Need help with traumatized, special needs kitty

[RosieVigo]

The other day I decided to bring home a pair of cats that were displaced in a house fire. Both of them are prone to hiding, but the boy has warmed up and is already proving to be a friendly lap cat.

However, the girl has a twisted hind leg from birth and also had to be revived after the fire. She's definitely fearful and probably PTSD. I did not get much useful information at all from the shelter, but now that they're home the reality is setting in. It almost feels like she's given up after dealing with the physical handicap, a trauma, and a year at the shelter. I'm sure she needs time to adjust, and I'm trying to give her space and comfort... But I'm not sure if there's anything I can be doing to help her come out of hiding and to trust me. Does anyone have experience and dealing with the fearful cat?

I will be taking them for a check up in about a week and look forward to getting input from the vet, just looking for ways to reduce all of our stress until then.

I've owned cats before and I have volunteered at shelters working with adoptable and ill cats. It's just so different to be the sole caretaker

[SissysMomma2016]

hello
i right now have a scared cat as well. she was a feral cat that i feed for almost 2 yrs (shes fixed) and she was still scared of me touching her and petting her till one day i found her paralyzed hip down, looking so lifeless and starved (missing for 4 days), pee and poo all over herself ect. i managed to get her in (clawed and bit all over me bc she was so very scared and still feral) got her cleaned up and on antibiotics.
she was hard to brake. she still hides under the bed everyday. but she does come out at night when its quite and she will watch tv in my lap or just watch me walk around. i even put her in a child stroller, pretty funny, bc she cant walk with me so i push her around the house.
but befor i got her that far let me tell you all i had to do to turn her from feral cat who was so scared she personally wanted to die to a good indoor cat.
so what helped was that she couldnt walk. so i had her in the bath tub. and everytime i went in i would love on her and then i started to wrap her up in a towel to hold her. (towel mainly so i dont get clawed up lol) Then i started to have the towel open while holding her and it took a week befor she started to like it/purr. but the hardest but best thing i did was at night; she would cry out (im guessing bc she was lonely and missed her family) so between 1am and 3am i would literly sit in the bathroom with her and hold her and pet her, express her bladder and TALK to her. (spent sleepless nights with her for 2 weeks straight) talking is really helpful. reason is bc that was her normal interacting time when living out doors w/ my other cats.
after 2 weeks of healing she learned how to jump/claw her way out the tub. and found a new area under the bed. but she is now not so feral. and she comes out at night. and she lets me hold her and express her bladder. and she calls for me when shes lonely or bored. but it takes personal time. lots of it. you want her/him to get used to seeing you and talking to you. then for her to look forward to you. and i broke my cat by spending 2-3 hrs at night with her. it sounds crazy but that was the only time i saw that she had the energy and desire to deal with me. then she expected it. still till this day she hides under the bed. but she is better and talks to me. best of luck.

[critters]

I have a boy who was a house feral for years. I never pushed him, and eventually he came around. Now he's the best boy I have!