meet Buggy

They are only under anesthesia for a short period to neuter, so anything else would have to wait for another visit.  They will give him his vaccinations at neutering.

My vet will put them under for a dental but the worming is a pill, the flea treatment is a liquid squirted on the back of their neck and they just take a blood sample for the tests.

He will recuperate from the neutering pretty quickly, so you should schedule another appointment within a week or so.  If he's in his own room,  he shouldn't be too hard to corral into a carrier again.

Thanks for the update - I guessed I missed answering with all the holiday running around.

The worming pill, can I do that at home crushing and mixing in his canned food? 

Obviously all the serious stuff done by the pro's while he's knocked out, but do they do the flea treatment too?  

Those are the main procedures that concerned me. Unless there are complications or vet suggests more (in the Bugs' best interests of course)

I'd leave treatments at that i think.

Would there normally be aftercare...or further testing... requiring a follow-up in just a few weeks (barring complications, of course)?

Wifey correctly states he's much like a caveman....NO conception of play, leisure, affection, security...a LOT of work to follow...and thats all ok... provided I

retain my eyeballs.  Intimidating...he's HUGE up close...could do some damage if he chose to. 

I ordered his "tree" today...I'll put it up so he acclimates to it. It'll be interesting to see how long it takes him to catch on after neutering.

Forgot...gotta try the fist greeting too...though I'll likely get batted. 

I'll experiment a bit, but not push or force his "education" till after the vet procedures. Step by step, plenty of time going forward.

Thanks again, y'all.   

Some wormers can be crushed into food.  If I am not mistaken, some can be given by injection, too, so ask the vet if he or she can give Buggy a shot.  One less thing for you to deal with.  The flea treatment can be given when he's under, too.

Fingers crossed all goes well.  He'll forgive you once he realizes the cushy life he'd landed in!

Yes, the worming pill can be crushed and mixed with his canned food that you are feeding him with. Crush the whole pill but do not give him too much food, just in case he taste the pill and refuse to eat and if you give him the full portion of food, then the food will be wasted not to mention the pill too and you might not have enough pills to complete the whole dose.
Flea treatment they might do the 1st dose at the clinic, if not you can do it at home but better to get them to do the 1st just in case at home you can't catch him to do the second or third dose. It's a topical application that is applied on the skin at of the neck just a little lower between the ears. One little bottle and squirt it all on and it'll dry off in around 15 mins to 1/2 hr. Then repeat a week later depending on the severity of flea infestation.
Aftercare for the neutering is usually not much to do. As long as the incision site is kept cleaned and not infected, you should have no worries at all. Many ferals are TNR without humans looking after them and they lay in more dirty places than our homes and they are fine. Just watch that there's no yellowish pus. Surgery site will heal in around 2 weeks or so.
Good that you ordered the cat tree for him. Guess he'll like high places like the photo you took of him on the top of the car. Place it where he can observe both inside and outside. To acclimatize him after the surgery, I suggest that you place a towel or one or two unwashed thick clothings and place it at a cozy place for him to lay. This will get him get use to your scent and get attach to you faster. Think it's not necessary to buy him a bed at the moment as he might not like it and it'll be a waste of money. Get him toys like balls and kitty wands to play with. BUT play comes after the surgery site is completely healed.

back again tonight snooping at the back door. I invited him inside for some eats, but he opted to retire into his "hot house" for the evening,

his eyelids drooping as he was looking out towards me.  

Closed the door, turned the lights off, will leave him be. If he's happy, I'm happy. 

Safe and warm...I think he's finally moving in !!!!   Fantastic!! 

Our posts crossed...great info , I thank you both. I've a lot to learn. So after vet...no play until totally healed.

I'm holding my breath he opts to stay all night tonight....another major step forward... 

Its relieving to think my house is now more than just a "food stop" on his 7-11 circuit.    

I'm thinking the comfort of the heat pad and relative safety of the kitty house are the deciding factors? 

Aloha

TabbyTom and Ondine have given you great information...one thing I'd like to add is you may havev to wait longer than 8 weeks to introduce him to the other babies...one because like they said hormones will still be in his system...he may spray...get the enzymatic cleaner as suggested...also you need to give all the cats time to smell everything out...so hes definitely gonna need his own room as suggested and let them smell eachother through door...the advisors on here have tons of great advice and often posts links to any area in question...however with that being said...Jackson Galaxy from the animal planet network has show called my cat from he'll...anyways he has a really great technique of introducing cats...you mentioned you have Bengals and an Ossicat(sp) they already have a little true wild cat in them...bengals are extremely active etc...stuff I'm sure you are already aware of...be careful as this might overwhelm Bug at first...so always use caution...also make sure his Bugs blood work comes back clean before you introduce the cats...as fir fleas...I have always used capstar first then the treatment after...ask your vet if he uses it and go from there...thev flea treatment truly is quite easy to apply...you just have to build a relationship where he'll let you hold him to apply it...

It sounds like you are doing a fantastic job...keep up tge awesome work and please keep us posted

That's fantastic news! Bug's coming in to sleep. With the invitation and he comes right in and giving you the eyelid droop looks means a good sign. He has confidence in you and telling you that he's taking his place in his hot house, but at the mean time, he is still the boss.
Yes, your house is more than just a food stop. You have made great progress with him. Guess the warmth also made him choose to come back. Keep doing it till he finally make your house his home. You are happy, he's happy and we're happy too
Good suggestions are coming from imjustacatmom too.

Glad you are making such great progress.  I really enjoy coming in and reading how things are going so keep keeping us posted!  the best cats are the ones who choose us. 

@bigbadbass

A good portion of the cats I have owned have always found me...including our Siamese that we have now...she was originally owned but we also know that she was abused and she was mostly feral when she came to us...she started coming to our door in about end of June beginning of July of 2013...anyhoo...it was a long but very much worth it process and every milestone she accomplished we would giver her much praise to show her that what she was doing was right...we were building her confidence up...it took her longer to come around to my husband which told us it was a man who abused her...she wouldn't let my husband pet her for the first 8/9 months we had her...but by March of 2015 she was sleeping/laying next to him on the couch...which also was a milestone she wouldn't get on couch till 2015...we had to show her it was truly ok to be on couch...

My whole point to this is...every feral cat is different some will warm up right away (these are usually the ones with socialization) and some may take a couple of years like our girl did...

I truly think you are doing an excellent job...you've already expressed your commitment to us here...I imagine that Bugs feels your commitment and I believe he feels your love towards him already.

Black cats are the hardest to find homes for...and Bugs is absolutely gorgeous...a little side note...our other cat who was left to us by my late father-in-law(who is also a rescue kitty from a mill)...his name is Prince but my nickname for him is Bugs...lolol

I'm hoping Buggy is not buggy...in a literal sense lol.   

Sharing your experiences regarding ferals taking months (or even years) to become comfortable is truly touching..and inspire me with some

hope and determination...I thank you on behalf of both myself and "the Bug".  

I must admit I'm a bit apprehensive at the long road ahead..(at his age)  its not going to be easy, but the Bug will receive my best efforts, not an easy life...

he deserves it. Introducing him to the others...I'm not even thinking that far ahead ... though your help will be greatly needed at that time. 

He was gone this morning...I don't know how long he stayed last night. Which leads me to....another aid in his "rehab"... I'm going to invest in a reasonably

priced security camera (single) just for the Bug...an Iphone app will allow me to easily monitor his comings and goings.. now and future. 

He did pop back for a big breakfast around 8am....the usual greeting/petting, but I had obligations....no time to interact further this morning.

At the risk of repeating myself...thanks again ALL for your enlightening input.      

Looks like you are winning him over, but let's hope for the best

We had some great interplay this morning....I withheld his food for a little while...experimenting to keep him around for some social engineering and education. I can do this in good conscience knowing he's no longer starving...quite to the contrary he eats QUITE well now.  

Anyhoo..after our normal greeting and petting...we exchanged blinky eyes.... he relaxed, stretched out on the rug, cleaned a bit.. then another major breakthrough........ 

I GOT HIM TO PLAY WITH A TOY MOUSE !!!   The little caveman reacted quite favorably.....I was truly touched and ecstatic. There is definite hope for him indoors! 

I am also the proud owner of a BUGGY CAM.....pointed at the opening of his heated house door (I can see inside)  and the sliding glass entry door to "his" room where he frequently looks in and announces his arrival. The cam will allow me further knowledge of whether he is sleeping out there, too, plus the little kings overnight arrivals!  Accessed through my Iphone....i set it up to give me "push" messages when there is activity. A useful tool.

So he's visited 3 times so far today....and i'm watching the little bugger too!

Note this pic was taken during a yawn! But I wouldn't want to get on his bad side, fo' sho'. 

Bravo!!

This is what we want to hear and been hoping for. You have indeed done a great job here. And he plays with a toy mouse? That's a very positive sign that he is getting domesticated. Wondering if he was abandoned before
Now with his frequent check ins, he knows that this is a good place to be.
Please post more of his photos and there is no such thing as a 'bad side' when taking photos of kitties

in his best behavior...lookin' darn
here in his best bahavior    lookin' darn good for a 12 year old feral

he sure is a beauty

WOW GREAT JOB!!! You know when you are able to take him to vet...when they look at his teeth they will be able to confirm his age give or take a year...at least thats what every vet has done with me and my ferals...including miss Duchess...so that way you can better gauge his age [emoji]128570[/emoji] also he looks quite comfortable around you...and ya you right...wouldn't want to get on his bad side lolol [emoji]128518[/emoji][emoji]128517[/emoji]

From the photo his teeth looks good. Second photo is he looks pretty comfy and looks well fed too. Yea, good looking too [emoji]10084[/emoji]️

Amazing modern technology, here's a screen shot from the "Buggy cam".  The rear light is out...this is the camera "night vision". 

Purchased and installed this afternoon...and I had a bad receptacle outdoors (where both cam and his heat pad plugs in) .........replaced...and glad I did... its cold out there tonight.  Everything working a-ok.  Just for the helluvit...I tried to urge him inside tonight ...but no go.  At least I know where he is and he's relatively warm.  

Look at the eyes!  LOL     Thanks, he is a beautiful animal...strength, smarts and grace. 

[emoji]128077[/emoji][emoji]127995[/emoji][emoji]128077[/emoji][emoji]127995[/emoji][emoji]128077[/emoji][emoji]127995[/emoji]!

Is that the place he sleeps every night? The heated pad is attracting him as the other places he sleeps is cold.