Beautiful Feral Needs New Home...Advice?

We have gorgeous feral cat that is living in a log pile in our yard. When we first saw him about 2-3 months ago, he looked BAD. Scraggly, skinny, he could barely walk. We began feeding him and he looks a LOT better now!

He is scared of humans. I am concerned about the winter weather and have been looking into making him a shelter.

BUT my cat (who has seen the feral through the window) has become 'jealous'. He was in the window a couple of times when I fed the feral and he left me a few 'nuggets' (poop) on my bed to tell me he is not happy with the situation. Our dog has also began barking at the door & window.

What to do? I have called a couple of feral rescues in the area but no one has gotten back to me. I wish the cat could be socialized and have a home...I hate the idea of him out there in our winter weather! But I am concerned about the effect it is having on MY cat.

Any advice will be greatly appreciated!

Close the curtains so your cat cannot see you feeding him.  Ditto so the dog can't see him.  Perhaps you can feed him in a place that is not in sight of the other animals.  Also, there are some great shelters you can make for ferals (google cat shelters, etc.)  It would be great if you could trap him and get him neutered but then put him back out.  Adult ferals are not usually amenable to becoming household pets and it is pretty hard to adopt them out when there are so many happy, healthy, friendly domesticated cats looking for homes.  Your feral has you to wait on him so he has a great life.

Yes, if there is a spot in the yard where your inside animals can't see them, put up his feeding station there.  That will become the hub of his territory if he decides to stay in your yard.  His shelter can go there, too.  You might be able to use some lattice to block it from view.  You could incorporate it into the design of your garden.

I agree that neutering is one of the best (and actually kindest) things you can do for this cat.  If nothing else, it will help prevent future feral cats in your neighborhood.  But it will also calm him down as well, so he won't be out there fighting and being hurt.

Thank you for worrying about him.  Vibes that you will be able to find a way to help him without driving your resident pets crazy!

Thanks for the replies!

Since I have begun feeding/watering him, he has come out in the open a bit more. He used to just stay in his wood pile. Now he ventures out a bit and though I will change his feeding place, he can be seen just about anywhere. He was around for quite a while before our pets realized he was here!

Another thing--and this may sound stupid--is that we will only be here for another year. This is a rental and we are military so will be leaving next summer.

Last winter here was brutal! One way or another I will make sure he has shelter. He is on the small side. Don't know if its because he's young or just lack of food. He seems to have some purebred in him. He really is beautiful! Long cream colored hair, flat face and blue eyes. His ears are a light brown.

I worry that he will depend on me so much and when we leave, there will be no one to take care of him....

He does sound purebred.  If he has a flat face, he may be Persian.  Contact a Persian rescue and see if they can help you.  Sounds like he may have been left behind by another military family.

My son served in the Air Force and several of the bases he was stationed at had relocation help for soldiers who could not relocate with pets.  So maybe your base has some program to help?

You are wise to look ahead.  A cat like that will probably be adopted quickly, if you can convince him to reintegrate into society.  He may have been on his own for a bit, which is why he's gun-shy.

Your description sounds like he's a Himalayan mix.  If you could tame him over the next year, you might be able to find him a new home when you move.  You have lots of time.  There is lots of information in this Forum about caring for strays and ferals, so people can help you.  Take some pictures of him if you can.  We would love to see him.

These are not great pics but the best ones I have right now. I will take more. He lives in  the wood pile. I feed him on the tree stump.

We don't live on a base. And we have lots of trees and other wild animals that come around at night.

If he was abandoned, it had to be when he was very young. He is totally fearful of humans. It has taken me a long time just to be able to stand within 10 feet of him. I keep saying 'him'...lol...but I have no clue. We call him Pompom because from a distance, his cheeks look like pompoms. 

When we first were able to get a decent look at him, the first thing that came to mind is 'Grumpy Cat'!

The big cheeks may mean he is an un-neutered male. Their cheeks get bigger as they age - it is a look that intimidates other males.

In any case, you'd be doing him a big favor by trapping and vet checking him. Neutering if he needs it (or spaying if we're wrong about the gender).

I would try to contact a rescue - either breed specific or general - for help. He's found a safe place or he wouldn't keep returning. Time to get him taken care of. If you feed him and then move, he will be worse off than if you never fed him.

Good luck!

OK when I went out to give him his evening food, he seems like he is having a problems with his eye(s). One side has 'eye goop' but he prefers keeping both closed. I took a couple more pics but the coloring is a bit off. He is more cream colored but looks white in the photos. His face is not totally flat, but not like a 'regular' cat's. His cheeks look like little pom-poms!

I am going to try to find a vet that will give me a discount. When I stated that we are a military family, I am grandma. I live with my daughter who is an active duty Marine. She supports 5 of us on her salary alone, so there is no way I can come up with money for a large vet bill. I do not work because I take care of her children.

I want to do everything I possibly can for Pompom, but money IS an issue!

The rescues I have called over the past week have yet to call me back.

His eyes are closed in every picture. How do his eyes look when they're open? What color is the discharge? My feral has a blocked tear duct in his left eye which gets irritated by environmental allergens and he often has a dark colored discharge. If Pom Pom's discharge is yellow or greenish, then he may have an eye infection. If it's dark or clear colored, then it's likely allergies or a blocked tear duct. It's unusual for a cat to keep its eyes closed, though, so I wonder if the problem is more serious. I hope you can find a low cost vet and can trap him and have his eyes examined when you get him neutered. .

I've not had good experience with dogs and my feral, so I can't speak to the situation involving your dog barking at the cat. For the past 3 years, I've been feeding my feral on my porch. There is a window between my porch and my sun room, where my indoor cats and my feral can watch each other, and when I open the windows in front of my sunroom, I imagine they can smell each other's scent. They seem to recognize each other and respect each other's space and my respective role in their lives. I think there's a good chance that over the next few weeks your indoor cat will get used to the presence of the outdoor cat.  Cats do sometimes react with jealousy when their owner suddenly begins caring for another cat--even if they're not in the house together. They do get over it the majority of the time.

Do any of your neighbors feed him? I'm fortunate in that if anything ever happened to me, there are  people on my block that would feed my feral and who have done so in the past. Perhaps now is the time to start talking to your neighbors and see if they will help with the cat when you leave. Chances are good that he's a stray who got lost or was abandoned and can be re-socialized, so maybe he could find a potential home with someone before you move. At any rate, I would not stop feeding him now that he's at the point of depending on you for food, and a year is enough time to see if he can be socialized or if someone else can help you with his care.  
 

MsAimee, his eyes are a beautiful blue when they are open! He has had  dark 'eye goop' under one eye about 80% of the time. He doesn't usually keep both eyes closed like in the photos. I will check him again when I go out to feed him this morning.

I know a year is a long time, but it will go by before we know it!

The neighbors really aren't interested in him which is why I came on here. When I first joined, it was because I needed advice with a pregnant cat. One of her kittens is my 'baby' now. He is the one who has left me the presents on my bed!

I knew that I would get help here...

In my heart, I don't think he was a pet. He is way too scared of humans. He still runs when I go out to feed him. He stops about 15ft from where his dishes are because he knows I have food. It's taken about 2 months to get to this point. He used to just dive down into the wood pile as soon as he saw me. Now he comes out into the open a bit (until someone goes outside) and his walking in the drive or yard is what drives the dog crazy.

Anyway, I am going to contact some vets this morning and see if anyone will work with me. Make sure this guy is spayed/neutered and generally healthy.

I intend to take care of him to the best of my ability. I am hoping that our pets will calm down, I just cannot have the cat leaving me poop to try to let me know how he feels. I worry that he may pee on my bed and having dealt with a pee issue years ago, I can't go through that again. We had to rehome that cat (letting the new owners know that he did not like dogs!).

Hoping that everything will work out.

Then it's likely he has allergies or a blocked tear duct. I've heard that cats with blue eyes are more sensitive to light, so that may be why he closes them. He may also be closing them when you approach to avoid conflict.

Cats, unlike people, usually find a way to co-exist with each other, so I think your indoor cat will calm down. The dog may always bark, but hopefully Pom Pom will figure out that it's still safe to be on your property even with the dog barking because your dog can't make contact with him. You can give your indoor cat extra attention, treats and toys to assure him that he's still your "baby" even though you are giving attention to another cat. I hope the problem resolves itself soon.  

When I first started feeding my feral on my porch, I sat on the opposite side of the porch about 5-6 feet from his food bowl. I sat perfectly still and closed my eyes. Soon he discovered it was safe to come up the porch steps and eat out of his food bowl while I was present. Then I shortened the distance between us. Within a month or two, I was able to sit right beside him while he ate. He still won't let me pet him, but I can approach him and he doesn't run from me. Maybe you can try this method of gradually closing in on the distance between you and him. It does take some time, though.

I think it's great that you're willing to help him. It's odd how attached we can get to these cats!  

I give him his food and step away about 10 ft. There is a fence so I just lean against it and he will go to the dish to eat. Slowly I have been able to move to about 4-5 ft from the bowl. Any closer and he will retreat to the top of the logs. I am not rushing it. It talk to him from the moment I step out the door so he knows food is coming.

As for the indoor pets, my concern is because they are slightly older. The dog is 12 years old and has arthritis. It makes getting up/down hard. As soon as he sees or senses the cat, he scrambles trying to get up and bark. Plus when he chose our home, he chose to live in a log pile right next to the dog run! It took weeks before the dog even realized that he was there!

As for Semper, my cat, he is 8 years old. Very possessive. He HAS to be touching some part of me at night. He plops down against me and then goes to sleep. As I stated, he saw me out the window going to feed Pompom and he pooped on my bed! Two different times. I always make sure that he has food and water FIRST but he still goes to the window as if he knows what I am doing...LOL.

Today I found a vet that will spay/neuter, give rabies shot, deworm, give some other shot (I forgot) and then clean his eyes and put drops in them. Plus an antibiotic shot that is good for 10 days. It will cost about $160. That may not sound like much but for someone with just about no income, it's a lot! I will come up with it somehow. Hopefully it won't take too long.

These are our indoor babies (old men). The dog is Grinch and the cat is Semper Fi.

Well, I think Pompom may be causing issues with my neighbors cats! She has 2  indoor only cats and they have recently began peeing/spraying after seeing Pompom in their yard. It seems to be that side of the house that he feels safe/comfortable in. That's where his log pile is. we are at the end of a cul de sac so there is plenty of room between houses, but he has started to venture out a bit and she (our neighbor) has seen him in her yard.

It seems that her cats have been peeing in the rooms/enclosed porch that are closest to us.

~~sigh...~~

If possible, give your neighbor the same advice we gave you.  See if they can block the view by closing curtains etc.  Alternatively, you could set up a privacy fence in front of your own woodpile to keep him over there and also block from view of your animals and the neighbor's animals.  It's pretty easy to do, making a frame of 2 x 4 boards, in a 90 degree right angle set up, like a corner, covering the frame with chicken wire for sturdiness, and then getting one roll of that bamboo privacy fencing at some place like Home Depot or WalMart or Pikes Nursery and attaching it with zip ties.  A couple of stakes at the corners should hold it.  The bamboo has enough circulation that your strong winter winds will probably blow through it and not blow it over as they would something solid.

I don't think your neighbor should automatically blame Pompom for their spraying. Her cats could have urinary tract infections or other issues. I've honestly never heard of indoor cats having such extreme reactions to outdoor cats. Indoor cats usually understand that there is a barrier between the inside and outside of the house, so there is no real territory issue. Maybe it's because I live on a street that has some woods around it and there's always wildlife around that my cats have never had a reaction to various wildlife in the yard or in view of my windows (except they do teeth chatter at the birds!)  There have been various ferals and strays on my porch over the years in full view of my indoor cats, and they've always had a live and let live attitude towards each other. I hope these issues resolve for you and your neighbor soon, otherwise your neighbor may try to trap your cat herself or call animal control. Hopefully you can talk with her and let you know you're planning to trap and neuter the cat, which should help the situation.

I am friendly with the neighbor and she would approach me before she ever tried to do something herself. It seems they have only soiled the room that has windows facing our house. Plus her screened-in porch. She has shut them out of the room and they haven't gone on the porch.

A fence wouldn't be helpful...very hard to explain the houses/yards but we are not side-by-side, we are at angles to each other. Plus right behind the woodpile there are trees and rocks and uneven ground. Add to that that this is a rental not our own home!

Pompom has been leaving his woodpile lately and I know he has gone into their yard. He doesn't stray far from his safe place but he is out in the open a bit more.

My neighbors cats are deaf. I don't know if that makes a difference, in why they are marking/peeing?

As far as a winter shelter, should it be on the ground? I don't know how well it shows in any of my pics, but we do have a part of a tree house, no sides or anything just the bottom few planks left. It is about 4-5 ft off the ground. Pompom sleeps up there during the day. Should I make his shelter up there?

If you do that, make sure the door is positioned away from the wind, as at that height, it would be a bit harsher.  I would also try a trial run - as the weather turns nippy, put the house up there and see how Pompom reacts.  It may take him some time to understand it is a shelter for him.

Unless a feral feels safe in the house, he won't use it.  That means some need a house with an escape hatch, so two entries would be needed.  Of course, then you have the issue of the weather coming in through both doors.  My friend devised an L-shaped house that helped that, so if you are handy, that will work.

You can also just use a pallet or blocks - as long as the house is up off the ground by a few inches, it will be fine.  That helps keep the chill from the ground out of the house and will also keep the entryway up out of any snowfall.

Thanks. I think I might do it closer to the ground.

I know I sound like a worry wart but it bothers me that when we leave, he won't be taken care of. It is a long way off, but time flies! We are leaving next summer. The neighbors that know about him aren't interested in feeding/caring for him. Even now, when I snuggle with MY cat at night, I think about Pompom and wish that he could enjoy the same thing, especially when there is snow on the ground and freezing cold wind!

Thank you for trying to help Pompom.  By way of giving you a little encouragement, I had a stray I was feeding and I was sure the cat was nonsocialized because she would always stay several yards back when I put food down and never tried to "talk" to me at all.  She didn't seem interested in having any direct contact.  I ended up having to move to another town after I had been feeding her for about 9 months and knew I had to do something with her so I decided to try to take her to the shelter.  I geared up in gloves and a big coat to try to pick her up and put her in the carrier and she ended up being the most docile cat ever.  She had no problem with being picked up or being put in the cage at the shelter.  When I checked in on her about a week later, the shelter people said she was shy but doing well.  She let them brush her and liked being pet.  I hope Pompom ends up being more tame than you think right now.  Good luck!