Should I keep a semi feral or releasing back? Please HELP!

jessimar74

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Hi all. Around last November I noticed a newcomer in one of the colonies I feed. This is a long hair orange cat that is very shy. Somehow he managed to be accepted by the other 5 cats in that colony. In mid February, I trapped him to get him fixed. To my surprise, when I picked him up at the clinic, I found out that he had been shaved because his fur was severely matted and pulling on his skin. He was given the lion cut and most of his body was shaved.

Since I live in New York and it was still winter I put him in a large dog crate hoping the weather would turn warmer soon so I could release him. I have to point out that for this particular colony I can't provide winter shelters as I feed in a parking lot behind a restaurant. Even though the days got warmer, it wasn't until near the end of April that the temperature didn't go below freezing point at night. I could've releasing him at that point even though his fur had grown only a bit of fuzziness, but in the 2 months I've had him, I noticed he wasn't truly feral. He seems to have had some human interaction at some point, may had been a house cat in the past.

At first, he was extremely shy and scared and would pee right on the spot he was sitting if startled. I noticed he would let me scratch him behind his ear so I thought he might come around and I didn't have much to lose since I couldn't release him yet anyway. My friend, who has more time, workes with him everyday and has achieved some progress like having him eat treats from her hand. He is not as scared anymore and looks at us in our eyes, he eats whIle people are present and even though he doesn't play with toys, when I move a feather or string above his head he follows it with his eyes.

I've had him for 3 months now in my friend's basement in the cage. He seems depressed and/or upset some days and swats and hisses and spits, other days, he is responsive and calm. Unfortunately, we haven't been able to provide a room, not even a bathroom for him to stay in. We both have many cats aND no spare rooms. I took him to the vet last week for a leukemia/aids test as I was trying to convince my mother to bring hin home and set him up temporarily in the bathroom but it was impossible for the vet to examine him. He even gave me a sedative for Leo (that's what I named him) but it didn't work.

The vet said we could try a stronger dose or anesthetize him to do the exam and the test but I don't know whether I'm doing the right thing by keeping him. I want to give him a chance to a home because he has made some progress and every time I look at his sweet face it breaks my heart but the reality is that I don't have a spare room where I can keep him. I thought of building a walk in cage in my friend's basement to keep socializing him until I could find another place for him but the basement is unfinished and dark and dreary I hate for him to live there indefinitely. On the other hand, I thought about releasing him back to its colony but I don't know if it's the right thing to do for him at this point especially after three and a half months. I'm unsure whether he would recognize his surroundings and be accepted by the other cats since he's been gone for too long.

This past weekend after the failure at the vet I put him back in the trap and took him outside on the driveway to see whether he showed some interest in going back outside. I would have expected him to go crazy trying to get out but he didn't. He looked at the cars passing by with some interest and after a while he just sat there with his eyes closed, soaking up the sun. When I called his name he would open his eyes and look at me. I haven't been able to sleep for days trying to make a decision of what's best for him. I wish I could give him a home and try to socialize them as much as I can but that is not possible at the moment because I have already too many cats in my apartment.

Should I build a walk in cage in the basement and Hope that sometime in the future if he gets Social enough I could take him home with me or find them a home somewhere else or would it be better to just let him go.

One last thing, a few years ago I was helping a lady feed these three colonies that eventually I took over for. I helped her trap a couple of cats to get them fixed and found out 6 months later that she had never released them back because she felt bad for them to go back to a life outside. At that time I didn't have much experience with ferals but it broke my heart to know that these cats were living in filthy cages because this woman had way too many cats indoors to take care of, so I convinced her to released the cats back to their colony but i never saw them again. After 6 months indoors,I wonder if I did wrong and they just got disoriented and lost, but I didn't want them to live caged forever under deplorable conditions and flea infestation. I don't want to make the same mistake by releasing Leo and lose him but I want him to be happy. Please help me make a decision. Sorry for the long post!

 
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molly92

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Cats are always going to be safer and have a better quality of life indoors, so when there's a good candidate for socialization and you have the means to care for him, I always recommend trying it. With enough time and work, it can usually be done.

I don't think you need to make a walk-in cage to socialize him. Right now if he's scared he's going to want to stay in a smaller space, and when he's ready he can start exploring the whole basement. Don't worry about it being dark and depressing for him. Cats are nocturnal naturally and they feel more comfortable in the dark.

This is an absolutely wonderful guide to socializing cats and I recommend you and your friend going through these steps with Leo: http://bestfriends.org/resources/socializing-cats-how-socialize-very-shy-or-fearful-cat

Bummer about the vet visit! If a cat is sick it really helps the socialization process along if they start feeling better under your care (because they're getting the medication they need). A mobile vet might work better for Leo, so he doesn't have the added stress of leaving his safe little den. Are their any in your area?

The situation with the woman and the cats you released does not sound great. Their really weren't a lot of good options, so don't feel bad about what happened. If she didn't have the time and know how to socialize them properly so they could live a full life or get adopted, not to mention the financial means to provide basic care, then she should not have kept them and I'm going to say you did the right thing by getting them released. I don't think cats forget too easily, so knowing their way around would not have been a huge problem.

Semi-ferals that are released face the same dangers that all ferals face. It's just that they're the ones that could have a chance of a better life. Once a feral cat reaches adulthood, they have to be pretty good about being able to find food and stay out of harms way. The ones that are not do not make it that long. There are still a lot of dangers, though, including weather extremes, predators like coyotes, birds of prey, dogs, injuries from fights with other cats (this is mostly resolved if the cats have all been fixed), diseases, cars, poisonous substances, and of course not getting treatment for their ailments like a house cat would. Plus having meals provided for you, toys, flea medicine, shelter, warm beds, and humans that love you is a lot nicer than living outside. So it would be wonderful for Leo if he could learn the ways of domestic life! And I think he has a very good chance if you're willing to work with him and give him time. 2 months is nothing when it comes to socializing former ferals, and he already shows a ton of progress.
 

msaimee

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Most cats become depressed when living in a cage, and three months is a long time. When I visit the Humane Society while taking one of my clients to do her community service, the cats who’ve been caged there for months seem to have given up on life—it’s very distressing to see. I think giving Leo the run of a basement for the time being is a much better option than keeping him in a cage or releasing him back outside. He must prefer life indoors or he would have been pawing at the cage to get out when you took him outside. Also, he’s used to being fed daily by you, so releasing him back outside would not be an ideal situation, especially if he gets lost and doesn’t have a food supply. Perhaps you could fix the basement up a bit. If there are no lights, put some night lights around. Put a cat bed inside and some toys along with his food bowls and litter box. Interact and play with him with a wand toy a few times a day. I think he would be a lot happier being able to move and run around and play. It’s not natural for a cat to be caged. They can deal with it short-term while recovering from surgery or adjusting to a new home, but after a few months they become depressed and give up on life. Many Humane Societies have fostering home programs, where volunteers take in feral or semi-feral or otherwise special needs cats and work with them to get them to the point of socialization and adoption—you could check that out and see if they could work with your cat. Have you tried finding a home for him? Some friends of mine took in a stray a half a year ago and couldn’t take him into their home because they already had 8 cats. He and his wife put the cat in their antique store, which they run part time, and he’s settled in there. It’s not ideal, but he’s so happy to have a home and human interaction (the customers love him). Perhaps you could find a situation similar to that—it won’t be ideal, but it will be better than a cage or living outside again. Good luck.   
 

red top rescue

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A cage is no place to live, and he has been there long enough.  He's depressed and cranky.  You would be too.  He doesn't know why he's in jail, and he doesn't deserve to be in jail. Maybe he didnt try to get out of the trap when you put him outside because he has been caged so long that freedom seemed a thing of the past.  I would suggest setting him free by leaving the door open, but put food and treats out right next to it.  Chances are he will come back.  The ferals I feed always come back to eat, and if they are injured, they come back for help.  They trust me, and they can count on having food and water whenever they need it.  The rest of their lives may be rough, but it's their life, their choice.  Who are we to say life in confinement is better?
 
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msaimee

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Yes, I agree. If the basement doesn't work out, then Red Top is right, it's better to free him and care for him as an outdoor cat. Free him sooner rather than later. It sounds like his spirit is being broken.
 
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jessimar74

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Thank you all for responding. It would certainly be easier for me to let him go because I have 2 jobs to be able to maintain many cats at home and all the ferals and don't have much time left for myself but I feel bad not giving Leo a chance to have a home since he has shown some progress. I agree he can't stay in the cage any longer. When I took him out in the trap the other day, he rushed to the end of the trap facing the street as soon as I uncovered it but then sat down in the middle of it and seeing him enjoying the sunshine I thought he missed his freedom. Of course he doesn't know it's safer inside. When I look at his picture, such a sweet face, I feel guilty not to be able to offer him a true home.
 
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