Another visitor. . .

calicoprincess

TCS Member
Thread starter
Alpha Cat
Joined
Nov 14, 2007
Messages
373
Purraise
1
Location
Saint Louis
I posted last week about my morning visitor, an orange cat that likes to visit me before I go to work every morning. Well I took the advice that I got from the people in that thread and I made him a cozy place to stay in my shed with a rubbermaid container and some straw. I have been feeding him in the shed. Well I went out this morning and was suprised to find that he was not alone. There was a new big black cat out there. The new cat ran away from me at first, but he didn't go very far and pretty much just watched my while I replenished their food and water. So now I guess I have a new kitty to catch and take to the vet. I am hoping this one is as friendly as Charlie is (that's what I've been calling the orange guy) so that I will have a better chance of finding him a good home.

How would you guys go about gaining the trust of my newest addition? Also, do you guys think that new additions are going to keep showing up? If so, how do you keep up with them?
 

ldg

TCS Member
Veteran
Joined
Jun 25, 2002
Messages
41,310
Purraise
842
Location
Fighting for ferals in NW NJ!
In another thread in this forum (http://www.thecatsite.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=153375)

Originally Posted by hissy

cats use their urine to signal other cats about all types of things. if you feed and provide a safe yard for these cats, they will mark the bushes, trees and your home with a safe scent that travels over a mile. this scent reels in other cats scrambling to survive. this is why, unless you spay and neuter all cats on your property you should not feed them. having a food source prompts their territorial aggression which in turn signals the mating to begin. it also creates fights when the more aggressive males fight for dominance not only over the food but over the females in the area as well.
I don't know what your financial situation is, but what we did was trap, spay and neuter them all and continue feeding the feral colony, and put out more places for them to hole up and stay warm in the winter.

I don't know if you already have a low-cost place to spay/neuter, and I don't remember if you used a trap to catch orange boy to get him to the vet - or if he wasn't a problem to crate. But if you want to borrow a trap, some vets have them to lend, some rescue groups have them for rent (often just a deposit that gets returned when you bring the trap back).

But just so you have the list of resources should it become necessary, and if you want to search for low-cost spay/neuter services in your area, or a place to rent you a trap, here's my "standard" list of resources/suggestions, some of which you may find useful now - or down the road. The list was generated for people needing help with trapping and resources - but the vet suggestions and shelters are good resources for calling around to find traps if that's the immediate goal.

But the bottom line is - if there is food and it is safe, if they are there, they will come.


*******************************

To e-mail Alley Cat Allies to ask for the Feral Friends Network in your area write to them at: [email protected]. In the e-mail, explain the situation.

To e-mail the Best Friends No More Homeless Pets Campaign to ask if there are any network members that may be able to help in your area, write to: [email protected] and explain the situation.

To search for TNR groups to contact (I always recommend contacting w/in 90 - 100 miles - you never know who they may have networked with - or that person that used to work with them but moved... )

http://www.alleycat.org/orgs.html
http://www.pets911.com/organizations/organizations.php - you can also search for shelters and vets here.
http://www.petfinder.com/ - this is to search for pets - but it lets you know what organizations or which people may be resources in the area
http://www.worldanimal.net/

Again - I would call these places and explain your situation to ask if they can help or know of anyone or an organization that may be able to help.

The local yellow pages are always best to search for vets - whether calling around to them or driving around to them. I understand you can't afford even low-cost spay/neuter right now, but again, I'd explain the situation and ask if they can work out a payment plan. If the vet says they don't provide discounts for ferals, we then ask if they know of a "crazy cat person" in the area who may be willing to help or have other information that may be helpful to you. We offer to leave our number and ask them to pass it on to the person - or we offer to call back the next day (or whenever) to check, rather than ask them to provide the name and number of a client with someone they don't know. If they know of someone to contact, make sure you get the name of the person you're speaking to so you know who to ask for if you have to call back.

In the meantime, to help rehome these kitties, here is a site chock full of excellent resources, including a flyer-maker and lots of suggestions on how to go about it: http://www.bestfriends.org/nomorehom...tionsindex.cfm

If you want to search for low-cost spay/neuter groups to contact about your situation, you can also search here:

The same TNR group links as above,
and another list of links to help search are here: http://www.savesamoa.org/html/spay_neuter.html.

But some of the best links are:

http://www.lovethatcat.com/spayneuter.html
http://www.angelfire.com/md2/mdpetrescu/spay.html
http://www.worldanimal.net/

I would call any places in your area to explain the situation. You never know what may turn up, and while it can be discouraging, the most important thing is to keep e-mailing or dialing - just keep going. Persistence often pays off.

There are also lots of Rescue links where more shelters and things can be searched for (including info on orphaned kitten rescue) at

http://www.savesamoa.org/html/rescue.html

I hope these resources will help - either now or in the future.


Laurie
 
Top