Hi everyone~ the past two weeks have been a HUGE whirlwind of events for me!
I delayed the post because I wanted to make sure what was goingey looked around 5-6 weeks old to me and they were sleeping.
I didn’t know if they were feral or stray kitties at first. They probably climbed the tree to get up there, which sounded pretty wild to me, but I had no idea. So I got down the ladd on before posting. Also, this is going to be a very long thread- apologies for any redundant details and typos.
Last Sunday morning at about 5 am or so I heard Belle (my dog) yipping impatiently downstairs. I thought she needed to be taken outside to do her business, so I took her outside but she just kept yipping and running around in a circle sniffing the grass and she ran all around my backyard sniffing for about 15 minutes (My backyard is an acre of grass and trees- we live in the countryside) and she stopped at the far end of my backyard next to a 7 foot barbed wire fence and a tree and just sat there.
So naturally, I walked over to see what was going on, and I saw this strange “nest” on a low-hanging tree lined with sticks and bird feathers. It was unusually large, and Belle’s paws were on the tree and she was apparently trying to get to the nest. I expected there to be baby birds or unhatched eggs inside it. So I said, “Belle, come here”, and she just stayed in that position and she kept eyeing that nest like there was something strange inside it.
So I told Belle to stay, ran all the way back to my house, got a short ladder, and brought it to the tree (Belle was still sniffing the tree). I looked inside the huge “nest” and I was very surprised to find two fuzzy hairballs with fur that looked relatively well-kept with little patches of dirt here and there. (I wish I had brought my phone to take a picture, but I didn’t have it with me). I looked closer and they appeared to be two little kittens snuggled together in that nest. Ther and started looking around for any sign of Momma kitty or any nearby food or water source that they could have been relying on. So I started searching. Pretty soon I found a large cluster of dead mice, voles and shrews next to the fence. I couldn’t find any visible water source. So I kept looking for Momma Cat with no luck and went back inside with Belle but kept the ladder out there- I don’t know why.
After eating breakfast, greeting Miki, and doing a pile of laundry, I went back outside quietly with Belle, my now apparent kitty sniffer. She ran back to the tree and I followed her. The nest was empty. I started looking for my two little musketeers and I saw them gobbling away on their dead mice and voles. I didn’t want to get too close to them but I did get a glance at their markings. It appeared that one of them looked like a medium or longhaired Torbie and one of them was clearly a Tortie- so I assumed they were both females. They didn’t look underweight at all.
I tried to be quiet but little Belle here just couldn’t stop fidgeting. The Torbie, who appeared to be slightly bigger than the Tortie, suddenly turned around and her fur stood all up and her tail was up and she hissed at us. The Tortie immediately went into a crouch position and ran away behind a nearby bush. The Torbie who hissed at us then went into the same crouch position and ran away.
I was guessing (only guessing) that they might be feral kittens and that Momma Cat would probably come back soon. I had no idea how long they had started living in my acre. It could have been weeks or just one day. Well I walked away and continued the search of Momma Cat on the other side of the acre with Belle so that the 2 little musketeers could continue eating. I was pretty sure they were feral, but I have absolutely no experience with feral cats. So I went back around the acre through the other side and I saw a dead cat carcass on the other side of the fence in the undergrowth. It almost brought me to tears seeing the poor Momma Cat (she looked like a dilute Tortie) outstretched, dead and decaying, next to a bush.
Well I knew for sure (90% sure) that the kittens’ Momma Cat was killed by some fox or coyote when finding food or exploring. Then, I did some research on feral kitties and learned about Trap Neuter Return. I also read some stories on TCS about socializing feral kittens when they were young. I decided to try to take action. I silently went outside (without Belle, the noise maker) and put a bowl of wet food relatively near where the kitties’ nest was. I expected them to come and get the food at night, but surprisingly in about 13 minutes or so (I was watching from my house) three little fluffballs slowly walked toward the food. They were all in their crouch position and their fur seemed to be erect. I watched the lead Torbie sniff the food and it seemed like he was starting to eat it. This part was easier than I thought it would be because on other websites people said that the kitties might take a week or so to start eating the food. I continued watching the other little Musketeer and after 10 minutes or so they gradually left the bowl.
I had an appointment all afternoon, so I left the bowl there and came back around 7 pm ish to go check on the nest and the bowl. I slowly tiptoed toward the bowl and peeked inside- the food was all gone! Not one bit of it was left. I also saw clumps of poop nearby. This was a good start.
I peeked in the nest and sure enough all three kitties were sleeping. I decided to put out another bowl of food for the night.
The next morning I woke bright and early to go to the hardware store. I bought three Tomahawk humane traps for my kitties (one for the first day) and went back home. I was guessing and hoping that the trap would not take too long as the kitties demolished the food pretty quickly the day before. I went back to the backyard and checked on the food. All gone again. And more poop piles scattered nearby. I checked on the nest but it was empty. Little kitties weren’t at the mice and vole pile either- they were probably exploring.
I put another big bowl of yummy food inside of the unset trap, put some newspapers inside, covered it with a thin towel, and put it right next to their tree. I hoped they would start getting used to eating inside it.
For the next four days I set up a regular feeding schedule for the kitties inside the unset trap. They ignored the food for the first morning but then learned that it was the same yummy food that they had eaten in the bowl out in the open, and they gradually started eating it. A couple times, when I was placing the bowl in the trap, I spied the kitties staring at me. I tried to avoid eye contact but then the third time I noticed them I realized that they were not in crouch position. I hoped that they were getting used to seeing me.
On the third day I called the vet to schedule a feral kitten appointment to spay the three kitties. The vet scheduled me an appointment for all three kittens. On the fourth day I did not put out food to make sure that they were hungry for the fifth day. I set up a large-sized doggy crate for them with padding and newspapers just in case I did manage to trap them and bring them to the vet to get spayed.
too! DH just managed to take two pictures of them. They may be feral, but they are pretty photogenic (at least when they're tired). They have been living here for 5 days now and of course they are still adjusting. I work from home so I have ample time to check on them and slowly socialize them to new things.
On the fifth day I decided to try to trap the kittens. I set out two identical Tomahawk traps, each a little distance away from each other, put some bait in and covered them.
The next morning Belle was yipping again. Praying for good news, I put on my slippers and went outside. Both kitties were trapped. The tortie seemed to be stuck, but she eventually squirmed her way inside. They were both in crouch position. I had DH help me move both kitties into the large sized doggy crate by putting their traps directly in front and then opening them. Clever little Big Torbie tried finding some other way to squirm out but couldn’t. She almost managed to sink her fangs into DH’s hand!
The vet visit was long but worth it. Both kittens got spayed and both tested negative for FIV and FeLV. Both of them have URIs and the vet prescribed meds. Also Tortie has pretty severe skin allergies on her belly and Torbie has ear mites in her left ear- the vet prescribed meds for both, and I’m putting both on a special diet.
They are both really timid right now and will hiss and spit pretty frequently, but in the past few days they both (especially the tortie) have come out of their shell a little bit. I put them in a large playpen with separate food, water, litterboxes, and two large cat trees. The playpen is in the guest bedroom, which is very dark and quiet but close to DH/my bedroom so we can frequently check on them. They are eating regularly and besides two small accidents are slowly learning to use the litter box.
I am trying to split the time between Miki, Belle, and my two kitties. It is a lot, but it's feasible.
I have named them,
This is Calida- she is the Tortie. She has been a little more open but she still hisses and is very timid. She likes to go crazy running around the cat tree in her crouch position. She has also been introduced to the cat dancer and Cat Wobbler catnip toy and boy like all other cats she goes crazy over catnip.
This is Merida (I named her from the Brave princess) and she is spunky, very feisty, and EXTREMELY protective of her sister Calida. She is very slow to trust and is still very, very shy, but she is so funny to watch. She likes to paw and smack her sister's tail and pull on it. I don't think she will ever be a lap/snuggle cat but I am looking forward to socializing her.
So I am doing my research, but does anyone have any ideas how to socialize/"tame" my two little feral kitties? Any advice would be appreciated.
Miki's/Belle's/Calida's/Merida's meowmy
I didn’t know if they were feral or stray kitties at first. They probably climbed the tree to get up there, which sounded pretty wild to me, but I had no idea. So I got down the ladd on before posting. Also, this is going to be a very long thread- apologies for any redundant details and typos.
Last Sunday morning at about 5 am or so I heard Belle (my dog) yipping impatiently downstairs. I thought she needed to be taken outside to do her business, so I took her outside but she just kept yipping and running around in a circle sniffing the grass and she ran all around my backyard sniffing for about 15 minutes (My backyard is an acre of grass and trees- we live in the countryside) and she stopped at the far end of my backyard next to a 7 foot barbed wire fence and a tree and just sat there.
So naturally, I walked over to see what was going on, and I saw this strange “nest” on a low-hanging tree lined with sticks and bird feathers. It was unusually large, and Belle’s paws were on the tree and she was apparently trying to get to the nest. I expected there to be baby birds or unhatched eggs inside it. So I said, “Belle, come here”, and she just stayed in that position and she kept eyeing that nest like there was something strange inside it.
So I told Belle to stay, ran all the way back to my house, got a short ladder, and brought it to the tree (Belle was still sniffing the tree). I looked inside the huge “nest” and I was very surprised to find two fuzzy hairballs with fur that looked relatively well-kept with little patches of dirt here and there. (I wish I had brought my phone to take a picture, but I didn’t have it with me). I looked closer and they appeared to be two little kittens snuggled together in that nest. Ther and started looking around for any sign of Momma kitty or any nearby food or water source that they could have been relying on. So I started searching. Pretty soon I found a large cluster of dead mice, voles and shrews next to the fence. I couldn’t find any visible water source. So I kept looking for Momma Cat with no luck and went back inside with Belle but kept the ladder out there- I don’t know why.
After eating breakfast, greeting Miki, and doing a pile of laundry, I went back outside quietly with Belle, my now apparent kitty sniffer. She ran back to the tree and I followed her. The nest was empty. I started looking for my two little musketeers and I saw them gobbling away on their dead mice and voles. I didn’t want to get too close to them but I did get a glance at their markings. It appeared that one of them looked like a medium or longhaired Torbie and one of them was clearly a Tortie- so I assumed they were both females. They didn’t look underweight at all.
I tried to be quiet but little Belle here just couldn’t stop fidgeting. The Torbie, who appeared to be slightly bigger than the Tortie, suddenly turned around and her fur stood all up and her tail was up and she hissed at us. The Tortie immediately went into a crouch position and ran away behind a nearby bush. The Torbie who hissed at us then went into the same crouch position and ran away.
I was guessing (only guessing) that they might be feral kittens and that Momma Cat would probably come back soon. I had no idea how long they had started living in my acre. It could have been weeks or just one day. Well I walked away and continued the search of Momma Cat on the other side of the acre with Belle so that the 2 little musketeers could continue eating. I was pretty sure they were feral, but I have absolutely no experience with feral cats. So I went back around the acre through the other side and I saw a dead cat carcass on the other side of the fence in the undergrowth. It almost brought me to tears seeing the poor Momma Cat (she looked like a dilute Tortie) outstretched, dead and decaying, next to a bush.
Well I knew for sure (90% sure) that the kittens’ Momma Cat was killed by some fox or coyote when finding food or exploring. Then, I did some research on feral kitties and learned about Trap Neuter Return. I also read some stories on TCS about socializing feral kittens when they were young. I decided to try to take action. I silently went outside (without Belle, the noise maker) and put a bowl of wet food relatively near where the kitties’ nest was. I expected them to come and get the food at night, but surprisingly in about 13 minutes or so (I was watching from my house) three little fluffballs slowly walked toward the food. They were all in their crouch position and their fur seemed to be erect. I watched the lead Torbie sniff the food and it seemed like he was starting to eat it. This part was easier than I thought it would be because on other websites people said that the kitties might take a week or so to start eating the food. I continued watching the other little Musketeer and after 10 minutes or so they gradually left the bowl.
I had an appointment all afternoon, so I left the bowl there and came back around 7 pm ish to go check on the nest and the bowl. I slowly tiptoed toward the bowl and peeked inside- the food was all gone! Not one bit of it was left. I also saw clumps of poop nearby. This was a good start.
I peeked in the nest and sure enough all three kitties were sleeping. I decided to put out another bowl of food for the night.
The next morning I woke bright and early to go to the hardware store. I bought three Tomahawk humane traps for my kitties (one for the first day) and went back home. I was guessing and hoping that the trap would not take too long as the kitties demolished the food pretty quickly the day before. I went back to the backyard and checked on the food. All gone again. And more poop piles scattered nearby. I checked on the nest but it was empty. Little kitties weren’t at the mice and vole pile either- they were probably exploring.
I put another big bowl of yummy food inside of the unset trap, put some newspapers inside, covered it with a thin towel, and put it right next to their tree. I hoped they would start getting used to eating inside it.
For the next four days I set up a regular feeding schedule for the kitties inside the unset trap. They ignored the food for the first morning but then learned that it was the same yummy food that they had eaten in the bowl out in the open, and they gradually started eating it. A couple times, when I was placing the bowl in the trap, I spied the kitties staring at me. I tried to avoid eye contact but then the third time I noticed them I realized that they were not in crouch position. I hoped that they were getting used to seeing me.
On the third day I called the vet to schedule a feral kitten appointment to spay the three kitties. The vet scheduled me an appointment for all three kittens. On the fourth day I did not put out food to make sure that they were hungry for the fifth day. I set up a large-sized doggy crate for them with padding and newspapers just in case I did manage to trap them and bring them to the vet to get spayed.
too! DH just managed to take two pictures of them. They may be feral, but they are pretty photogenic (at least when they're tired). They have been living here for 5 days now and of course they are still adjusting. I work from home so I have ample time to check on them and slowly socialize them to new things.
On the fifth day I decided to try to trap the kittens. I set out two identical Tomahawk traps, each a little distance away from each other, put some bait in and covered them.
The next morning Belle was yipping again. Praying for good news, I put on my slippers and went outside. Both kitties were trapped. The tortie seemed to be stuck, but she eventually squirmed her way inside. They were both in crouch position. I had DH help me move both kitties into the large sized doggy crate by putting their traps directly in front and then opening them. Clever little Big Torbie tried finding some other way to squirm out but couldn’t. She almost managed to sink her fangs into DH’s hand!
The vet visit was long but worth it. Both kittens got spayed and both tested negative for FIV and FeLV. Both of them have URIs and the vet prescribed meds. Also Tortie has pretty severe skin allergies on her belly and Torbie has ear mites in her left ear- the vet prescribed meds for both, and I’m putting both on a special diet.
They are both really timid right now and will hiss and spit pretty frequently, but in the past few days they both (especially the tortie) have come out of their shell a little bit. I put them in a large playpen with separate food, water, litterboxes, and two large cat trees. The playpen is in the guest bedroom, which is very dark and quiet but close to DH/my bedroom so we can frequently check on them. They are eating regularly and besides two small accidents are slowly learning to use the litter box.
I am trying to split the time between Miki, Belle, and my two kitties. It is a lot, but it's feasible.
I have named them,
This is Calida- she is the Tortie. She has been a little more open but she still hisses and is very timid. She likes to go crazy running around the cat tree in her crouch position. She has also been introduced to the cat dancer and Cat Wobbler catnip toy and boy like all other cats she goes crazy over catnip.
This is Merida (I named her from the Brave princess) and she is spunky, very feisty, and EXTREMELY protective of her sister Calida. She is very slow to trust and is still very, very shy, but she is so funny to watch. She likes to paw and smack her sister's tail and pull on it. I don't think she will ever be a lap/snuggle cat but I am looking forward to socializing her.
So I am doing my research, but does anyone have any ideas how to socialize/"tame" my two little feral kitties? Any advice would be appreciated.
Miki's/Belle's/Calida's/Merida's meowmy
