty treat to wind him down and store the toy in a closet or cupboard. Though Da Bird is always a hit, I can’t say the same for felt mice, catnip socks, and balls with bells in them or pom toys. I have had luck with small pebbles ( big enough the cat can’t swallow them) miniature pine cones, long blades of grass, feathers (peacock feathers work well) empty spools of thread, ping pong balls and small twigs or strands of hay. Catnip with some stray cats can bring on aggression, so let the kitty taste-test it first. Put a small amount of loose leaf catnip on the floor and just watch what Willy does.

Bringing the Outside-In-
Willy is going to be on-edge for awhile. Any encounter he has had with humans up to now has probably not been pleasant. Entering into this world unwanted by humans, perhaps even his mom abandoned him. He is only comfortable in the world he knows, the outside world. Now, his world has been completely changed. He has gone from having many escape routes to living in your home and whether that place is a spare bedroom, a bathroom, or even a garage, you may as well have dropped him off on an alien planet.

He will be looking for things he considers familiar and not finding them. He has to switch his privileged potty spot from dirt to sand. He loses the security of a bushy shrub where he could effectively hide from predators for the underside of your furniture. His outdoor climbing tree permit has been permanently cancelled. There is no live prey in his world to stimulate him (except for you). Perhaps you want him to be grateful and crawl into your lap purring his gratitude. The reality is, this rarely happens and if it does, then consider yourself lucky. Your stray cat has turned out to be someone’s neglected pet, or a cat who got lost.

For the most part, Willy is going to look at you as one of the largest predators in his immediate world. You want him safe and happy. He wants back out into the world he understands. So to prevent him from charging the door every five minutes in an attempt to gain his ticket to freedom, bring the outside world in. You want a playmate, he wants a preymate!

You can’t bring a live tree into his room, but tree limbs are a good substitute if they are handy. Cat trees are a must for any cat, but especially for Stray Willy who is used to scratching his claws on the trunks of trees, running up the branches in pursuit of insects or other prey. Scratching posts wrapped in sisal are good substitutes. Giving him carpeted scratching posts will implant in his mind that carpet, no matter where it is, is okay to scratch.

He is accustomed to drinking water from gutters, puddles, streams, or wherever he can find it. Water bowls need to be glass with colored rocks or marbles, or ball bearings something covering the bottom; anything that will show this kitty there is water inside. Aquarium rock works well. Remember whatever you use, make sure you wash the objects well. Pet fountains are wonderful. Drinkwell’s latest model is so quiet; the noise shouldn’t bother him at all.

Much to my husband’s consternation, I have been known to lug large rocks upstairs to the cat room so that kitty has a place to hide. I bring in big leafy branches of trees when I know the leaves are not toxic to cats. On the prey front, renowned Cat Behaviorist Pam Johnson- Bennett in her book Think Like a Cat has this to say about transitioning an outside cat to an inside cat:
“Unlimited prey (or at least potential prey for the less than top-notch hunter) and the other temptations of a dynamic environment can make your newly indoor cat feel as if he has just been sentenced to Kitty Alcatraz”
To lessen the sentence in a kitty’s point of view, consider installing a bird or squirrel feeder outside the window. Put up Hummingbird feeders, or place plants that attract butterflies or bees: Mosquito plant, Butterfly Bush, English Thyme, Gomphrena, Purple Horse Mint, Red Clover.

Of course if Willy’s reservation is in the dead of winter, then your bird feeder would be a better option.. Ace Hardware carries Perky Pet Feeders. Perky Pet comes in different combinations, where you can attract butterflies and hummingbirds, squirrels, or birds.

If there isn’t a tree nearby to hang the feeder on, they make the type that sticks directly to the outside of the window. Be sure and either have a cat tree or a cat perch near the window. Otherwise Willy might make full use of his claws in order to get a better seat for the show. Your walls, wallpaper or paneling may never be the same again unless you provide him a front-row seat to enjoy the show.

Prey Do Tell-
Even the most die-hard cat lover would find it difficult to present Willy with a live mouse or a bird for his eating enjoyment. But thankfully, there are other options. Not as lovely as leaving mints on your pillows, or a special shampoo in the basket in the bathroom www.miceonice.com is one way to keep Willy satisfied… Virginia Grant runs Mice on Ice supplying zoos and other establishments with parasite-free mice. The frozen mice are dropped into a bucket of warm water until they thaw, then you just lay the rodent on the floor and let Willy discover this delectable treat for himself. The mice are also disease free. They are a useful tool to turn to if Willy decides that Kitty Alcatraz is not his style and stages a hunger strike.

If you are feeling squeamish about now oh gentle reader, may I remind you that mice are part of a cat’s normal diet out in the wild. However, wild mice carry fleas; fleas carry tapeworms and blood-related diseases. Sometimes Outdoor Ollie has the misfortune of eating a mouse that has been poisoned. Then Outdoor Ollie’s Outdoor Privileges are revoked in a final fashion. You do not want Stray Willy to feast on wild mice.

You can set up a lizard cage in the room. Your kids will love that, and Willy will be equally enchanted. Be sure the top is securely fastened down and able to bear Willy’s weight, because he will be leaping up there to investigate the critter inside.

Be Prepared-
Be a boy scout and be prepared. If the room where kitty is housed is big enough, take a large covered Rubbermaid® container. Place inside; dry food, canned food, can opener (if needed) extra water bottles (I use empty and washed milk jugs) Rescue Remedy, Feliway Spray or refills for the Comfort Zone Room Diffusers, an enzyme cleaner such as Zero Odor or Tuff Oxi for Pets, extra litter, rubber gloves, leather gloves, extra food dishes (don’t feed from bowls, use a flat surface like cookie sheets or paper plates) flashlight extra batteries and plastic utensils. You might also tuck a first aid kit in there. If the bathroom is small and the only room available, then store the box nearby, where you can get to it easily. Place a few heavy towels over the top and seal the container.

You need a broom, dustpan or small vacuum to clean up kitty litter. Speaking of litter, use only unscented clay litter, give this new cat two litter pans (three pans are ideal). I learned a long time ago that “standard” cat litter pans fall below the mark for stray cats. For Willy, the world was his oyster and that is a big toilet seat. Large, low-sided Rubbermaid containers are ideal for him. I use the type that slide under the bed, the ones that you store blankets and sweaters in.

Using regular litter pans (unless the newcomer is a kitten) causes litter pan accidents frequently. Don’t place the litter pans together, spread them out. In the wild, Willy would travel a great distance from home-base before he did his business. He would pee in one spot, cover it well and then move off to another spot before pooping. This is a survival skill to keep predators away from his nest.

You also want to be sure to have a large can of PAM Cooking Spray™ Use this to coat the cleaned litter pans on the bottom. No more sticky, messy waste to deal with. The waste slides straight out!

Wear Protection-
As much as you want to protect this cat, you also have to give yourself the same consideration. Wear long sleeves, thick socks, and long pants. Be sure you have your tetanus shot up to date. Have a pair of goggles ready to use if you need it. Purchase a Handee Reacher. This tool, used for those with mobility problems allows you to reach for items at a safe distance. You can use it to move litter pans, food bowls, bedding and even toys if Stray Willy turns out to have a bit of a cattitude about him.

You can also make an artificial arm for first contact from a broomstick, a padded leather glove and duct tape. Take the glove (stuffed with soft batting) and secure it with duct tape to one end of the broomstick. Use this “arm” to get Willy used to being touched.

Sometimes it becomes necessary to have a protective shield. I use a large cardboard flap, cut two holes in the center. Then I take the duct tape and lay out a long strip, roll the strip up into a long thin strip that looks like a pencil, feed one end of the strip through one hole into the second hole and continue until there is a nice, multilayered handle. Place a piece of duct tape in the center of the strip on the front of the shield to keep it secure. This primitive shield has saved “face” for me many times when the stray turns out to have such deep feral tendencies that he decides launching a full frontal attack is the only way to go.

The Bare Essentials:
Working with stray cats, I talk to myself softly the entire time I’m in the room. I am actually talking to the cat, but he doesn’t know this because I ‘m not looking at him directly, even if he happens to be sitting in the middle of the room looking square at me. If the cat isn’t a hostile and attacking you or your feet work barefoot. This pays of in several ways. First off, our feet have 250,000 sweat glands in each foot. In 24 hours, our feet are capable of producing over a pint of sweat. Sweat is comprised of bacteria. Bacteria stinks. Stinky feet become your signature scent for this cat. He can smell you coming before the door opens up into his room. He can track you after you leave by following your scent around the room. A warning though, bare-feet can find puddles of urine fairly quickly.

While I am in the room, I also sing softly to myself, I talk about my day, running up an incessant amount of chatter without stopping to catch my breath often. My voice is carried clearly to the cat in hiding. Because the tone is low, even if he is on edge, my voice will help to soothe him over time.

Because cats are first and foremost predators, in order to be successful hunters, they come equipped with the ability to hear blades of grass rustling as a mouse moves across a pasture, or an insect digging in the dirt. Hearing in cats has fascinated humans for decades. In his book The Cat’s Mind -Understanding Your Cat’s behavior, author, Dr. Bruce Fogle says:

“Hearing in cats has been studied in cats, more than any other animal. Almost forty years ago, it was known that cats could hear sounds two octaves above what we can hear. Sounds consist of vibrations and these reach the ear as pressure waves of air; it is measured according to the number of vibrations or cycles per second. The higher the number, the higher the pitch, although pitch also depends on the size or amplitude of the sound.”

He goes on to say that we hear sounds vibrating up to 20,000 cycles per second. Studies show cats hear sounds vibrating up as far as 65,000 cycles per second. This is why, I keep my voice low. I also choose a favorite lullaby and sing it over-and-over while in his presence. Later, after he has been socialized and merged into general population, I will use that same song to comfort him, should he become ill or injured. Each cat has their own song that is their’s alone

Because, I choose to live in a home with several cats; I maintain a list of all my cats on my refrigerator. Next to their name, I print the title of the lullaby they will identify with. The truth is these days; my cat’s claws are much sharper than my own mind!

Ignoring your cat (avoiding directly staring at him even if he comes out of his comfort zone) is the quickest way for him to relax. If he is hiding under the bed, don’t go diving in after him to pull him out and force him to sit on your lap. Your lap may not survive the experience.

If his litter pans show activity, his food is being consumed and you see the water level in his bowl decreasing. Leave him be. This ignore factor does not apply with sick, injured or otherwise traumatized cats, pregnant queens, or bottle babies. Just with cats who have been to the vet, declared healthy and now have to get used to adjusting to an alien world.

Cat-Proof is Fool Proof-
For the room to be secure it must be cat proofed. Your assignment should you decide to accept it, is to lie down on the floor on your belly and look around. This is pretty much a cat’s eye view of the room. What do you see that could get Willy into trouble; any loose cords hanging (electrical as well as blinds or drapery/curtain cords)? Any small spaces that Willy could get into that might make him inaccessible to you? Are there any cleaning products out? Has the floor been swept good, or the carpet vacuumed?

Look closely then sit up. Now look again. Survey the entire room. Are knick-knacks and breakables removed from tops of shelves and dressers? Does Willy have access to high places like shelves and ramps as well as low-lying places he can just nap? Are there any plants in the room? Are they toxic, or do you know? http://www.aspca.org/ has all the information you need.

Do You Do Windows?
How many windows in the room? Are they secure? Keeping them closed (especially during the warmer part of the year) is not a good option. Pet Proof Screening is tougher than regular screen, but trust me, when a stray cat wants out and starts working at the screen with his claws and teeth, he can get out.

So what do you do? You don’t declaw. Instead, visit a home supply store; Jerry’s, Home Depot, Lowes, or any nursery. You are looking for vinyl trellises. Measure your screen part of your window(s) Buy the vinyl trellis sheet with the small decorative holes, not the larger patterns. Large holes exist for a curious cat or kitten to stick his head into and possibly become stuck, or even wiggle through the entire hole and escape.

Ask the store to cut the sheet to fit your window. Once back home, you need four short screws, and a screwdriver. Fit the sheet into the screened part of the window. Secure a screw in each corner of the window frame, the sheet will bend to fit. Even if Willy is a polydactyl, he won’t be able to escape and you can leave your windows open all the time without fear he will get outside. If you buy the white sheeting, it won’t be so noticeable from the outside.

The Solid Facts-
The standard door to any room is solid wood. Over the years, I have found that instead of closing the door between the cat and the rest of the house, we construct a door to fit using chicken wire and wood (or PVC pipe). The door has latches in the center, but it also has two more latches besides, one at the top and another at the bottom. The chicken wire is small mesh.

The chicken wire door serves several purposes. Instead of shutting the cat away from the smells, the sounds and the pace of the home, it allows the cat to hear and see what is going on. Unless Stray Willy is carrying the plague of the century, if you have other animals, this door allows them to interact without the threat of war. Cats who tend to get over stimulated will simply hide a bit longer until they figure out that nothing but YOU ever come in the door.

You arrive every day on a set schedule to work with the cat, tend to his basic needs and do clean-up patrol. The chicken wire also protects Willy from the snapping jaws of the family dog, little kids prying fingers, excited visitors that just want to see the cat and other cat attacks. You are still able to shut the solid door as well when need be, because the chicken wire door acts just like a screen door does. I have found this system to be infallible for merging the new kitty into the crew. The door is accidently left open one day, kitty slips out, no hisses, no growls- just acceptance by all.

Another advantage, you can see where Willy is hiding before you open the door, preventing his attempt to reenact the Great Hisscape feline-style.

Check it out-
Before you go running out the door to pick up Willy at the vets, take a look at the checklist:

Is the room secured?
Are the windows locked and loaded?
Supply box handy?
two litter pans in the room with unscented clay litter inside?
Food and Water Bowls. Are they filled?
CD Player and harp CD
Enzyme cleaners/rags
Flashlight/batteries
Heavy gloves
Towels and more towels
Rescue Remedy
Lighting
Feliway plugged in (extras on hand)?
Door Secure?

If everything is in place, then it’s finally time to bring Willy home.

What are you waiting for? It’s check-in time!