New Stray on the Block

So for those of you who haven't read a post from me before- HELLO. I'm Cassidy, 21 years old. My boyfriend and I have been and are attempting to TNR all of the strays/ferals in our neighborhood and his mom's neighborhood- and have fixed an awful lot of kitties in the last two years.

And we have a new comer! A black and white long haired male was eating my food two days ago. We've seen him before, but only a quick glimpse of him. This time he must have been SO hungry, because when I opened my door he didn't even move. He allowed me to scratch his butt for maybe 10 seconds while he was eating [which is why I know he is an UN-NEUTERED BOY], but after that he took off. He also had a couple scratches and bite marks on his right ear. I brought out a little wet food instead of kibble and gave that to him too, but he wouldn't let me come near him and kept taking off to the back of the yard under the pomegranate tree [where I find a lot of the strays/ferals hanging out.]

The past two nights he's been sleeping on our pile of blankets we have for the strays/ferals outside. When we walk up to the door, he'll just look up and stare at you.

I do have a trap, but i've never used it before. I've been fortunate enough to get the strays/ferals just by getting them used to me with treats [I swear they are all strays. I don't think any purely feral cat would ever let me get as close to them as these cats do. Our neighborhood is sadly the designated area in town for dropping off unwanted pets.]

My main concerns are that I have seen a raccoon and an opossum, who come at night and eat the little leftovers of kibble. Are they dangerous? Will they try to fight the strays?

The raccoon comes around more often, and seems harmless- he pays no attention to the cats from what i've seen and is solely interested in the food. [He's pretty cute if I do say so myself, last night he was watching me intently as I watched him. I backed away from the door where he couldn't see me and he came right up and stood on his hind legs to look through the door window to see if I was still there. Hehehe.]

And what if I catch a stray in the trap during the night, is that going to leave it vulnerable to attack from one of the two animals? And what should I do if I wake up and instead of a cat I have one of those two in there?

Where do you live that you have a pomegranate tree in your yard??!!  My gosh I am SO jealous!!!!!  That is so lovely

You also have a wonderful name, I am partial to it as I named my daughter the same

My adopted semi-feral cat was taken to the vets about a month ago for severe bites to her shoulder and tail and requried a tail amputation.  The vets think the bites were either from a very large cat or from a racoon.  Apparently cats and racoons are supposed to live neutrally but I think it was the large racoon that I saw in my yard every single night while my feral was still an outdoor cat.

You are wonderful to tnr of all these kitties!!

There are other members here with tons of TNR experience that will stop by to help you out.

Good luck!!

I live in Northern California We actually have two pomegranate trees! One in the front and one in the back! I looove them

The bite marks on his ear didn't seem too bad, scabbed over and didn't seem to be bugging him. I just wanna get him fixed so that he's not expanding the population anymore! Lol.

My boyfriend also told me that he heard cats and racoons usually live in harmony. I'm just worried if I get him in the cage in the middle of the night that the coon or possum might come try to mess with him? He seems very sweet and shy, poor baby. Reminds me of my kitty Indy. Anyways, thank you for the reply! Hopefully I can figure something out :-)

I don't think I would leave any animal in a trap overnight. Is there any way you might trap him when you can monitor and get him to a safe place in the trap (ie garage, etc)? I don't know about cats and wildlife, but I do pick up all food before night-time here.

Bless your heart for taking care of all of these outdoor roamers/strays.

catmom5

Sounds like NC is the place to be!

I am in Ontario and am extremely fortunate to have a mature apple tree in my backyard.

I remember when I was very little I visited my Aunt in Florida and used some little plastic contraption thingy to stick right into the oranges on her orange tree to drink the juice, sort of like a straw.

But pomegranates!!!  Wow!

This new stray does not sound like a truly feral cat if you were able to pet him while he was eating. No feral cat would allow that no matter how hungry they are. This boy is probably an abandoned cat that has reverted to his feral roots but will easily be turned around once trapped and brought in, if that is what you can do. OH - raccoons and opossums do get along quite well and live together in harmony. In most instances the different species will not want to tangle in anyway with each other. The raccoons or opossums will not bother the cat in the trap overnight. The smell of fear coming off that kitty in the trap will keep all other animals at bay. I would and have stayed up most night's trying to trap ferals in the night. It is best, if you can, to monitor the trap every hour or two at most. Thank you for saving the cat's and TNRing.

Thank you Feralvr!!! Your reply was very helpful. I've been making progress with the little guy now, he will let me pet him and even pick him up if I have wet food with me. But dry food or no food at all and he takes off. So i'm pretty sure I won't even have to use a trap, I can hopefully just get him in the carrier and call the vet and tell them I need in ASAP. But this info is going to help me greatly for all of the other cats that won't even stay around one second when i'm near. Thank you!!!

clynn11 said:

Thank you Feralvr!!! Your reply was very helpful. I've been making progress with the little guy now, he will let me pet him and even pick him up if I have wet food with me. But dry food or no food at all and he takes off. So i'm pretty sure I won't even have to use a trap, I can hopefully just get him in the carrier and call the vet and tell them I need in ASAP. But this info is going to help me greatly for all of the other cats that won't even stay around one second when i'm near. Thank you!!!

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Oh, your welcome ..... since this kitty is so friendly and you are already picking him up then I have another suggestion just to keep things safe for you in case he freaks out if you try to put him into a crate or bring him inside. Start feeding the wet food inside of a medium sized carrier with the door propped open. Do this for a few days until the cat is easily going into the carrier unsuspectingly, calmly and eating well. Then, when you are ready, just close the door, swiftly and quickly and latch it. The kitty might really thrash about after that, so don't be alarmed. He will settle down. Have a plan, make a standing appointment at the vet and just tell them of your plans. Then off you go Works very well with friendlies such as this nice kitty :nod: Good luck!!!!!!!!!! :cross: