Caring for my Feral/Stray cats...Am I doing this properly?

Well, I have decided to start caring for the feral/stray cats that live on/near my property.I've watched for two years as first it was just one...then two...then six...then finally right now I think that within a 2 mile radius there are 15-20 cats, about six of which live directly on my property. I've been feeding them for about two weeks( was surprised at how quickly they learned where food was. Within three days I spotted 4 cats at the food dish!), the last night I set up a Live trap, and when I came out this morning there was a black and white cat in the carrier. I'm not sure, but the cat doesn't look like it would be over a year old. I transferred it from the trap to a large dog kennel w/newspaper, litter box, food and water. Its a week before the Operation Catnip clinic in my area, but since I only have 1 trap and I want to take 2-3 cats in, I am trapping a few days early. So I am going to care for a few wild kitties for the week. I have the kennel covered with a blanket, and I am of course keeping my own animals away. I have other large kennels for any other cats I trap. Is there anything specific I should do to care for the captured Ferals for a short period of time?
Also, I have a couple truck toppers that I have put near the food dishes incase the kitties need shelter. I live in Florida so winter is pretty mild. I have a big 2 gallon pan that I fill with water once a day. I know for a fact I a probably getting in over my head here...I don't have money to care for dozens of cats, but I can't stand the thought of them living out there and breeding and breeding and running out of food or getting sick. So, is there anything else I should be doing? And what are Cost Effective ways to care for a colony?

Good for you! Sounds like you're doing OK so far.

The kennels are fine and keeping them covered usually helps keep the cats calmer. Make sure the covers don't blow around or flap, though - that can be scary for them.

When it comes time to bring them to the clinic, put a carrier in the kennel with them and they often just jump in there for protection. Use a stick or ruler to hold the carrier door closed, pop open the door to the kennel and latch the carrier door.

The only thing I can think of is if you get anyone who gets trapped and seems like he or she can be socialized. Is there a rescue group you can work with to find homes for these?

Good luck - you are doing the right thing and doing it very well...

Thank you for the carrier suggestion! And here I was wondering how I was going to fit the dog kennels in my car... I admit to confusion on the socilization issue. Half the stuff I read says if you get a kitten over 6 weeks they are impossible to tame, the other half says any age can be tamed. How can I tell if a cat can be socialized? And there are several rescues in the area, if I end up finding some socializable ones I'll ask around. Also if there was a cheap way to pay for vet care, I would be willing to find homes for a few myself. Will normal vets let ferals into their offices? Do they cost more?

Also, the "feral" cat I trapped this morning is acting more like a stray...I can scratch his(Deff an intact male) tail through the bars of the dog kennel, although he won't let me pet his head. And he's lost the terrified look he had earlier. Flea infested, poor thing, no doubt ticks as well.

Originally Posted by Stormy55

I admit to confusion on the socilization issue. Half the stuff I read says if you get a kitten over 6 weeks they are impossible to tame, the other half says any age can be tamed. How can I tell if a cat can be socialized? And there are several rescues in the area, if I end up finding some socializable ones I'll ask around. Also if there was a cheap way to pay for vet care, I would be willing to find homes for a few myself. Will normal vets let ferals into their offices? Do they cost more?

Also, the "feral" cat I trapped this morning is acting more like a stray...I can scratch his(Deff an intact male) tail through the bars of the dog kennel, although he won't let me pet his head. And he's lost the terrified look he had earlier. Flea infested, poor thing, no doubt ticks as well.

Click to expand...

About the vets, you can ask them... Most vets accept ferals if you tell beforehand. And quite a few even gives you better price if you are helping a homeless. Even vets do have hearts. So ask, with a little luck you may be happily surprised.
Besides, there are lists of low-cost clinics. Im sure adresses are around here somewhere (look at the Sticky threads, highest in this forum)... Ask also the rescuing groups in your neighborhood, they do probably know.


About socializing. Look on some of the ongoing threads. Shortly, it is a myth only young ferale kittens can be socialized. But it is certainly the easiest, that is why.
If you dont have the time, energy and patience - it is understandable you simply do the TNR.
But as a rule, it is easier if you have help of your own friendly homecat. Shy semiferales are also usually submissive to the residents. They being easier to accept each other then with a bought homeraised cat.
(One word of warning: Some ferale tomcats arent very shy and can be quickly be friendly to humans. But being territoral tomcats, they can also beat up your residents. Thus THESE tomcats must be neutered in good time before you allow them to meet your residents...)

Which are the best candidades?? The very young ones. And these you see as probable candidades - usually strays, but also some born homeless/ferale - there IS some individual variation there. You having them several days in the dog cages have a chance to observe them some.
You yourself mention this tomcat Deff.
If you want to try, try with him.
- If you try, have him first time in a quarantene. You can use these dogcages.


I wish you luck with your excellent work,
and please keep us informed!

I pay no attention to people when they say "that one's too old to be tamed." Depends entirely on the cat. We have two, brother and sister, who were six months old before they came in. Granted, they will never be lap cats but they love their chin scritches as much as the two we raised from three weeks old.

If this boy is responding, keep talking to him and petting him when you can. (Wash your hands after, though - you never know. If he has fleas, he's probably got other stuff.) If possible, get the clinic to apply Revolution when he's under for his neutering. It will take care of the first round of fleas, earmites and worms.

If you can, sit next to him and just read out loud. It helps them get used to humans being near. Most rescue groups have contacts with vets - ask at the clinic - they're sure to know somebody. Worst comes to worst, those cats have you. God bless you, you you!

Yes - talking to them, just being near them, doing "normal stuff" around them - it all helps them get used to people.

It is always eaiser with younger cats, but not impossible with older cats, either. I have seen some miraculous tamings in my day ... hehehe

With the cats you are trapping in preparation for the spay/neuter, just do what you are doing. It sounds like you are doing a very fine job. Trap them, transfer to a cage, cover the cage securely, offer food & always offer water, give them some blankets to sleep in, or some hay, keep trapping. If you can eventualy trap & fix all the wild cats on your property, you will have yourself what we call an "established colony", which will not get bigger [no more breeding], and you will eventually be able to make friends with those who visit your food areas & shelters, even if it's only to the point where they run away 10 feet and then stop to watch you, that's still progress.

If it were me, I would try to trap anyone right now, get them fixed & dewormed & flea/tick-free, and then go for another round until they were all done, as far as I could tell. In the meantime, keep an eye out for the very youngest of the group, or the ones who seem less nervous around you, and wok with them to eventually tame them.

Contact the rescue groups in your area and tell them what you are doing, and ask for their advice, too, maybe they can come out & help you if you need it, or take some of the cats into feral-proof or feral-experienced foster homes to see if they can't make progress with some individuals.

Good for you!

Well, I now have FOUR stray/feral kitties in my possession...I am little bit stunned that I have so many already. Three of them are black and white littermates that I believe were dumped here as young kittens. I have seen them hanging around my property a lot, hunting rabbits, digging through the trash and talking to Raven through the window. After only two days of feeding/talking to them, two of them have come around and will let me pet them. One-the first male I trapped-even seeks out petting. The other kitty is a bit skittish and hides in the back of the cage whenever I come by. All of them hide whenever any of my family members tries to pet them. I think I am going to try and find these guys homes though, they seem to be really sweet underneath their skittishness.

The fourth is a beautiful orange tabby that is most certainly feral-lunging/hissing when I walk by, etc. I feel sorry for her, putting her through so much scary stuff, but I recognize her as a cat that has already had two litters on my property so she definitely needs to be spayed.

*feeling somewhat overwhelmed*