Another newb here just to say hello share some story and ask a question.

[gerunks]

Hi there,

Just dropping by to say hello to everybody. I arrived here while looking for some information about feral or stray cat behavior since around the apartment complex where I live there are a few feral/stray cats and I know very little about the little guys.

Let me give you a little background story, hopefully somebody here will enlighten me.

My wife and I have fed some of them and we keep seeing different cats from time to time, there is this yellow eyed black cat I fell in love with, all black except for a white little spot on it's chest (still don't know if it's a boy or girl, I like to call it a girl).

She meows kinda weird, not a normal meow sound, I've fed her a few times and gained some trust, just today she let me pet her. When I was feeding her some turkey sausage, she stopped eating and started rubbing at me then she let me pet her fully and she was loving it because she was purring.

Unfortunately I feel like all the trust just went to hell because after petting her for quite a while, I went to look for her partner I fed yesterday, another female pregnant cat that I'm worried about because she looked like she was about to have the kittens, I wanted to take her home and have her checked by a vet, take her to a shelter and maybe adopt some kittens. Unfortunately I couldn't find her around the complex, I saw some kids playing outside and I thought maybe she was scared to come out.

Anyway while I was looking her, the black cat was walking with me very close and I accidentally stepped on her, she meowed in pain and I took my foot as fast as I could, fortunately I didn't hurt her, she could still walk normally but she went to hide and looked me from distance, I crouched and talked to her that I was sorry and try to call her to come to me but she didn't. yet she was still following me but from a distance.

Then I came back to my apartment and she wouldn't come close again, I sat at my doorstep just like when I was petting her then after a bit she let me pet her but just for a bit and being very cautions. Then she left.

It breaks my heart that all my work of trust just went to the trash, I've read that cats remember and I'm truly scared that she will never trust me again.

Will she ever trust me? What can I do?

Thanks

-G

 

[ondine]

She will. This is the same fear we all have, especially when it is time to take the cat to the vet! Just keep working with her. I am hoping your plan is to adopt her and have her fixed, vet checked and inside? Please at least have her fixed and vet checked, as it will make her life so much easier.

Is there a TNR (trap, neuter, return) organization near you? They will be able to guide you through the the process and may have funds to assist you.

Set up a schedule for her - food and attention at the same time(s) every day, so she gets used to the routine. If you do not plan to bring her inside, get her a shelter or some sort, so she doesn't have to find it herself. (This is the time of year that cats seek warmth and are often caught in car engines with sad results).

Thank you for helping her. She sounds like a stray, rather than born feral. Keep us posted!

 

[gerunks]

Thank you for your reply,

I've been looking around for the pregnant cat but I can't find her, maybe another tenant is treating her. I'll keep looking just in case.

My plan is to adopt the black cat but I haven't done a plan yet and I still need to talk to the family about it, but I would absolutely love to have her with us. Unfortunately my wife loves animals but thinks that she wouldn't be happy living inside an apartment, I've been trying to convince her that she would be way safer than being outside, anyway I still need to play psychologist convince her. She lost her beloved dog that she rescued a while ago and hasn't recovered at all from that.

There is another cat, he's more cautious when we feed him, I can get close to him and leave food right in front of him, he would hiss and almost throw me a kitty-jab but he won't do any harm, he's too hungry. I believe it's actually a boy because he is way larger and taller but young, he doesn't meow and he will look at you sharply and see all your movements, I believe he was born feral.

I've been trying to locate a place with the TNR program but no luck. I'll keep looking too. It is still warm where I live but the nights are starting to get a bit chilly.

Yesterday both the black and the larger cat found me as I went to the mailbox, they looked so cute waiting for me outside, I could look them through the glass on the door, they both sit in front of it.

Thanks again

-G

 

[shadowsrescue]

Try the county Humane Society or ASPCA.  Also do a google search for cat rescue groups in your area.  You can call/email them for help.  Sometimes, if there are a lot of feral/strays, they will come and help you with the process, but most rescue organizations are swamped.  Also take a look at  Alley Cat Allies for additional help.

http://www.alleycat.org/page.aspx?pid=984

The problem will continue and grow worse if you do not take care of spaying and neutering the cats.  Feeding them only allows them to be healthy enough to continue to reproduce.  If you are going to feed them and/or provide them shelter, then you need to get them spayed/neutered too.  There are often low cost spay/neuter clinics all over.  Many will offer reduced cost or even provide vouchers for free spay/neuter.  You need to call around and ask for help.  Yet, be cautious of shelters that are not non kill.  Also animal control will only trap and remove and often euthanize the cats. 

 

[junglecat]

Hi, and welcome!

 

[dandila]

If you can't find the pregnant cat she probably has found a well hidden place to make her nest for her kittens.   That is good.  She will still come out briefly to hunt for food so keep an eye out.  Under sheds, houses, and other tight places that predators can't get into are favorite spots for mother cats.  Just after they give birth they come into heat again so if you could swing getting her spayed, the sooner the better.  Of course, you do not want to leave newborn kittens without their mom for any length of time until they are older.  It is a balancing act.

Trapping cats can be learned by yourself.  It can be tricky at first but you can come to this sight for advice if you choose to try it.

It sounds as if the black cat may allow you to grab the scruff of her neck and simply guide her into a cat carrier if you decide to take her in.  Please tell your wife that many cats live happily in apartments and never go outside.  That is why they are so popular as pets.  You don't have to walk them!   I have a twenty year old that has never gone outside and has lived a full, pampered life.

When you bring them in from the outside, initially, they may cry and put up a fuss to be let out but it is only because cats hate any changes in their routine.  It doesn't take them very long to learn a new routine...a few weeks and they begin to chill.

alleycat.org  has some feral cat shelter ideas that are easy to throw together if you are so inclined.

I'm pulling for you.  Rescuing homeless cats is extremely rewarding.

 

[mollyblue]

Yes, even though you accidentally stepped on her, she will still trust you.  And she will probably wind up under your feet again until she learns thats how she gets stepped on.  I have two cats that are rescues, and they really do adapt to indoor life much  better than kitties who have never know what it means to be hungry or cold.  Buttercup is the stray feral we caught and brought in on our own.  We thought she was less than a year but the vet says he thinks she is 4 years.  Snowy was a rescue from the shelter who picked her up from the lake last halloween, emanciated and near death.  they are both content to go out on the balcony when it is nice.  Snowy has learned to walk on leash, and once I take her out, she sometimes does not wnt to come back in very bad. But she is also one who will sit indoors by the patio doors and sniff the air for just the right temperature to see if its okay to venture out.  Buttercup was give the choice the other day to whether she wanted to return outdoors the other day, and it was even nice out and she hightailed it right up the stair to our apartment... she wanted none of it.  Tati who has been raised (by someone else) as an indoor only cat has jumped off the balcony one time in an attempt to gain her freedom, but after an  hour she was home and hasn't tried it again.  Its a big scary world out there.  The more an animal has to fend for itself, the longer it might take to gain its trust, but the more fully you have it, the more they appreciate what you offer them.