News from the farm

Hello All, trust everyone's well

A quick update:

1) no sign of Little Cow....thought I'd seen her in the next farm's garden last week but am 90% sure it was another b/w feral cat - quite possibly our original Ruby!

2) missing the Rudicat terribly

3) definite signs of strays around. I've seen a big white cat around late at night a couple of times at the back of the farm and something has left us presents (little mice) in the courtyard twice in the past week

4) and new cats are a-coming. After long chats with the family, we have decided to go down the feral route again, mainly for pest control reasons. Bizarrely, none of the local rescues has any ferals or suitable outdoor kitties so I've been in touch with a shelter about an hour who were advertising. We've had a few chats and they've approved us for 2 spayed females (one black, one b/w) who will be coming to us this Friday. Rather than housing them in the wendy house near the front of the farm - I don't want another Rudi incident, we have cleaned out a barn at the back of the farm. This barn has a good roof on it but isn't fully enclosed - however, the kitties will keep nice and dry and, most importantly, the resuce is bringing some cages in which the cats can acclimatise for a few weeks. I'm hopeful that the cages will be big enough to house the cat boxes I had for LC and Rudi and for extra insulation I've bought some straw bales that I'm planning to put around the perimeter of the cages. Once out of the cages, I'm hopeful that the kitties will make these bales their home.

I'll take some piccies in a few days. Kitties yet to be named: lots of ideas under consideration and I'm leaning towards Bubble and Squeak - am assuming this is a 'delicacy' that is particular to Britain!

So there you go; the cycle is about to begin again! I've been told that these two little ladies are feral and about a year old and it sounds as if they've had them since they were kittens but have been unable to tame them. Given that I got LC and Ruby when they were about 2.5 years old and no-one had tried to tame them, I'm hopeful that the new girls won't be quite as feral and that, over time, they will become not only good additions to the farm from a practical perspective, but also quite friendly too.

more info soon

bests

YAY!!! I am thrilled that you are going ahead and bringing two more kitties to your lovely farm!! I hope they both have great personalities and are willing, in time, to have a loving connection with you. GREAT plan about the hay bales and the cages!! PERFECT!!! I am certain that after a couple of weeks, those girls will call that little barn their home. :nod: Oooooooo Can't wait to see pictures of your new girls :rub: :bigthumb: Good luck on Friday!!!!!!!!! :lovegrin:

p.s. LOVE THE NAMES!!!!!!!! Bubble and Squeak :lol3: You might change your mind after you meet them!!!!!

p.s.s. Sorry, again, about LC gone missing... :shame: AND mega hugs for you - I know how much you loved Rudi :heart3:

thanks - just about to post on the kittens page about what it transpires has been leaving me presents!

dunnyboy69 said:

thanks - just about to post on the kittens page about what it transpires has been leaving me presents!

Click to expand...

WOW, at first I wasn't understanding the above. Then figured it out :lol3: KITTENS KITTENS !!!! Boy, you surely have your hands full and I think it was awesome of you to help your neighbor that way.

About time for an update:

1) the kittens found in the hedge went to their foster home last Thursday. I attach a couple of pictures of the first two trapped. They spent a couple of days in my bathroom and their cuteness was almost as big as their stink! I think 3 of them (one of the two tabbies and the two black ones) will tame up quickly. The b/w one and the last tabby - not so sure. The little black one in the photo with the tiny wisp of white on its chest? That was the brave one and I've already said I'll take him/ her (am convinced that it's a him, though I have no scientific proof!) if unadopted at c. 4-6 months.  

http://s1235.photobucket.com/albums/ff426/dunnyboycheese/?action=view&current=kitten1.jpg

http://s1235.photobucket.com/albums/ff426/dunnyboycheese/?action=view&current=kitten2.jpg

http://s1235.photobucket.com/albums/ff426/dunnyboycheese/?action=view&current=feedingkitten.jpg

2) At the same time, my two new ferals, Bubble and Squeak arrived. Bubble is a black cat of c. 14-15 months old. She was found with a litter of kittens about 3-4 months ago, is very feral and skittish by all accounts and I didn't manage to get a good pic of hard (photographing black cats is really tricky). Squeak is not related to Bubble at all but the two of them had been in a pen together for about 3 months. Squeak is about 8-9 months old and is a pretty black and white girl with a pink nose - picture attached. At the moment they are in their 4-5 week acclimatisation period in the barn: a couple of big cages have been cable tied together and we managed to get Rudi's happy hutch inside and engulfed it with a canopy and lots of straw. They appear to be eating well and spending much time in the dark crawl space (about 18 inches high) between the lid of the hutch and the top of the cage. The only scare I've had is that one or both of them clearly had terrible diarrhoea on saturday evening/ Sunday morning. It was absolutely everywhere and caused, I think, by their having special cat milk for the first time. So I stopped that and on mainly dry and a bit of wet they seem to be fine, not that I have really seen either of them! With them being at the back of the farm, it takes a bit of a hike to get to them and clearly they sense when someone is coming and hide! I have been told to hold out no hope at all of Bubble being remotely interested in being even slightly friendly, but the couple at the cat shelter reckon that young Squeaky might become a little sociable over time. My theory is that they are both significantly younger than LC or Ruby, my first ferals, so who knows? Anyway, a few photos of their get-up attached.

http://s1235.photobucket.com/albums/ff426/dunnyboycheese/?action=view&current=feralpalace-1.jpg

http://s1235.photobucket.com/albums/ff426/dunnyboycheese/?action=view&current=squeak.jpg

3) Finally, while I'm sharing photos, a good friend of mine gave me a photo he took of Rudi in July. In the last few months of his life, Rudi became pretty friendly with everyone, as you can tell by the close-up. He looks quite scary in this - I am suspecting he was wondering why Mike was lying on the ground. My goodness, I do miss the big lad terribly.If Bubble and/ or Squeak are half as good around the farm as Rudi, they will be amazing.

http://s1235.photobucket.com/albums/ff426/dunnyboycheese/?action=view&current=212.jpg

Well, that photo of Rudi brought a tear to my eye!!! That was nice of your friend to give you a photo of Rudi. He was becoming SOOOO friendly!! He did look very unsure in that photo and I know how it is to try to get pictures of the cats on their level. Hard to do!!!

AWWW those hedge kittens certainly are adorable. I hope they all find loving homes quickly. :cross: Let us know about the little black/white wisps, the brave one! Might be yours!! :lol3:

NOW on to your TWO beautiful new girls!!! AWWW Bubble and Squeak are just too sweet for words. I am very happy for those girls. They have no idea what a fantastic life they have ahead of them. I am pretty excited to hear your updates on how they are coming along. Yeah, the diarrhea hno: Stress also would have to take some credit on all of that stink. You have a GREAT set up going there and they must be feeling quite safe by now and settling into the new routine. Keep the updates coming when you can. They really are very cute They do have BIG shoes to fill, Rudi's, but I think you will be happy with these two. I do hope they become as friendly as your big lad, Rudi. :cross:

OMG look at how much I've missed!

Oh.... yes.... Sweet Rudi! He doesn't look the happiest of kitties in that picture, but it's RUDI. And we KNOW how happy he was. :heart2:

And you sure have been busy! Rescuing kittens - and rescuing two ferals that are going to have a WONDERFUL life on your farm!!!!!! Aw.... only time will tell what's going to happen with the girls. :heart2: I do know there are lovely "this is a wonderful place" smells all over your farm. :heart2:

I love, love, love B&W kitties! And one of our B&W kitties is mostly black, so yes, I also know how difficult it is to take pictures of black cats! DARN HARD! But technically four of our 8 are B&W.

I'm just SO HAPPY there are cats on the farm again! I can't wait until they're out and about! Let's hope they're wrong about Bubble, and I hope Squeak is bumping your legs as you take their food out right quick!

Lovely comments, thank you. Rudi really had become friendly with pretty much every adult provided that they were with one of the family. He was such a happy boy. Something (probably a fox) tried to dig up his grave this weekend but fortunately they didn't get in so I've recovered it and popped a few bricks on top.

Time for an update:

1) There really are some cats around on the farm, and I don't just mean Bubble and Squeak! In the last week there have been sightings of three stray/ feral cats on the farm: a biggish white cat, a fluffy orange one and, yesterday, in the trap I'd put out to try and get the feral momma, the biggest tabby Tom Cat I have ever seen in my life. He'd have been 14-15lbs minimum - Rudi and a half! Looking things up on the Internet, I think this is what is known as the vacuum effect: now that Rudi isn't around to defend his territory, lots of kitties are circling. My big concern here is that they will force out Bubble and Squeak once the girls are allowed to roam. I'm fairly sure Rudi did this to Ruby a couple of years back, so it wouldn't the first time. Not sure how I can prevent this: part of me is wondering whether I shouldn't allow B&S to run free now and bagsy the best areas, even though they are only 11 days into their proposed 21-25 day acclimitisation period and I'm guessing I'd be running the risk of them running away. Any and all thoughts welcomed.

2) Bubble and Squeak are doing just fine. There have been a couple more runny poo incidents, but nothing as bad as the initial 'explosion'. Their characters and habits are starting to develop. Bubble, the black girl (and by quite a bit the smaller of the two, though she's older and had a litter), is much more nocturnal. I very rarely see her out in the pen during daylight hours, but if I go round to there after dark, she is always out and about. Clever girl, I think she has realised she is black and hence invisible at night and so she'll let me get very close to the pen before going to the safe area on top of the hut. Of course, what she doesn't realise is that I have a night vision scope! Indeed, last night I dropped them in a midnight feast of some cat treats through the bars of their cage and couldn't believe that Bubble was actually sat in the pen no more than 2-3 feet from me, probably thinking to herself 'he can't see me....ooooh, and he's brought food....and why is he talking to me?' Squeak is definitely the bolder of the two (and bigger - for an 8/9 month old, she's a big girl) and she really is beautiful - lots more white than LC or Rudi ever had, all topped with a pink nose. When I drop off the food in the daylight hours, she is always the girl who hops down for her meal wfirst, usually within a minute of my saying 'bye girls' and wandering away from their cage. That said, when she realises I've only gone around the corner and wander past again, she retreats to her hiding place....usually to re-emerge a minute or two later when the coast is clear. Both have very, very healthy appetites: I don't remember Cow or Ruby eating as much or as quickly when they were cooped up in the wendy house.

The joy of having them in one of the barns rather than the wendy house is that they get to experience more 'farm life' going on. Whilst this might be a little stressful at the moment, my theory is that it will prepare them a little better for freedom. So they are watching/ hearing the kids play basketball, the adults going blackberry hunting and the general business of life going on.

My plan is to try and spend 15-20 minutes each evening with them after dark chatting to them and getting them used to my voice more. I'll then try it during the day. I'm sure a few people (though no-one on this site!) would ask why I'm try to befriend a couple of ferals. My rationale is that I don't necessarily want them tame, but I do want them to trust me and know I mean them well so that I can get close enough to see if there are health issues. As I'm sure I said when I originally came on the site, what I'd like to reach is the stage my Grandfather had on his farm 30 odd years back: at about 6 o'clock he would come outside, bang a tray, shout 'food' and half a dozen kitties would come out of the hayloft for whatever he was serving. Mind, I think most of those cats were dumped strays....but we'll see how my little feral girls come along.

best to all

dunnyboy69 said:

Time for an update:

1) There really are some cats around on the farm, and I don't just mean Bubble and Squeak! In the last week there have been sightings of three stray/ feral cats on the farm: a biggish white cat, a fluffy orange one and, yesterday, in the trap I'd put out to try and get the feral momma, the biggest tabby Tom Cat I have ever seen in my life. He'd have been 14-15lbs minimum - Rudi and a half! Looking things up on the Internet, I think this is what is known as the vacuum effect: now that Rudi isn't around to defend his territory, lots of kitties are circling. My big concern here is that they will force out Bubble and Squeak once the girls are allowed to roam. I'm fairly sure Rudi did this to Ruby a couple of years back, so it wouldn't the first time. Not sure how I can prevent this: part of me is wondering whether I shouldn't allow B&S to run free now and bagsy the best areas, even though they are only 11 days into their proposed 21-25 day acclimitisation period and I'm guessing I'd be running the risk of them running away. Any and all thoughts welcomed.

Click to expand...

Yep - the vacuum effect! Works when there's a territorial kitty around. :nod: We had a very flexible colony for several years, and Baloo is now busy running everyone out.

That said.... neutering/spaying them WILL help. AND... you're not putting food out for them, so hopefully they'll move along. It seems you're in a somewhat rural area, with happy hunting and others that put food out for kitties? :dk:

I think I'd stick to plan with Bubble and Squeak, and focus on getting the others sterilized. Given how skittish they are, I'd want that "food routine" really "set" in their minds, so they know they can come back for easy food. :nod: When you do release them, I'd continue putting the food in basically the same spot, and just move it slowly to where you want to feed it.

...and for all we know, they'll be the Queens of the territory! Hopefully by the time you open the doors, they're confident in the food source, and will want to defend it themselves. :cross: :rub:

I can certainly agree that there are many challenges in being a caretaker for feral cats!!!!!!!!! :lol3: And the hardest part is that we really have no control over trying to get them all to "play" nice. I would also just concentrate on your two girls at the moment. The other cats are probably coming around because your Rudi is no longer around ruling the roost. I would not rush releasing the girls either. Stick to your plan and agree with Laurie on everything, as usual . Keep feeding them in the exact same spot AND leave those crate all set up exactly the way they are when you finally open the doors. Very important.

In the meantime, maybe you could trap one or two of the other cats :dk: BUT I would not be leaving food out for them as you want the girls to be the head honchos and if you are leaving food out for those other cats then they will have the upper hand on territory as they are already probably quite familiar with the area where as Bubble and Squeak are not. BUT if you only put food in a trap to catch one or two for TNR, then release they will run off for the hills for a little bit anyway giving the girls a head start on declaring your farm their territory. Does this make sense :lol3: Hope it helps in some way.

p.s. I think I would have really liked your grandfather. Seems cat lover's run in the family. :heart3:

thanks, all, for the responses.

Clarification and an update:

1) I am absolutely definitely not feeding any cats except Bubble and Squeak! They are the only two I want: they need to become the princesses of the farm, unencumbered by intruders!

2) have taken your points on board and B&S will continue their acclimitisation as planned - it's going very well (see below). I think what is abundantly clear is that, given the nocturnal strays, 'overnight food' is a no-no. I'm going to have to have a real routine with the girls: dry in the morning that can stay out for as long as it's there (and they seem to wolf it!) and then a little tin of wet each in the evening - and bowls taken away as soon as they've eaten it, all being well.

3) two big bits of progress with the girls. First, no diarrhoea for days: indeed, a very, very solid poop in there this morning (sadly as the cage only has room for one litter tray it was just outside it, but I got a ridiculous sense of joy at a firm stool! The other news is huge: the girls are eating in front of me IN DAYLIGHT. On Monday night I decided when I dropped their wet in that I'd sit myself down on the floor about 6-7 feet from their cage and see what happened. Not expecting much, I was staggered when first Bubble and then Squeak popped out within 5 minutes, clearly entranced by fishy goodness smells. Bizarrely, Squeak was the more timid of the two - but ultimately both of them cleared their plates while I sat near them, not looking at them directly but praising them to the skies for their bravery. I repeated this last night: on this occasion it took them nearly 15 minutes to summon up the bravery, but again once they did they tucked in with gusto while their 'Dad' told them how good they were. I think this now needs to happen every night, right? If so, fine by me - the bonding is underway and hopefully they will now know that I am a good guy.

Yep, we know you're not putting food out for other kitties! And GREAT that they're only there at night. This means your plan will have a GREAT chance of working!

And at the progress! :rub: :rub: :bigthumb: That's just HUGE, really!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Yes, do this every night, and you know what just occurred to me? When you approach, but are not yet IN the barn where they're housed, give whatever call you're going to use to signal you're giving wet food. When I put food out for the cats outside, I make a loud kind of MEOW! sound (more like... ROW! :lol3: ), and many come running from wherever they go. But if you'll be calling "DINNER!" make that call - so they also associate that "trigger" with the yummy wet food and its time. :nod: And being not inside when you do it, it shouldn't scare them - but they'll be able to hear it. :nod: This way when they're out, you don't have to rely solely on them remembering the place and time, they'll also associate their food and time with YOUR call.

I bet if you stick to keeping them confined for another couple of weeks, they'll come running when you call! You're already not so big and scary, Mr. Yummy-Food-Provider-Who-Is-Making-Them-Feel-Better!

OH DO WE EVER know how wonderful the sight of FIRM POOPS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! So glad that the diarrhea seems to be cleared POOP DANCE

I second what Laurie says about using a word or call when you bring the food each and every time. My mother used a cow bell to call all of us kids in for dinner when I was young. We could hear it from blocks away and all the kids would yell "MOO MOO"!!!! NOW a cow bell might scare the daylight out of B&S, so not recommended. When I feed my feral cats, I shout out in my baby, squeaky voice " NUMS NUMS LITTLE BEARS"!!!!!! I usually hear mews coming from the woods telling me they are willing and ready to eat. I think your little princesses will be soon feeling closer to you with each and every passing day. Your doing just great :bigthumb:

Feralvr said:

When I feed my feral cats, I shout out in my baby, squeaky voice " NUMS NUMS LITTLE BEARS"!!!!!!

Click to expand...

Oh that is just TOO CUTE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[VIDEO][/VIDEO]

LDG said:

Oh that is just TOO CUTE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Click to expand...

Oh Laurie :lol3: You made me laugh I called the whole family "little bears" because when those kittens would run up a tree trunk, they looked like tiny bears. It was SOOO cute and funny. Dixie's and Yogi's babies. I think I will always use those words to call out dinner for feral kitties. :heart3:

Day 16 of acclimatisation news:

1) my regular call of 'Ladies...Dinner is served' (oh God, I really am so English!) seems to be working a treat. Within 30 seconds of dry (morning), treats (once or twice during the day) and wet (evening, about an hour before sunset) going down and my assuming the position sat on the floor about 6-7 foot from their cage, both B&S are out for their grub. They still hide if I walk by their cage and say hello, though! On the dry front, have noticed that they now don't always wolf in down straightaway - quite often there's a bit left come lunchtime and I guess they now realise that they are being well fed

2) am pretty sure that Bubble, the black girl, is the diarrhoea sufferer. I sat with them for 45 minutes tonight, playing on my mobile (though I did also get a lovely snap of the two of them chomping away). They ate their food for about 10 minutes and then pottered around for a bit....towards tthe end of my time there, Bubble jumped into the litter tray, turned her back to me and let out a burst of flatulence of which any human would be proud! Seconds later, a smell direct from the devil's backside wafted across the barn and I realised she'd been a little loose. Is it a good sign if a cat poops in front of you? Anyway, this, I suspect, is why Squeak does her (more robust) business next to the tray. I really do wish I could fit a second tray in there but only a week to go and then litter will hopefully be a thing of the past as the girls realise they have 35 acres in which to deposit their residues. I have a feeling they will hang around, although I think they will go their separate ways apart from at meal times and bed time. I'm thinking that Friday will be release day: that will be 3 weeks and a day and I think that should be enough. The cage will stay in the barn for another 10-14 days thereafter and thereafter I hope they'll settle in one of the many snug spots around the farm - most likely in the straw bales that surround their cages..

best to all

Awww, poor Bubble! If they've been treated for internal parasites, then her system probably has a gut flora imbalance - either that or the food doesn't agree very well with her, which being able to hunt will help. :nod: But you can help by giving her/them a probiotic. I give my cats one every day. I just open the capsule and sprinkle it on their wet food - they like it. Most cats do (in fact, I don't know of any that don't, not yet). Just buy a human acidophilus supplement - I use an acidophilus+bifidus probiotic. I'm not familiar with shopping for such things in the UK. I buy mine from a health food store. What you're looking for is one with 10 billion CFU (colony forming units). Here I have to buy one labeled "double strength."

Sounds like they've got the routine down!

When you release them, please don't leave us hanging! :lol3:

WOW, has it already been three weeks MY how time flies by. I suspect the girls are quite ready for their release. In fact, just hearing about their release gave me butterflies of excitement. I am sure they de-wormed the girls as they probably did have some sort of worms. A second dose would be beneficial, but most feral cats never get that second dose for obvious reasons :lol3: I would second Laurie's suggestion and put them on a probiotic. I use the same one as Laurie. The cats don't even notice it and eat it right up mixed in with the wet food. Ooooooooooooo I am so excited for Friday. Please post when you can and don't leave us hanging. An englishman wouldn't do that now, would he???!!!! for Friday!!

Indeed, an Englishman does.....

This is the end of day 18 of their acclimitisation and I've hemmed and haahed over the last 24 hours over whether to open their door. They have made such fabulous progress - for example, yesterday my brother sat with me and they tucked into their food in front of us while we chatted with them and one another. Having seen how feral Little Cow and Ruby originally were, I don't think my brother could believe these two ladies were sitting just 6-7 feet from us, albeit in their cage.

From reading around on the net, I've seen estimations of 'time they should be enclosed' as anywhere between 5 days (which seems way too short) and 5 weeks (the reverse). The average seems to be 2-3 weeks. So I thought I'd check weather forecasts - quite good for the next few nights - and play it by ear, letting my instinct take the lead. When I went to take them some late night snacks tonight at about 10ish, they hopped down in ultra-fast time even though I was still on my feet and the barn light was on. So I made my mind up that tonight, a beautiful clear evening, was to be the night, wandered back to the house, got a nice stinky can of food and pottered back down to the barn. I prepared another litter tray, left that and the food just outside their cage, opened the door, propped it open and walked away about 20 feet, watching through the night vision all the time. Within 60 seconds, both girls - led by Bubble with Squeak but a second behind, had left their cage and were chowing down on the food. As i walked away (smiling and talking to them), I could see them start to explore their surroundings (n.b. the barn is only closed on three sides, and all the straw bales and their cage are up along the side/ back walls).

To contextualise this: when I let LC and Ruby out two years out it was daylight (9am in the morning) and I was able to watch them from an upstairs window:

* LC came out of their acclimatisation area about 20 minutes after I'd left. She then proceeded to potter round the garden for a few hours and, ultimately, made one of the little barns her home

* Ruby didn't come out at all in daylight. Indeed, I reckon I never saw her again on the farm.....though I did see the cat that turned out to be Rudi the following morning - suspect he'd driven her off, the lovable bugger.....

So I'm a bag of nerves but quietly confident that all will be well. These two girls are timid but I like the fact that both of them clearly have fairly strong trust in me and, more importantly, seem to get on ok - got to be a good sign that both of them are coming out together.

I'll probably get the night vision out and have another look around for them in an hour or two, doing my best not to disturb. The next few days will, I'm sure, be big: my hope is that they'll know my call and come running fairly quickly. It'll be fascinating to find out where they make their homes: I'm hoping that, like Rudi, they'll find many areas to their liking.

Wish me luck!

Update - joy turning to concern....

Joy: at about midnight last night (so about 90 minutes after I'd opened their door), I wandered round to the barn and saw both B&S. Squeak was back in the cage area, Bubble was much more out and about. I put down a few little treats and wandered off

Massive joy: I went to bed quite late last night (work), at about 2ish. At this point in time, with the full moon shining, even without the night vision scope, I could see the two of them come into the courtyard and snoop around for a few minutes - TOGETHER! That said, I only saw Bubble leave and head back to the back of the farm.

A smile: I went to feed them their usual dry food in the usual place at about 8 o'clock this morning, giving my dinner call. Just before darkness last night, I'd thrown out some big hunks of stale bread for the birds, so imagine my surprise to find one of these hunks of bread on the floor in their cage!

A little concerning: despite my call, the girls didn't show for their food.

Very concerning: it's now almost three hours later and their food is still untouched (I know because I strategically placed two treats on top of it). This is most unlike them: when they have been in their cage/ pen, they've have generally wolfed the dry down. Oh dear, this is getting worrying. Obviously too early for panic and the 'wet test' will be what clinches things. Moreover, nighttime might be a big help - after all, the night vision shows up things I can't see during the day!