I think that the used cat litter has to be from the cat you're luring, otherwise he'll think someone else has adopted you. If skunk smell does not deter a skunk, I don't think cat litter would bother them that much, LOL.
-
Too many ads? Join our community of cat lovers now to reduce ads by 90%! Click here to join for free!
Adopted feral escaped, maybe? (long)
- Thread starter 2dogmom
- Start Date
I would put out a have a heart trap. All your doing is coaxing wild animals into your yard.Its skunks now next racoons then maybe foxes or coyotes which are predators. Catch him and have him safe inside the house..
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #23
OK thanks for the help again.
Gardneandcats that skunk has been around for a while. He likes to steal leather work gloves and bury them in the flower beds. Probably what keeps him around are the cans we collect for recycling. Also we have had a raccoon on our deck railing once. Probably he was after the sunflower seeds in the bird feeder. But now he (the skunk) has all the more reason to think he is our pet.
I also asked a friend of mine who fosters for one of the Humane Societies (currently dealing with a momma cat who has 7 of her own and is supposed to be surrogate for 5 more) for his advice.
It sounds like the way to go is to call Brady, put out the food, sit there with it (foster mom says he is not really afraid of humans) and if he has not eaten by a certain time, take it inside. If he does not eat for a day or two maybe his hunger will draw him to the house.
Gardneandcats that skunk has been around for a while. He likes to steal leather work gloves and bury them in the flower beds. Probably what keeps him around are the cans we collect for recycling. Also we have had a raccoon on our deck railing once. Probably he was after the sunflower seeds in the bird feeder. But now he (the skunk) has all the more reason to think he is our pet.
I also asked a friend of mine who fosters for one of the Humane Societies (currently dealing with a momma cat who has 7 of her own and is supposed to be surrogate for 5 more) for his advice.
It sounds like the way to go is to call Brady, put out the food, sit there with it (foster mom says he is not really afraid of humans) and if he has not eaten by a certain time, take it inside. If he does not eat for a day or two maybe his hunger will draw him to the house.
I don't think a humane trap would be particularly traumatizing to the cat. Considering that you are planning to bring him back into the house so he can get used to where his new home is, I agree that it's probably the best way to go for you and for Brady.
I purchased a Safeguard 36" Trap online for $55.00 and it has been one of the best investments I've ever made. They are similar to the HavAHart, but have a release door on the back end. I've only had to use it for one cat, (although I've caught 4 of my own with their cats curiousity and all that
). I now keep it set most of the time for raccoons and oppossums who think I am their meal ticket that get relocated to a nearby wooded area around a lake.
I'm sure you and your Brady will be able to relax and bond more quickly if you trap him and get him in for a while.
I purchased a Safeguard 36" Trap online for $55.00 and it has been one of the best investments I've ever made. They are similar to the HavAHart, but have a release door on the back end. I've only had to use it for one cat, (although I've caught 4 of my own with their cats curiousity and all that
I'm sure you and your Brady will be able to relax and bond more quickly if you trap him and get him in for a while.
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #25
Well Brady was back last night. I figured since the skunk seemed to prefer the dry food and Brady was eating only the canned, I put a tablespoon of the canned (happened to be beef) out along with water starting at 7PM. He came at 9PM, about 15 min after it turned dark. We left the deck light on so that the humans could see. No sign of my friend the skunk, who would have gotten a BB in his behind if he had showed.
DH and I talked to him out the window while he was eating and drinking, called his name, made 'meowing" noises, and it did not bother him. We are trying to get him used to our voices and maybe associate them with the food.
His foster mom and dad have offered me a trap, but say that since there is a good chance he will come in on his own anyway we should continue on this path. I am not trying to ignore anyone's advice here, you have all been awesome and my heart leaps every time I see the little guy coming back. I just figure his foster mom knows his personality best since she had him for about 4 wks so I am giving her opinion the most weight for now.
We seem to have a routine now, and all animals like a routine, Brady knows his way around and knows where food and water will be. He is skittish but not overly scared.
once again
DH and I talked to him out the window while he was eating and drinking, called his name, made 'meowing" noises, and it did not bother him. We are trying to get him used to our voices and maybe associate them with the food.
His foster mom and dad have offered me a trap, but say that since there is a good chance he will come in on his own anyway we should continue on this path. I am not trying to ignore anyone's advice here, you have all been awesome and my heart leaps every time I see the little guy coming back. I just figure his foster mom knows his personality best since she had him for about 4 wks so I am giving her opinion the most weight for now.
We seem to have a routine now, and all animals like a routine, Brady knows his way around and knows where food and water will be. He is skittish but not overly scared.
once again
Yay!! I'll never forget how worried I was when Elsa was gone from under the trailer for a couple of days.Originally Posted by 2dogmom
Well Brady was back last night. I figured since the skunk seemed to prefer the dry food and Brady was eating only the canned, I put a tablespoon of the canned (happened to be beef) out along with water starting at 7PM. He came at 9PM, about 15 min after it turned dark. We left the deck light on so that the humans could see. No sign of my friend the skunk, who would have gotten a BB in his behind if he had showed.
DH and I talked to him out the window while he was eating and drinking, called his name, made 'meowing" noises, and it did not bother him. We are trying to get him used to our voices and maybe associate them with the food.
His foster mom and dad have offered me a trap, but say that since there is a good chance he will come in on his own anyway we should continue on this path. I am not trying to ignore anyone's advice here, you have all been awesome and my heart leaps every time I see the little guy coming back. I just figure his foster mom knows his personality best since she had him for about 4 wks so I am giving her opinion the most weight for now.
We seem to have a routine now, and all animals like a routine, Brady knows his way around and knows where food and water will be. He is skittish but not overly scared.
once again
It's working out quite well now that you know the skunk doesn't like the wet food.
I think your plan to continue feeding him at the same time and talking to him through the window is a good idea. It's the same basic technique used to socialize ferals. Sit in the same room with them, ignore them, but read out loud. Not reaching out to them and otherwise ignoring them is what builds their trust in you.
However, there is something you can do to help speed up the process. Get a t-shirt or sweat shirt or something. Get it real good and sweaty. Place it under the food bowl when you put it out. Having your smell "mixed in" with his food will help him associate you with "good" things.
And instead of sitting inside, you can try sitting on the other end of the porch. Go from getting him used to your voices to getting used to your presence. As he gains trust, he may be willing to head indoors to eat.
The other thing you can consider is putting the wet food in a crate or trap - just leave it open (if trapping, place newspaper or something over the wires). Get him used to eating inside the crate or trap. Since he's used to people, he may be comfortable eating in a crate while you approach. Who knows. Then either set the trap, or if you can just step up and swing the door on the crate closed, you can do that. Then bring him inside for a couple of weeks before giving him access to the cat door. And it would be best to confine him to one room while socializing with him. Got lots of tips on socializing if you want to go this route.
Otherwise, socializing outside and hoping he'll eventually move in is just fine. Once cold weather arrived, with rain or snow, our first cat rescue was skittish and scared about being inside (we could pick her up by then) - but darn happy to be out of the cold, wet, rain.
Whatever you decide to do, please keep us posted!
And thank you for taking this kitty that needed a home!
Laurie
I think your plan to continue feeding him at the same time and talking to him through the window is a good idea. It's the same basic technique used to socialize ferals. Sit in the same room with them, ignore them, but read out loud. Not reaching out to them and otherwise ignoring them is what builds their trust in you.
However, there is something you can do to help speed up the process. Get a t-shirt or sweat shirt or something. Get it real good and sweaty. Place it under the food bowl when you put it out. Having your smell "mixed in" with his food will help him associate you with "good" things.
And instead of sitting inside, you can try sitting on the other end of the porch. Go from getting him used to your voices to getting used to your presence. As he gains trust, he may be willing to head indoors to eat.
The other thing you can consider is putting the wet food in a crate or trap - just leave it open (if trapping, place newspaper or something over the wires). Get him used to eating inside the crate or trap. Since he's used to people, he may be comfortable eating in a crate while you approach. Who knows. Then either set the trap, or if you can just step up and swing the door on the crate closed, you can do that. Then bring him inside for a couple of weeks before giving him access to the cat door. And it would be best to confine him to one room while socializing with him. Got lots of tips on socializing if you want to go this route.
Otherwise, socializing outside and hoping he'll eventually move in is just fine. Once cold weather arrived, with rain or snow, our first cat rescue was skittish and scared about being inside (we could pick her up by then) - but darn happy to be out of the cold, wet, rain.
Whatever you decide to do, please keep us posted!
And thank you for taking this kitty that needed a home!
Laurie
Ooops - one last quick thing. As a dog person, you need to know - when you reach out to kitties, DO THE OPPOSITE as with dogs! Dogs you reach out palm up. This is threatening to cats. If you're ever going to reach toward Brady, reach out palm down. And with dogs, looking at them in the eyes is a sign of dominance. With cats, it's a sign of aggression. Always best to look at their forehead, or over their head, or at their nose or something. And long, slow blinks (looking at them with your eyes "closed") helps build trust.
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #29
Yes well part of the reason I am posting such detail is in case someone else has the same problem. I had thought that fish smell would attract the cat so I made sure the whole area near the steps smelled like fish. We even had fish for dinner! Now I know better, skunks are fond of fish!
Thanks for the tip about the smelly shirts! I had mentioned that to DH this morning. (I have been reading up on how to gain the trust of a cat). He sure looked at me funny when I told him to save his smelly clothes after going biking! And I was planning to jog with the dogs after work anyway so I'll just save something that has my smell.
Laurie I tried sitting on the deck the other night to do just what you said. My problem is that the cat has the advantage. By the time he comes it is so dark I cannot see a blessed thing and I certainly cannot hear him. I am actually trying to get a pair of night vision binoculars on eBay to level the playing field. So I am afraid that since I cannot see or hear him and have no way of knowing when he is actually there, I might give up and want to come in just when he is eating and scare him. I want to try to firm up the routine, either that or get him to come earlier so I can be on the deck.
The only crate we have is the one we used to bring him home-not sure if he will want to get in there. And he is smart.
I was thinking of building a little shed for him, maybe with a second floor so he can jump up from inside and hide, also a window so he can look out. On the other hand maybe if he has his own shed, coming inside will not seem that attractive. The reason is only so that he will feel comfortable with a place to hide when he is in/near the deck.
Thanks again, you guys are really awseome! I'll post the petfinder link when I get home (no longer accesible on the database, but I have the link) so you can see what made me want THIS one!
Thanks for the tip about the smelly shirts! I had mentioned that to DH this morning. (I have been reading up on how to gain the trust of a cat). He sure looked at me funny when I told him to save his smelly clothes after going biking! And I was planning to jog with the dogs after work anyway so I'll just save something that has my smell.
Laurie I tried sitting on the deck the other night to do just what you said. My problem is that the cat has the advantage. By the time he comes it is so dark I cannot see a blessed thing and I certainly cannot hear him. I am actually trying to get a pair of night vision binoculars on eBay to level the playing field. So I am afraid that since I cannot see or hear him and have no way of knowing when he is actually there, I might give up and want to come in just when he is eating and scare him. I want to try to firm up the routine, either that or get him to come earlier so I can be on the deck.
The only crate we have is the one we used to bring him home-not sure if he will want to get in there. And he is smart.
I was thinking of building a little shed for him, maybe with a second floor so he can jump up from inside and hide, also a window so he can look out. On the other hand maybe if he has his own shed, coming inside will not seem that attractive. The reason is only so that he will feel comfortable with a place to hide when he is in/near the deck.
Thanks again, you guys are really awseome! I'll post the petfinder link when I get home (no longer accesible on the database, but I have the link) so you can see what made me want THIS one!
Yes - cats often are very smart, and won't go in the crate or trap. If you want to try it, you would have to completely clean it (with a beach solution) first. If it were me, I'd then spray Feliway in it.
But I agree - no point in putting it out until the routine is a little more set.
Instead of a little shed - maybe do this. To feed the feral colony, we put the food up on a table to discourage the skunks (it didn't discourage the raccoons, however, lol!).
Maybe put a longish wood table on the porch. When he's in a routine of eating up there, maybe add an enclosure to the end - one that has at least two exists so he doesn't feel "trapped". Maybe he'll come to "hang out" on your porch, and then can be encouraged inside from there. ??????????
But I agree - no point in putting it out until the routine is a little more set.
Instead of a little shed - maybe do this. To feed the feral colony, we put the food up on a table to discourage the skunks (it didn't discourage the raccoons, however, lol!).
Maybe put a longish wood table on the porch. When he's in a routine of eating up there, maybe add an enclosure to the end - one that has at least two exists so he doesn't feel "trapped". Maybe he'll come to "hang out" on your porch, and then can be encouraged inside from there. ??????????
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #31
Food is out awaiting his arrival along with one smelly jogging bra and one smelly t-shirt.
BTW it is not a porch it is a deck with 11 steps. Right now we are on #5.
In the meantime here is his petfinder listing.
http://search.petfinder.com/petnote/...?petid=6538627
Probably it will be disabled soon. How could I not want to give this guy a home? He had been fending for himself and asking for so little.
BTW it is not a porch it is a deck with 11 steps. Right now we are on #5.
In the meantime here is his petfinder listing.
http://search.petfinder.com/petnote/...?petid=6538627
Probably it will be disabled soon. How could I not want to give this guy a home? He had been fending for himself and asking for so little.
