Clear Up An Argument For Me.

[houseofnine]

@msaimee : Guess what we just named the latest feral? AIMEE. Totally by accident. I bet you know it means beloved in French. Plus I like Aimee Mann.
=)

 

[dogperson2cats]

I have two semi-feral kittens who are four months and were rescued by the local shelter when they were a month or so younger, so past the typical socialisation process. They were incredibly shy when we first got them, but they are now spending more time out of their cage than in, and they actually have turned into lap cats over the past few days. Fudge still likes to have his own company but Toffee really likes spending his time with humans. I couldn't pick them up or cuddle them initially, but they are quite partial to a lap now and I can just about hold Toffee, as of today.

That's just precious.

 

[dogperson2cats]

My girl doesn't let anyone pick her up, the whole feeling comfortable with four feet off the ground is very much a learned as kitten thing. But are other signs that they trust you. Sleeping with you is trusting you when he is most venerable. Cats can be funny in really showing what we recognize as emotion. Given the toddler element it isn't surprising that yours can't be picked up even though he was handled some.

He really is a sweetheart when he wants to be. But he's stubborn and quick to change his mind...

We have to lock him up when we have company that contains children or pregnant women or else it's a bloodbath. He won't even let them come up our driveway and will even attempt to block their cars.

An ex friend, who has known my cat forever, decided to let her grabby toddler play with him. Despite warnings not to. (We were outside so the cat was just wandering.) She was like "My daughter is good with animals!" I looked at her and said "Yeah but you know his favorite food is children!" Half joking of course cause he doesn't eat them but I think he would if we left him alone. TEN SECONDS LATER her kid came up wailing and covered in blood and my cat was charging across the garden, screaming and snarling like the devil.

Long story short, I'm not friends with her anymore. She smacked my cat so I turned around and slapped her. Never found out what the kid did. Probably touched his feet or something. (The scale of the attack suggested provocation rather than an ambush.)

 

[houseofnine]

He really is a sweetheart when he wants to be. But he's stubborn and quick to change his mind...

We have to lock him up when we have company that contains children or pregnant women or else it's a bloodbath. He won't even let them come up our driveway and will even attempt to block their cars.

An ex friend, who has known my cat forever, decided to let her grabby toddler play with him. Despite warnings not to. (We were outside so the cat was just wandering.) She was like "My daughter is good with animals!" I looked at her and said "Yeah but you know his favorite food is children!" Half joking of course cause he doesn't eat them but I think he would if we left him alone. TEN SECONDS LATER her kid came up wailing and covered in blood and my cat was charging across the garden, screaming and snarling like the devil.

Long story short, I'm not friends with her anymore. She smacked my cat so I turned around and slapped her. Never found out what the kid did. Probably touched his feet or something. (The scale of the attack suggested provocation rather than an ambush.)

Is it bad that I want to PURRAISE your post? I hear you about what happened. Esp. if you warned your friend. I have a friend with a couple of old, rescued Bassets who warned her friend and the kid to stay back and not get in the pup's face. Guess what the 12 yr old kid did? Put her face right up to the dog's snout, and she was bitten. Not mauled, but got a warning that required an ER visit that my friend felt obligated to pay for. Not good for all concerned.

 

[dogperson2cats]

Is it bad that I want to PURRAISE your post? I hear you about what happened. Esp. if you warned your friend. I have a friend with a couple of old, rescued Bassets who warned her friend and the kid to stay back and not get in the pup's face. Guess what the 12 yr old kid did? Put her face right up to the dog's snout, and she was bitten. Not mauled, but got a warning that required an ER visit that my friend felt obligated to pay for. Not good for all concerned.

*General Palpatine voice* Do it!

Yeah. My ex friend was like "You gotta pay for it!" I was like "Bitch! We live in Canada! That shit's free!" (Besides she didn't need stitches or anything. Just a whole lot of peroxide and bandages. I was shocked he left her face out of it; that's usually his first target.)

He's a nice cat...providing you're not a kid and leave him alone.

 

[maggiedemi]

It's like it's a contest on here. Who is the feral-est of them all? I can see Maggie doing that to a kid, that's why I don't let her near children. She's getting better though. I don't think she would hurt a kid unless they grabbed her. She's really smart, but she just can't seem to learn the no scratching people thing.

 

[Kieka]

My definitively not feral cat, Link who I have had since he was five weeks old, is the one we tell people not to touch. I literally made a post on Facebook at one point saying that if you pet him below his collar you will get bit and/or scratched. But people don't listen so we've just changed to not allowing visitors to pet him. No matter how cute and adorable he can be, it is a trap.

 

[dogperson2cats]

It's like it's a contest on here. Who is the feral-est of them all? I can see Maggie doing that to a kid, that's why I don't let her near children. She's getting better though. I don't think she would hurt a kid unless they grabbed her. She's really smart, but she just can't seem to learn the no scratching people thing.

Yeah likely. Meh; I've never met a cat who didn't scratch folks.

I am going to say this now that if anybody wants to PM me and chat they can.

 

[dogperson2cats]

My definitively not feral cat, Link who I have had since he was five weeks old, is the one we tell people not to touch. I literally made a post on Facebook at one point saying that if you pet him below his collar you will get bit and/or scratched. But people don't listen so we've just changed to not allowing visitors to pet him. No matter how cute and adorable he can be, it is a trap.

My totally not feral is just plain psycho. She's a lovey baby but blink and you're getting her forcefully removed from you. She's actually a lot more aggressive than my other one if you compare it to how he was at her age and how often in general she attacks. I warn everyone to just not go near my cats. (Or my parents rabbit as she's worse than the two of them combined.) Pretty much if it's not a dog or rodent, don't touch it.

 

[Kieka]

My totally not feral is just plain psycho. She's a lovey baby but blink and you're getting her forcefully removed from you. She's actually a lot more aggressive than my other one if you compare it to how he was at her age and how often in general she attacks. I warn everyone to just not go near my cats. (Or my parents rabbit as she's worse than the two of them combined.) Pretty much if it's not a dog or rodent, don't touch it.

Link isn't psycho and he is a lovely cat. He just doesn't like being touched.

Rabbits can be crazy. We neutered our male, Peter, just to prevent some of that craziness. He still is a picky little bugger but not overly aggressive about it. Female rabbits can be super protective. I always spay females to prevent cancer which is extremely common in rabbits, the behavior benefits are just a bonus.

 

[maggiedemi]

Our 9 cats growing up over the years were wonderful. They never scratched us. We had 2 skittish ones, but they never hurt us. All my friends' and family's cats were pretty friendly too. It's been quite the change with these two, but they are doing well besides the scratching people. I hope I can learn to trim their nails.

 

[dogperson2cats]

Link isn't psycho and he is a lovely cat. He just doesn't like being touched.

Rabbits can be crazy. We neutered our male, Peter, just to prevent some of that craziness. He still is a picky little bugger but not overly aggressive about it. Female rabbits can be super protective. I always spay females to prevent cancer which is extremely common in rabbits, the behavior benefits are just a bonus.

The vet in my area refuses all animals except cats and dogs so we're royally screwed.

 

[dogperson2cats]

Our 9 cats growing up over the years were wonderful. They never scratched us. We had 2 skittish ones, but they never hurt us. All my friends' and family's cats were pretty friendly too. It's been quite the change with these two, but they are doing well besides the scratching people. I hope I can learn to trim their nails.

Lucky you. I've never had one who wasn't an aggressive terror. (Though my senior is the only "feral")

 

[Willowy]

The vet in my area refuses all animals except cats and dogs so we're royally screwed.

Look around for an exotics vet within driving distance. 80% of female rabbits get reproductive disease by age 5 so it's pretty important to have rabbits spayed.

I've only had 1 cat who was straight-up mean. She was taken from her mother too young so she never learned proper cat manners.

 

[Kieka]

The vet in my area refuses all animals except cats and dogs so we're royally screwed.

I'd second the look for one in driving distance. I've had a rabbit die from cancer and it was an experience I never want to go through again.

 

[dogperson2cats]

Look around for an exotics vet within driving distance. 80% of female rabbits get reproductive disease by age 5 so it's pretty important to have rabbits spayed.

I've only had 1 cat who was straight-up mean. She was taken from her mother too young so she never learned proper cat manners.

There aren't any unless I want to bring her to the SPCA. And seeing as nobody can even go near her cage without her attacking us, if we bring her there she is staying.

 

[maggiedemi]

Someday I'd like to try to socialize a feral over a year old. I can see the differences between Demi who was 5-6 weeks old and Maggie who was 6 months old. But ferals don't usually come out of that woods towards humans. The only reason I got these 2 was because Demi was a baby who couldn't hunt and Maggie was in heat for the first time and didn't know what the heck was happening to her.

 

[houseofnine]

D dogperson2cats , this might be a stretch but is there a rabbit rescue near you? I'm lucky to have one near me. Got involved in a bunny rescue a few years back..someone had dumped a few in the yard of a social club near the highway. This shelter knows how to bond pairs of rabbits, so maybe there is something like that near your home? Maybe?

 

[Brian007]

And guinea pigs make excellent pen pals for rabbits. If you fancied lightening your load by adding an extra animal! I've never heard of a vicious guinea pig.

 

[kittens mom]

An individual can win the trust of even an adult feral cat however they will be unlikely to tolerate even being looked at by strangers.
Most of the TNR here prefer to take kits at 4 weeks as that's the optimum time to start socializing. The longer you wait the harder it is.