Got the neuter date set...but where's the feral?

fishtreatsmom

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Ok...I'm gonna do it...Yesterday I called the vet and set the date for Friday. But last night when I went to feed the cat he wasn't there! Either he overheard me through the kitchen window talking to the vet or something happened. My stomach is turning wondering what might have happened. I went every half hour till 9 pm to see if the food was still there and it was.
I've become rather attached to him and even told my kitties about Mr. Cat coming in and staying in the spare bedroom. I'm ready to cry.
 

tnr1

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Originally Posted by FishTreatsMom

Ok...I'm gonna do it...Yesterday I called the vet and set the date for Friday. But last night when I went to feed the cat he wasn't there! Either he overheard me through the kitchen window talking to the vet or something happened. My stomach is turning wondering what might have happened. I went every half hour till 9 pm to see if the food was still there and it was.
I've become rather attached to him and even told my kitties about Mr. Cat coming in and staying in the spare bedroom. I'm ready to cry.
Don't get disheartened....what I would do is borrow a humane trap and set it up. That way, you don't have to be "right there" to look for him. Use some warm de-skinned KFC....I've heard that cats cannot resist KFC. I'm sending good trapping vibes...this boy deserves a neuter.


Katie
 
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fishtreatsmom

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He's back!! Don't know where he went yesterday...hope he wasn't busy making kittens!


He was really hungry, I warmed up some food for him as it's getting cold outside. My stomach is tied in knots. I hope I can trap him tomorrow night. I have a spare bedroom to put the trap in, I hope he doesn't yowl all night and scare my resident cats and keep us up all night.

So many things are going through my mind. What if he tests positive for FIV or Feline Leuk...? What if I can't tame him? What if he tears my place upside down?

Right now I can't pet him, he;s hissy and I'm afraid he'll bite me. I do have one of those bamboo backscratchers and I am able to scratch his head with it so that is a good sign I think.
 

ipw533

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He's back!! Don't know where he went yesterday...hope he wasn't busy making kittens!

He was really hungry, I warmed up some food for him as it's getting cold outside. My stomach is tied in knots. I hope I can trap him tomorrow night. I have a spare bedroom to put the trap in, I hope he doesn't yowl all night and scare my resident cats and keep us up all night.

So many things are going through my mind. What if he tests positive for FIV or Feline Leuk...? What if I can't tame him? What if he tears my place upside down?

Right now I can't pet him, he;s hissy and I'm afraid he'll bite me. I do have one of those bamboo backscratchers and I am able to scratch his head with it so that is a good sign I think.
First of all, don't try to trap him inside the house--trap him outside where he's comfortable. Bait the trap with something really smelly--anchovies work well with me.

He'll panic when he recognizes that he's been trapped. He'll freak out and try to break out until he figures out that there is no way out. Then he'll calm down.

Take the trap (with him in it) to your spare bedroom--cover it with towels. This will keep him calm. Remove the food if you can--if he's to be neutered he'll need to be anesthetized, and that's better done on an empty stomach.

Don't worry about him or your other cats--if he remains in the trap isolated from them all will remain calm.

If he's confined to the trap he'll do no damage; if you move quickly once he's neutered he'll be easy to transfer to a holding cage as he'll still be groggy from the anasthesia. Take him to be neutered in the trap--it will be easier for the vet to handle him in the trap.

If he tests positive for FIV he can still be released. If he's truly feral and not just a scared stray and tests positive for FELV, euthanize him.

Bottom line: You're scared and so is he. And capture is always traumatic. Observe him and try to interact with him--if he's feral he'll shy away, but a stray will respond positively. But you really won't know until you catch him. So catch him and go from there....
 

2dogmom

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If I might chime in here..you may want to lay something down on your carpet or floor where you put the trap. My boy who had been on the lam for a month had roundworm and tapeworm (yuck) so you might not want him in direct contact with your living area. Knowing what I know now I would put down a sheet or carpet remnant and burn it afterward.

Good luck!
 
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fishtreatsmom

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I'm very upset today...got a migraine in fact. The trapping last night failed. After checking the trap till 10 pm, I trapped another cat but it wasn't the semi-feral I wanted to trap. I had to release it because I honestly can not afford to spend $100 plus vaccinations on each feral. Yes I know there are low cost clinics but I can't get to them as I don't drive and the closest one is 10 miles away. I cleaned out the trap and reset it but then I saw another cat sitting in the area, again not the one I wanted to trap. I had to call it quits for the night as the stress was starting to get to me and it was getting cold out. I'll have to try again next week.
 

2dogmom

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I know this is easy for me to say, but don't get a migraine over this, Mr Cat certainly won't! You are really going more than the extra mile. It is hard to outwait the little stinkers since they are very patient and stay up all night. If you really want to catch him you will. And more than likely the vet will provide you with an 'emergency neuter' if you get him trapped unexpectedly. Best of luck to you, it is a wonderful thing you are doing!
 

tnr1

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Originally Posted by FishTreatsMom

I'm very upset today...got a migraine in fact. The trapping last night failed. After checking the trap till 10 pm, I trapped another cat but it wasn't the semi-feral I wanted to trap. I had to release it because I honestly can not afford to spend $100 plus vaccinations on each feral. Yes I know there are low cost clinics but I can't get to them as I don't drive and the closest one is 10 miles away. I cleaned out the trap and reset it but then I saw another cat sitting in the area, again not the one I wanted to trap. I had to call it quits for the night as the stress was starting to get to me and it was getting cold out. I'll have to try again next week.
What about this.....try posting on the feral cat yahoo group and ask if anyone on that group lives in Chicago and would be willing to help to take cats that you trap to the low cost clinic for spaying/neutering. Can't hurt to at least try:

http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/feral_cats/

Katie
 
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fishtreatsmom

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Is that Yahoo feral cat site down? What a bummer and it's National Feral Cat day! I can't read any messages and I posted on it.
 

tnr1

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Originally Posted by FishTreatsMom

Is that Yahoo feral cat site down? What a bummer and it's National Feral Cat day! I can't read any messages and I posted on it.
I know....I hope it comes back soon.

Katie
 
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