Routine for escaped adopted feral, is it me or him?

2dogmom

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I posted last week about how to get our newly adopted feral back and got some great advice. Now I find things are not going as well as I would like and I am hoping I can get advice as to whether I am doing something wrong or whether there are factors that have nothing to do with me.

After asking for help as to how to get Brady to return if he was still around one of the answers was to put out food. So far, this is the summary of what has happened.

Sunday: put out dry food, it was pushed out of dish but not eaten. I assume this was Brady because any other animal would have eaten it.

Monday: put out dry w/wet, wet got eaten between 7-9PM. I assume this was Brady because dry food was left.

Tuesday: put out dry w/wet, Brady was seen eating at 8:40 PM after he tried coming at 8:20. left and returned.

Wednesday: put out dry w/wet (I sat on deck until 8:45), skunk was seen eating dry at 9PM. Dish was left out all night, was wiped clean by morning. Could have been Brady, could have been skunk. When I had interrupted skunk while dining I noticed that he had been eating the dry food from around the beef chunks canned cat food.

Thursday: put out wet only, Brady was seen eating at 9PM, DH and I made 'friendly noises' ("hi Brady, meow meow") out of dining room window.

Friday: put out wet only, Brady came at 8:30, but left when he heard 'friendly noise' from dining room window. He did look straight at me and I made the mistake of making eye contact. He did not come back so I gave up at 9:45.

Saturday: put out wet only, Brady was no-show. This was the first rainy day so I put the food inside a box. I though he would not mind the box and would appreciate being able to eat while staying dry.

So the tally is over the first 7 days of putting food out, Brady came 5 of those days, maybe 6 if he was the one who polished off the wet after we ran off the skunk. I think he is smart so he understands that he can get food at our steps, but more skittish than I thought I may be blowing it by making him aware of my presence. Maybe I tried to move too fast. His foster mom had said that he was pretty tame, maybe that only applies to when he interacts with her.

I am thinking the way to proceed is to put food out when he likes to come and be absolutely unintrusive (no calling, meowing or anything) until we have a better routine. Also if I could get opinions as to how much food to put out. I have been putting out 1/4 can thinking I do not want him to eat so much that he can stay away for a day. Or is more better? Or should I try sitting on the deck and being perfectly still, or will my smell scare him off? Will they stay away when it is raining?
 

tru

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I agree that you really need to trap him if you ever want a chance to tame him down before winter hits.

Most of my cats started out as feral. This summer, at least 3 of my cats have decided to pretty much stay outside nearly all the time. One of the things I've noticed is they have kind of reverted to their feral ways with no day to day interaction with humans. I am still able to get them to come in from time to time, but they have lived with me for years and are very familiar with the house, inside and out.

Since your Brady is really not familiar with you or your house, I beleive that trapping is really the way to go if you want to get a relationship with him.

Now I know that one can eventually establish a relationship with a feral cat living outside, but it can take a good deal of time. If you think that is the way you really want to go then it may be a good idea to build a shelter outside so Brady can stay warm and safe during the winter months.

As far as traumitazing Brady with a trap, I don't think that should be the first concern, since any fear he gets about that can be worked out quickly with lots of love, food and a safe place where he can hide inside.

Good luck with whatever you decide.
 

ldg

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Originally Posted by tru

I agree that you really need to trap him if you ever want a chance to tame him down before winter hits....

As far as traumitazing Brady with a trap, I don't think that should be the first concern, since any fear he gets about that can be worked out quickly with lots of love, food and a safe place where he can hide inside.

Good luck with whatever you decide.
I do happen to agree 100%.

If you decide to go the trapping route:

Put out only wet food for a day or two, and only between 7:00pm and 9:00pm. Use 1/3 of a can. Go for the noninteraction. Borrow the Have-a-hart trap. Purchase potting soil that has no fertilizer additives. Pour it over the bottom of the trap such that it just covers the wires - most cats do not like the feel of wires on their feet. You can even sprinkle a few leaves or whatever over the potting soil. Then put in really stinky food, like sardines (that have nothing on them) or a bowl of wet tuna. This should discourage the skunk and encourage Brady.

This time, pick a room that is going to be Brady's room while you socialize him. He should be confined to this room for at least a few weeks, if not a month.

The transfer between you and his original foster combined with his escape has probably set his trust factor back leaps and bounds.

His room should already be set up for him - food and water with a sweaty shirt by you or hubby (or one from both) under these. Litterbox on the other side. It might help Brady if you put a radio in there quietly playing a classical station.

Be happy to provide more socializing info if you're going to go this route.

Good luck whatever you decide to do!

Laurie
 
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2dogmom

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Again thanks. I hear all of you about trapping him. There has been a little voice in my head saying that for a while. If I thought I could be sure of getting him believe me I would have it out there in a heartbeat.

Brady was a no-show again. This makes two days in a row. Saturday it was raining hard so I can understand it. Yesterday it was raining hard until his more or less normal time to come, it cleared up around 8:30. One thing that may have deterred him is that just about that time our rescue Sophia started barking and insisted on going out. She even nosed the GLASS sliding door open. It turned out she had to poo very badly so at least on this front we have huge progress (dog asks to go out so as not to poo in the house). At any rate she may have spooked Brady when she went out that door. I took her back in and made here go out the front door, but she ran to the back yard (where the Brady action is) and then came back to me in the front yard.

But I am wondering whether Brady is not coming because he is catching enough mice out there that he does not have to or whether the weather or something we are doing is deterring him. No point in putting out a trap if he won't come, right? Or maybe not?

BTW I talked to his foster dad and he did NOT want me to put out a trap. He kept saying "he likes people", even described Brady's favorite toy. So he was playing with toys already.....

At this point I am happy to trap Brady-if I can figure out where to put the trap. If he does not show tonight then I am going to be seriously worried. I did tromp around this AM around where I buried DH's private garbage dump with sand and saw cat prints. According to DH these must be fresh since it rained so much yesterday. LDG do I need potting soil or can I use some of the dirt that is back near where he is hanging out?

Can anyone please help with info on their habits, like is it normal for them to come and then not show for a few nights? I thought animals really took on a routine and this is worrying me.
 

ldg

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Well - we always recommend potting soil because of the risk of parasites - but that's usually in reference to helping train ferals to use a litterbox. For trapping, I'm sure it would be fine to use outside soil. Most of it will just filter out of the trap when you pick it up, but it may be a little messy.

As to your other questions. Cats are opportunistic feeders, and will eat "easy" food over food they have to chase down. Our cats will catch mice, but they only play with them. At this point I'm not sure they even know they're food.

With the first stray we rescued, she rarely showed up to eat if it was raining - especially if it was a good downpour. But she'd always come the day after the rain, and she was usually hungry. And she was a great mouser - she would often leave us "presents."

You have to do what you think is best. But could it be that someone else is putting food out? Is there garbage easily accessible within a half mile or so radius? It may be that he likes people - but is he going to make your family his people? If he's frightened off from eating by the skunk and/or your dog, I don't know that you'll have enough of a chance to get a routine going so that you can have him comfortable enough to consider your home his by Winter. In fact, I personally doubt it.

Again - Brady may like people. But he's also now in the process of regressing back to being a feral. He was taken away from people he'd come to trust, put in a new scary environment - and he now associates you with fear - people who "trapped" him in a new environment - one from which he wanted to escape.

He can learn to trust and love you, your home and your family. But how quickest to accomplish that?

And if the skunk doesn't eat tuna or herring - what's the harm in setting it out in a trap that you leave out for two hours? Either Brady shows up and will go into the trap and eat, or he won't. In fact, now that he may be really hungry is probably the best time to do it if you're going to.

But he really would have to be kept as an indoor-only cat until he's socialized, happy and playing - and knows he's home and that you can be trusted like his first family. Otherwise there's no point in traumatizing him again, and you'll just have to continue to try - and be left with the worry.

As others have pointed out, if he does come back to eat, the worst case scenario is that you'll have to build an outdoor enclosure for him to weather the winter. And even then there's no guarantee he'll use it, especially if there are unused groundhog burrows, or underneath neighbor's porches, etc. available.

Of course, I'm someone who conceptually likes the idea of indoor/outdoor cats, but have gone through the trauma of hurt or disappeared or poisoned, or run-over cats with so many people that I now believe kitties should be indoor only - and that if outdoor, it should be in a cat enclosure that they have access to from the house.
 
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2dogmom

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Originally Posted by LDG

You have to do what you think is best. But could it be that someone else is putting food out? Is there garbage easily accessible within a half mile or so radius? It may be that he likes people - but is he going to make your family his people? If he's frightened off from eating by the skunk and/or your dog, I don't know that you'll have enough of a chance to get a routine going so that you can have him comfortable enough to consider your home his by Winter. In fact, I personally doubt it.

Again - Brady may like people. But he's also now in the process of regressing back to being a feral. He was taken away from people he'd come to trust, put in a new scary environment - and he now associates you with fear - people who "trapped" him in a new environment - one from which he wanted to escape.

And if the skunk doesn't eat tuna or herring - what's the harm in setting it out in a trap that you leave out for two hours? Either Brady shows up and will go into the trap and eat, or he won't. In fact, now that he may be really hungry is probably the best time to do it if you're going to.

As others have pointed out, if he does come back to eat, the worst case scenario is that you'll have to build an outdoor enclosure for him to weather the winter. And even then there's no guarantee he'll use it, especially if there are unused groundhog burrows, or underneath neighbor's porches, etc. available.

Of course, I'm someone who conceptually likes the idea of indoor/outdoor cats, but have gone through the trauma of hurt or disappeared or poisoned, or run-over cats with so many people that I now believe kitties should be indoor only - and that if outdoor, it should be in a cat enclosure that they have access to from the house.
Thanks so much, what you say makes sense.

Lemme see...
no one else is putting food out. We live far away from all of our neigbors, and none of them would be the type to leave food out for cats. Neighbor #1 has horses. Their house is about 300 ft away through the woods. They have nasty dogs. Neighbor #2 is about 1/2 mile away. They have a barn and you have go cross a dirt road, a large grassy area and a rock wall to get there. They have 2 dogs and a cat. Neighbor #3 is about 1/2 mile away through woods and bramble bushes, has 2 Boxers. Neighbors 2 and 3 I have spoken to and asked to keep an eye out. As a matter of fact, I have heard that there is a momma cat with four kittens nearby who has just moved into a neighbor #2's barn. My guess is that she was one of neighbor #1's "barn cats" who was looking for the perfect place to raise her family.

The only garbage was thanks to my husband and I have taken care of that. I think all that was doing was attracting the skunk and since it was vegetable was not necessarily attractive to skunks.

Under normal circumstances the dogs would not frighten a cat. Almost 100 % of the time they are indoors in the evening and they do not bark unless there is a visitor at the door. Last night was an exception because of Sophia needing to do her business in trhe evening. As a matter of fact, Zircon (without being able to see the yard but only using his sense of smell or hearing) let out a quiet grumbly "harrumph" when the skunk appeared last Wednesday, but when Brady showed up to eat, made his "kitty whine" the way he used to when Grey was outside and needed to be let in. It was as if he was telling me that a cat was close-by.

I realize that Brady was very upset by being taken away from his second set of foster parents. I am trying to make up for it by being a reliable source of food.

From what I read, skunks like fish, so there is a good chance of getting a skunk in the trap. Releasing him is then the problem. This is one thing that makes me hesitant to go for the trap despite all the arguments for it.

For now I am trying to get hold of a trap though because all things considered it is the best option. I would like to know a little more about Brady's habits before setting it. I am also going to keep putting the food to see if I can keep him coming back and have him stay close by.

We had Grey for 8 yrs. He was a pretty savvy indoor/outdoor cat. I am with you on wanting to keep them safe. I kind of have the same problem with my dogs. There are things I could do to keep them safer than I currently do, but on the other hand I feel like there is a certain enjoyment they get out of doing activities that others might consider unsafe (like where and when they are off-leash). Well it is all moot until I get him back so for now I need to take it one step at a time. Thanks so much, I am still hopeful for a happy ending.
 
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2dogmom

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Well I changed my tactics back to what they were a week ago-put the food out at 7PM and wait, make no noise. DH saw Brady wandering around the base at 8 PM where our shed used to be. This is the first time we have seen him under outdoor lighting conditions where humans have a chance of seeing simething. I did not make any meowing noise, did not call his name, did not clang the spoon onthe cat food can, and I left the food out. By 1:40 AM it was gone. I am pretty sure Brady was the one who ate it.

I also now have Brady's favorite toy, a green plastic tray with a track for a pingpong ball to go around with a scratching area in the center.

And I have a trap.

At this point I think I have to try on both fronts, both setting the trap and putting the food on the steps. I can camoflage the trap but this is a smart and wary boy.

I think what is going for us is that he has stuck around for a little over a week and knows that there is cat food for him if he can work up the courage to cross the grassy area and come to our steps.

Thanks to all of you for your help so far. I am hoping to have Brady safe in the house soon. If not, well we keep on with this routine and try to reel him in on his schedule.
 
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