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- Oct 23, 2023
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Hello and thank you for reading, I guess I just need a little help in knowing what steps to take next.
A little backstory. I take care of a small colony of feral cats. They're all fixed, have indoor shelter, protected outside environment, heated beds, access to continued food, water, you name it, they have it. I mean, my husband even makes cat trees for them. They're well loved. My family and I have taken care of these cats since 2015, and it's been a wonderful, rewarding experience to get to know each of their personalities. Last week the main dominate male cat, who we just simply called Stripes, one moment he was fine, the next he wasn't. We managed to get him to the vet, who gave us the bad news that the best solution was to end his suffering. We figure he was about fourteen to sixteen years old.
Now Stripes, he was the main cheese of the feral colony, and he'd become my buddy. I miss him greatly, even more than that, I am now confused and worried that I've lost the ability to get close to one of the cats, Pogo. You see, when I go outside (which is often), I call out to them, usually a 'hey babies' or such, and they all come running. There's one in particular, Pogo, she'll pause and look around, tail in the air. Before Stripes passed, she'd wait for Stripes to come up from where ever he was having fun, and they'd both come over together for scritches. This was the only way that I was able to tickle Pogo under the chin, or give her any form of physical affection. I know. I know. Having feral cats isn't about getting to give them loves, it's different, but it was still such a special relationship that I had with Stripes and Pogo.
This was a routine that we had, when I went outside and called, here they'd come, and if Stripes took a bit, Pogo would hang back until he came up; and then she felt safe to give and receive attention.
Without Stripes, beyond having a hole in ones heart, Pogo is very standoffish. She's still looking for him (granted it's only been about 5 days now), still looks out waiting for him to come along. And yeah, maybe I'm putting human emotion over what an animal is actually feeling, but I don't know what to do. The other feral cats know he's gone, and most have come to an accord. Checkers, who we know to be Pogo's mom, would always be found next to Stripes, or curled up with him. She's talkative as always, and so difficult to get a read on.
Is there anything that I can do in order to help Pogo, steps I can take? Or is it just an adjustment and I take each day as they come?
Thank you for reading through this.
A little backstory. I take care of a small colony of feral cats. They're all fixed, have indoor shelter, protected outside environment, heated beds, access to continued food, water, you name it, they have it. I mean, my husband even makes cat trees for them. They're well loved. My family and I have taken care of these cats since 2015, and it's been a wonderful, rewarding experience to get to know each of their personalities. Last week the main dominate male cat, who we just simply called Stripes, one moment he was fine, the next he wasn't. We managed to get him to the vet, who gave us the bad news that the best solution was to end his suffering. We figure he was about fourteen to sixteen years old.
Now Stripes, he was the main cheese of the feral colony, and he'd become my buddy. I miss him greatly, even more than that, I am now confused and worried that I've lost the ability to get close to one of the cats, Pogo. You see, when I go outside (which is often), I call out to them, usually a 'hey babies' or such, and they all come running. There's one in particular, Pogo, she'll pause and look around, tail in the air. Before Stripes passed, she'd wait for Stripes to come up from where ever he was having fun, and they'd both come over together for scritches. This was the only way that I was able to tickle Pogo under the chin, or give her any form of physical affection. I know. I know. Having feral cats isn't about getting to give them loves, it's different, but it was still such a special relationship that I had with Stripes and Pogo.
This was a routine that we had, when I went outside and called, here they'd come, and if Stripes took a bit, Pogo would hang back until he came up; and then she felt safe to give and receive attention.
Without Stripes, beyond having a hole in ones heart, Pogo is very standoffish. She's still looking for him (granted it's only been about 5 days now), still looks out waiting for him to come along. And yeah, maybe I'm putting human emotion over what an animal is actually feeling, but I don't know what to do. The other feral cats know he's gone, and most have come to an accord. Checkers, who we know to be Pogo's mom, would always be found next to Stripes, or curled up with him. She's talkative as always, and so difficult to get a read on.
Is there anything that I can do in order to help Pogo, steps I can take? Or is it just an adjustment and I take each day as they come?
Thank you for reading through this.
