Limping Cat is now a terrorist toward the other ferals ... Advice please!

Hi everyone,

I truly don't know what to do. I hope some of you feral caregivers have experienced this before!  We've been feeding & caring for a feral mom & her 4 cats for 5 years now.  We built a heated house for them, and they want for nothing.  About 6 months ago we noticed a limping cat in our yard.  It is VERY skittish.  Feeling sorry for it, I've been encouraging it to come eat with the others, hoping it would fit in.  Well, just the opposite happened.  The limping has eased up, and this cat chases the others away, jumps on them while eating and howls.  It's taken over the house we built.  Now the original 5 cats won't go in the house, and constantly look over their shoulders while eating, etc.  With winter approaching I need to come up with a solution.  Should we trap it and take it to the local no-kill shelter?  Should I stop feeding it and hope it goes away.  Never expected this.  Any advice you could share would be really appreciated.  Thanks in advance! 

debster747 said:

.  Should we trap it and take it to the local no-kill shelter?

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If you want him to live, no.  Unless you had agreed beforehand with them, and they do have dedicated fosterers free at this moment, or similiar...

Shelter dont takes normally care of shy ferales. Especielly not when they arent even friendly to other cats. Even most no kill shelter does prob makes exception here.  Unless, as said, they do cooperate with caretakers and fosterers.  Or do have a net of barn and stables to cooperate with.

So do phone and talk it over beforehand with them, if you plan on this solution.

He is not very cat sociale either, so not sure you or the shelter want him as a barn cat.

Best is probably if you find another caretaker for him, where he will be alone outside cat.

Or even - foster him, and have him as somebodys alone inside cat.

Is he neutered? In not, neutering will prob help. Advisable in any case.

But if already neutered,he is a harder nut to crack, as the proverb says....

Good luck!

ps. If this limping is also hurting him, it may be the cause of his unfriendliness.

Cats who suffer, dont have the same patience with other cats as usual.

If they are friends, they will typically teach lessons whatever they are needed or not.

If the are not friends from the beginning, you yourself see a little of what is happening...

So a vet visit and prob some surgery...

My first question is... as Stefan asked.... is this cat neutered? Best to do that right away. This does commonly happen within feral colonies. What I suggest to do is to have two or three separate feeding stations/shelters. That way, this one cat can have his own and the other five can have another away from the original shelter. It is very hard, nearly impossible, to have any control when "newbies" show up and take over. All you can do if offer multiple stations and shelters for the cats and they just have to work it out amongst themselves. The other option is to relocate this cat to another caretaker, if possible. Also, agree with Stefan, when cats are injured and hurting, they tend to be very tense and unfriendly to the other cats in the colony, due to the pain. So trapping and taking this cat to the vet would be well advised. That way the vet can have a look at that leg. Once the cat is neutered and feels better, then the social dynamics in the group will settle down. :cross:

Thank you for your responses -- all this has been really bothering my hubby & I.  We already handed out flyers, posted a "found cat" ad in a few of the local papers, but no responses.  Our local animal protective league is wonderful.  I'm not convinced that this cat is feral, but if we take it to the apl they will evaluate it, spay/neuter it, and worst case, we would bring it back.  I do feel sorry for it, so we'll do the best we can for it.  Thanks!!!

Sounds like a great idea and plan for this kitty. And, right, who knows :dk:, he might be a "reverted" feral cat that has been abandoned. He might come around once he is safe somewhere and being cared for. Also, IF they ask you to take him back (let's hope not, though, for your other cats sakes :cross at least he will have been neutered and might be more willing to adapt to the other cats with less aggressiveness.