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New to caring for a stray/feral and second-guessing myself and need some encouragement and support
- Thread starter chaucer
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- #182
Just an update photo of Henryetta, a successful feral rescue. Tabby/Tortie/Calico markings.
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Aw, thanks for the updates! This gives me hope for my own two cats who haven't officially met yet. I'm sorry to hear about Delphine. Hopefully she is hanging out somewhere and you eventually spot her again! I really enjoyed reading through your thread. (Btw, English major over here too.)
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- #184
Thank you for your kind words. I'm glad my experiences are helping you with your two. There were times I was really unsure of things but they are doing pretty well together.
LOVE LOVE LOVE IT !!!!!!!!!!!!!!
This is "music" to my eyes. :lol3: Thanks for sharing.A big pat on YOUR back for your marvelous and incredible work for Henryetta and her kittens. A really great feral cat story ending and photo. :bigthumb:
I am all for you catching this cat and getting him neutered, anyway. He is just going to breed and I am always trying to encourage people that the best thing to do is to get them altered before you start any feral cat feeding program. Putting food out, will also keep attracting more cats and as long as you are willing and able to get them all TNRd - I commend your efforts and kindness to help them and stop the breeding. I am highly doubtful this is someone's cat. You speak of many feral/stray cats running about and in that house across the street and one way or another, I think they will always find their way to you. :slant:
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- #187
Another friend suggested that cats had a "Cat Gazette" and had posted my address for food and love. I wish I could help them all but I know that is not possible. I can say that I have seen 9 cats since I've lived here. Of those, two spayed females belong to the neighbors (who leave them outside in the cold it seems since one was out here dining this morning at 6:30 in 19°F temperature.), The other females are Henryetta and Delphine who has not been seen since her accident, The males are Tom, the father of Henryetta's kittens and rarely is seen now, White Cat who is male and rarely seen, Orville who I think is male and "Gray Kitty" a big gray/white tabby who at one time had a shaved rectangle on his side and comes right up to the door wanting in making me believe that he belongs to someone. There was a large scruffy brindle when I first moved here but she did not come round much and was hit by a car up the street early last year. So really, I'm dealing with four males, at least I hope Orville is male since I thought I caught a glimpse of male anatomy once.I am all for you catching this cat and getting him neutered, anyway. He is just going to breed and I am always trying to encourage people that the best thing to do is to get them altered before you start any feral cat feeding program. Putting food out, will also keep attracting more cats and as long as you are willing and able to get them all TNRd - I commend your efforts and kindness to help them and stop the breeding. I am highly doubtful this is someone's cat. You speak of many feral/stray cats running about and in that house across the street and one way or another, I think they will always find their way to you.
I think they have had to move from the house across the street due to the extensive renovations to the outside and inside. I'd like to build a small shelter in my backyard for them. Henryetta does not like most of them. Orville doesn't seem to elicit growling but "Gray Kitty" does and even Chaucer defended his territory by howling at him.
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- #188
Orville. Definitely male, but can't tell for sure if he is neutered.
Gray Kitty. Definitely male. I think he has a home.
Gray Kitty. Definitely male. I think he has a home.
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Aw, he's cute! It's probably good that there aren't any stray cats in my neighborhood or I would probably end up with 20 cats.
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- #190
Thanks. They both look alike and may be related somehow, but Gray Kitty shows no fear of people as you can see. I opened the door a crack and he was right there, but I learned my lesson from Delphine and did not open it wide enough for a cat to come in or escape.
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Hang in there! You have several options. I too, have taken in several strays over the years, most ending up with problems...which could account for them being strays in the first place. My son took in a kitten that was abandoned by her mother (refused to feed her kitten). He already had 2 beautiful indoor, full-grown cats, therefore, he gave the kitten to me 
Tiger, now 3 yrs old has had many health issues that have kept me up night after night as he suffered until we found out that he has severe allergies. To make a long story short, I nurtured and cared for this cat as if it were a child, many times contemplating putting him out of his misery. I persevered! Tiger is now the most lovable full-grown cat on a special diet and a controlled environment that does take a lot of time and effort! End result: He is still classified at the vet's as a non-domestic cat (large sign on front of his folder to alert employees) and most of the time trips to the vet are unsuccessful. These are just the consequences of taking in strays, but I can't imagine life without Tiger today! I took in another stray last winter just to get him out of the cold and it was disaster for all involved! Tiger was put in one bedroom while the stray was closed up in the bathroom. Two wild cats don't mix. In time, your situation might work out, but if you can find someone who will love, train, and really be patient with a stray cat, that might be your best bet. Good luck and I do hope the cats eventually get along!
Tiger, now 3 yrs old has had many health issues that have kept me up night after night as he suffered until we found out that he has severe allergies. To make a long story short, I nurtured and cared for this cat as if it were a child, many times contemplating putting him out of his misery. I persevered! Tiger is now the most lovable full-grown cat on a special diet and a controlled environment that does take a lot of time and effort! End result: He is still classified at the vet's as a non-domestic cat (large sign on front of his folder to alert employees) and most of the time trips to the vet are unsuccessful. These are just the consequences of taking in strays, but I can't imagine life without Tiger today! I took in another stray last winter just to get him out of the cold and it was disaster for all involved! Tiger was put in one bedroom while the stray was closed up in the bathroom. Two wild cats don't mix. In time, your situation might work out, but if you can find someone who will love, train, and really be patient with a stray cat, that might be your best bet. Good luck and I do hope the cats eventually get along!
OH MY GOODNESS. Seriously, they both are looking to you for "something" !!!!! You certainly do attract the kitties !!!! AWWWWW - both are really good looking - I have a fondness for the adorable, irresistible white cheeks on Grey tabby kitty. My feeling - would be to trap Orville, he looks like a tom cat to me. Couldn't zoom in but his jowls do look big - a sure sign that he is not neutered. Grey kitty looks young to me? He also looks like he wants to come inside! He looks to be a bit friendly too? Never a dull moment at your house, huh??
:kitty2:
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I'm keeping all my feral cat stuff in one topic so as not to confuse other threads or repeat something.OH MY GOODNESS. Seriously, they both are looking to you for "something" !!!!! You certainly do attract the kitties !!!! AWWWWW - both are really good looking - I have a fondness for the adorable, irresistible white cheeks on Grey tabby kitty. My feeling - would be to trap Orville, he looks like a tom cat to me. Couldn't zoom in but his jowls do look big - a sure sign that he is not neutered. Grey kitty looks young to me? He also looks like he wants to come inside! He looks to be a bit friendly too? Never a dull moment at your house, huh??
Gray Kitty was around at least 1.5 years ago and was a grown cat. The first time I saw him he looked huge, but I was comparing him to Chaucer who was not a year old then. Maybe six months later I saw him and he was really thin with a rectangular shaved patch on his side and something that looked like a black swirl (tattoo? scar? pattern on his skin?) I thought he must have been ill and the vet shaved him to check on something or he had surgery. Now he is back to a normal size. He comes around once-in-a-while but is not one who eats much. The morning of the photo there was a cold wind blowing and I think he just wanted in from that.
Orville is still skittish but recognizes my voice and if he is nearby will answer with small meows. He always eats about half of what I put out. I'm now putting food at the front door and in my carport where Henryetta used to eat. I prefer the cats to eat back there but figured if food was in two places there would be less of a chance two cats would get into it. It's freezing where I live right now even though I'm in the South so I hate to see any animal out in this weather.
It does seem that all the cats want to be mine. The thing with Orville and Gray Kitty is that I'm not sure why they are hanging around here if they aren't neutered. As far as I know there are no unspayed female cats around since Delphine disappeared. In fact, I've only seen the other two males - the kittens' father and a white cat- a couple of times since Henryetta was spayed.
That does sound like a surgery shave of some sort that you saw a while back on Grey Kitty. Argh - I wish people would not let their cats roam like that. I have a few in my neighborhood too that I know for a fact are owned by the neighbors. They do come around my house and want to watch my cats inside through the windows. Annoyingly so.
I hope Orville is neutered too. I guess if it were me, I would still pursue catching/trapping them and taking them to the vet for a microchip check. If none, then I would do the TNR thing. I can't help myself by not continually mentioning this. You know me by now. :lol3: It seems to me that you definitely have your hands full with many outside cats that need to be fixed. Can be an overwhelming task to take on, I know. :shame:
I am still sorry about Delphine. I am sure it still weighs on you a bit. We do what we can for them but we certainly cannot control them out there nor keep them safe. Hard to take most times.
p.s. You can always start a new thread on these two boys IF you would like. I know you would have to do some repeating mentioning about Henryetta only to let people know that you are now an experienced feral cat trapper and socializer!!! OR you can keep this thread going and add in more cats that you help right here. Totally up to you. People do it both ways and when I had a thread about my feral cats a few years back, I just kept updating ALL of them in the same thread too.
I hope Orville is neutered too. I guess if it were me, I would still pursue catching/trapping them and taking them to the vet for a microchip check. If none, then I would do the TNR thing. I can't help myself by not continually mentioning this. You know me by now. :lol3: It seems to me that you definitely have your hands full with many outside cats that need to be fixed. Can be an overwhelming task to take on, I know. :shame:
I am still sorry about Delphine. I am sure it still weighs on you a bit. We do what we can for them but we certainly cannot control them out there nor keep them safe. Hard to take most times.
p.s. You can always start a new thread on these two boys IF you would like. I know you would have to do some repeating mentioning about Henryetta only to let people know that you are now an experienced feral cat trapper and socializer!!!
OR you can keep this thread going and add in more cats that you help right here. Totally up to you. People do it both ways and when I had a thread about my feral cats a few years back, I just kept updating ALL of them in the same thread too.
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- #195
Thanks, Feralvr (Lauren?). I admire you for taking in 6 cats! I have trouble with two, and while I'd like to keep Orville it would just be too much, although I would have kept one of the kittens if there was one that was left or it had a disability.
The thing with Orville is that he doesn't eat like a feral/stray the way Henryetta did. She would eat as much as she could, at least in the beginning. He eats a part of it and then leaves. I've been feeding a little later and hope he is not out there really early waiting for me since it is so very cold now. He looks in good shape and his weight has always been good - a little heavier than he might should be. He knows his name is "Orville" or else he just knows my voice.
Yes, Delphine is a sad case and I do feel guilty about opening the door and Henryetta running out. The last I saw Delphine she was running across the empty lot between the vacant house and other houses after the accident. I know she hangs around that area too so I hope that she was found. I heard her yelping a little but she was moving quickly. It is very possible that she is okay and is terrified to return to my house after all that happened. When Henryetta was still living outside and ran her off before, she went back across the street and I did not see her until when she started turning up a couple of months or so ago, so she has other food sources.
The vet told me that people here don't get their pets micro-chipped that often. She said something about it being a more socio-economic thing here and was only slowly catching on. I moved to a small town surrounded by national forests a little over a year ago so things are lovely but different after living in a large city for years.
The thing with Orville is that he doesn't eat like a feral/stray the way Henryetta did. She would eat as much as she could, at least in the beginning. He eats a part of it and then leaves. I've been feeding a little later and hope he is not out there really early waiting for me since it is so very cold now. He looks in good shape and his weight has always been good - a little heavier than he might should be. He knows his name is "Orville" or else he just knows my voice.
Yes, Delphine is a sad case and I do feel guilty about opening the door and Henryetta running out. The last I saw Delphine she was running across the empty lot between the vacant house and other houses after the accident. I know she hangs around that area too so I hope that she was found. I heard her yelping a little but she was moving quickly. It is very possible that she is okay and is terrified to return to my house after all that happened. When Henryetta was still living outside and ran her off before, she went back across the street and I did not see her until when she started turning up a couple of months or so ago, so she has other food sources.
The vet told me that people here don't get their pets micro-chipped that often. She said something about it being a more socio-economic thing here and was only slowly catching on. I moved to a small town surrounded by national forests a little over a year ago so things are lovely but different after living in a large city for years.
Yes - Lauren.
And, six cats IS SO MUCH WORK, I kid you not. There are days when I go nuts with worry over them - some are not in the best of health and other's are very picky eaters. There is never a dull moment or non-exciting day at my house. Always lots of work to be done with so many plus two dogs.I think you may be right too. That Delphine was so traumatized by the car accident that she will never cross again if she has in fact survived. AND - we always thought there were other feeding sources for the cats in your area (which sounds very lovely with all of the surrounding forests). It is possible that she will someday return and I hope that one day she does. The hardest part, the most painful part of caring for these stray cats is having no control over their safety and we have no way to keep them from danger. OH the sleepless nights I have had over the years due to loving the feral cats.
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Wow! And two dogs, too! I had a Chow and a cat once. Guess which one ruled the roost?
Orville didn't show up this morning (or all morning either) and I'm actually glad since it was about 15 degrees this morning at 7:00. Sometimes he is out there waiting for me but not always. Henryetta was out there waiting for me in all weather, including ice and snow, but she wasn't sure about coming in the house and I wasn't sure I could do that with Chaucer in here. At least she is not having to brave the weather this year and spends her time snuggled up in a fleecy pet bed or on my bed so I take comfort in that and that her kittens are safe and warm. I hear from two people who adopted the two females and they are doing so well but not much from the woman who adopted the three males. I've only seen a couple of photos of them and they seem to be indoor/outdoor cats, which I don't like but.....
Gray Kitty hasn't been around since the photo so it's pretty clear he has a home somewhere or else he'd be a regular diner.
Orville didn't show up this morning (or all morning either) and I'm actually glad since it was about 15 degrees this morning at 7:00. Sometimes he is out there waiting for me but not always. Henryetta was out there waiting for me in all weather, including ice and snow, but she wasn't sure about coming in the house and I wasn't sure I could do that with Chaucer in here. At least she is not having to brave the weather this year and spends her time snuggled up in a fleecy pet bed or on my bed so I take comfort in that and that her kittens are safe and warm. I hear from two people who adopted the two females and they are doing so well but not much from the woman who adopted the three males. I've only seen a couple of photos of them and they seem to be indoor/outdoor cats, which I don't like but.....
Gray Kitty hasn't been around since the photo so it's pretty clear he has a home somewhere or else he'd be a regular diner.
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- #198
An update on Orville:
He is now being fed in the back and on the carport where I used to feed Henryetta. There's been a little progress with him. He came out from under my car this morning and was within a few feet of me! I hope that he is one I can catch like I did with Henryetta and won't have to use a trap. Henryetta went into the carrier for some tuna, but she had become a lot friendlier by then. I can't keep Orville but I can get him neutered and given his shots. I would like for him to be adopted, but I don't know if he will trust anyone else. Henryetta is terrified of everyone but me. No sign of Delphine but I had a dream that she came back and was kind of limpy but was eating some food.
He is now being fed in the back and on the carport where I used to feed Henryetta. There's been a little progress with him. He came out from under my car this morning and was within a few feet of me! I hope that he is one I can catch like I did with Henryetta and won't have to use a trap. Henryetta went into the carrier for some tuna, but she had become a lot friendlier by then. I can't keep Orville but I can get him neutered and given his shots. I would like for him to be adopted, but I don't know if he will trust anyone else. Henryetta is terrified of everyone but me. No sign of Delphine but I had a dream that she came back and was kind of limpy but was eating some food.
Sorry for my delay in replying back here! Nice that you had that dream about Delphine. Hold on to that and let's assume she did in fact survive but is now staying on the other side of that dangerous road. :cross: 
Delphine.
Great news about Orville allowing you within a few feet! Excellent. Usually with these types, I then begin feeding inside of a carrier with the door propped open. Once they start going inside to eat and allow you to sit closer and closer, then it will be a breeze for you to just shut that door sometime when you have that vet appt. for his neuter. This process can take a few days or weeks depending on the personality of that kitty in how quickly he will make progress. I am glad you are determined to help get this boy neutered so there is one less breeding male out there! :cross:
Delphine.Great news about Orville allowing you within a few feet!
Excellent. Usually with these types, I then begin feeding inside of a carrier with the door propped open. Once they start going inside to eat and allow you to sit closer and closer, then it will be a breeze for you to just shut that door sometime when you have that vet appt. for his neuter. This process can take a few days or weeks depending on the personality of that kitty in how quickly he will make progress. I am glad you are determined to help get this boy neutered so there is one less breeding male out there! :cross:- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #200
Orville doesn't run when I open the door and the alarm beeper goes off now.
Chaucer has been grooming Henryetta is a nicer manner and while they are both next to me. She lies there and he licks her ears, face and head but sometimes he goes for the throat, or lower stomach with biting. That's when the "fight" begins but I think they are good friends.
Chaucer has been grooming Henryetta is a nicer manner and while they are both next to me. She lies there and he licks her ears, face and head but sometimes he goes for the throat, or lower stomach with biting. That's when the "fight" begins but I think they are good friends.
