Update on my crew!

I will start with Shadow.  He is my once feral, now not even sure he's semi feral outdoor cat.  His semi feral stays as he has no interest in living inside.  He loves his outdoor space.  He spends most of his time on my deck and rarely leaves the deck.  He has had a wonderful summer.  Once Marvin moved inside the house, life for Shadow drastically improved.  He is happy and so playful.  Life is good for him once again.

Just one week after Marvin moved inside (end of May), 2 more cats showed up.  Fortunately one was someone's lost cat!  Yet, the black one stuck around.  After much debate, I broke down and began to feed the cat.  This was only after Shadow just melted whenever this cat was around.  He was so enamored.  They got along so well.  Shadow truly enjoyed this cat.  I was away for a week in early July, but decided that once I returned the black cat would have a name as well as being trapped and taken for spay/neuter and shots.  The cat was so easy to trap and it turned out to be another male.  He is young and I named him Stellar.  He is still skittish, but coming along nicely.  He likes to play with the feather wand and now allows for it to touch his body.  I was able to pet him last night when he went into the feeding station to eat.  He is very interested in watching me pet, brush and love on Shadow.  He will be a very nice addition to my brood!

Marvin was moved inside the very end of May.  He has been upstairs in a spare room.  I had him alone for awhile so he could adjust as well as waiting to get him vet care.  I had neutered him in March as well as vaccines, but I needed him checked over thoroughly before being comfortable allowing him contact with my inside cat.  Marvin went to the vet very easily and has adjusted to living inside beautifully. I am guessing he was a stray who might have at one time lived inside a home.  I have done introductions with Jake, my indoor cat and Misty our dog very slowly.  As of now Marvin has been able to roam the house with supervision.  He and Jake have done really well together.  There has been a few bats of the paws, but mostly just sniffs and ignores.  Misty, the dog on the other hand scares the crap out of Marvin.  She is a big girl and loves to howl.  Marvin has hissed at her and even whacked her good.  Yet, she is clueless so for now she is on a leash when he is out and about.  Marvin gets anywhere from 2-6 hours a day outside of his room.  We now have a gate with a small cat opening at the bottom so he can get back to his room safely and away from Misty if necessary.  She can't get in the opening or jump the gate.  It is all taking much longer than I had hoped, but I know in the long run it will all be worth it.  I just take it day by day and hope I will know when Marvin is ready to be out all the time. Oh, one last thing about Marvin.  He wants nothing to do with his previous outdoor life.  He avoids the sliding door that goes out onto the deck where he used to live.  He did see Shadow from the windows and did go to see him by the sliding door.  Shadow was absolutely freaked.  Marvin ran too and has since not gone back to the slider.  I was worried when he came downstairs near the doors, he would try to get out.  He seems very comfortable living inside.  It made me sad that Shadow was so upset.  He yowled and meowed and carried on.  But I moved Marvin inside to keep Shadow safe.  The two could just not get along. 

I still have not seen Patches.  I trapped and neutered him in March.  He came back very briefly twice in April and was spotted by a friend in a nearby neighborhood in May.  He did something similar last summer.  I hope he will decide to come back when the weather turns cooler knowing I will provide a winter shelter. 

The joy all of my animals bring to my life is indescribable.  I love them all so much.  Some days are harder than others and I hate the fact that in a few short months it will be cold again.  I try to enjoy my time with my outside boys now while I can.

Glad to read the update! You are doing a tremendous job! I almost wonder if Marvin was so aggressive toward Shadow because he wanted to come inside. He wanted Shadow out of the way! But it seems as if you have harmony once again. And I would be thrilled like you that Shadow has a new buddy in Stellar. I hate when the cold weather comes too, I have found wonderful heated shelters, that gives me peace of mind for my ferals.

I also wonder if Patches is being fed by one one else. It has been my own experience that if you are the only source of food, they tend to stick around. Do you think the other women that TNR in your neighborhood are possibly his feeders?

I know the joy and satisfaction you write of, I wish more people would feel compassion for ferals.

Such good news.  All of your hard work is paying off!

Isn't it funny how Marvin and Shadow just plain don't like each other?  I am always amazed at what an individual each cat is.  Just like people - some you like; others - not so much ...

KRZ said:

Glad to read the update! You are doing a tremendous job! I almost wonder if Marvin was so aggressive toward Shadow because he wanted to come inside. He wanted Shadow out of the way! But it seems as if you have harmony once again. And I would be thrilled like you that Shadow has a new buddy in Stellar. I hate when the cold weather comes too, I have found wonderful heated shelters, that gives me peace of mind for my ferals.

I also wonder if Patches is being fed by one one else. It has been my own experience that if you are the only source of food, they tend to stick around. Do you think the other women that TNR in your neighborhood are possibly his feeders?

I know the joy and satisfaction you write of, I wish more people would feel compassion for ferals.

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I have been in contact with the other women that TNR in my neighborhood and they have never even seen Patches.  I do believe he is getting food somewhere else.  He is a case of where neutering did not stop his wandering.  I just wish I could catch a glimpse of him so know he is still alive.  I have in the past posted flyers and only heard from one person.  I do believe I have an idea of where he may be hanging out.  I just want him to be safe as well as have food and shelter.  He wormed his way into my heart and I feel very sad about him.  His energy was pure peace and love.  I miss what he brought to my household.

What type of heated winter shelters do you use?  I have a 6'x6' shed in a box (looks like a tent, but thicker material).  I put my outdoor love seat inside with heat pads.  Last winter when Shadow was all alone, I bought him a small outdoor heated house.  It has 4 walls and 2 openings.  He really liked it on cold nights.  My problem with the shed in a box is that Shadow does not like the front flap closed.  He freaks if he can't see out.  I totally get it since he would not be able to see if predators make their way onto my deck.  I am able to put the flap down about 1/2 way.  This does help block the wind.  On sunny days it heats up really nicely inside, but quickly cools off at night.  I keep waiting for my perfect setup to pop into my mind!

How about an entry tunnel made of plexiglass?  It would give him a line of sight while blocking the wind.  You can make one for each entry or just the one facing the deck itself.

ShadowsRescue said:

I have been in contact with the other women that TNR in my neighborhood and they have never even seen Patches.  I do believe he is getting food somewhere else.  He is a case of where neutering did not stop his wandering.  I just wish I could catch a glimpse of him so know he is still alive.  I have in the past posted flyers and only heard from one person.  I do believe I have an idea of where he may be hanging out.  I just want him to be safe as well as have food and shelter.  He wormed his way into my heart and I feel very sad about him.  His energy was pure peace and love.  I miss what he brought to my household.

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I hear ya. I thought when I TNR'd Hercules last December, that that would keep him from wandering and he would be more likely to get friendlier without the hormones. Hasn't happened though. He's wandering right now too - got into a fight with a wandering male and now he's taken off again. I hear you about the sadness, wondering if they are okay. It's great to read that the rest of your crew is working out so well - Shadow sounds like one happy fellow and has a friend now to boot! I hope Marvin and Misty work out their differences soon too - I wonder if there are special tricks for cat/dog introductions as opposed to cat/cat intros?

The heated houses I use are from stabobpethouses.net. There are so many to choose from and you can email him with questions and he is very helpful in finding just the right shelter for the cats and your set up.

That is wonderful! I have the heated house, I have used it for several ferals, but you are right, they don't like to feel closed in. We had to wire the door open, though, then they used it.