New to caring for a stray/feral and second-guessing myself and need some encouragement and support

MsAimee said:

Chaucer, have you tried to advertise to find adoptive homes for the cats? In your local newspaper, online, or even hanging up pictures of them in supermarkets, churches, and school areas? Do you have any friends who might take one or two? It would be ideal if they went from your house directly into another caring home rather than spending time in a shelter where they may or may not find homes. If you took some cute pictures of them and posted them online and in your community, you might get lucky. Also ask around among your co-workers, who might take a kitten or know someone who is thinking of taking in a kitten. Just a thought! 

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I am not fond of this idea. Mostly because people who get a "free" kitten don't end up getting it spayed/neutered and let the kitten outside. That is why we have so many feral cats. So the best option, IMO, IS to take the kittens to a shelter where they will have contracts/agreements for potential adopters plus screenings. I would never, EVER give away kittens for free and without a written contract/spay-neuter agreement which needs following through on your part. The only other option would be to get the kittens all fixed BEFORE you give them away and they need to weigh at least two pounds for the surgery. Still, never give away kittens for free.

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Chaucer - keep on track with the shelter. Kittens adopt out real fast and you will get that call soon. Keep up the great work and glad to hear that Henryetta is gaining weight and feeling better.

I don't know about your area, but in the area where I live, the Humane Society and ASPCA are kill shelters that euthanize cats and kittens who aren't adopted within 3-4 weeks. Animal Friends is a no kill shelter, but they have a long waiting list, and also an interview process for pets before they accept them into their shelter--so a cat or kitten with feral tendencies wouldn't stand a chance. I'm not suggesting one should hand over a kitten to just anyone they meet in a pet store or on the street, but friends and co-workers are generally good potential pet adopters. I've adopted out several cats and kittens over the years to friends, co-workers, and their families, and have followed up with them and have been satisfied they are in loving homes. Churches are also a good resource for finding good homes. It's better than giving them a potential death sentence in a shelter.

The local shelter is a "low-kill" shelter, which does not keep ill or animals deemed aggressive but they don't kill to make room for others.  I don't agree with this about ill ones or aggressive (I would hope the latter is only in an extreme case) but my kittens are healthy, clean, active and friendly. I've asked friends and just about everyone I have met if they want a kitten. I've even put it on Facebook and a couple of people shared the pictures and information and those were to people out-of-state.

If I do have to do the adoptions myself, it won't be for free.  I would like to be reimbursed for any shots, spaying/neutering that I might have to do if the kittens remain with me to the 4 months stage and can't get in the shelter. . My friends who are adopting one of the kittens offered me a substantial amount  just to cover the costs of everything, including room/board, until they can come from out-of-state to get her.  It was too much money so I've negotiated downward for that little kitten's "fee." She will be going to a loving home.  I don't qualify for the low-cost spay/neuter program my state has, but the vet I am now using gives a discount for the first shots if I bring in a litter.

Henryetta is getting a little more hissy of late since her spaying. I wonder if she is tired of being shut out there with the kittens or has started to revert to a wilder state. even though she did have a human family of a sort up until they abandoned her last October or early November.

I don't have a recent photo of her but here is one I took last month:  Henryetta James

This is one of my resident cat who is in the house.

LOOK AT THOSE GORGEOUS KITTIES !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Oh Chaucer's eyes are stunningly beautiful against that blue coat. Henryetta is SUCH A BEAUTY !!!!!!!!! :love:

WONDERFUL news about a good friend adopting one of the kittens and offering a good donation.

Don't fret too much over Henryetta hissing and being a bit crabby right now. Things will settle into a routine once kittens are adopted and she fully recovers from her spay. She may be getting annoyed with her babies. :lol3: Like all mothers will do.

Hi !  I started with one feral striped tabby three years ago.  Then his "twin" appeared.  Then the third "twin" - amazing - all 3 were adult cats and looked practically identical.  I   called Forgotten Cats (a local rescue agency) who came with humane traps - 3 cats got their shots and got neutered by veterinarians  (all male cats)  Cost me about $45 per cat.  I purchased  2 "Feral Cat Villas" online - my son assembled them (about $89 each).  We live in Phila., a cold climate in winter.  These villas are great - insulated, with a "2nd floor" level for the cat.  Put some straw in each, and the cats used them.  Also have a big plastic doghouse with straw inside.  We  feed them every day.  Haven't seen the third for a long time, just two - don't know what happened to him.  A big black cat has joined up and the agency's coming soon to neuter (or spay) that one.  We feed them dry and wet food everyday, am & pm.  I   sprinkle their food  with brewer's yeast in hot weather to keep fleas off the cats.  BEST OF LUCK !!   There's a saying in Buddhism that if you relieve the suffering of a single living being, your life is worthwhile.

Chaucer, I was in your shoes back in 2001. I had just moved in with my now ex and we had three cats when a pregnant stray showed up. She'd been hanging around the neighborhood for a few weeks and she was a sweetheart so we took her in. We made a nest/den for her in the spare bedroom and she had her kittens her there. She stayed in the bedroom with the kittens until they turned 8 weeks old and then we introduced mommy and babies to our adult cats. We put up a storm door screen in the doorway between the bedroom and the hall so that everyone could glare, hiss, smell and swear at each other without touching each other. After a week we were able to take the screen down when we were standing by, then we progressed to taking the screen down when we were in the house...we just took baby steps until the cats got comfortable with each other. Feral cats live in colonies so they naturally form relationships, develop hierarchies and resolve conflicts on their own. Your job is to make sure each cat feels loved and has his own territory. They may not want to share a food or water bowl so you'll need to watch and see where you need to accommodate them. They probably won't want to share a litter box so you'll need a few of them. It is a little bit of work but it is well worth it! Just be patient and take it slow!

Thank you for the compliments on Chaucer and Henryetta James, Feralvr.  I think she was having a Mommy-Meltdown with "melt" being the key word. It's very warm and humid right now and the storage room is warm and stuffy even with the screen doors.

Franny and Barb, thank you for your comments.  This is new for me, but you would think I'd have the hang of it now that the kittens are more than 8 weeks old. I think it was the shelter saying they couldn't take them for several weeks that has had me in a tizzy of sorts.  I play with and cuddle each kitten a couple of times a day. There are two litter boxes out there, two bowls of dry food all the time and two bowls of water.  They are terrible spillers of food and water so I like to have an extra in case it happens at night or when I'm away during the day. 

Chaucer and Henryetta have met numerous times. When I first brought her in the house after she'd had her shots, they were relatively friendly with each other - touching noses and even eating near each other, as was the routine when she was outside and he was inside.  Unfortunately, I stepped on her, she screeched and ran and he chased and jumped her. He jumped her another time while in the house and I had to separate them. Now, I take him to the storage room screen door and let them sniff through the door. Neither hisses nor growls at the other. The kittens are very curious but he did hiss at them when they were in the house while Henryetta was recovering from her surgery.

Worse than not spaying them and putting them outside:  BEWARE !!!    As a member of animal rights groups for years, I've become aware from their newsletters about certain people who take "free" animals under the guise that they're going to adopt them and provide a good home.   I think they're called "bundlers" - they accumulate a certain quantity of cats and/or dogs, then sell them to research laboratories.  Even so-called shelters have been involved in this activity too.  So be careful about advertising "free to a good home" !!  These are exactly the ads their looking for.

Oh, I'm not going to go the "free kittens in the Wal-Mart parking lot" route, Franny. The shelter here is reputable and started years ago by my mother's friend. I got Chaucer there and he'd been there at least a month or so when I got him at 4 months old.  It's a shame that there are people out there who take advantage of others who are trying to help animals. I'm hopeful that the shelter will have some space in the next couple of weeks. I have heard that orange/white kittens and cats are adopted quickly. I'm not sure why that is. I've always gone for Siamese-looking or darker cats.

Hi - sorry,  I didn't mean to imply that you'd even consider such a thing - you're obviously a caring, compassionate cat lover.    My entry was actually in response to someone else's reply to you that suggested advertising in local newspapers, etc. - I'm somewhat of a computer moron, forgive me (senior citizen - just learned how to use one a year ago), so  don't really know how the thread works.    I deeply respect and commend you for the wonderful efforts you've made and hope and pray the little kittens do end up in forever homes !

I am the poster you are referring to. I think you may have read a lot of things into my suggestions that I did not intend. It has been my experience, from decades of both adopting and finding homes for cats, that word of mouth among co-workers, friends, and fellow church members is a very good way to find homes for cats. When I was young and lived in the city, long before I started taking in strays and ferals, I adopted a few cats from ads in local papers myself. There's nothing wrong with advertising as long as you interview the person, and preferably in their home so you can see they are not hoarders and that they have appropriate room, and charge some kind of fee. This is actually as much, if not more, than most shelters do (I've adopted a few cats from shelters, as well). The shelters in my area are kill shelters that euthanize cats and kittens that are not adopted within 3-4 weeks, so I do think it's better to find a good home for the cats and only take them to a shelter that euthanizes cats when all other efforts have failed. I think people need to calm down and not make the assumption that anyone on this forum would hand over a cat to someone standing outside a pet store that sells snakes, or give them to people who work in labs that test animals. Everyone on this forum loves animals and has a certain degree of savvy.

Cheddar said:

 
It's so nice to hear you are helping this beautiful cat. I am not well versed in the cat world, just wanted to commend you for your great effort and good deed.

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Thank you, Cheddar. 

Certainly not denying good potential adoptees and good shelters exist, or news ads can produce good results.   Also great that this forum's participants are caring, compassionate and knowledgeable; however, some may be unaware of the existence of "bundlers" , just as I myself was unaware.  Wasn't reading anything negative into your message - just putting the information out there.  Have a highly educated friend, a true animal lover, who naively left his beloved Beagle unattended in his fenced-in backyard for a short while.  The dog mysteriously disappeared.  Bundlers also snatch up unattended pets, as may have happened in this case.  Don't get me wrong - my intention is not to focus on the negative - but I'll bet my friend wishes he'd had this information - he still grieves over his dog, never knowing what became of him - Beagles are highly desired for testing in research labs due to their extremely friendly disposition.   

Franny, I think you are providing information that is good to know. I do know that animals are sold to labs and that people steal them for that purpose but I hadn't really thought of it in conjunction with the kittens. I suppose I think of it more to do with dogs, mice, monkeys and rabbits for some reason.   I was more focused on the kittens not going to people who use them for dog-fight training - a barbaric sport in itself- or food for their snakes which is also disgusting. I also don't want them going to hoarders.  The shelter charges a pretty decent fee for a small town both to adopt and to take in animals so I am planning to wait on them, but still plan to try and find homes among friends.

In my neck of the woods, it's pretty boring. There aren't animal testing labs, and I doubt there are dog fighting rings. There is a high incidence of mental illness and drug addiction, however, so we deal with hoarders and people who will try to sell an animal for drugs if the animal looks like it might be a breed or they can pass it off as a breed. That's why I think it's important to go over to a potential adopter's home to interview them. If they have nothing to hide and really want a pet, then they won't mind this small intrusion. Also, if they have small kids who immediately fall in love with the pet, then it's unlikely the parents would do anything to harm the cat, if they love their kids. The good thing about giving a pet to friend, co-worker or co-worker's family member is that you can get updates, pictures, and possibly a follow-up visit to make sure the cat is okay. Sometimes we don't ask around our own social circles because we assume people we know don't want a cat, or another cat, but it never hurts to ask. Chaucer, I'm really happy you found a friend to take one of the kittens. I wish you luck with the others! You've done a lot to help this cat family.  

Thank you, MsAimee.

Okay, just an update here. 

I had an interesting, to me, thing happen this morning.  I'm trying to get Chaucer and Henryetta to get along. Henryetta is still in the storage room with four of her five kittens - one has been adopted- while I'm waiting on the pick-up of the other four from the two people who want to adopt them.  Henryetta has been in the house numerous times but she hisses, growls and swats at Chaucer. He, on the other hand, wants to investigate her. I usually take him in the mornings to the storage room's screen door after he has been fed and I've taken food out to Henryetta and the kittens. They all sniff through the door and there is no problem.  Today, I took him into the storage room, holding him. No hissing from Henryetta. I put him on the low table, still holding on to him. Henryetta came up to him. They touched noses and she sniffed him and let him sniff her No problems. A couple of kittens jumped up to sniff him. He let them and sniffed them. No problems. Why then is there a problem in the house when she is inside?   I'm wondering if it is the house that bothers her and not so much Chaucer.  Although she has been in the house off-and-on since April and occasionally needing to stay the night, with Chaucer shut in the bedroom, it may not feel like her territory and she feels scared when he is in the house with her. She is fine when he is shut in the bedroom. I'm hopeful this will get straightened out. Chaucer is a VERY easy-going cat and friendly to everyone he meets. The kittens startle him sometimes but he's used to them now.

I'm so glad you found people to adopt the kittens! It sounds as though they are all getting along fairly well. Chaucer and Henyretta will sort through their territory issues in time. It's natural for there to be some tension during the first several weeks when new cats are introduced into the household. Also, since Henyretta still goes outside, it will likely take her a bit longer to adjust to the indoor environment which is new territory for her. Thanks for the update! 

Chaucer said:

I'm hopeful this will get straightened out. Chaucer is a VERY easy-going cat and friendly to everyone he meets. The kittens startle him sometimes but he's used to them now.

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It WILL and your point words " VERY easy - going" Chaucer is the golden key to all of this working out. Once the kittens are all adopted and gone, then Henryetta will focus on something else for her life. It will be a smooth transition but surely one must expect a few little bumps in the beginning. The main issue you are already through is the introductions. Chaucer and Henryetta already know each other and quite well. Henryetta will just need a day or two to realize that your home is now her home. :heart3:

It has to be the house that upsets Henryetta.  This afternoon I took Chaucer out to the storage room and they sniffed and seemed okay so I decided to put him down. She came up to him trilling a little and they sniffed and were very civil. The last kitten is out there and they even sniffed each other and got along. He went around looking at the storage room and Henryetta went back to eating. The kitten just sat in my lap.