slim shady and his gang

outside our villa there is a small community of cats. i've counted about 3.
we recently spayed and rehomed one adult female who was about 3 years old.

now there is a young male that we are feeding, i think he is one of the female cats kittens. we just leave the food/water out for him on our porch and i think the other cats help themselves as well. We've got a little box that he sometimes sits in and some stuff for him to play with.

We ourselves have 3 indoor cats so we can't take him in. We do however plan to get him neutered and rehome him and then the other two.

The problem is that i generally walk my cats on a leash/harness... recently he has been coming up towards them and getting them very very nervous. He hasn't attacked them or anything but it's very tense. What do i do? I want to walk them and i don't want to shoo him away either... He is also quite friendly. He'll let me pet him and he lies down next to me when i sit down on the floor with him sometimes as well.

all our cats are female and vaccinated and spayed.

Am also wondering what to do about where he sleeps...
It's quite cold outside at night, about 20-23degrees. But he seems suspicious of the box... In fact he will only get into the box to eat and then he gets out again. have lined the box with local long grass and some of the tiny dried leaves that are around the garden.

Might not be the best solution, but maybe toss some treats for him and distract him while moving on with your other cats? Or get him trapped and relocated and then there won't be a problem.. *chuckle*. Easier said then done I imagine.

Originally Posted by zazi

Am also wondering what to do about where he sleeps...
It's quite cold outside at night, about 20-23degrees. But he seems suspicious of the box... In fact he will only get into the box to eat and then he gets out again. have lined the box with local long grass and some of the tiny dried leaves that are around the garden.

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You might try some catnip or some Feliway spray.

Relocating ferals is difficult and not advisable unless there are emminent, dire straights for ferals if they stay where they are. This is certainly not the case here.

One idea is to set a schedule with feeding your little feral boy tasty wet food. Do it at the same time every day, around the time you want to walk your kitties. Feed the feral on the back porch, then take your indoor kitties on their leashes out the front door. Until you get the little guy vetted, it's a good idea to avoid direct contact between your indoor kitties and him.

And thank you for helping the unwanted cats in your neighborhood!

Personally, I would forgo the walks until you have this fella neutered. Because he is a tomcat, he can be aggressive and even if your females are spayed, that might not stop him from pursuing them or even attacking them. It's in his nature to do so, and once he is neutered, you will have to wait at least 4 months after that for him to get all the chemicals out of his body. Especially if he has claimed you at any time- (head bumped you?) That leaves his scent on you and you become his. If he is highly territorial, he will want the other cats to not have you- only he can have you.

Just because they are on a harness does not make them safe should he decide to approach them aggressively. He probably won't like exotic treats either, as he is used to garbage food to survive. The same goes with catnip, it can make some ferals aggressive, because they have a different reaction to it than a cat that was brought up in a house with caring adults- Your cats are on the alert, because they understand what could happen. He is a threat as long as he remains intact.

Ok. i'll just have to walk them in the front then. the villas are in a long row and all linked like town houses so if i'm the front he can't get there easily and he won't have a clue that i'm there anyway. the front is just so boring... no garden, no trees, just come plants and the driveways.

will get him neutered soon. there is no spca here but there is a group called feline friends and they have a special discount for people who bring in strays to be neutered and spayed.

he head bumps me all the time. i was thinking about keeping him once we get him done but i think i'll wait and see... my cats are pretty anti new cat at the moment. they all eye him from the downstairs window suspiciously. i'mnot sure wether they're thinking: oh my god who is that handsome cat or oh my god who is that barbarian? my guess is it's the latter.

zazi, I, too, want to thank you for taking care of these homeless kitties!!! Many people care enough to put out food and water, but not enough to take that most important step of neutering. I'm very glad you're willing to make the effort to do that!

You can make a small, homemade shelter for this little guy. Take a look at this site:
www.neighborhoodcats.org/info/wintershelter.htm

Make sure to put the shelter in a "hidden" spot - under a shrub, behind a stand of trees, under a porch, etc. The reason for this is so you don't draw attention to the shelter, since sadly, not everyone is cat-friendly. Tucking the shelter away will also make the cat more inclined to use it - he'll feel safer if it's not out in the open. And make sure to line the inside with a thick bed of straw or hay to keep him warm. (You can also use a "Snugglesafe" MicroDisc. You heat it in the microwave and slip it under the bedding. Depending on outside temps, it gives off gentle heat for 5-12 hours. It's available at www.DrsFosterSmith.com).

Congratulations on already getting one lucky kitty re-homed. I hope this handsome boy will get to the vet soon, and maybe even be lucky enough to find a new home with you!!!