Too old to be adopted?

How old is too old to go from being a stray cat outside to being adopted? I've read that kittens under 2 months are the most successfully, but where is the line drawn by shelters, or other individuals?

In my rescue group, I have had all ages adopted.

Granted, the younger/smaller kittens go fast, the adults always take longer. 

But I recently had a 13 yr old adopted, which surprised me even!

There is someone for every cat.

How old are you taking?

I don't know for sure, since I haven't caught any of the cats yet. they all look to be about the same age, I'd hazard probably 9 months to a year. there are three, all intact males, and one of the three is much braver and will allow pets if you're very still and let him come to you. the other two I call the twins, as they look alike and act similar, in that they won't allow touching or even come towards a human very willingly.

Unsocialized cats are a different story.

They won't be able to go to adoptions with a rescue group or shelter, but they can have a much better life if they are fixed, and ASAP due to their age, otherwise trouble is brewing. 

Fixed, and they can live as community cats right there, or be relocated to a farm as mouser cats too.

Fixing them is the best thing you can possibly do for them, I promise this!! No fighting, the biggest issue with unfixed cats. Of course unwanted litters too!

Thank you soooooo much, this is exactly the information that I've been searching for! I couldn't find anywhere that would tell me whether or not my trio would be able to get adopted out, and I don't want to risk having the shelter or animal control putting them down just cuz they aren't suited to the kept lifestyle.

I'm hoping to catch all three and get them TNR'd soon, it's just a matter of snagging them. Is it best to try and borrow a few more humane traps to try and catch all three at the same time, or just one by one? I currently only have one trap, and am getting the boys used to the site and smell of it by placing their food and water dish right next to it.

The bravest one has gotten to the point that when it's first light, he comes bounding out of the forest, and onto my porch for breakfast! Now that I"m looking for them, I've spotted at least 2 of them every day this week.

side note: that same bravest kitty will also allow my sister to pet and briefly pick him up, would he make a good candidate for an indoor kitty, or is that just not worth the risk to him and any human that tries to adopt him?

You definitely want to trap them one at a time, without the others witnessing this.

(be sure to clean the trap each time after use as it leaves a smell of fear and adrenaline behind. Spray completely with 409 or other household cleaner and rinse well)

The thing about the one is, or all 3 for that matter, is that when people adopt a cat, they don't want one who will take months of adjusting to come to them, they want an instant companion, lap cat.

So unless it is you who keeps him, he doesn't stand a great chance of being adopted.

gotcha. so trap one at a time, clean thoroughly between trappings. and most likely they will just be my own little trio of feral kitties. You have been so helpful. I hope I can catch one or more this weekend, I will need to get another plastic carrier though for transport to the TNR clinic that we have in my area.

symplestytches said:

 
gotcha. so trap one at a time, clean thoroughly between trappings. and most likely they will just be my own little trio of feral kitties. You have been so helpful. I hope I can catch one or more this weekend, I will need to get another plastic carrier though for transport to the TNR clinic that we have in my area.

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Exactly

Try to avoid another seeing one get trapped, otherwise it makes for tougher trapping and you want to be able to snag all 3

Good luck!!

thank you! I will keep you posted!

I will write some later on during the day. In three hours perhaps.

symplestytches said:

 
How old is too old to go from being a stray cat outside to being adopted? I've read that kittens under 2 months are the most successfully, but where is the line drawn by shelters, or other individuals?

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The shelters do often mention this limit, 8 weeks.  Its partly true, but just partly.   Because as Catwoman told, any age may work, with enough of time, effort and love.   (to be honest, some cant, but you will usually notice this soon enough, and release them, after spaying of course).   The older  will perhaps not be fully easy going sociale cats, but as long you accept they are somewhat shy to strangers, most will function as loved pets for the family, enjoying their life as home cats.

OK, the thing is, there are many wanna-be rescuers.  Who has read too many horse books or seen movies.  Like this about the young Alexander the Great.  Where he sees a stallion impossible to work with, even by their best stablemaster.  He looks, and tells: wait, he is afraid for his shadow!   After that, he goes forwards, pets the stallion some, sits up, and has you seen?  Scarcely 5 minutes later he is galloping this horse in beautiful piruettes like they had never done anything else...

And we dont want wannabees who think they will succeed after maximum 3 days, "because they are worth it".   Im not ironic for these wannabees.  A good rescuer needs a honest cooperant - who are adopters of the cats whom got rescued and fostered.   Such an adopters are almost as much essential as this rescuer herself!

So these wannabees rescuers, whom dont have the patience, willingless to put the effort, time and love, must be discouraged from making  silly tries, just to get impatient and tired, and making things worse.    Let them be adopters instead, if they are good homes, when the cat is fully fostered. Its good glory enough.  As said.

But those who ARE eager to put in the effort, love, time, money etc - they dont get discouraged by  some talking nor by some "stupid rules".  They will do their deed anyway.  And they will usually succeed, this way or another.   Either by  succesfull fostering, or by a succesfull TNR.

symplestytches said:

 
side note: that same bravest kitty will also allow my sister to pet and briefly pick him up, would he make a good candidate for an indoor kitty, or is that just not worth the risk to him and any human that tries to adopt him?

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Oh yes, he is apparently the given candidate for your fostering program.  No doubt.  You must of course foster him first, before you even try to adopt him out.  Or at very least, make sure the adopter understands totally the situation, and is herself ready to foster him - and to have a somewhat shy cat.   (having a somewhat shy cat is no drawback - they have lotsa of charm by themselves.  This way you also know their love is pure and real, they aren not  cozy because its thursday or you are giving them food.  When they come voluntarily to you and seek and give pet, you know its real and true value).

The same gives by releasing him to a shelter: he must be either fully fostered, OR you must be entirely sure they do work with shy semiferales, and do have fostering homes lined up for them.   Some shelters do so, but very many dont.  Releasing a shy semiferal to a shelter, without such sure assurances, is just a complicated way of killing them - they are usually pts after arrival.

The real question here, what to do with the two shy twins.   The easy and OK way out, is to TNR them.   Neutered, they will do OK, especielly if you continue to help them.

But if you do have this said patience, endurance etc, it may be possible to foster them.  they will also have the example of their more daring brother, whom will act as their ambassadeur.

Observe also, it may be easier to foster them 1 +1  ie you and each of them alone.   But this is another story, which we will discuss when the time has come.

Tx for caring and helping these guys!

Good luck!

I have grown up in a home, where ANY cat that showed up had food, vet care, and a home (even if it was a box outside, some never wanted to come in the house).

When feral cats trust a human, they trust that human. Specifically. It's not easy to re-socializing them to a different, unrelated human. They do also tend to prefer, and in some cases need, to stay with their siblings.

They form strong bonds in their colonies, and often don't like being separated from them. It does sound like the best thing for them is if you can continue to feed them, let them live with you.

The girls here are wonderful companions. It's a wonderful relationship you can build with them, and worth the effort (imo). They can lead long, happy lives with a little help from humans. (or a lot, if you're so inclined. Lol)

It would be AWESOME if I could at least get the black Tuxedo adopted, he seems like the he would have the best chance, being all friendly and stuff. I'm still not so sure about the twins, since when I saw the braver of the two this morning, and he realized I was watching him, he darted off again. I did set up my laptop as a motion-detecting camera for the day, so hopefully that works and I can catch some more shots of these guys to see when they're coming around and such.

So there are two different spay/neuter clinics that I'm considering, for when I've caught these boys:

Northwest Spay & Neuter Center (Tacoma, close to my home)

Feral Cat Project (Lynnwood, over an hour from home)

The only difference I can tell is that the NWSNC charges $10 and the ear-tipping is mandatory, plus they do more of the shots and such, and the FCP is free, but charges if you don't want to ear-tip.

Would folks be turned off from adopting a cat because of the ear-tipping?

symplestytches said:

 
Would folks be turned off from adopting a cat because of the ear-tipping?

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Some may, but after all, you dont want these as adopters.   The adopter must know its a fostered ex semiferale, and thus, will be more shy than an average home raised cat.

Will at least be somewhat shy to strangers.

If they dont accept a shy cat, they shall not have a shy cat.  Its so simply as that.

I want to add.  My oldest resident, is a home bred, friendly  but shy cat.  Wonderful pet and wonderful family member!  But shy to visitors, and also shy in some other situations.    We knew he may be shy wehn we bough him, and did accepted this, didnt minding.  We got a friend.

Later on I got to know lotsa of other cats.  By own experience andby  others experience and telling of it.   And I see he behaves in much as such a fostered ex semi-ferale we do talk of.

That  gives me the hypothesis, the fostered semi-ferales behavior very often  isnt because they are ex-semiferales, but essentially, because they are shy.

okay, that makes it easy on me then. I'll just get them all ear-tipped, and if they can be tamed, someone will just have to love them because of the ear-tipping, not despite it! Now I just need to convince my DH to let me convert a room in the house to a cat room so that I can try to tame the buggers. If it doesn't work out, then I release them back to the outside world on my property and treat them as ferals.

I got a feral kitten of about five months adopted last year after being eartipped. His new owners felt it added character! But after 6 months or so it does get difficult to socialise and adopt. Of course some so-called 'ferals' are actually strays, and once they get over their sense of being lost and abandoned, are very happy to be adopted and find a new family. Several of my own cats come into that category. But it can take a while to gain their trust again in the human race.

It's good to hear that there is some hope. I just hate the idea of these guys not having a home and being out in the big bad world, what with random coyotes and such roaming our area.

I did find a prospective home for the Tuxedo cat, in one of my co-workers. He and his wife have been looking for a cat, but I told them that they could maybe try to tame him and if it didn't work out, they could bring him back to me to rejoin his brothers. I am making sure they know that this will take time, lots of time, and commitment to make it work, if it ever does, and that of course, I have to catch him first!

oh, one other questions that just came to mind:

Should I only put food out for 30 minutes, then take it back in, or can I leave it out all day? the NWSNC recommends doing the 30 minute route to get the cat used to a specific time, but I don't know how that would work with the three of them.

With ten cats to feed, this is a problem for me, but I have solved it by have three feeding stations in different places so I can monitor that each cat gets enough to eat. Everyone knows his or her own place to eat and I move anyone who is in the wrong place. It did not take long for them to get the idea and as I have added new cats to the household I have made sure they only get fed in one place. I only leave the wet food out for about 30 minutes. There is a bowl of dry left out in a different place that all have access to. I think with three cats you could do it in one place and though it might take a few days they will soon learn that they must eat at once or the food will be gone.