Cat rooms

EmilyMayWilcha said:

The definition of feral is "cat born in the wild." If someone used to have a cat and then it lives outside for a while like Wilbur did, it is a stray.

Click to expand...

The definition of a feral cat denotes unsocial behavior towards humans. Never having had human contact or interaction.

EmilyMayWilcha said:

I don't like cages for taming feral cats because they can climb up the bars. I love watching kittens pretend they are monkeys because it is silly, but if feral cats do that, I have to hold them when 18 claws are out. So instead I plan to use tents for their confinement because they can't hurt me through fabric walls and mesh windows.

Click to expand...

Large crates are an excellent way to begin the process of socialization. I have had great success starting this way. I have never seen a newly trapped feral cat or kitten climbing the bars trying to escape if you have a a small carrier or cubby hole bed in the enclosure or crate, then they hide in there and will not be frantically climbing bars when you are present. Tents?? Would not work IMO.

Emily, do you have any experience rescuing or fostering? :dk:

LDG said:

Emily, do you have any experience rescuing or fostering? :dk:

Click to expand...

Or with any cats besides the 3 you owned? :dk: I'd recommend volunteering at a shelter (or no-kill rescue, if a kill shelter would be too much) if you can't foster now. Clean litterboxes, help with medical care and socializing, see what's involved in dealing with the public, and, most importantly, get to know some cats. It seems you expect all cats to fit into tidy categories, and, well, they don't. Every cat is different.

If you think you're going to be able to hold a feral cat, you obviously have never tried. They just don't allow that kind of thing. A feral (even a baby) will shred a tent in short order. And tents aren't able to be sterilized (an imprtant consideration in a group setting). It would be a good idea to have a bank of stainless-steel cages, although dog crate can work, too.

I believe Best Friends has seminars and other education available for people who want to start rescues. It would be a good idea to look into that.

Feralvr said:

Large crates are an excellent way to begin the process of socialization. I have had great success starting this way. I have never seen a newly trapped feral cat or kitten climbing the bars trying to escape if you have a a small carrier or cubby hole bed in the enclosure or crate, then they hide in there and will not be frantically climbing bars when you are present. Tents? Would not work IMO.

Click to expand...

Well, it certainly does not hurt to think outside the box.

What cubbyhole bed are you talking about? I have seen them on activity trees and as stand-alone furniture, but not as part of a wire cage.

Another idea I had was create a Kittywalk system. At www.kittywalk.com I can order a variety of lawn and patio items including some that can be connected in a variety of ways, depending on how much of what I buy.

LDG said:

Emily, do you have any experience rescuing or fostering?

Click to expand...

I wish! All I could do in Ohio was volunteer at a local shelter because I had three old cats and Mom did not want any more in the house.

Willowy said:

Or with any cats besides the 3 you owned? I'd recommend volunteering at a shelter (or no-kill rescue, if a kill shelter would be too much) if you can't foster now. Clean litterboxes, help with medical care and socializing, see what's involved in dealing with the public, and, most importantly, get to know some cats. It seems you expect all cats to fit into tidy categories, and, well, they don't. Every cat is different.
If you think you're going to be able to hold a feral cat, you obviously have never tried. They just don't allow that kind of thing. A feral (even a baby) will shred a tent in short order. And tents aren't able to be sterilized (an imprtant consideration in a group setting). It would be a good idea to have a bank of stainless-steel cages, although dog crate can work, too.
I believe Best Friends has seminars and other education available for people who want to start rescues. It would be a good idea to look into that.

Click to expand...

I guess you never read last month's shelter volunteer stories contest entries. I participated in that one. My job there included giving cats water and food, cleaning (and often replacing) litterboxes, socializing kittens, reporting illness symptoms, seperating cats who dislike other cats, and letting cats spend some time out of their cages. Another volunteer worked with the sick cats. Most of the time I worked when it was closed, so I did not get much experience with the public. Getting to know some cats was easy: as a no-kill shelter, they keep many cats for a long time. It was a lot of fun, but there were times when I wished I could foster whole litters of kittens because the cages were depressing.

I never believed I will be able to hold a feral cat or all cats fit in categories.

Emily, while working on putting your rescue together and planning, I really recommend you become a foster for an existing organization. OR participate in a TNR/rescue group; volunteering with TNR AND fostering.

catsallaround said:

Where are you getting that definition from?  I have taken a born outside cat so that is feral too even tho it was raised outside and has never had issue with people?

feral from dictionary.com

1.
existing in a natural state, as animals or plants; not domesticated or cultivated; wild.

2.
having reverted to the wild state, as from domestication: a pack of feral dogs roaming the woods.

3.
of or characteristic of wild animals; ferocious; brutal.

A tent will end with any cat but an extremely laid back cat escaping I will put money on that.  The soft dog cages even state something to the terms of for laid back dogs because a dog can easily escape if it trys.

Plastic cages stop the climbing.  I thought you were going to be doing kittens?  How many cats do you plan to have at one time as they take more time and effort IF they will ever socialize. 

Click to expand...

"Not domesticated" means born in the wild.

Of course ifI see kittens with their mom, I also will take care of the mom. But I am not going to worry about feral cats at the beginning.

LDG said:

Emily, while working on putting your rescue together and planning, I really recommend you become a foster for an existing organization. OR participate in a TNR/rescue group; volunteering with TNR AND fostering.

Click to expand...

I can't foster right now because the lease only allows one cat, but  I will definitely foster at my next address.

EmilyMayWilcha said:

I don't like cages for taming feral cats because they can climb up the bars. I love watching kittens pretend they are monkeys because it is silly, but if feral cats do that, I have to hold them when 18 claws are out. So instead I plan to use tents for their confinement because they can't hurt me through fabric walls and mesh windows.

Click to expand...

[quote name="EmilyMayWilcha" url="/t/245477/cat-rooms#post_322341]I never believed I will be able to hold a feral cat[/quote]
Oh. . .hmm.


Anyway, no offense, but the way you talk it sounds like you haven't had a lot of practical cat experience. Maybe it's just posting style :dk:. But, for the sake of you and the cats, I don't recommend just jumping into starting a rescue organization. Foster for an established group first, with one or 2 cats. Having more than that can get very overwhelming, fast.

You can talk to your landlord about fostering. Sometimes they make exceptions on the pet limit for foster pets.

I have wanted to foster cats since I began volunteering at a shelter - especially during kitten season. Hopefully next year I will be able to do that, even if I can only foster one cat at a time.

EmilyMayWilcha said:

I have wanted to foster cats since I began volunteering at a shelter - especially during kitten season. Hopefully next year I will be able to do that, even if I can only foster one cat at a time.

Click to expand...

I think this would be for the best, the fostering or even better the volunteering suggestion. To me, it sounds like you do not have any experience in dealing with feral cats and asking questions here and getting answers here is only the tip of the iceberg. You need hands-on experience and volunteering is the only way to do this. I think it is great that you want to help. I would find a good TNR organization in your area and start volunteering for them. They always need transporters, places to keep trapped cats overnight until the transporters can pick them up and take to vet. Recovery garages, trap collectors in the middle of the night ... and the list goes on. OR start volunteering at the local cat shelter. I think you will gain much needed experience in doing these suggestions first.

EmilyMayWilcha said:

"Not domesticated" means born in the wild.

Of course ifI see kittens with their mom, I also will take care of the mom. But I am not going to worry about feral cats at the beginning.

Click to expand...

Not true. There are many kittens that are born to an owned, friendly, socialized cat but one that is uncared for and unloved by their owner. Meaning the kittens are neglected by humans as well. Undomesticated kittens can become "feral" if there is not human imprinting early on and they are not given the change to be accustomed to household life and affairs. Some that I know of were neglected so poorly, shut in a basement, or tossed outdoors with mom. They need to be cultivated and adapt beneficially to humans for them to be "tame".

Also, and not sure if you have feral cats in your yard/area, but do not feed these cats unless you have a plan to TNR these cats. That is why I suggest you start working/volunteering with a TNR org. so that you can gain knowledge and get assistance in trapping and neutering all the cats.

When I start fostering, I will not do anything with feral cats. I will start with shelter cats, then look for someone with STAR experience to help me with it.