Semi-feral cat - What shall I do?

Hello everyone, let me introduce myslef in few words. I'm Marko, 18, and come from Croatia (I know some of you have to Google it ). I live in a neighbourhood  that is transitioning from countryside to suburbia, so I pretty much grew up surrounede by all kinds of animals. To be honest, I always felt more of a cat person. I hardly remember time that my family was without a cat or a group of them.

For past 3-3.5 year there has been this feral cat in my yard. We used to have a outdoor-only "pet" tom (bcs my parent's say it's unnatural for cats to stay indoors all the time), and one day he "married" and came home with a young queen that was 100% feral, I can hardly imagine she ever used to be anyone's pet. She would disappeare the moment anyone showed up outside in the yard. 

As the time was passing, she got pregnant in spring 2012 and had 3 kittens that we found and pretty much managed to tame, and as the queen, Maminka, was always around, she got used to be around us, but would not tolerate us trying to get near her. We eneded up adopting her two sons, and I wanted to get her castrated, but my parents said "we are not giving away money for a animal we can't even pet and could be hit by a car the moment we arrive from the vet". Her daughter stayed.

In Spring 2013 the daughter delivered 2 babies, a boy and a girl that we adopted to the same family that took their uncles, one of which died previous Autumn. All three cats they got from us are still happy with them. At the same time we, mostly my mum, who feeds the animals most of the time, managed to get Maminka to the stage where we can walk up to her and pet her.  In August 2013 my pet tom died, and is September "their" daughter was killed by neighbour's formerly free-ranging Stafford(?!).

This Spring Maminka gave birth to 5 kits in our neighbours bushes, but we (their dog in fact) managed to find them in two days and took them inside. Day by day Maminka was getting more and more tame. We ended up losing two kittens in first ten days, rehomed two in a moment and again got stuck with one girl. After two weeks that Maminka completely stopped comming in to the house we talked my cousin into taking that cat (btw, she and her family love her now). 

As of the present day, Maminka is living only outside, rarely coming inside to ask for food but is sooner out then in. She doesn't allow us to pick her up or to pet her directly, and won't eat if we are really near. But is we acctidentally close the door with her inside, I would came to her, pick her up and she will start purring. She is really sweet and not aggressive. But the moment I put her down on the floor, she will run to the (closed) door and start meowing in an irritating noise. 

I would love to get her to be an indoor-only cat because I got a young tom cat for Christams few days ago and I am deifinitley keeping him as an indoor-only. I'll be going to the college in 8-9 months so I will be taking the cats with me to the apartment here they will have a room for themselves only. 

My problem is how to transit from outdoor to indoor? She is not happy closed. She is also not castrated, it will happened, so will it help? It's OK during the day when I have time to spend with her, taming her and reading to her, but during the night, she will cry standing in front of the door waiting for someone to let her out, what my parent's do on regular bases. How do I explain them what I want to do is for Maminka's good.

Thanks for reading this awkwardly long post and thanks for help in advance. I can post photos of her and her kittens tomorrow if you'd like.

-Marko

Yeah, we would surely like to see photos of Little Dear Mommy and her kittens.  

Yes, whatever you do, plan on spaying her = castrathing.  Also of the young tom you are getting.

If she is inside only, it will go much quicker to get her fully socialized.  So its another advantage.  Also, the risks of being hit by a car (like your parents mentioned) or taken by loose dogs outside, will be none.

Usually, its not that difficult to turn homeless cats into inside only.  The outside may be so horrible, they simply do accept to be inside.  Be socialized may be more difficutl, but they accept to be shy inside cats.

It may be a little more difficult with Little Dear Mommy, as she did had some protectition by you, so the life wasnt so horrible for her.  Also, the winters arent so horrible in Croatia as in some other countries. 

Still, it is worth it.  Be sure she has lots to do inside.  Have perhaps a bird feeder outside the window.  So she can look at it. If you can have an innetted balcony, its very effective.

Make her some climbing tree - you can do it yourself from planks and similiar.   Have radio on, perhaps with relaxing classical music...

Has the young tom come yet?   A companion who is a good friend is always useful.

There are also other tips.  You can surely think out your own ideas too.  The key is to know, you ARE on the right way and in the right direction.

Also tell your parents about TNR and the positive sides of it  (look up the word).  So they will mature into the though castrating cats is good, both your own cats, but also, the homeless cats around.

I wonder, many people are hesitating to the though of castrathing, they feel uneasy about it, alike it were done to them...  May it be the key to their hesitation?

The thinking is natural, but it is wrong anyways.  The cats life becomes much easier after castrathing, they dont  miss their old life as uncastrathed...   Etc.

Welcome with any more questions and reports!

Good luck!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

Thank you for your support StefanZ. I am waiting for all the holidays to pass, and I will sure be contacting the vet about Hasan's (tom) castration.

As it was New Year's Eve yesterday, some neighbours were cracking fireworks and one was so sudden that Maminka ran away while I was trying to bribe her with food to get inside. We hadn't seen her since. 

As I promised, some photos of Maminka and her previous babies.

Maminka and her babies 2014:



Maminka in beautiful sunight:



Maminka's 2012 babies:


Family: The young queen we had on the left (in the middle in upper pic), Maminka and my "pet" Flekica (on the right).


BTW, I'm sort of a genetics-freak, so if anyone has any idea of what genes Maminka carries from the colours of her kittens, please speak up. Thanks.

Beautiful!!! She will complain and beg you to go outside that is normal at first. I know it is hard but you just have to ignore it. Please find her a place she can hide in your house so she can feel comfortable in your house, like under a bed. She will need to find some other place to feel safe other than outside. She does have to be castrated because she will also want to go outside to mate and will yowl because she is in heat. You do not want that, that is really bad to handle. I have taken in a few feral cats and the begging to leave is always the hardest thing to deal with. When they beg just go and pay attention to them and move them away from door. This is hard but you are doing it for them. They will get used to being inside. It is very nice of you to do this because she can't keep having babies, and living outside, because eventually something will kill her.

That's exactly the problem hexiesfriend, I have no problem tolerating the cat, but my parents and my brother complain that she's sad and they canf stand listening to her suffer, so they use every possible situation to sabotage my plan of taming Maminka by letting her out. My mum also already have plans of making Hasan (kitten tom) an outside cat as soon as the weather gets better. I have no clue how to talk them into letting my try to do this my way.

Yes that is a problem when no one agrees with you. I had the same problem with my mother. I would come home and she would have let my cats outside and I would ask her to please keep them in. She never agreed with me and said the cats beg and that they should go outside. So I stopped asking her not to let them out and would just bring my cats back in after she would let them out. My mother is from the Middle East and she grew up with her cats being outside so she never understood why I would refuse to let my cats outside and thought it was cruel to keep a cat in the house. And 30 years later she still thinks that way. You probably can't change that same thinking with your family. You may have to just settle with bringing her inside everytime your family lets her out. Will they let you bring her back in? If not do you think they will agree to at least allow her to be inside the house at night? Also if they are going let her go outside do you think they would help you get her spayed so she has no more babies? If Maminka lets you pick her up and she is used to coming inside the house than you should be able permanently keep her inside your apartment when you move for school. So don't worry too much about that part.

Thank you guys for your support. I finally talked my mum into allowing Minka (no longer Maminka, as she will no longer be mama) to stay indoors during the day, and, during the night, she is closed in our rabbitry building (we had closed her there many times before by accident, but she doesn't mind buns nor they mind her, so it's win-win I guess). 

Great progress is that when my family lets her out, she will do her bussiness (litter box is a big no-no, but I guess it's the fact it's Hasan's, so I should get another one set for her only) and then come and meow outside the door to take her in. Now, she isn't really coming in happily, I have to trick her with some kitten vocalisation videos (thank you YouTube), but the moment the doors are closed, she is in my bed, next to Hasan. I feel like it shouldn't take long for us to transit fully. Once again, thanks.

-Marko

Great!!!

So, only 9 days after (or 3 successful indoor-only days) we have an amazing progress.

Minka is no longer anxious about staying indoors and moves freely around zhe house (still stays in my room for 90% of time, but the doors are opened and she can go explore other rooms if she wants). Also, we are able to go in and out of the house without her jumping and running towards the door wanting to go out. She is so snuggly. 

I had to alter my desk to make a specia little cozy hideaway for kittes. And, seems like Minka appreciates it way more then Hasan. I took out one of the drawers, one cushion, and voila; a cat bed. There's also a lot of licking and cuddling between kitties. However, they still do "fight" sometimes (at the very moment let's say). 

 
 
 
Minka spends nights in our stable/rabbitry building, and she has her own food/water bowls and litterbox. The only problem is that she didn't do anything in that litterbox, and I can't tell wether she uses one in the house during the day. If I put her in the litterbox right after she ate, she will get really restless and will jump out the moment I let her go. Is there anything I can do to encourage her to get friendly with the litter box?

-Marko

Thanks for the update and it looks like progress is being made. 

As far as the litter box, you can get some Dr. Elsey's Litter Attract.  It has special herbs in it that attract cats to it.  You can mix it with your current litter or use it straight.  I have brought a few ferals inside to stay the night and all have taken immediately to the Litter Attract.

ShadowsRescue said:

 
...you can get some Dr. Elsey's Litter Attract.  It has special herbs in it that attract cats to it....

Click to expand...

Since I live in Croatia, I'm affraid it would be too expensive. Would it work if I tried putting some catnip (either flakes or spray) around and in litterbox?

RustyPocket said:

 
Since I live in Croatia, I'm affraid it would be too expensive. Would it work if I tried putting some catnip (either flakes or spray) around and in litterbox?

Click to expand...

I myself dont beilieve it, but you can try.  Although if it doesnt work be prepared to change the whole litter and wash off the litter-box.

Dont overdo this with catnip, have just a trifle.  You can always increase if it looks promising, but if you give too much, she may get sky high.  

Nice to hear it goes well, especielly for the kittens, and they are also doing lotsa of wrestling and play-fight.   It can looks quite rough, but its friendly play.