Hello- Newbie here- caring for a feral

fishtreatsmom

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Howdy, I'm a newbie here. I'm glad I found this site, it looks like a great site.
I have 2 cats at home and feeding a feral outside. He's been meeting me at dusk every day for the past month by the bushes in front of my condo. I can get the bowl of food real close to him (inches) but he's still hissing at me right before he digs in LOL. I am afraid to try to pet him, I had a cat bite that got infected a few months ago and this little guy has not had his shots as far as I know.

Friends, could you tell me if I'm doing the right thing? I'm not supposed to be feeding any animals on my condo grounds, they could fine me. I know our neighborhood has a lot of stray cats, I've seen them come out at night, its pretty sad, they dart in and out grabbing a sip of water after it rains and trying to catch a rat or bird for dinner. I can not put up any shelters for these cats because I do not own any land here. I'm feeding this one cat and now I've come up with a plan to trap and neuter him. The free/low cost clinic is too far for me so I will take him to my local vet and spend nearly $200 for shots/ neutering/ flea treatment.. I'm not even going to tell my husband about this..its all going on my credit card!


Now my question is...should I release him afterwards or try to bring him into the household? My one cat was feral but we found him as a kitten, and even then it took a while to domesticate him. This is an adult, maybe 2 or 3 years old. I am afraid he will turn into a terrorist with the other 2 cats...or vice versa.

I really don't know what to do. Cold weather is coming soon and I really would hate to see this cat...actually any cat face a harsh winter outdoors.
 

tnr1

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Now my question is...should I release him afterwards or try to bring him into the household? My one cat was feral but we found him as a kitten, and even then it took a while to domesticate him. This is an adult, maybe 2 or 3 years old. I am afraid he will turn into a terrorist with the other 2 cats...or vice versa.
Welcome to TCS....I would first get him neutered (make sure the vet treats him like a feral....uses dissolving stitches and also ear tips him) and then make a decision once you have him home. He will need at least day to recover and you can evaluate his "after surgery" behavior. Some people on this site have successfully socialized adults, but it does take time.

Katie
 

jennyr

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You are right to be wary of touching him - I am still undergoing treatment for infected cat bites three weeks after being bitten by a feral whom I had been feeding for six weeks and who would let me pet him while he ate. I neutered him and brought him indoors for recovery and introductions to my cats, but a few days later when I let him out there was a terrible cat fight and in rescuing my cats he attacked me. So do be careful. Certainly neutering is the first stage. But if he is adult, then he will know where to find shelter over the winter, helped by the extra food you are providing. Could you put out something temporary like a cardboard box with straw or paper in it for shelter, somewhere where it will not be obvious and then feed him near it so he knows it is there?
 

tnr1

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Could you put out something temporary like a cardboard box with straw or paper in it for shelter,
Cardboard boxes aren't recommended as they aren't very study and can collapse in a heavy snow or rain. There are a few threads that have examples of some shelters and I would recommend going with one of those options.

Katie
 

jennyr

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Point taken - I was just trying to think of something that would not be noticed by neighbours or supers.
 
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