Gaining trust of feral

simonschuster

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There has been a feral tabby in my yard on and off for 2 years. In June she brought her 3 kittens onto my deck and in my grill cabinet right outside my sliding glass doors.  A rescue helped me trap all of them, we TNR a very feral Mama and I have kept all of the babies. It took a while for me to see Mama again, but for the past month, she has been in my backyard most every morning around 7am and I go outside and feed her breakfast in a covered part of my kids old playset. She used to run from the yard under the deck when I came out, but now she'll stay 10-15 feet away from me and she talks to me the whole time. I talk back to her for a few minutes, and then when I leave she runs to the food to eat. On occasion she has been on my deck at dinner time and I have fed her by the grill, closer to my home. She looks at me and her babies (and my other cat) through the glass door. We desperately want to get her comfortable with us, especially before winter weather. I put out a large rubbermaid container with a 7 inch circle cut in it under my deck (deck is 3ft off the ground) a few weeks ago and put some tuna and dry food in it to lure her when we had days of bad storms thinking she might go in it for shelter. I have a large styrofoam cooler and I'm planning on fixing the rubbermaid for winter based on plans I have seen online for winter cat shelters. Is there a way to get her familiar with it? Is under the deck a good location for it? Any tips on gaining her trust? To complicate matters, a big fella I believe to be the daddy cat (has previously had a collar on and is long hair and well groomed so I don't think he's stray) has been on my deck at the glass door the past few nights. He comes right up to it and hisses at my cats (who don't care). We have opened the door and sprayed a water bottle at him and he runs off. But he discovered Mama's night feeding bowl. My two girl kittens are solid gray and solid black, with a dime sized bit of white on their upper chest- this guy is all black with the same white bit on his chest and deep yellow eyes. We want to help Mama. Any guidance?
 

ondine

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I would get Mamma used to coming to eat during the day.  If you leave food out after dark, all sorts of critters, including Pop, will come for the feast.

Once the house is made, spray it with Feliway - that's a cat- pheronome based product that relaxes them  You can get it at Petco or PetSmart.

Do not leave food inside the house - again it would attract other critters.  Set up a separate feeding station away from her shelter.  Opposite ends of the deck would work, or the food on the deck and the shelter under it.

I've used Igloo coolers for shelters - all the insulating is done.  Its pricey but I got a good deal once and made five.  Get a tote big enough to hold the cooler, line up the holes and cut them through both the cooler and the tote.  Use a length of PVC pipe with a 6" opening to make a "porthole" between the two.  Cut it long enough to fit through the cooler and the tote, with a short overhang (say 2") outside the tote.  I use caulking designed for outside projects to seal around the opening to keep the rain out.

I use an outside tote because the coolers can leak out on their own.  The outer tote stops that.

Thank yo for helping this little family.  The kittens seem very content with their lives!
 

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Thank you for helping Mama kitty!  She will learn to use the winter shelter, but it may take time.  Here are a few tips:

1.  Try putting some catnip in the shelter instead of food. You don't want raccoon or other pesky critters to set up home. 

2.  When you decide upon a shelter, it is best to have an exit hole and entrance hole so she doesn't feel trapped.  If she learns to love it and seems fine with one hole, you can cover one of them back up.  Just save what you cut out and you can duct tape it shut.  Most cats want to start off with 2 holes.

3.  If you have an electricity source outside, you can use outdoor  heat pads.  They are loved by outside kitties.  If not insulating the shelter and stuffing with straw is the way to go. 

4.  You can do an internet search ( be sure to do an image search too) on feral cat winter shelters.  You will find lots and lots.

I started with the simple rubbermaid and have upgraded throughout the years.  I have electricity on my deck so I now have heat pads as well as heated shelters.  Yet I currently have 4 ferals.  You can see some of the shelters I have used over the years on my blog.

https://feralcattails.wordpress.com/tips-and-techniques/shelters/

It is so wonderful of you to help all of the kittens and Mama cat too.  Hopefully the owned male cat will leave on his own when he realized Mama is no longer available as well as there is no food left out at night.
 

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If she lets you see her and she talks to you then you have already won a good degree of trust.  We have two who came around by getting used to DH being outside a lot.  He inadvertently has probably the best routine to gain trust.  He puts food out, calls them to the food, walks around and does whatever he is puttering at that day, doesn't look at them much, but talks to them.  They learn he's not trying to "get" them and gradually will sit and watch him.

Once they are at the stage yours is at I go out and see if they will play with the magic stick.  At first it's best for both of us if they hide behind something so I can entice them with scratchy sounds of the stick but they don't have to see my scary face and hands moving.  I make the stick move like prey, away from the cat to me.  Every one has made a jump towards me to chase the stick, then saw me, then had an obvious thought bubble over it's head that said, "Holy crap, what have I done, ran toward the scary human!"  And they retreat.  But we do it again and they learn nothing bad happened.  Some can take a long time, four years for one, one year for another.  But these cats are completely free outside and could leave any time they want and they're still here.  It goes much faster if I live trap and shut them in one room and do the same things, but I have no more room inside.  Good luck, it's fun for you too, if a bit time consuming.
 
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simonschuster

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Thank you so much for the advise! Mama was waiting for me by her feeding site at 6:45 and started talking to me as soon as she saw me come outside and she didn't run until I got within about 5 feet of her. We have Hurricane Matthew predicted here Saturday/Sunday, so I'm so worried about her. I'm going to put some Feliway spray and catnip in the shelter today. Mama is about 2 (I recall first seeing her as a kitten Summer '14). I had her in the trap overnight before her TNR and one night after her surgery before I released her and I sat and talked with her for hours, telling her how I would take care of her babies, and letting her get to know my voice. I so want to give her the best I can!!!
 

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Thank you so much for the advise! Mama was waiting for me by her feeding site at 6:45 and started talking to me as soon as she saw me come outside and she didn't run until I got within about 5 feet of her. We have Hurricane Matthew predicted here Saturday/Sunday, so I'm so worried about her. I'm going to put some Feliway spray and catnip in the shelter today. Mama is about 2 (I recall first seeing her as a kitten Summer '14). I had her in the trap overnight before her TNR and one night after her surgery before I released her and I sat and talked with her for hours, telling her how I would take care of her babies, and letting her get to know my voice. I so want to give her the best I can!!!
You are doing a wonderful thing taking care of her.  I hope she will start to use the shelter, but cats have many places they go to hide and get out of the weather.  My 4 go under deck, under screened porches and under thick shrubs and brush.  I know you will worry about her with the impending storm, but know that she will have a place that will keep her safe.  She will be in my thoughts.  I hope the storm moves quickly and easily out of your area.
 

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I totally agree with the terrific suggestions from the above posters. And thank you for giving the kittens a wonderful home and continuing to feed mama cat :clap:
Truly the mama cat is gaining confidence in you and also she comes by each day for meals is because she knows her babies are around and are safe with you.
I saw your post in bigbadbass and so I came in to take a look :lol3:
Do keep us updated and me too will be following this thread ;)
 
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simonschuster

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This is Mama, by her house on my front steps. Pictures shot through the window a few weeks ago. She comes most mornings at 6:15am for food and I usually see her late afternoon a few days a week. She talks to me, a lot! Her boy kitten Frankie, the tuxedo with white on his nose like Mama, is also a big talker. I try to talk to her for a few minutes as I change the water and get her food dish ready, but she stays a few yards away and won't come up to her house to eat until I come inside. I can still talk to her through the glass storm door, and she'll come up right on the other side of the door. We exchange blinks and her babies often come to say hello. If I'm outside with her, 5 feet is the closest I've been able to get her to approach. But she's very vocal with me. I guess that's a good sign as I've recently read ferals don't meow. I'm positive she was born feral and none of my  neighbors are "cat people," so I'm thinking I'm her only human interaction.

We got 8 inches of snow and I haven't seen her in a day and a half. I made a few extra shelters I put around the house in places I've seen her go (bushes, under deck) and cleared her food and house area of all snow and ice and made clear paths, even shoveling the grass. No sign of her. I hate that. Paying she has somewhere she's staying dry and warm.
 

tabbytom

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I forgot to mention that your babies are beautiful and now I see Mama's photo, she's beautiful too [emoji]10084[/emoji]️
Keep up the good job and keep winning her trust.
 

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Awww mama's sweet.  Fantastic that she meows and you're exchanging blinks.

The damn snow...as you read, my guy is MIA as well. Heart wrenching, i'm with you there..

Keep up the good work! Slow but sure progress.  
 

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First, I want to say ---GORGEOUS photos of Mamma!!!! And her babies are adorable too!

Secondly, it's late & I'mtired, so it's possible I'm missing some things already said or asked in this thread...so if so, I apologize in advance :)

About shelters...weather...unpredictability...and patience:
Snow (or any rough weather or drastic change in weather) often causes the ferals & strays to head for the hills. Or something! We've TNR'd quite a large # of cats just from our neighborhood colony alone.....dozens over the years. But we're finally down to 5 that base almost 24/7/365 at our house and 4 or 5 at a neighbor who kind of "began" the colony as she cared so much that she fed & provided shelter, but hated the idea of scaring them & trapping them in order to "fix" them. But after many talks,she began to understand that fixing them was ultimately as important as feeding or sheltering them!!!!! Yeah! Anyway....my point of this paragraph was to let you know that, no matter how much they trust you, or how good you make things for them, there's still a large chance that some -or all- of a steady colony still often heads for ??somewhere???? when weather gets funky. 1 of ours often disappears under our neighbors truck for days when there's a heavy snow---despite the fact that at our house the 5 "permanent ferals" have a double Rubbermaid shelter (we fill ours with insulation AND straw between the two rubbermaids, on all sides totally around all sides and above and below the space between the 2 bins....then fill the inside of the small one where they live with a lot of fresh straw too. I then put an outdoor-rated heated matt in the bottom, & top the heated mat in a layer of fleece or soft blanket (BUT NOTE: I keep tons on hand as I check it often - if the fleece/blanketgets wet, it'll stay wet (or worse -frozen) sucking all the warmth from the kitty. So I keep an eye on that - on days I know I can't keep up with it, I just add a little more straw). It's best if the shelter - even in a sheltered area like a garage - is up off the ground/concrete on anything handy. We use palettes, bricks, etc. Keeping it up is done for various reasons-space may flood a bit and this keeps it dry, plus keeping it off of cold concrete or ground helps keep temps inside higher. We also add a small sheet of clear plexiglass, leaned against the front of the shelter & attached by plastic ties thru holes drilled into the shelter. This leaves the cats space to get in and out, but acts as a wind buffer AND keeps snow, rain, etc. from entering the shelter.....all while letting the kitties survey their surroundings! I'll try to find a pic to show that. So in our garage we have: 1 small "double Rubbermaid" w/heated pad that can really only hold one kitty in our garage (detached & unheated, but partially insulated)....2 K & H "extra Wide" cat houses w/heated pads in the floors & we've added an extra layer of insulation inside, & another heated strip alongside the back, also a bit of straw inside, each could easily 2 kitties....and interestingly enough, what they actually kind of fight over is what my husband calls "ghetto house"...all of our resin porch furniture was brought into the garage for the winter, and I placed yet another heated pad on top of one of the chair seats, put straw around that, and then made a little 3-sided cave of foam insulation---then covered it all (except the front) with two thick blankets to block wind & capture as much heat as possible. At times, we find 2 cats on the "ghetto chair house"?!?! In winter, we crack the garage door open about 6-8", leaving the door open in warmer weather for "world watching".

We also have a small dogloo set just next to the garage, filled with 2 layers of insulation all around and on floor, have a heated pet pad on the floor, it sits off the ground on multiple bricks, and added our homemade acrylic "door/window/windbreak." And one last shelter is a very large "double Rubbermaid" that 2 cats can easily share. It has all that the others do--- off the ground, clean straw, acrylic windbreak door, and heated pet pad floor. My husband also shovels down to grass from any places they tend to go - including paths across the yard for neighbors they like to visit (he's a good guy!).

They also have two ways to eat: 1) just next to the garage door -on the outside but under the eaves-we have a feeding station made from a clear Rubbermaid with a large hole cut into it, elevated from ground by bricks, keeping the floor of it out of the snow, keeps the rain from flooding in...inside is a large food bowl. Next to that feeding station we use a large heated water bowl, also tucked under the garage eaves.

And STILL ----despite having all of these fairly good (I like to think!!!) -- when weather gets severe several of our current (past almost 2 years)group STILL disappear to various places (some known- like under our neighbor's car?!???!, some not). We don't know what drives them from much safer, warmer accommodations, where food is delivered morning and evening 365 days a year!!!!...to a place like under a car. Got me!!!! But it happens every time weather gets really bad ----3 basically never leave, but the other two ALWAYS head out for some deeply buried instinctual reasons I don't understand :( so this long diatribe of mine was to say ---in a very long way---that chances are she'll be back!!!!!ours ALWAYS are!!!!!

I don't know if you're just hoping to socialize enough that you could touch her, hopefully medicate her or get her to vet if necessary......or socialize her enough to eventually to bring her in. Hearing that she's now vocalizing with you is great - true ferals do VERY little vocalization. Their moms teach them anything but silence and stealth alerts predators to them. So she's trusting you--AND trying to communicate with you in YOUR language. That's a BIG breakthrough.

One thing we've learned helps bring ferals that we were working on attempting to socialize is to make use of what we all here call "kitty crack" - Gerbers Stage 2 Chicken Flavor baby food. It's SO stinky, but kitties LOVE IT! We buy telescoping utensils (sometimes Amazon and camping stores carry telescoping spoons and Amazon always carries a telescoping back scratcher), and load the end up with it. Sit very quietly on the floor, extend it out to her -and it may take time, but eventually I've yet to have a cat not give in! I then start slowly (over days) make utensil shorter & shorter. Before you know it - you'll be able to give her a light pet! Slow is the key!!! As it sounds like you know!

I didn't see anyone ask this ---are you still seeing the fluffy male? Just because he's not scraggly looking doesn't mean he's not a stray ---perhaps a fairly new dump!!! If so, trapping & neutering him could make a big difference in how he reacts to Mama---and the babies he sees inside. How socialized is he? Does he always come late? If so, sound like you train Mama to eat earlier, but by bit, by moving her meal time up a bit each day.

I know you don't want another -- but I do worry for the male. If he ISN'T fixed --- he'll roam further to mate, get in a lot more fights, and may even pick more on your girl. Unless you know for sure he's owned, I personally would treat him like any other that wanders in and subjects themselves to my "spay/neuter" ritual!!!

And do as much as possible of them"sitting and chatting" with Mama....that...accompanied with a high value treat (like the Gerbers) getting associated with you --she'll be your buddy before you know it!!!
 
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simonschuster

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@kittychick THANK YOU for such a long and caring reply! Your insight is greatly appreciated.

My goal is to bring Mama into the fold, and make her an indoor cat. I would think her babies would readily accept her, and my other two had absolutely no reservations when we rescued the three babies. The one year old was, in fact, thrilled to have active playmates! The low cost clinic did the spay and rabies for free because she was a feral. I paid for flea treatment, a de-worming pill, and distemper to give her the best care I could before releasing her. That was the middle of June.

The rescue group who talked me through trapping and socializing the babies suggested the Gerber chicken when we were not sure on the kittens age and ability to eat solid food. They loved it, but were fully weaned, so I transitioned them to can kitten food pretty quickly. As soon as some of this snow melts and I can get out, I'll be picking up some chicken for Mama and ordering a telescoping item to start working with her. That's a fabulous idea! The volunteer who came to my house to examine the kittens (tell me gender, give me dewormer and instructions on their care/socialization) said the babies were obviously well cared for and didn't spit, like most. They were quick to warm up to human interaction. The volunteer praised Mama and said it was obvious she was very good with her kittens. I would love to know where Mama had them for 8 weeks until she brought them up and into my grill cabinet!

I researched building shelters over the past few months in anticipation of winter and collected a few heavy duty foam coolers form my mother who has foods delivered to her home in them. I have two totes that are packed with straw, then the cooler with straw inside. I also took a tote and just packed it with straw after I had run out of coolers and I looked inside of it a few days ago and was able to see the straw condensed in a circular shape, so know something has used it and I'm hopeful it was Mama. It's up under my deck a few feet from one of the others that has a cooler. I had placed some dry food nearby, up under the deck yesterday in case she was there and didn't want to venture all the way around to the front steps feeding area.

I believe Mama is from a feral group a neighbor down the road fed. There was a group- one mom, maybe another adult and several kittens pressed up against a closed garage door for warmth that broke my heart. They had out food bowls, but no obvious shelter. My kids and I, not knowing better and not thinking to research, wrapped a few cardboard boxes in trash bags and cut openings and filled them with old blankets and put them in the common area across from this house (Unapproachable homeowners- police often present for domestic issues). After the winter, all the cats were no longer around, but in the spring this little one started showing up on my steps once or twice a month who looked just like the cats at that house. It also looked just like my Schuster. That was Mama,  and how I'm pretty sure of her age. At the time I also had Simon- a very dominate alpha male who did not take well to having anybody hanging around. I did not see her often, but I didn't attempt to help her beyond setting out food on occasion. I wish I was wiser about TNR back then!

A few days after Simon passed at age 16 in October of '15, my girls dance teacher took a job on Broadway and was going to have to re home her 4 month old kitten- a ginger boy just like my Simon. That's how Harry came to us. He loved 14 year old Schuster, but Schuster was happy sleeping all day and Harry wanted to have a playmate. My husband said "no more cats!" Simon had been a difficult guy. I prayed I'd find a gray baby- he might say I couldn't go actively adopt another, but how could he say no to one adopting me? Be careful what you pray for... 8 months later my gray baby, her black sister and tuxedo brother and Mama found me and the rest is history!!! And for the record- hubby has a very close bond with two of the babies!

As for the fluffy black cat- not sure of gender- I'm guessing it's a male from his build. All my boys have a different build from my girls- but it's just a guess.

Not sure if there are two. Once a black cat came right up on my deck to my glass door and hissed at my crew inside. This one had no collar and I believe was longer haired. The black cat I see a few times a week has a red collar and tag and is in my back yard, or at the front feeding station. No set time of day- sometimes in the morning before I leave for work- sometimes in the afternoon (i get home from teaching at 3), and on occasion in the evening.  I had always banged on the window or yelled to scare it off, so it does not come close. I've been trying to approach it for the past few weeks to see if it's friendly and see the info on the tag. No luck- it always runs. And it runs through my back yard to a newly built neighborhood. I know it doesn't belong to any of my neighbors, but it could easily have a home in one of the new houses behind me. I've got to find this out.


This picture is back from June. Harry was SO happy to have playmates. Frankie, the boy kitten worships both his big brothers. It was love at first sight for Harry. Schuster has taken a while to accept the kittens snuggles, but he does now (Schuster and kitten Rue are my avatar image).
 

kittychick

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Thanks for the kind words - glad it might have offered some info you can use -  know my post was long - sorry :(

A few quick questions (and a shorter post!)...

1. (not a question - an observation) - Great pics! Harry and Rue look so adorable and SO bonded!! The fact that you can see a bit of Harry's left front paw peeking from under Rue's front right leg - - TOOOOOO stinking cute! Almost like "Daddy's got you - sit up straight for this pic now boy!"....just adorable!

2. Try not to leave the food too close to the shelter you think Mama might be taking comfort in, particularly since she's a lone cat at this point, with no one to help defend if someone comes to snack it might scare her quite a bit. It's nice to have it in sight of the shelter - - - but not so close that she'll feel threatened if another creature comes near.

3. Are the shelters set so that they're facing away from the wind? That's helpful if possible. 

4. When you get to the point of actually really working on bringing Mama in, make sure to start a thread about it - - I (and many others here) have done it more times than we can count and are happy to help. I'd advise posting BEFORE you try to bring her in - you'll get lots of great advice - some of which if you read before you start might save alot of stress, tears, etc.

5. Maybe instead of trying to push away the long-haired male, you continue to try to get closer. He's probably someone's indoor/outdoor (not a smart choice in my opinion) but could actually be someone's lost cat. If you can endear yourself to him - perhaps you can get his name/address/etc and at least it will help you learn if if he has a home, or if he needs to be put out there as a lost kitty.

One of our inside gang right now started out life as a feral - "Flick" (so named for the heart-shaped flick of white on her chest) is now an amazing totally indoor, 100% wonderful lap cat. We call her our "comfort cat" as she always knows which of us needs her most (myself or my husband) - - to the point that if my husband is upset, she'll actually crawl up his arm. The one photo below is from the night my husband's mother died.....Flick just went right to him. She's a dear!!! But we worked hard at getting her slowly acclimated - and hopefully I can pass some of that (and other) socializing experience on! So I of course had to share some Flick photos - the one with her at the door is one of my favorites - - she had just been in the house for a bit at that point. Her on the black blanket I love - she looks SO comfortable - and it's nice to know we got her to a place in her life where she can sleep that comfortably (as opposed to always with one eye open as a feral), and the last is the day described earlier.

Keeps us posted!

         
 
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simonschuster

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Oh, @kittychick , Flick is amazing! Thank you for sharing some of her story and her pictures. They give me hope for Mama! She is beautiful. Both my girl kittens (one black, one gray) have the same flick of white. I'd love to hear what worked for you as you gained her trust.

Mama came back tonight. I keep looking out for her and around 6:30 spotted her at the base of my steps. I quickly grabbed the chicken I had boiled for her earlier and some fresh water and stepped outside. She ran down the walk, but when I called to her she quickly came back in view. It took her almost 30 minutes (me watching through the window) for her to very cautiously come up the steps to the food. She took a few bites and ran. I was not sure how she felt about the chicken (it was suggested in another thread that it might smell and attract her and I had just defrosted some for dinner anyway) so I got her a dish of wet can food and set it out too. She came up the steps for it within a few minutes. Over the next hour she ate all the shredded chicken and part of a can and went in and out of the house (never inside for more than a few minutes) and up and down the steps. She spent about an hour in a rubbermaid container I have on it's side on the other side of the porch (maybe 3 ft from her house) that has a towel in it. I usually put the food/water there, but have not seen her ever sit inside. It's now 9:30 and she is still going up and down the steps (sitting on the very cold cement in 11 degree temps) and sitting right outside the house. I removed all food dishes for the night and tossed and extra piece of fleece fabric in the rubbermaid.

I have been the putting dry food dish in the shelter. I'll move that. Makes sense that might make her apprehensive about spending time there. The house came with two clear flaps that can velcro in to make hanging doors. I added the flap to the side of the house nearest the steps after about a week. She has to come all the way up the steps to go inside the totally open door. I did that for the weather, it allows me to view her, and she has a view of the outside when she's in it and can push the flap and run or go out the totally open other side if needed. I've seen black kitty push it's head through the flap, grab a few bites and run. He's never been around when Mama is there- in fact I've not seen them in my yard at the same time. There have been a few times she has acted disinterested in her food and taken a few bites and run off- only for me to see black kitty come into view a few minutes later. That was when I was feeding her out back under my kids old plastic play structure at the edge of my property that backs to the area I believe black kitty comes from.

Yes, I did take the wind into account on all the shelters I have set up.

I will start a new thread. I ordered a retractable fork off Amazon. Should be here Tuesday and temps are expected into the 60s by weeks end so I should have good opportunity to sit outside with her in a few days with some Gerber chicken.

I have not seen black kitty in a week or so, but yes- the plan is now to see if I can approach him and see what info is on his tag. I have a neighborhood facebook pet page. I have asked about him and there have not been any replies.

 

tabbytom

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If you can, stoop lower to his level and try to appear smaller. For them we look like giants and intimidating if we stand up. Whether you are going to feed her or take photos of her, best is sit on the ground so she don't feel like you are like going to attack her at any moment. Grab a teaser and play with her and show her the food and sit a slight distance from her while she eats. Keep talking to her while she eats and let her confidence level go up when you are with her.

Does she stay for the night? And how long does she hang around during the day?
 

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I would get Mamma used to coming to eat during the day.  If you leave food out after dark, all sorts of critters, including Pop, will come for the feast.

Once the house is made, spray it with Feliway - that's a cat- pheronome based product that relaxes them  You can get it at Petco or PetSmart.

Do not leave food inside the house - again it would attract other critters.  Set up a separate feeding station away from her shelter.  Opposite ends of the deck would work, or the food on the deck and the shelter under it.

I've used Igloo coolers for shelters - all the insulating is done.  Its pricey but I got a good deal once and made five.  Get a tote big enough to hold the cooler, line up the holes and cut them through both the cooler and the tote.  Use a length of PVC pipe with a 6" opening to make a "porthole" between the two.  Cut it long enough to fit through the cooler and the tote, with a short overhang (say 2") outside the tote.  I use caulking designed for outside projects to seal around the opening to keep the rain out.

I use an outside tote because the coolers can leak out on their own.  The outer tote stops that.

Thank yo for helping this little family.  The kittens seem very content with their lives!
 

roxee

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I'd love a picture of your igloo!
Did u make these for stray kitty's?
 

roxee

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Oops. Sorry not to sure what I did
I just was hoping for a picture!!
 

kittychick

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I'll post more later with some advice - I just realized it's almost 1 and as a work-from-home designer, I've gotten only about half done what I should have today so far (largely from playing with the kitties!). I will quickly say I know you said you're not putting her food and water in her shelter anymore - - that's great. But two things - - - being as close to one of her shelters as it looks like the food is (I understand you want her to be able to go from "sleeping house" to food without getting rained or snowed on) - - in my experience that's still too close. It'll draw anything and everything to that area - and that will make her nervous to sleep there). If you 

can (I know you feel all "binned up" by now) - I'd do a separate feeding station. And are those K&H houses? I'd be curious to see what you think - we have two "extra wides with heated floors" that they're not taking to like everything else. I'll also so - note that they're not intended for TOTAL outdoor use (odd, I know, for something labeled "outdoor"!). They're meant to be used like in a slightly sheltered area like a porch, etc. They tend to fall apart after being exposed to much rain & snow. Anyway - feeding station wise I attached a pic of what we use (actually that's an old one - you can tell it was ready to go - we tape the  edges of where we cut the entrance, so that they're not jagged. And the brick to the side goes on top (we learned to use that the hard way after the bin and contents blew across the yard several times)- - it just hadn't been replaced yet. And that's not Flick - that's a very bedraggled cousin of hers (we assume) - "Brady."


I wanted to tell you a bit on Flick - but I can definitely relay alot of what we did to socialize her(she benefitted ALOT from us doing things WRONG with other socializations!). But I'll include those in my later note when I've got more time (hopefully this evening). But I'll share a peek into her life. She's kind of our "poster girl" for TNR - - - from total feral to the most loving, friendly animal I've ever had! She knows her name - and answers to every variation, as all of us cat folk seem to do! She's currently Flick, Flicky, Flickers, Wick, Wicky, Wickers, Flicky Wick, Flickety Wick, Flickety Wick Wick, Little One, Perma Kitten (she's like 6 lbs - very tiny!), Perma Wick......you get the idea. But this was a picture of her the winter before we brought her in - you can see we had alot of snow - and my hubby kept that walkway shoveled for her! The "double rubbermaid" behind her is up off the ground on bricks, but the straw obscures it in the picture. You can kind of make out the "leaning plexi" sheet we tie on so she can watch the world but not have rain or snow come in.

So I'll definitely weigh on more later on a few tips - keep hanging in there! She'll be in with your crew before you know it! (ok - it'll probably take alot of patience - but you've already shown you've got that!).

   
 
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