Need Advice on helping a stray cat

Hello.

Last week, a stray cat reappeared on my back patio.  A year ago I came home from work, to my 3 resident cats sitting in front of the patio door staring out at something.  As I looked out, I realized there were a pair of eyes staring back,from under my patio couch.  The cat looked to be in good health, shiny coat, well groomed, etc..  I set out a bowl of food for him, just in case, he ate,let me pet him, and took off.  I had not seen him again until last week.  I saw him come out from under the fence that separates my subdivision from the rail line.  He came right up to me once he spied me,  While I am sure this is the same cat that visited last year, this cat's condition is not the same.  He is very wary.  Came near but won't let me pet. VERY emaciated, has lost one of his ear flap,  has recent wounds at the nape of his neck which a couple of days ago looked infected.  His eyes just haunt me.  I gave him a bowl of food and water, and let him eat.  Again, once he ate he took off.  I left food out for him,  and for 2 days it remained in the bowl, then I returned from work one evening and notice the food was gone.  I assumed it was him, but, it could have been another animal.  I filled the bowl up again.  2 nights ago, just before I was going to bed, I looked out the window down onto the patio, and noticed a cat curled up asleep on the wicker couch.  When I got up in the morning he was gone, but, was there when I got home from work that evening.  He has been hanging out on the patio off and on ever since.  I am leaving food out for him, and he watches me thru the patio door when he is around.  When I go out outside, he moves away but does not leave the area.  He has let me pet him briefly a time or 2.

I feel he was once an family pet.  I see the longing in his eyes to be able to finally trust someone again.  And it is painful to  look into this kitty's eye and see his fear.  I spent all day at work, worrying and wondering how I could help this kitty.  I do not necessarily want to add another animal to my all ready full house hold, but I decided I would try and help him if I could. 

I stopped on the way home at the hardware store and purchased items to make a shelter for this cat so he could be out of the elements if he chose to.  I was all set to start building this shelter when I got home.  When I finally got home this evening, he was there on the wicker patio  furniture.  The minute he saw me thru the patio glass, he jumped down and ran to the patio door like he was waiting for me to come home.  The food bowl was empty, so I went out to fill it, went back inside, and when I turned around to watch him eat,and there was another cat eating out of the bowl with him!  The new cat is clearly more skittish, and kept moving back when it noticed I was watching them, or heard any kind of noise.   I think it is feral.  Anyway, once they ate they left.  But, now I am hesitant to continue on with my intention to intervene. 

My idea was to get the first cat comfortable enough so that I may get him to use the shelter, and eventually move him into my garage, then take him to the vet, and then possibly introducing him to the house once cleared by the vet.  Now that there are 2 cats involved, I am not so sure it would be a good idea to intervene.  Can someone who has more experience with helping stray cats, tell me, what I should expect?  I fear that if I continue to offer food to this one cat, additional cats will come with him to be fed.  I do not live in an area where my home can be a safe haven for a bevy of cats.  I do not know if I would be doing the right thing trying to intervene.  I would appreciate any opinions regarding the situation from those that have more experience in assisting strays.  Thanks.

Your problem is how to get him to the vet? the standard is not to make him used to you so you can take him to the vet. You make it the other way around: trap as soon it is convenient, in a human trap, or some other way if practically possible.

Take him, perhaps still in the trap, to the forewarned vet. etc.

Back home you release him in a prepared room, where he cools down some hours, etc... After it the rest of the fostering is easy. It may take time but it is essentially easy, and no agressiveness either.

Of course, the fact he is already somewhat used to you and know you are essentially his friends, it will make the fostering easier.

Welcome to our Forums!

Good luck!

Aw kitty, yes you're right:  if you feed them, they will come.  If you live in an area where there is a transient population--college students who wanted company while in school, renters who move yearly, or an area where there is a high rate of foreclosures/evications--then, yes, I'm afraid that if you start feeding cats, more cats will come.  I started feeding three, ended up with a stable colony of ten, and TNRd (trapped-neutered-returned) an additional 25 to 30. 

So, I do agree with Stefan:  trap the cats as soon as you can borrow a  trap from a humane society or SPCA and get them spayed/neutered/rabies shot, etc.  At least you won't have to deal with kittens in 61 days. Note however that if there are any wounds on the cats, the place you get them spayed/neutered may put them in quarantine (fights = rabies = FIV/FELK sometimes) or euthanize.   Call around to low cost spay/neuter places and ask them what their policy is (anonymously of course).  Also ask what their policy is if a cat tests positive for FIV/FELK; some will refuse to s/n and or euthanize the cat.  If you think you want to integrate these two/one cat into your household, then of course FELK/FIV test is a must.

 I know it's a hard decision.

Thank you both for your replies.  I thought that the cats got spooked last night for good, after my dog decided that there must be a reason I did not want him going in the backyard and ran right around to the back when I let him out to do his business.  While he did not chase them, he did go right up to the one to get a good sniff.  Once he got his sniff he was right back in the house.  The cats were quite indignant and took off, and I did not see them all day today.  Then just a little while ago, I looked out and saw them both.  I had put the makeshift shelter out on the patio just in case, they came back, and because it is gonna be very chilly tonight.  The one that has the wounds was sitting in it,but saw me, and then they both took off.  I will check around for a humane trap and see if I can get at least that one to the vet, and go from there.

thanks again.

Oh believe me, because I have dogs too, that the feral cats already knew about you dog :lol3: They always run, but will always return when the dogs are not around. Eventually, they do get used to the dogs though when they realize that the dogs can only go so far. They sit and just watch the dogs from a safe distance. I second what Stefan and Ritz are saying in that you need to get a trap so you can get them to a vet who will already be prepared that you are coming. I am sorry to hear that one of them has wounds and I would get them tested for the FeLK/FIV for sure. Hope this all works out the way you want. :cross: Welcome to the site and thank you for caring for the feral cats!!!!!

Where do the stray and feral cats go during the day?   The two cats that visit here, do so only late at night.  I call them my vampire kitties, lol.  cause I usually only see them right before I go to bed, usually after midnight..  Actually, the two of them were visiting regularly, eating, and then taking off to parts unknown.  Since the weather has turned colder here, the one I thought was more feral has not been around.  The other comes almost every night to eat.  Sometimes he uses the shelter, sometimes he doesn't.  Although, since his friend has been MIA, he has been here and using the shelter more often than not.  I still can not get close to him, although he does listen to me when I call to him.  He stops and sits down and just stares at me, as if contemplating whether he should let me near him or not.  Sometimes, when he thinks no one can see him, He sits on top of the shelter and looks in thru the window and watches us.  I can't help but feel, he use to know a life on my side of the window. 

I would like to trap him, and take him to the vet.  I have limited time, money, and resources available to me at the moment, so for now, all I can offer him is the food and shelter I have provided. And the food part is on rocky ground right now.  I have been leaving dry food out for the him/them all day, and putting a can of wet food out at night when I come home from work.  This was working well, until a couple of opossums got wind of the free buffet.

Although, I have been making it as unpleasant as possible for the opossums to enjoy their free dinner by making noise and chasing them away when I see them,  they seem to know I am not always around, so there are times that their raids are successful, so they continue to return.  I have raised the food up, but, they evidently can jump up onto platforms just like the cats. I am not sure what to try next as the cats and the opossums, seem to appear around the same time.  Actually, the last few days, as soon as I chase the possums away, the one cat shows up within 10 mins.   I do notice that the food is being eaten sometime during the day when I come home from work, but, what animal is feeding on it , I do not know.   Again, I only see the cat in the late evenings, and he does come to eat.  Any suggestions as to what I can do to keep the food available for the cats, and discourage the wild life from taking advantage of the free food? 

Well, here he is,  still can't tell if its a boy or a girl,( I think he is a he, for some reason). Since the weather has turned cooler,  he has been spending a lot of time in the shelter I put together.  I hope that means that it is actually keeping him warm.  Today, I happened to be off and was surprise to see him in the shelter....he is usually not to be found in daylight hours.  His friend still only appears late at night, although I suspect that they both share the shelter in the overnight hours.  

Awwwkittykitty said:

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• awwwkittykitty
• Nov 1, 2012

Well, here he is,  still can't tell if its a boy or a girl,( I think he is a he, for some reason). Since the weather has turned cooler,  he has been spending a lot of time in the shelter I put together.  I hope that means that it is actually keeping him warm.  Today, I happened to be off and was surprise to see him in the shelter....he is usually not to be found in daylight hours.  His friend still only appears late at night, although I suspect that they both share the shelter in the overnight hours.  

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AWWW what a cutie!!! So handsome and I think it might be a male because he seems to have the tomcat jowels (chubby cheeks : My hope is that you can get them trapped and scheduled through a TNR org. It is very, very inexpensive to get them done. Most are only $35.00. It is so important so you don't have kittens being born. I would also recommend putting the food out in the morning hours. The cats will learn the new schedule. Believe me, they will. Since they are using the shelter already and feel comfortable with their new outdoor home, then start putting food out in the morning. Take all food up by dusk so the opossums or raccoons don't eat it all up. Glad to see your update

I took care of a stray feral for about four years. We called him Hobo. He would appear at my front door every morning at the same time (do they have watches?) waiting to be fed, which of course I did. My other cats would stare at him through the storm door as he ate. Then they would look at me as if to say, "why is he outside? Why not let him in?" Well, I could not do that as I had not idea what disease he might have had.

Once, he came to the door with his ear half off. I freaked out and ran to the medicine cabinet and grabbed everything I could. Amazingly, he let me treat his wound with iodine and antiseptic wash. I was amazed at how trusting he was. I did so for several days until it cleared up though his ear was permanently mangled. I wanted to take him to the vet but he was very reluctant to let me pick him up.  But, strangely enough he would sit in my lap if I sat on the ground quietly. He would purr and seem very content. He would "talk" to me. Maybe he was telling me about his life as a gypsy, I don't know. But I listened and stroked his back and told him what a brave kitty he was.

But at the slightest sound and he would take off like a bullet.

I tried to follow him once. He seemed to know the neighborhood pretty well and I followed him down to a nearby creek when he disappeared into some bushes like a puff of smoke. I think he lived somewhere along the creek but never knew for sure.

Then one day, he wasn't there.

It had been my routine every morning to get up, make the coffee and then go check to see if Hobo was patiently waiting at the front door - waiting for his daily meal (he never came at any other time of the day). The same thing the next day and the next. No Hobo.

That was two year ago. He never came back. I assume he died. I felt bad, 'cause I would have taken him in if I could have gotten him to the vet and had him checked out, altered and had his shots administered. I felt bad that he didn't get to live a life without all the stress of living in the streets and the wild. There are coyotes around by us and they kill outdoor cats all the time (mine are all indoors). I can only imagine what happened to him and it wasn't good. He was very sweet when you got to know him and him, me. He deserved better. I wished I could have given it to him.

Well, I have made the decision to try and trap him and take him to the vet.  He just does not seem to be at a good weight, despite regular meals.  Additionally, even though he has a shelter and a outdoor heating mat which he uses, I don't think he is tolerating the cold very well.  Just looks so uncomfortable.  ,So tonight I put out a carrier and put his wet food in it.  He went right in, but, as soon as I stepped over to shut the door, he scooted out and away.  The second time he left completely, and came back with his friend, and let her eat first while he stood guard.  lol.  Strength in numbers i guess.  If I manage to isolate him,  I am leaning  towards integrating him into my household.  I will keep feeding in the carrier maybe I will get lucky once he is more comfortable with it there.

That said, it brings me to the next dilemma.  What do I do about his friend?  She is much more skittish and clearly unuse to human c,ontact.  If she notices you watching her, she is gone in a flash.     She comes to feed, but, does not stay around if the boy cat is not around. She will sometimes spend the night cuddled up with the boy cat, but, not every night.  I have notice that the boy cat will spend the weekdays around here, and she will appear later in the evening.  Also, the boy cat takes off on Friday nights and I won't see him again until Sunday evening. It is a regualr pattern with him, but, I have no idea where he goes.  I will see her coming by to eat on those days, but she never stays near after she eats.  I guess I am worried if I take him inside that, that she will suffer. They seem bonded to each other, although not dependent on the other for their basic needs.  Will she be ok, without him around?   Well, one hurdle at a time, I guess.       

OMG!  I caught him! Wasn't expecting it to happen so smoothly, but, it did!  Slid the food to the back of the carrier, stepped back inside the house.  2 seconds later, I had thecarrier's door secured behind him.  He's in the garage right now. No protest or fighting, although I think he is a little stunned. (me too!  lol)   Will be calling the vet first thing in the morning!     His friend was with him, but,as soon as I cameout she took off.  I feel bad cuz I put the heating mat in the garage for him and she used it too.  I put out another bowl of food and water for her,and the shelter is still available.  Thank goodness the weather is going to be unseasonable warm forthe next few days.    

Well,we are back from the vet.  He is definitely an intacted male.  His has wounds from fights and from scratching at his infected ears..  Treated for ear mites, fleas, given an antibiotic shot, a dewormer, blood drawn to check for FeL and FIV,  Can be neutered in a coupleof weeks, once the other issues clear up.  And he apparently does not know how to use a litter box.  He was a trooper though,  at the vets.  Only protested his temperature being taken, however, he does have a wound on his back that probably was the source of the protest.  He is back in my garage, now, hiding.  It been a rough 24 hours for him.  Hopefully, he will be feeling better very soon.

New Question.   I have had the boy now a little over a week.  He seems to be adjusting well to being inside, and my resident cats seem to be tolerating his being here too.  He  goes to be neutered in the morning.  My question is in regards to the other cat that use to appear with him.  I believe it is a girl cat, and she is very very skittish, and I believe feral.  Every night, since i brought the boy in, she has returned here, and looks for him.  She calls to him,  and calls to him, and calls to him. And he responds in kind, with every meow she makes.  It has gone on for hours at a time.  My attempts to distract are useless.  I feel awful keeping them seperated.  My intention is to keep this boy as an indoor cat, but, now I wonder if I am doing the right thing by him.  Is this normal?   I am surprised by her persistence, I just don't know what to do about it.

Glad to hear you were able to trap him.

Please also trap his friend and have her TNR'd or you will be seeing kittens arrive with her soon.

Perhaps they are litter mates and have been together since birth?  I don't think I would have the heart to keep them apart either.

Any chance you can adopt both of them?  Your kitty may not be happy as an indoor cat.  If so, perhaps you can keep both of them as outdoor cats, as long as both are 'fixed'?

Trapping her is possible.  adopting her into my household is not.  At least not at this time.  From what I observe of her behaviour, she would need a lot of patience and time to work with her and earn her trust.  As much as I wish I could take her in, I just don't think it would be in her best interest to do so, as I all ready have 3 cats, and a dog, in addition to the new guy.  My household is at its limit with resident pets.  I was not keen on bringing the new guy in, and thought long and hard before doing so.  I am still not sure it will be the right thing for this boy, only time will 

God Bless all of you who have and do care for so many more.  You are truely special people to be able to do so. 

Please save the girl too, they are bonded and he's probably all she has. If you could bring her in I bet she would learn to be ok with you by watching her friend.

Kitsey said:

Please save the girl too, they are bonded and he's probably all she has. If you could bring her in I bet she would learn to be ok with you by watching her friend.

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Yes, that is very possible.  The posiitive example is a forceful  tool with the fosterer.

She may never be an pet, but I suppose having her accepting live inside as happy inside semiferal is ok with you? You do have several other to pet on and with... It shouldnt be worse than so.

And with a little luck she will be a little shy friendly nice pet, just shy to foreigners.

But if it doenst make out, the alternative is to let them both oout, or just her, out, TNR:ed, and perhaps have them as your outside cats.

You perhaps cant keep her, nor work too much on her. But the situation calls for at least spaying her...

It is the mimimum to get  peace in conscience.   

Difficult situation.  You are the pilot on this plane, you must decide...

Good luck!

If you cannot bring them both in, keep them as outside kitties and provide food, water, and shelter for them.  I would not separate them.

Thank you all for the replies.  I am thinking about letting him back outside.  He spent all night at the window/patio door talking to her.  And as soon as he called to her, her  head popped up and she positioned herself so she could see him.  Later in the evening they moved to the patio door to see and talk to each other.   She was rubbing her body against the glass door as he sat in front of her.  She did not run away like she usually does when she spies me there.  I tried to coax her inside, with him in my arms, with the patio door open, but she just would not come closer.

I will admit I am uncomfortable with the concept of outdoor cats. Growing up and even as an adult, pets were thought to be part of the family and shared our living space.  Definitely need to mull this over a bit more.  By all appearances though, being outdoor kitties, may be the right thing to do. 

Ironically, he and my resident cats are doing fine.  Only occassional hissing at each other, and not from him.  My girl, Smoke, seems to have the biggest issue with him, as she is doing the majority of the hissing and growling.  So far I have only had to tell her, that it is ok, and to let it go, and she stops.  lol.    Much to think about.

This is him. Taken the after he got home from his neuter.  Still a little groggy.