Cathouse Questions and other issues too - ferals

Hi,

I have currently sterilized a colony outside my home.  I know who was feeding them and explained that they had to be spayed/neutered and how to look for the sign.

In any event, I felt very bad for these cats and built a cathouse to fit all of them.  I made it out of plywood, 1" insulation and even put windows, flap doors and a heater.  There are four 6 month only kittens and a few adults.  One of the kittens seems to have taken over one of the entrances and is very territorial.  We haven't really had very cold weather yet, do you think they will all share it?  It will sleep at least 10 or 12 comfortably (4 stories, shelves and a loft)?  I would hate to think that I took the wrong route and should have made several smaller ones instead.

Another issue:  One of the kittens (6 mo old) is in a crate in one of my bedrooms because he has a broken leg that is healing (3 weeks in my house and 3 week old break).  He has another 3 weeks to rest before I can take him back to the vet and get checked for disease and dewormed and all.  I also have a brand new kitten (12 weeks old) and my daughter is coming home with her two 4 year old cats.  The one in the crate seems to have calmed down a lot since I first captured him, but how do I know when he's comfortable with me?  Should I cover the cage completely, or leave the front open?  I put toys in his crate, made him a little cubby box out of the leftover insulation with a soft pillow inside.  He still has limited space, but I think he's happy about it.  The crate is 42 x 28.  I wanted to try and find him a home, but it looks like he's staying.  What are the odds that he will come around?  What are the odds that the kitten and he will get along, and that the other two cats and he will get along?  I can't introduce any of the other cats until he's tested in three weeks for aids and leukemia.  Can I catch anything from the feral?  Should I try to approach him to pet him, or just let him be?  I plan on letting him out of the cage in the room when he gets clearance and then put some gates by the doorway to introduce all of them to him.  Hopefully the kitten will be getting along with the two 4 year olds by then.

I want to have hope that this feral will become part of the family and get along with the kitten and other cats.  Am I dreaming?

Please any tips are welcome.  My friend has a small apartment with 4 cats.  Two are her sons and he lives with her.  They hate each other.  They fight constantly.  That is the last thing I want.

Thanks in advance.

http://www.alleycat.org/

http://saveacat.org/

Hi,

You've done a great job of getting all those cats TNR'd.   The shelter you made sounds OK to me. The colony I used to care for had a derelict house that they all lived in, even the cats that didn't get along together would share it. Does your shelter have more than one entrance? Even if the bossy cat is guarding one entrance the other cats will find their way in through one of the other doors.

Has the kitten with the broken leg been seen by the vet? Is your kitten and your daughter's cats all up to date with their shots? If the feral kitten has been indoors for three weeks and hasn't been sick in that time the worst he could pass onto the other cats without coming into contact with them would be fleas. If I were you I'd keep them all separate until the vet has checked him over, once he has a clean bill of health you can slowly start introductions.

Letting him see you is a good idea, the more time he spends with people the tamer he will be. He must already know that you're the one feeding him. Sitting close by, talking to him, trying to get him to lick food from your fingers are all good ways of getting him used to you. I've heard that Gerber's Stage 2 Turkey baby food is irresistible to most cats. (The plain kind with just meat, no veg.) Put some on a spoon and see if he'll come close enough to take it, then gradually try to get him close enough to take it from your finger.

I've introduced a lot of feral cats and kittens to my feline family over the past five years. It can be done, no reason why all four of them shouldn't live happily together. Just do the introductions very slowly and be prepared to back up a few stages and start again if it looks like any of them are getting uncomfortable.

Good luck, keep us posted on how it goes.

Thank you so much for your helpful response.

The cathouse has two exits/entrances.  The cat moves from one to the other to keep the others out.  I watched early this morning (we had terrible weather here in NY), and one of them got past him.  Now there's about seven more to go.

There's one female who is the timid one and she gets bullied the most.  Why wouldn't they try to protect her and coax her in?

In any even, I suspect that once the house next door gets it's front door (which will probably be in about a week), and the weather gets a lot colder, they will all be happy to cuddle together?  I hate to think I spent so much time and money, for one cat!  That I should have taken the separate route and built a few smaller ones.  I wanted to heat it.  I bought the doghouse heater, the one that is safe to use with a straw house and an extension cord.  I felt that had I built separate houses, they would not have had enough heat.  Never thought that they might not share.

I hope you're right about the feral and the others all living together.  I wouldn't want anything more.  I'm having a hard enough time watching the cats outdoor.  I truly have mixed feelings about it.  The woman who is feeding them doesn't look too sharp.  I tried to explain to her that I wanted to stop feeding them after they were sterilized and that she would have to keep an eye out for sick, hurt or new cats.  I said that I would donate some food, but because I take my own cats outside, I didn't want the ferals hanging out in my yard.  I figure they can use the house for shelter, but not hang around during active times when we are using the yard (it's not that big).  I don't want any harm to come to the cats and I will trap any new cats or sick cats, but I'm in so deep already (financially) and (emotionally), that I'm stressing over these cats.

What is the fate of them?

One more thing.  They all seem to be getting huge (fat). I feed them twice a day and she leaves dry food out most of the day and night.  I'm sure there has to be other feeders.  If I stop feeding them, they certainly will not starve.  Although I buy them wet food/dry/food and make them chicken and liver often to keep them attracted.  Such a dilemma. I don't want to see them because it hurts too much, but I also don't want to leave them to the wolves, so-to-speak.  It's bad enough I'm in a situation with a cat that I have no idea will ever take to any of us.  I'm not worried about his leg because the vet says that he has very little nerve damage (she saw him run around the office).  He was under so much stress that day (he had been to a vet the day before), that they couldn't get his blood to test him for the feline diseases.  She said at his six week checkup she will test him.

Until then, I'll keep him from the other cats.  He seems so lonely.  I can only visit a few times a day.  He did seem to relax slightly since he's been here.

Well...thanks again.