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A dry equivalent to Churus?
I’m looking for a dry equivalent to Churus… something I can carry around with me, open when I need some, and close again.
Here’s the background: B.G. came into our lives as a feral cat who frequented our yard. My wife decided to rescue her, and over time she gained B.G.’s trust enough to pick her up. We got her checked out by a vet and then put her in a cage until we could figure out how to integrate her into the household.
Then life happened. My wife got sick and eventually died. B.G. was still in the cage, and with my wife gone, had no friends in the world. When I reached into the cage to pet her, she fled to the far corner.
I eventually got B.G. comfortable with me. She’d call to me when I went by if she wanted attention. If she climbed to a particular spot in her cage, I knew she wanted to cuddle. I’d put her on my shoulder like burping a baby and press my ear against her side while I petted her and she purred. After while I’d turn to face away from the cage, and when she was ready, she’d jump back in over my shoulder.
But I didn’t want her to live out her life in a cage. A few months ago I decided to let her out in the morning and trust hunger to bring her back to the cage at night. (“Out” means free in the house. None of my cats go outside.)
But the moment she realizes that I’ve opened the cage’s floor-level door to let her out, a switch flips in her brain, and she’s feral again. She slinks by me, avoiding my touch, and goes to sniff the air coming in under the front door. Then she makes an elaborate circuit of the area around the cage, and disappears into another room where there are hiding places. Often I don’t see her again until dinner time.
My vet suggested that I get her used to interacting with me outside the cage by offering her Churus. “They’re like crack for cats,” he said. “They can’t resist it.” B.G. is interested, and sometimes approaches me closely enough to take a nibble, but that’s as far as she will go. It’s going to take a lot of conditioning to overcome this.
Meanwhile, I’m going through Churus rapidly. After she takes a lick or two — or more often, doesn’t — I have to throw the stick out before it spoils. I can keep it a couple of days in the fridge, but when I see her and go to get it, she’s usually gone when I come back.
So I’m looking for a Churu substitute that I can pull out of my pocket when I need it, and put back when I’m done. Any ideas?
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16 Replies
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hi that makes total sense man. Churus dry out fast once opened. You might try freeze dried treats like PureBites or Vital Essentials they dont spoil and cats love the texture. You can crush them a little and keep in small jar or pocket pack. It worked great with my shy cat too when I was building trust slowly. You are doing awesome with B.G. really.
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Thank you. I’ve ordered some of each, and we’ll see what she thinks.
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Hi Jonathan,
Thank you for adopting B.G., and I’m sorry to hear about the loss of your wife.
I completely agree with your vet’s recommendations, and here are a few alternatives to Churu that you might consider:
1. ZIWI Peak Air-Dried Mackerel and Lamb https://cats.com/ziwi-peak-cat-food-review
2. Freeze-Dried Cat Food https://cats.com/best-freeze-dried-cat-food
3. Cooked Food – Options like roast chicken, lamb, or beef strips can appeal to a feral cat, as they are used to hunting outdoors.
You can also engage B.G. in a “Find the Treat” game by tossing the air-dried or freeze-dried food away from your body. You can reward her when she returns to you for more treats. This method gives her the choice and control to interact with you without pressure.
Another effective approach for feral or skittish cats is using a target stick. Target training can be beneficial as it focuses on low-stress, positive reinforcement techniques. This method teaches the cat to follow a visual cue, helping her become more comfortable with your presence without force.
I hope this advice is helpful to you. Keep up the great work!
All the best,
Melina
cats.com
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Thank you to both of you. As I said, I ordered some of the treats that Jahangir suggested; they’ve just arrived, and I have yet to try them out. I’ll keep Melina’s additional suggestions in case the first two don’t pan out. Apart from that, tossing the treats is a great suggestion, and I’m going to try that. I don’t know what a target stick is, but I’m going to look it up.
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Fantastic, Jonathan! Let me know if you need a hand with anything else.
Melina
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BTW, I added all of my cats to my profile today, if you’d like to take a look.
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B.G. is stunning and a little cautious. Bless you and the rest of the clowder.
Feel free to check out our fur babies as well.
Have a lovely Sunday
Melina
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A quick update: I haven’t had a chance to try the freeze dried treats yet. About the time they arrived I started having a bad attack of arthritis — my first ever — and for the present I can’t get down on the floor, even kneeling, which rules out that kind of interaction with a cat. I hope this changes.
But last night I got out a cat wand with a feather at the end to try to rouse one of my other cats to some physical activity. I bumped into B.G. on the way and gave her a swish with the feather. She was captivated! Micro, who is still somewhat kittenish, was attracted by the action, and for a minute they were almost playing together. This may be the breakthrough I was looking for.
I’m sure the treats will help too, as soon as I’m physically able to engage her with them again.
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Thank you for your update. I’m sorry to hear about your arthritis pain. Once you purchase the treats and target stick, I recommend the one we use, available here: https://www.petnurture.com.au/product/catventure-training-target-stick-with-built-in-clicker. This will help you avoid bending down as much. Additionally, playing with a feather toy always brings out the hunter in our cats, so please keep up the great work!
Best regards,
Melina
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This reply was modified 3 months ago by Melina.
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This reply was modified 3 months ago by
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Thank you for your kind words! If you don’t mind, I’d like to make a left turn and ask an unrelated question. This is about B.G., our adopted feral. The morning routine (for both her and Micro) is: when I get up I feed them. After I eat breakfast I figure they’re done eating as much as they will (Micro clean plate, B.G. not so much) And I give them Greenies to help keep their teeth clean. Another little and I let them out.
B.G. is quiet until I feed her. She will squawk for attention when I walk by, but that’s all. As soon as she gets food, before she even starts eating, she started crying… “Waaa… waaa… waaa…” every three or four seconds. I’m tempted To say swhe doesn’t stop until she’s let out. Not quite true, but she’s very persistent.
What is she doing? I can understand wanting to get out of the cage, but something more is going on, or she’d eat at least a little bit first… not start crying the moment I feed her. The noise gets on my nerves, and I worry that something is making her really unhappy.
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I appreciate your patience
I think she’s excited about feeding time and showing her excitement, although it’s a bit hard to tell without seeing a video of her actual behaviour or at least the context.
I hope that helps
Melina
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I’ll try to get a video. It will be hard because her behavior changes when she knows I’m near. In fact I don’t think I’ve ever seen her DO this… I’ve just heard it, and between timing and ruling out other possibilities, I’ve determined that it must be her.
On the food front, I’ve tried to offer B.G. treats several times now. It doesn’t work well. First, because the moment I open the container, Micro materializes nearby and tries to get them. I have keep shooing her away while simultaneously encouraging B.G. to approach. It must be very confusing to a being who doesn’t understand what I’m saying as I do it.
On a couple of occasions I’ve been able to offer B.G. treats when Micro wasn’t around to interfere. She’s very interested, but also very cautious. She comes close, sniffs them, and looks at them from all angles. But she doesn’t eat them. “They LOOK like food, but… why is he holding them like that?”
I’ve discovered one interesting aspect of her behavior: sometimes she climbs into the cage just because she wants me to pick her up. Outside the cage, though, she still won’t let me get close to her.
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@melina This is a response to your suggestion that I get a recording of B.G.’s crying. I’ve got one now, but I don’t see anything like an Upload button in the forum. How can I get it to you?
And an update: a couple of days ago B.G. came into my office, where two of my other three mostly hang out. It was only the second time she has done that. The first time she came just past the doorway, looked around, and retreated. This time she came the length of the room, sat down by the sliding glass door, and spent some time looking out. She wouldn’t accept an offered treat, though — she was MUCH too far from her cage for that to be safe! She walked right by me (and the treat) when she left again.
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yesterday I encountered b.g. during the day and offered her a dry treat. Again she sniffed it but wouldn’t take it. I dropped it on the floor, and she went right after it. Then I offered her another, and she took it out of my hand — twice in a row! I think I’m making some progress.
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That’s fantastic! Keep it up!
Melina
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Condolences to you regarding your profound loss. Love and ligjt to yo7 and yours.
Blue Buffalo Tastefuls 3oz pureed pouches that open and close with the twist of a cap. All my cats love them. Being able to open and close them is fantastic.
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