Feral Cat Rescue Advice Please

These two little beauties are feral and have only known our backyard as home. Mama Kitty brought them here and here they've stayed. Our community thankfully has a TNR program in place; so in the next few days they'll be going in to get "fixed." (These two and probably their daddy cat, who is camera shy.) We have more than these in the feral colony; but we can't rescue them all. :(

These two sisters are inseparable, and the dark gray one in front lets me pet her. Her partner-in-crime will have none of that. They are OK with coming and "hanging out" with us on the patio though, but it took quite a while to make that progress. So, maybe us two-footed creatures aren't all bad.



Any advice on how to take care of them after they come home after surgery (the TNR program requires we pick them up on same day as surgery), or on how to socialize them ....

Any advice about feral cats would be useful!!!!

(I had names picked out for them, but thought I had a male/female combo, but I've been told by the other two footed creature that started this whole thing that they're two females so I'm a gonna have to rethink that whole name thing ...)

Lots of people will tell you that feral cats can't be socialized. I don't believe this to be true.

In 2003, we trapped two ferals, a female approx. 6 months old, and a huge strapping battle-scarred male about 1-2 years old. The male in particular hissed at us for at least 3 months, but at the same time he made no move to try to get back outside into the brutal winter we'd brought him in from. It took him a year and a half to purr for the first time. It took 8 years for him to come on my lap for the first time. He is a big ole' pussycat with us now, at 11 years with us. He greets us at the door and comes to us for attention. He is my proudest feline "accomplishment."

His little sister (or daughter) was a lot easier, and acted as "ambassador" -- he could see that she wasn't so frightened of us after a while. Seems like that could work in your situation too! If you have the patience, you can socialize these two little beauties. Just let them go at their own pace. Regular mealtimes will do wonders.

I remember one thing I did with Agamemnon was to sit as close to him as he'd allow, even if on the floor, and read a book, and let my hand rest near him. We actually had to teach him to play with toys, because he couldn't see the point at first since he couldn't eat them. Now he plays with toys when he thinks we aren't watching. :-)

They're lovely, kudos to you for looking after them. No advice about care, as I have very little feral experience. What I do know is that patience and letting them come to you (and food) is most likely to work. What about Shadow and Smoke for names?

We lured in our feral cat (who became mostly domesticated) with meat table scraps, finally getting her inside the door and 'trapped'. Juanda eventually decided free food, a roof, and warm places beat being on her own. Get them used to you equalling tasty food and repeat as necessary.

They are pretty! I've got no experience with ferals, either - closest we had to a feral was Tucker, and we got him at 8 weeks. His mum (who was probably lost, rather than feral because she was fairly friendly) had her litter in my in-law's chicken coop and he and his siblings were handled a lot. Are you going to bring them inside after their surgery?

I found this page, which looks fairly sensible: http://www.straypetadvocacy.org/socializing_a_feral_cat.html

> 3

What about Shadow and Smoke for names?

Already taken:



(Shadow is on the left, Smoke on the right.)

>6 lilithcat: and they are lovely, too! But they could share their names.

> 7

Yes, they could. I just won't tell them. ;-))

>2 amysisson: & 5 Thanks for your stories. Eons ago (like in another lifetime) I had a kitty who was probably feral; she was born in my roommate's outdoor shed. I ended up taking her with me when I moved into my own apartment, but that was so looooooong ago and it was my roommate who worked with the kittens to get them weaned, adopted and socialized, not me. That cat always had a fierce independent streak (and, to be honest, she did some odd, odd stuff, my roomate's husband said "that little cat isn't wired right!" LOL!) but we became the best of pals back then and she did get used to being a total indoor cat. She was also highly entertaining!

>3 NorthernStar: How funny. I have unofficially been calling the dark gray kitty "Smokey" all this time. I think "Shadow" will work. :)

>4 BruceCoulson: I may be ahead of the game on that one, since the cats have been fed at the same time, same place by same person every day (not me, though) for as long as they can remember.

>5 tardis: Are you going to bring them inside after their surgery?
All but one of the two-footed critters here are OK with the idea of sharing our big four walls with 'em. Ironically, the human who started this - by feeding one stray cat and leaving the food out! - is against the idea. However, one of the advantages to a TNR program (Trap, Neuter, Release) is that the neutered cats - especially if one's a male - will keep away other feral cats. I never knew this before, but apparently cats are very territorial.

We will certainly give them as much TLC as needed (and maybe a little extra) after their surgery. Poor things. Scary enough for a pet cat who actually trusts people to get trapped and taken to the vet.

Thanks for the link, I am going to print that page out.

>6 lilithcat: How pretty! :) I had other names picked out for our set; but that whole "I'm a girl kitty, not a boy kitty" kind of threw a monkeywrench in the whole thing. I was going to go for something literary.

>7 NorthernStar: & 8 LOL!

> 10

Mine are both boys, too. They were taken in off the street as kittens, along with their mom and two sisters, who were adopted separately. They were fostered for several months before I adopted them. Though they took a bit of time to adjust, they snuggle up with me constantly, but are still wary of strangers.

Kitten was born wild to a wild mom (and a very good mother she was) and still shows some wildness after nearly ten years. I convinced him to hang out when he was four or five months old when he came by with his older brothers to eat; the older brothers have since been disappeared. I pretty much let him have his way; he spends very little time indoors and always at his discretion, coming in and out over the porch roof and through my bedroom window (sometimes exiting with me through the kitchen). He has experienced an orchidectomy.

I have read on a serious web site the identity of which is gone from memory that hysterectomies and vasectomies without gonad removal are more likely to leave cats defending their territory. I have had three generations of cats since I got out of the Navy in 1976, and only the first lot was not neutered early. I have had strays come by to share the food I left on my back porch for my own cats. So long as I could afford it they were welcome, and I made being able to afford it a priority. Kitten goes up on the fence and watches.

One of the strays I recognize now will not let me near. The other merely prefers I not be near. Kitten sometimes prefers that I not be near, but he needs a head rub almost every day, and most often comes in when the temperature is unusually low or when the rain is unusually heavy.

I proposed once to the condominium board of directors that we maintain a feral colony with the cats sterilized. They were all dog owners and wouldn't permit it. So we have unsterilized cats. There are cats who can avoid traps. And there are resident managers who shun the cruelty visited upon trapped wild cats. It is something of a mess. If the cats are fed and have some minimal shelter, they can care for themselves except when in extremis.

Robert

>12 Mr.Durick: I've done some research into "feral cats" over the last few days and found that the only thing that really works is the TNR programs. I've come to believe that the TNR way is the most effective and humane way to do things (as long as there is some person who will feed and care for the cats/cat colony). It's a win/win situation - the territorial ferals keep the other ferals away, the feral cats themselves quit reproducing, and also keep down the rodent problem. (Here there's a neighborhood battle with gophers & fruit rats! Since the kitties moved in, that problem has stopped.)

The Humane Society has a video (Scroll down to the bottom of the page)

>1 avidmom:

How wonderful that you are willing to tame these ferals! I would echo what everyone else said about food and sitting with the cats, slowly letting them come to you for treats and, eventually, some nice massage work.

Another thing that we did when we were trying to tame Puss and Boots was to keep them secluded from the other cats in a room for a month and remove all the furniture that they could hide under. That way they were forced to be exposed to us all the time.

Good luck!

k4k

>14 krazy4katz: Thanks!

How are you and the two girls doing?

>16 LMHTWB: Nothing to report yet; their "big day" hasn't come and I had to hold back on "Operation Cat" because I had other places to be the last few mornings and they need to be at the clinic before 11 a.m. So, next week I should have something to report.

*sigh*

I know someone whose cats are called Big Kitty and Little Kitty, and I know another pair called Cat and Other Cat. None of them seem to mind :) Whatever you call them will probably be ok.

Greetings from New Orleans!

I am new to this forum. I just couldn't resist responding after seeing your lovely cat photo. They are little beauties.

I have been around cats all my life. My father spent a small fortune on taking care of stray cats and dogs. I have always done what I can to help out.

The best way to make friends with feral cats is to talk to them when you feed them to get them to trust you. And, the main thing is to always smile and make no sudden movements that might scare them. Most of them eventually will trust you and some will even change completely into docile, loving pets.

I'm glad to see that you're keeping the two cats. Cats have feelings too. People should never separate animals who seem attached to each other.

My husband and I recently saved one of our cats from dying. There has been a terrible outbreak of fleas in this area. Before I realized it one of my cats (a big beautiful 20 pound male Abyssinian/brown tabby mix with soulful green eyes) came down really sick from fleas taking him over. All my other cats were fine. He had a cold a few weeks prior to that but recovered within 2 days. Well, evidently he harbored that cold and it went undetected. His immune system was probably compromised. The vets didn't think he'd survive and had given up on him. Despite the flea medicine treatment the fleas wouldn't leave him alone. My husband and I launched a campaign of using a flea comb several times a day until we got the flea population down to generally finding less than 10 on him any given day. Thank goodness, he never lost his appetite. We gave him canned food with gravy, since his throat was too irritated for dry food. (Nowadays many vets and animal experts recommend that they need some canned food everyday, since dry food can cause digestive problems.) We got him some Nutri-cal, that's vitamins in a tube. It's suppose to boost their appetite. Well, it must do more than that, because he already had an appetite and it wasn't really increased. However, he showed remarkable improvement in less than 24 hours. He was at death's door, but weren't going to give up on him. If I had listened to those vets, they wanted to put him down. I refused. I was going to give him one last chance and do everything I could to save him. Each day he showed remarkable improvement after having been seriously ill for about 5 days. About 3-4 days after we started the treatment he looked like he might make it. A couple more days after that and I knew he was out of the woods. That was 2 and 1/2 weeks ago. He made it! But, we will be ever vigilant and keep up his treatment. It will be very warm weather here sometimes through to November. I've seen fleas in large number generally as late as October. I don't know why the poor animals have to be at the mercy of those little vampires! My cat was always a happy cat and a loving cat. Now he's a reflective and quiet cat. I think he actually realizes he almost died. The other cats acted very strange, they kept their distance, watched him all the time, and they too seem affected by what happened. I certainly hope they all get their happy personalities back. I know for sure that now the cat is well, I plan to contact every one of those vets and give them an earful about the fact that we cured that cat when they couldn't or wouldn't and how we cured him. No one recommended that a simply thing like using Nutri-cal and brushing him several times a day with a flea comb would save that cat's life. Many years ago my father had a very conscientious vet who would go out of his way with each and every animal we brought to him. He had a cure rate of a 100%. The other vets where he worked were jealous that everyone asked for him. Eventually, he left town to start his practice elsewhere. So, we lose a great vet. He once spent 2 days with one of our cats and didn't go home to be sure he survived. He was dying of a liver problem and the fleas had taken him over and in a couple of days he'd become anemic. That vet cured him! I sent him a huge personalized thank you card and a little trophy that said: World's Greatest Vet. The main thing about cats is that they can become seriously ill before you realize it. Unless you monitor them like a hawk, it often takes 2-3 days before you know something definitely isn't right. Often they don't show any or many symptoms before something serious sets in and by then there will be 2-3 things wrong. The fleas will always attempt to swiftly take over a cat if their immune system is the least be compromised.
A really important thing is to make sure cats have a high place off the ground to get away from fleas. Fleas generally stay about 4 feet or less near to the ground. If fleas are around they don;t even want to come down for food and water so their supplies have to be put high up. About the only thing left is the litterbox which has to stay at ground level.

Good luck with your lovely cats.

>9 avidmom: All but one of the two-footed critters here are OK with the idea of sharing our big four walls with 'em. Ironically, the human who started this - by feeding one stray cat and leaving the food out! - is against the idea. However, one of the advantages to a TNR program (Trap, Neuter, Release) is that the neutered cats - especially if one's a male - will keep away other feral cats. I never knew this before, but apparently cats are very territorial.

I used to think that TNR was a dumb idea. Then I moved into a house next to a wooded area. One unspayed feral gave us two litters before we could get her trapped and spayed. I used TNR on her and her offspring. Currently we have three ferals, and no other cats come near. I have no mice, rats, snakes, or other unwanted critters, although I do occasionally see their remains.

The attrition rate is high: five years later, only one of her kittens has survived. :(

As far as socializing goes, the mother ("Momma Cat") has finally allowed me to gently stroke her while she eats...about five years after she showed up! Her only remaining offspring, "Mittsie", allows some stroking, too. The third cat is a tom that showed up one day, battle scarred and in poor health. He made the trip to the spay clinic. They treated his ailments as well as neutering him, and he has become a very affectionate addition to my feral colony.

I agree with the talking part, lots of sitting/squatting nearby as they eat. They used to duck when I'd lightly touch them, but they do allow contact after patience on my part.

>18 Amtep: I don't think cats care what we call them. What did T.S. Eliot say in his Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats? Something along the lines that only the cats know their own name; it's some sort of cat-secret.

>19 Ann_Stiebing: Many thanks for that great story of cat survival & advice! So glad your kitty is Ok and I didn't know that about fleas. Our (mostly) indoor cat - who led a good, long life and went to Kitty Cat Heaven at a pretty old age (19!) - had anemia caused by fleas. The ironic thing is is that we didn't notice any itching on his part, but when we took him to the vet - whammo! There they were! Poor thing.

>20 fuzzi: I think the gestation period for a cat is very short (60 days my animal-loving friend told me - not sure if she's right, though), so it stands to reason it only takes one Mama Cat around & boy do you have a problem!

"Smokey" seems to be the most friendly/courageous of the crew. She will let me pet her while she is eating & occasionally when she isn't eating - but certainly not for very long!

TNR seems to be the only thing that works; simply rounding up the cats and sending them away permanently just creates a "vacuum effect" where other cats simply come in and move in and the problem just perpetuates itself. At least TNR seems to be more of a win/win situation. Cats get a good home, stop making more cats, and take care of the rodent problem.

But still, what a project! o.O

Kitty Update: So after one unsuccessful attempt a few days ago, we managed to get one of the gray kitties into the trap this morning. What I thought was "Shadow" turned out to be her brother, who looks exactly like her - just bigger. So he (not she!) is at the Spay/Neuter Clinic getting his operation and shots. He is so elusive that we refer to him as the "Ever Elusive "Doc" (I named him "Doc" after Doc in Cannery Row. They have the same kind of personality; laid back and smart. :)

The girls have proven to be pretty trap wary. It's a problem!

>23 avidmom: Congratulations on getting one of them! It can be a long process to get them all. I think there is always ONE cat who eludes the traps, no matter what you do. Still, each one you catch is a victory.

Good luck with the rest,

k4k

>23 avidmom: what are you using as "bait"? Tuna fish, either the human or cat variety is usually irresistible.

>25 fuzzi: Tuna is what has worked this morning, although the first cat that we trapped just went straight for normal dry food.

We have used Fancy Feast successfully for many trappings. Of course there are so many varieties. One of our cats is absolutely against any grilled FF, so I would stay away from those. Tuna has worked well.

>27 krazy4katz: Tuna + being hungry seems to be the trick. (I hate tuna, and the smell ....) I watched a video series on socializing feral kittens where the vet described Gerber chicken with gravy baby food as the "...crack cocaine of feral kittens." ! Who knew?



"Doc" was let go yesterday after recovering for a good 24 hours in his little confined space. We opened the door, he meowed a few times at us before leaving - almost as if we had to convince him he could go. Once he figured he could leave, he bolted! He came back later for dinner, though, and has been around the old watering hole when the time's right. Guess he's forgiven us.

>28 avidmom: they forgive you in order to accept your tribute offering of food.

Yay for Doc!

Good luck with Miss Shadow!

AVIDMOM,You rock!!! I've worked with feral rescue for years and feel amysisson had the best advice. But sounds like you're doing awesome. Thank you for being one of the "step up" people who help homeless cats. I've seen many ferals who were socialized and it can take months to years. Even if they never get there you've already enriched their lives.

>29 fuzzi: Yes. I can see it in little "Doc's" eyes in #28 .... "Bow down before me, Silly Human." Muahahahaha.....

>30 Seanie: Thanks.

>31 GirlMisanthrope: Thanks so much! I needed that! I feel badly (that's an understatement!) that we can't rescue every cat and/or kitten that has come our way so I try to concentrate on the ones we are keeping and rescuing and working with. Yesterday Smokey rubbed against me for the first time.... I believe that means I'm hers now. I count it as a major victory. :)

I've seen many ferals who were socialized
I didn't realize it at the time but I did raise a "feral" kitty. Years ago I rented a room from a lady who found a litter of kittens in her shed. She brought them in and all they did was line up next to each other with their backs to the wall and hiss at anybody who came near. I claimed one of them as mine (that's a long story). That little kitty had a little accident and I was so worried about her (and guilty, since it was partly my fault) I put her in the little tiny bathroom we had where we spent some quality time together and just forced my TLC upon her. Muahahaha. When I moved out into my own little studio apartment she came with me. She never did take too kindly to people she didn't know, but to me she was a sweet little lap kitty. :)

>31 GirlMisanthrope: Also, if you can pass any information my way whatsoever I certainly would appreciate it!

>32 avidmom: " ... Smokey rubbed against me for the first time...."

Yep, she's added you to her possessions...

This morning Miss Shadow (the kitty on the right in #1) got into the little trap. She was none too happy about it, and bumped her nose and got a little boo-boo. It bothered us a lot more than her though! She is at the clinic now and in good hands. We'll go get her later today; bring her back, and give her as much TLC as possible.

This month our local Humane Society's cat services are reduced, so for $42 (yes, $42!) the cats can get fixed AND get their vaccines (and their ears tipped, of course, for free). But usually, of course, it's more $$$. It seems that our area and the surrounding cities (some of them very rural, farm/ranch places) are really having a problem with feral cats.The receptionist at the Spay/Neuter Clinic there told me and another lady there, who was bringing in a feral cat of her own, that our local Humane Society is trying to get a more comprehensive TNR program into the area - with low cost spay/neutering for ferals all year 'round.

The lady I was talking to, with her own feral cat, said that the ferals actually started with her neighbor - who started feeding two cats and now has 12 cats! Thankfully this lady, instead of complaining, is pitching in and helping the guy. She said she was so happy to get the little cat she did. The little gal is hardly two years old and has already had 3 litters of kittens!!!

IMHO, ah hem, this is not a "cat" problem, it's an irresponsible human problem!

*grrrrrr*

People!!!!

>35 avidmom: yippee! Good news.

I think it's about $35 for feral spay/neuter here (we have a spay clinic), and that includes the ear tip and the rabies shot.

...it's an irresponsible human problem!

Yep. People complain about the damage/smell from feral animals, but don't want to address the problem: irresponsible humans.

We could euthanize all the strays we could find in an area, but then someone would not neuter their dogs and/or cats, and the problem would start all over.

>36 fuzzi: That's a great deal. Here it's usually $45 for the spay/neuter and then $8 - $16 dollars depending on the shots. Since June is 1/2 off cat services, we've managed to get the cats their rabies, leukemia, and distemper vaccines for $42.

We could euthanize all the strays we could find in an area, but then someone would not neuter their dogs and/or cats, and the problem would start all over.

Yep. Sadly, there's no cure for stupidity.
OR laziness.

>37 avidmom:

Yes. But what keeps us going is knowing how much worse it would be if we did NOT take such steps! We have seven rescues of our own plus have moved others on to new homes. When I think how many kittens we've kept from being conceived, I'm encouraged.

Yep. I've had to learn that you really have to concentrate on the ones you DO/CAN save instead of the one's you can't. Like that corny Starfish on the beach story ....

Shadow seems to be recovering nicely. We were worried because she wasn't eating or drinking, but a few minutes ago we offered some people-sliced roast beef. That seemed to do the trick. She's still not eating a lot, but she is starting to look interested. :)

She seems to be wide awake and not in any pain.

She is purring a lot; which I recently learned is - sometimes, when the cat is sick and/or stressed - the equivalent to a little kid sucking its thumb. Poor baby :(

While Shadow was at the clinic, I mopped our laundry room floor since the laundry room is now some sort of cat convalescence center. Smokey, her sister, crossed the threshold for the first time ever. She was looking for her sister I'm sure.

Fingers crossed, I'm hoping she's next kitty in ...

Hide and Seek Kitties!

BAT KITTY! LOL!

We have some baby cats in amongst our collection. We can't tell our little black kitties apart; they're like little twins. This one made up into the big cat trap this AM (with a little help from my son, who gave Kitty a little encouragement in the form of a little pat on the tail-end and then simply closed the door behind him.)

I realized we had been referring to the little black cats as "the little black kitties" and had not really named them so we had to figure out a name for the poor little guy (or gal) before he - or she - went in.

Meet "Midnight."
He's a boy.
And quiet as a church mouse is in his new digs, although he did register his protest loudly when we went to bring him back!

We're hoping to work with our kittens and get them into a forever home. :)

OK. So that's 3 down and 3 to go!

Oy vay!!!!

All of the feral kittens that literally seemed to drop out of the sky into our backyard one day are all black - except this one. My niece said "That's the mailman's kitty!";)
We call him "BOO KITTY"!



My cheap-y phone camera doesn't do his sky-blue eyes justice.

>44 avidmom:

Oh my goodness, that one shouldn't have any problem getting adopted!!!!!

>44 avidmom: He'll be the hardest to get adopted. Someone else here has fallen in love with him!!! XD

Hmm sky-blue eyes and those markings... looks like a seal-point birman. You might have a purebred kitten there :)

Wikipedia example:

He certainly could pass for a purebred!

I noticed because I had one of my own :) This is my best photo of her:



and this is the second best:

>49 Amtep:
That second one is certainly a good picture of your kitty, even if you can't very much of her.

Ha ha ha, those are great 48 and 49. And 44: I agree, what a gorgeous kitten!

IMO its not likely that gorgeous bub is a Birman, quite possible it has a Birman or Ragdoll or Siamese somewhere in its ancestry, but possible that it doesn’t as well as pointed cats can occur randomly – I mean the pointed breeds came from somewhere so the pattern must occur naturally :)

Either way it’s an absolutely gorgeous kitten & pedigree lookalikes are often just as special as the ‘real deal’ :)

>52 Seanie: Having seen and rescued purebred show-quality persians that were picked up wandering on the streets, nothing would surprise me. There are all kinds of purebreds that get dumped outside for various stupid reasons.

>49 Amtep: Love those pics. Both cats are beautiful. Was your little birman picking out her next read there? ;)

>51 anna_in_pdx: Thank you.

>52 Seanie: He is most definitely not a pure-bred anything. His mama was a little Tuxedo cat and daddy was ???? He is the little "ugly duckling" (ha!) here among all his black kitty brothers.

It is fascinating how he could look so different from anyone of his litter mates. I was told that it is possible for kittens out of the same litter to have different fathers.

>53 LMHTWB: There are all kinds of purebreds that get dumped outside for various stupid reasons.
That's a horrible but true fact.

Once again, I reiterate...

People!!! grrrrrrrrr

>53 LMHTWB:

Goes for dogs too. A few years ago I found a cocker spaniel puppy limping across the road -- definitely purebred, even had a docked tail, so he certainly wasn't born in the wild. Poor little guy had a slight fracture in his paw, a cut on his head, burrs in his coat, and those eye "cherries" common to the breed.

Happy ending, though -- we can't bring dogs home as we have seven cats, but we have an agreement with our vet that we can bring any animal we find, no questions asked, because she knows we will pay for all the medical and find at least a temporary home for it. The local cocker spaniel rescue group was willing to foster him, although we had to wait a bit -- we boarded that little guy for 3 weeks, and had all his surgery (eyes and neuter) done during that time.

I couldn't believe this gorgeous little purebred pup was out there on his own!

>44 avidmom: - whatever his ancestry, he is a lovely kitten! I've always believed that mixed breeds (cat or dog) usually make the best pets. I think a lot of Siamese crosses are black, so it is not too surprising that one kitten would throw back to that Siamese ancestry.

>55 amysisson: That little guy was lucky that YOU found him!!!

>56 NorthernStar: Interesting about the Siamese crosses being black. I always think of Siamese as cream colored with blue eyes. I don't know much about cats at all!!!!

Except that Kitty Treats = Kitty Friends. ;)
And food = trust.

That much I've figured out. LOL!

About five years ago a gray tabby feral gave birth to four kittens: two black and two Siamese. I will try to dig up a picture...

Colour genetics in cats are fascinating! Crazy & confusing, but fascinating :)

Lots of interesting info & colour charts here: http://messybeast.com/colour-charts.htm

>59 Seanie: Thanks for the link. That IS crazy and confusing.

>59 Seanie: love that link, thanks. :)

If it falls asleep on your lap or wants a tummy rub - you've won! http://messybeast.com/feralkit.htm
:)

Yep, I have won Midnight who rolled over on his back this evening fully expecting his tummy rubbed.
The plot was to tame him and give him away..... this whole "tame the feral kittens so that they can go to a good home - that is not ours" scheme is backfiring on me.

>62 avidmom: congratulations on your success with Midnight!

>62 avidmom: it usually does backfire, lol.

>62 avidmom:

A lady in our neighborhood started looking after a cute feral kitten. It's name is now "Keeper".

>63 NorthernStar:- >64 fuzzi:

It's amazing what a little wet canned food at the end of a spoon & some kitty treats will do. The kicker is that his little twin brother, "Blackie" gets a bit jealous so now he wants some affection too. My biggest challenge is "Boo" (in #44).

Both kitties are heading to the clinic (hopefully) in the very, very near future. (Like tomorrow if all goes according to plan!)

>65 suitable1: How funny!

Blackie (we're thinking of renaming him Bagheera) made it to the clinic yesterday - not in a trap - but in a carrier. He did not get his ear tipped. He's a real pussycat now. All he wanted this morning when we let him go was a mountain of affection. :)

BOO KITTY is also coming around, and has decided that a little scratch behind the ears is a very good thing. So are tummy rubs.

He's next to go get "fixed" ......

Yay for Blackie/Bagheera :)

Good luck Boo Kitty!

Love Boo's coloring...

So beautiful!

Avidmom, just out of curiosity, why did he not get his ear tipped? I thought that was routine for ferals/strays who got altered. My Lexi who I adopted from the ASPCA is ear-tipped.

Thanks for the love you give these kitties!

>68 Seanie: -70 Thanks everybody. Boo is beautiful and he's turning out to be a really sweet kitty. The black kitties, IMO, are beautiful too, they're just not quite as photogenic yet.

>71 framboise: Most of the cats/kitties we've taken to the clinic were truly feral - nobody could touch them or handle them. But "Blackie" would let me pet him, then pick him up, then he'd let other people pet him. He even let my cousin who came to visit pick him up. So, when I took him to the clinic in a cat carrier, not a trap, and explained to the lady there that he was a feral kitten who I had tamed (and she was skeptical and said that sometimes feral kittens will behave well for one person, but nobody else), she said that if he acted like a feral kitten when his turn came around, they would tip his ear, but if he didn't, he wouldn't get his ear tipped. I assume he was "good" for the people in the clinic since he still has both pointy ears.

We're happy about it, because it's very hard to tell him apart from his little twin, and now we can!!! HA!

Hopefully, "Boo" will prove himself a tamed kitty too; I certainly would hate to see him get his ear tipped!

Blackie?
Bagheera?

Hmmm .......

Nice picture!

It makes me very happy to hear about your progress with the kittens! I love the name Bagheera, but Blackie is nice too. And both black kittens and Boo Kitty are beautiful!

>74 al.vick: Thank you. It took some doing to get a good pic. of that little guy! "Blackie" is just a little lovebug too ...

>75 NorthernStar: Four of the six cats/kitties we decided that can stay here have been fixed/vaccinated! There's still much more to be done, but you really have to look at the glass half full or else .....

Love Scooter's message. We've been pickin' some berries 'round here lately ...

http://blog.theanimalrescuesite.com/scooter-neutered/?utm_source=faceaff&utm...

Love it :)

>78 Seanie: So cute & funny, right? And boy, is it TRUE.

Our problems here with the over-exploding cat population in our neighborhood and our backyard started a few doors down. By the time that family moved and the house was empty of two-footed critters, I spotted Animal Control over there trapping cats and removing them at least every other day for about two weeks. Another neighbor here said that the cat count over there was 30. So, I think our little feral(s) came from there and the little unfixed felines.

Boo made it into the cat carrier today and is now having, um, his berries picked. :)

So, of the 6 cats/kittens we set out to fix/vaccinate this summer, Boo will be #5!

>80 avidmom: of the 6 cats/kittens we set out to fix/vaccinate this summer, Boo will be #5!


Yippee!

Hooray for Boo!

And to you for looking after him and the rest!

Boo is sooooooooooo cute, I want him! :P

>81 fuzzi:-83 Thanks all, a Two Footed Creature is at the clinic to get him right now. I hope he does well spending the night in his little carrier.

>83 .Monkey.: He is a very shy little boy; he had been really coming around to the idea of getting ears scratched and his tummy rubbed and now he'll let you pet him a little - then run a few feet away - lay down, turn on his side and "meow" like "hey, why did you stop!?" Wait for you, let you pet him some more - and then run away again and repeat his little antics. I can't figure out what that means in terms of kitty cat behavior!

awwww........

Speaking of bonds ... On the day Bagheera (Blackie) was let lose a few weeks ago after his little surgery, his little twin bro, Midnight gave him a little hug with his back paws. It cracked me up so I took a picture.

Love that feral cat poem avidmom!

Minerva from The Cat Corner was a feral cat & of all the cats I've encountered there, there's only been one other that I felt more connected to (lil Symphony wasn't feral but was quite ill from a very young age & she decided I was her human, even tho I couldn't take her home, she made sure I knew she was my cat for the short lil life she had), Minerva makes me feel like I'm really doing something right when she lets me know she wants pats or cuddles from me, especially as I know she's not that affectionate with other humans, its like I've gained her trust & that's a pretty good feeling IMO :)

>84 avidmom: Hahaha, I think it means he's your typical goofball cat, always wanting what's not "available" and leaving once it is! It's like the open/closed door, if it's open they ignore it, if it's closed they want on the other side, and if you let them to the other side and close it again... ;P

>87 Seanie: I know what you mean, Seanie. It feels like you've really accomplished something. A few months ago, when the little black twins were smaller, they'd run as soon as they'd see me. Fast forward to now and as soon as I go outside Bagheera (Blackie) meows and comes up to me for some affection. (OK, lots of affection!) You'd never know he started off as a little "wild" thing.

>88 .Monkey.: Yep! Boo meowed and meowed all morning to get out of his carrier. I was about to let him out, but had to take my son to school (which is a 40 minute round-trip for me!) so I thought I'd let him out as soon as I got back. I got back and guess what ..... as soon as I got back he curled up and went to sleep. HA!

I had to share a little success story here.

Over the last few weeks, I have checked to see if Bagheera would enjoy a few minutes of being a "lap kitty." So after dropping big kid off at school (on the days when I don't have to go to work), I would head out to the back yard and pick Bagheera up and sit down with him. He very much enjoyed being a lap kitty - he would purr and knead and drool a little - but I had to put him there.

This morning when I sat down in my favorite chair on the patio, he jumped into my lap.

And now Bagheera owns me!

*sigh*


(still the best picture I have of him so far)

Love it!!!!!!

Yay! :)

Awwwww! :))

Little Bagheera may just work himself into a job as a house kitty .......... :)

Men & kittens ..... :)

http://blog.theanimalrescuesite.com/menmeetkittens/?utm_source=social&utm_me...

>95 avidmom: Like!!! :)

>95 avidmom: Real Men! I love it when the guy says "Do you need my help?"

Awwwww this is the sweetest thing I have seen all day.

My 88-year-old Dad is a farmer, and he mentioned to a friend that he needed a cat to help control mice. They brought him three! We were told they were all adolescent females.

I arrived for a visit about a week later, and Dad was concerned that the farm would become a kitten factory with the kittens not being able to make it through the winter. I told him the cats were his responsibility now, and he couldn't just let them breed and have kittens freezing or starving to death. However, being a farmer, he has never paid a vet for pet care in his life, so I told him I would pay. All three are "fixed" now, although we found out one was a boy! We never even looked! One of the little girls was already pregnant when the friend brought them out to the farm...I'm not so happy about the abortion, but there is no way Dad could have kept the kittens alive this winter, so it's for the best. There were already two stray/feral/wild tomcats hanging around the farm, so the other little girl would have soon been pregnant, too.

>100 dkhiggin: Good for you, those cats now have a good home, and aren't going to spend their lives creating litter after litter of unwanted kittens.

>99 anna_in_pdx: Imagine what the world would be like if everybody thought that way!

>100 dkhiggin: Good for your dad helping the kitties who are helping him. This whole cat thing is new to me, but I've learned a few things 1) they breed like rabbits! Female cats are "opportunistic ovulators." So, if you've got a male and female, you're almost guaranteed to have babies sooner or later!!! 2) cats are not selective either; they inbreed which can cause a lot of genetic problems.

Thank God you stepped in and helped your dad!
Let me tell you, it's no picnic to deal with an overpopulation of cats!

Today is National Feral Cat Day. A year ago today I didn't even know what a feral cat was!

http://www.aspcapro.org/blog/2014/10/16/why-are-conversations-about-free-roaming...

So beautiful! so calm! A pet! Not feral anymore! :)

My poor Samantha, adopted from the humane society several years ago, who was traumatized for many years, is now calm enough to stay on my lap when my stepsons and their friends traipse through the house, and she even let one of their girlfriends pet her this weekend. It feels so good that she has mellowed so much. (The first entire two weeks of her life with me were spent under my dresser.)

>105 anna_in_pdx: Thank you. Our "Bagheera" is a real sweetie - to me - as long as no other kitties or humans are around. He had been jumping on my lap for a few weeks ... and then, I don't know, I think I was hurting his reputation as a Cool Cat. Because now he's all kinds of sweet and affectionate, if we're alone! Cracks me up. I've tried coaxing him into the house, little by little, because I would love for him to be an indoor kitty (healthier and safer), but he is NOT having it.

Give him time. :)

>58 fuzzi: this is also a placeholder/reminder to look up the Siamese and black siblings' photo. It's not on my iPad...

>107 fuzzi: I believe it; Bagheera and Boo (>67 avidmom:) are brothers.

Here is the picture I was referring to in post >58 fuzzi::


(Left to right: Momma Cat, Mouse, Priscilla, Watson/Scaredy Cat, Yang and Ying)

The tabby mother is on the far left. The two black and two Siamese colored offspring are on the right. The others (long haired tabby and pinto) are from the tabby's first litter. Not showing is the tuxedo female (Mittsie) also from the first litter.

Of the eight kittens and mother cat I only have two left: Momma Cat and Mittsie, not shown here. I also have a male (now neutered) tuxedo that showed up about two years ago. Attrition is high. :(

Aww... what cuties.

Attrition is high. :(

We haven't lost too many yet (2) but it's still heartbreaking.

What a lovely thread, and avidmom, kudos to you for taking care of those feral babies and neutering them. We used to have many feral cats in our neighborhood; once saw a three-week-old kitten in the street JUST in time to slam on the brakes and not run over her. Took her home; she never quite gave up her feral ways but she was still a good kitty. Good thing I don't know how to embed photos here or I would force you to admire pictures of my current cats...

>111 AmourFou: Thank you, but really I was kind of dragged into this whole thing kicking and screaming. And now I'm the biggest sucker there is! HA! I would love to see your kitties. :)

I plan on posting more pics. here and update the continuing saga of the kitties here, but I gotta figure out how to get the pics. off the new fancy camera into the computer first.

avidmom, usually there is a USB cable that connects your camera to the computer. Unless yours is so fancy that it's wireless, then I think you have to set it up via your computer network. Good luck with that!

>113 AmourFou: I'm working on it; thankfully I have techie kids around. Now, if we could only find the USB cable (LOL!)

So, here's an update on our little Kitty City in our backyard.

This whole thing started in June with us trying to TNR some (not all, sadly) of the feral cats in our back yard. Smokey, Doc, and Shadow had been with us since their Mama brought them to our back yard; we felt obligated to do right by them. Shadow and Doc were trapped and "fixed" (>28 avidmom: and >40 avidmom:). When the moonlight hits Shadow just right, she practically glows in the dark. We've "renamed" her Moonshadow. She stays close to home and is still pretty people wary. She shocked me this morning, however, when she seemed to get as close to me as possible and practically ask for a pet. Doc is still "ever elusive" but comes every morning, and late at night to eat and play with the kittens. (I have a feeling he is Smokey's baby daddy.)

Smokey remained our biggest challenge, and she seemed to be hanging out in our back yard less and less. Then in July, I thought I spotted another grey kitten! I thought I was hallucinating due to an overabundance of Kitty Cat induced Stress; but no, Smokey (while we were trying earnestly to get her TNR'd) had become a Mama and boy, was she good at hiding the fact! First, there was one little grey kitty; then two, then three, then FOUR! Four. For a while, it was hard to count, since 2 look like little twins. We never could get Smokey. The last time we saw her she looked terribly ill. We determined to take her to a vet. Unfortunately, she disappeared before we could get a hold of her and we haven't seen her since. We have pretty good reason to believe that she is no more on the Earth. :(

In the middle of July, while I was cleaning out the traps in the backyard; the neighbor's live-in girlfriend, who I hadn't met until then, told me about her cat. A long haired grey Persian, "Dexter," who tended to wander outside quite a bit. She told me that he had a collar, was fixed and had all his shots. She was afraid he'd get inadvertently trapped. I was so glad she told me, but I never did see her cat. A few weeks after that, I noticed an ambulance at the neighbor's house. I was told that Dexter's mommy has Stage 3 cancer and was being taken to the hospital. After that, we did see a strange cat in our yard. We asked the neighbors and sure enough, it was Dexter. Dexter wonders into our back yard all the time. He has all but moved in with us. He is not feral; he is a sweetheart and a genuine pain in the a**. He will jump on any lap available and is ready to move into the house, or the car, depending on what door is opened at the time. (Dexter was named after the monkey in the original "Night At The Museum" movie, it's a pretty fitting name for him. LOL!)

We had a bit of a slow down with our TNR project in September. School started and my senior high school kid has a bit of a commute now to school; I play taxi and put a few hours of work in at my own school. Two weeks after school started, an old family friend of my uncle's called around Labor Day to let us know that my uncle had been put into the hospital. Not long after that, my uncle called and told us he had been diagnosed with Stage 4 lung cancer. He passed away last Friday. Still, in the middle of all this drama, we managed to get three of the four grey kitties fixed. Better yet, I've managed to get 3 of the 4, "sweetened up."

A few weeks ago Midnight, (aka "Captain Midnight") disappeared and we haven't seen him since. We miss him; I even think Bagheera misses him. Our neighborhood is a pretty quiet one, not a lot of traffic, but still .... There are dangers out there. Then again, a part of me hopes someone just took Midnight in. A week after Midnight went AWOL, we had one of our kitties, "Sweet Tea", fixed, he escaped from his carrier (!). It didn't seem to make on bit of difference, and he recovered like nothing ever happened. Then, a week later, HE disappeared! He was gone for a few days, and then, on the very day one of the other grey kitties was at the clinic getting fixed, guess who showed up! We were so happy. He's been here, and accounted for, every day since.


Bagheera, Rikki-Tikki (Mr. Rikki) and Teddy Bear
(those last two names came about because 1) I had just finished reading Rikki-Tikki Tavi in the Jungle Book; and 2)watching "The Roosevelts" on PBS.


We had been calling this little gal "Smokey Junior" but felt like she had to have a different name after Smokey left us. She is the only girl kitty out of the litter. All of her bros. are OK with getting love on ... but not Miss Independence here. We call her "Princess." She's next on the list on four-legged felines to get fixed. (Fingers crossed and all that.)

Thanks for the update.

Sorry to hear about Smokey.

Of Momma Cat's babies that are gone, only three were declared dead, and buried: an unnamed kitten who was run over in the driveway, Mouse (waaah!!), and Little Girl, aka Ying. The others just disappeared. It's been about 5 years, so I don't think any of them will be back. :(

Awww...... :(

I think the hardest thing with Smokey is that we could have gotten her help and got her healthy again, but literally couldn't get a hold of her since she seemed to regress to more feral after her kitties were born. With Midnight, it's just the not knowing (then again, I can talk myself into he just found a home somewhere else....)

Even if their little kitty lives were short, at least they had a few "hoomans" around trying to give them a good life.

>117 avidmom: that's what I take comfort in: you give them food, shelter, and peace, if only for a short while. :)

>119 avidmom: love that pic!