Around March of this past year my neighbor (who has now moved) started feeding a pregnant feral cat who has a nest somewhere in our backyard. She had a litter of kittens probably in April, and by the start of May the kittens began appearing in the backyard looking for food. Our neighbor fed them regularly for a few weeks, but moved away, so my partner and I started taking over feeding duties, since we felt it was only right after they seemed somewhat dependent on the food.
Of the four kittens, three survived, and have been fed twice a day by me since May. Two of the kittens were relatively skittish, but would still come on the back porch for food independently. The other kitten was basically attached to his mother's hip, and rarely came on the porch, even with his mother nearby. Fast forward to around July, and the previously co-dependent kitten (his name is Papa) is quite comfortable and brave when approaching the porch and me.
Since then, Papa has only become more and more attached to me. His two brothers are still independent, but very much feral in the sense that when I walk near them they run. Papa however often rubs up or leans against me, and lets me pet him quite often when he is feeding. Whenever I go outside he follows me. Whereas his two brothers are very food motivated, Papa rarely seems interested in food, but rather just my attention. At night he is almost always sitting on the outdoor windowsill looking inside at me, and meowing. I'm getting ready to trap them to have them neutered, de-wormed, flea treated, but with winter coming I'm not so sure what to do about Papa. The cats don't love the outdoor shelter I made for them, and rarely use it, even though the temp. is dropping. Papa doesn't seem super connected with his brothers, and mom has, at this point, disappeared.
Any advice on the situation? Papa is a very lovable feral cat, but he is still feral in certain senses. I'm sure litter training would be difficult at this point, and he really does seem to enjoy being an outdoor cat, as he is often climbing the trees on the property. He is definitely more attached to me than my partner, and I don't think he would be connected with anyone else as much as he is with me. Thanks in advance!
Of the four kittens, three survived, and have been fed twice a day by me since May. Two of the kittens were relatively skittish, but would still come on the back porch for food independently. The other kitten was basically attached to his mother's hip, and rarely came on the porch, even with his mother nearby. Fast forward to around July, and the previously co-dependent kitten (his name is Papa) is quite comfortable and brave when approaching the porch and me.
Since then, Papa has only become more and more attached to me. His two brothers are still independent, but very much feral in the sense that when I walk near them they run. Papa however often rubs up or leans against me, and lets me pet him quite often when he is feeding. Whenever I go outside he follows me. Whereas his two brothers are very food motivated, Papa rarely seems interested in food, but rather just my attention. At night he is almost always sitting on the outdoor windowsill looking inside at me, and meowing. I'm getting ready to trap them to have them neutered, de-wormed, flea treated, but with winter coming I'm not so sure what to do about Papa. The cats don't love the outdoor shelter I made for them, and rarely use it, even though the temp. is dropping. Papa doesn't seem super connected with his brothers, and mom has, at this point, disappeared.
Any advice on the situation? Papa is a very lovable feral cat, but he is still feral in certain senses. I'm sure litter training would be difficult at this point, and he really does seem to enjoy being an outdoor cat, as he is often climbing the trees on the property. He is definitely more attached to me than my partner, and I don't think he would be connected with anyone else as much as he is with me. Thanks in advance!
