Feral or someone's cat?

[amandag]

She is drinking very well. I was feeding her Science diet wet food and she would beg for more immediately after eating 6oz! Now she has Science diet dry kitten food. I will get whatever is best for her, I just don't want to over or under feed. We only fed Gary dry Science diet as he hated wet food lol but we could leave his bowl full at all times and he would never over eat so this is new to me......

 

[amandag]

On a positive note, we put the dogs outside and left the front door open. She came in to explore!!

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• amandag
• Mar 16, 2017

 

[orange&white]

She is a pretty girl!  I'm glad your found each other.  The ear slit is probably from a cat fight.  My kitten is a feral with a "beauty clip".  They cut about 1/3" off the top of her left ear, flat across.  If I had known I was going to bring her home instead of releasing her back to her feral colony, I would have done things a little differently.

Have you named her yet?

 

[amandag]

Thanks for the info! The kids have called her Callie but I'm not even sure she is a calico..... I'd like to see her personality before settling on a name, if the kids give me a choice lol

 

[StefanZ]

If she is preg, the eating much is normal.  Also, being long a stray, she learned to eat as much as possible.   In part because she never knew when she gets more, and in part, it it was low energy food, with much fill ins, she must eat much to get enough.

Its different with high quality cat food, so I presume she will find a balance soon enough.

 

[StefanZ]

Thanks for the info! The kids have called her Callie but I'm not even sure she is a calico..... I'd like to see her personality before settling on a name, if the kids give me a choice lol

So you are planning to let her have the babies, if she is in fact pregnant?

 

[amandag]

Yes, the vet wanted to spay her to abort the pregnancy if she was....I just can't do that. I'm making every effort to bring her into the house so if she is pregnant she will be safe and if she isn't we can get her spayed. I told the vet I had no issues with paying for shots, spay/neuter for however many babies she has and finding
Homes for them! I'm sure I should know in a week or so right?

 

[StefanZ]

Yeah, with every week you will be more sure.  

 

[tabbytom]

Yes, the vet wanted to spay her to abort the pregnancy if she was....I just can't do that. I'm making every effort to bring her into the house so if she is pregnant she will be safe and if she isn't we can get her spayed. I told the vet I had no issues with paying for shots, spay/neuter for however many babies she has and finding
Homes for them! I'm sure I should know in a week or so right?

So glad that you've stood your ground and made this decision. [emoji]128077[/emoji][emoji]127995[/emoji]

This is what the cat needs - HOPE and LOVE

 

[bigbadbass]

kitty came right in, willingly?  you've dedicated a room? Sounds like she'll acclimate real quick. 

Quick accomplishment...that alone took me 6 weeks with Bug!   

Good, decent decision to take her in, whether she expecting or not.   Rescuing a life (or lives?)  =  good karma.

When neutering Bug as a feral...the vet lopped off a huge section of his ear. In retrospect, I should have stopped that from happening as I had every intention of bringing him in.  A SEVERE error on my part.    

Anyways...we're pullin' for ya! Keep up the good work! 

 

[msaimee]

I recommend that you leave dry food out 24/7 and also offer canned food once or twice a day (you can feed half a can in AM, refrigerate, then re-heat in microwave a few seconds in evening). Cats who have experienced hunger or starvation have stress and anxiety issues concerning food availability. If she is pregnant, her hunger and anxiety will be greater. I have 5 rescued cats indoors, and four of them experienced hunger before I took them in. I have 3 feeding stations with dry food I leave out 24/7, and they also get canned food. I never want any of them to ever experience anxiety over food again. If you provide catnip toys and engage the in interactive play with a wand or laser toy, they will stay fit.

 

[bigbadbass]

^ good, accurate advise right there, @MsAimee    Bug fits right in to your description.. was literally starving and in distress when I first encountered him...NEVER again. 

 

[amandag]

I started using your advice today, wet food twice and dry food 24/7. Both Hills Science Diet. She is scared of toys....I wonder if someone abused this sweet girl. I'll get some toys that she can play with on her own vs being on a "stick"

 

[bigbadbass]

I started using your advice today, wet food twice and dry food 24/7. Both Hills Science Diet. She is scared of toys....I wonder if someone abused this sweet girl. I'll get some toys that she can play with on her own vs being on a "stick"

That rings familiar...Bug was the same. It took him awhile to realize I wasn't attempting murder. Watching me play with another domestic really helped too. Getting him to play took WEEKS after neuter and indoors.  

I'd suggest to start *very slowly*  with a soft, yarn type toy....slow movement.....not intimidating at all. Bug is still upset by large, mouse or feather type toys...he prefers to retreat. Trying again with the soft fabric...he then becomes interested again. 

A history of abuse, to some degree, may have been present in his past, as in your kittys.  Requiring your time, sensitivity and finesse.  

At this point, I'll yield to the experts.    

 

[amandag]

Thanks, I'm going to get some different types. This one was feathered and on a stick. I'll try catnip toys maybe....My Gary hated catnip with a passion so I didn't think to try it. I closed the door when she voluntarily came in today and she didn't meow to get out or even go back to the door to get out. Now the only issue is the dogs....

 

[msaimee]

Are you still letting her go out? I think it's best to keep her inside. Within a week or two she's going to realize she's in a safe place and has a good thing going (especially with food available all the time), and might not go near the door at all. Of the 5 cats I have taken in, only one wants to go outside. As a compromise, I trained him to walk on a lead and harness, and in nice weather we go outside together that way. But the others, three whom were young feral cats when I brought them in, have expressed no desire to return to life outside. I suspect this may be the case with your little kitty. It will also be easier for her to bond with you when she is in your house 24/7. Whether she was abused, neglected, dumped, or lost and forgotten, she has likely been traumatized and will need some time and patience. The one feral kitten I brought into my house a year ago would play with catnip toys at night alone in her room with the door closed. That was actually a breakthrough for us. She had never experienced playing with toys before, and it opened up a whole new world for her. Have you named her yet? Cats very quickly pick up on their names, and it will be another way to bond with her. It sounds like you are doing everything to give this little cat a wonderful new home and life. Once she settles in, she will be very devoted to you

 

[StefanZ]

Yes, the vet wanted to spay her to abort the pregnancy if she was....I just can't do that. I'm making every effort to bring her into the house so if she is pregnant she will be safe and if she isn't we can get her spayed. I told the vet I had no issues with paying for shots, spay/neuter for however many babies she has and finding
Homes for them! I'm sure I should know in a week or so right?

OK.  So here comes another part of my "prophesy".

I wrote, its very apparent Gary did accepted, even choosed her, as his successor and protegé  - for you to help and protect and adopt.  Of this Im entirely sure.

There is another possible twist. More speculative, but still, I think may be true.

Soul wandering,  á la the Tibetan Lamas.   What are the rules of it?   Its impossible to know, but my theory and intuitive knowledge is:

The soul of the deceased has up to 30 days to go on to the Afterworlds, OR to attach to a new body, to be found again.  The kitten whom can get this soul, its time limits are several days before delivery, essentially when its viable; say one week before but surely not earlier.   And up to about three weeks after the delivery.

So it gives some time to manevreur, and may be difficult to calculate exactly.

OK, if the purpose is to come back to the same human, it must come to a kitten whom will be found by you.  Ie a kitten whom you will easily meet.

It may be that simple here.  He seeing a healthy preg female at your garden, did chose her.  With the idea to move into one of the newborn kittens in the time frame.  He knew he was dyeing.

So what does it means for you practically?  Before you do adopt them kittens out, be sure one of them isnt a new Gary as kitten...

Let her stay, as his personal representant, and let the "suspected" kitten stay too...

Do observe, Im writing this as a private person. These speculations and ideas are nowhere a part of me being one of the Advisors at this Forum.

 

[msaimee]

I personally do not believe in reincarnation for either animals or humans. I do believe that upon death our soul, as well of the souls of our beloved pets, enter into the afterlife with God. But these are religious views, and everyone has their own, and we respect one another. That said, I do believe that our beloved pets, whether domesticated or feral, sometimes do bring us another one to care for before their passing. Case in point, exactly a year ago, I lost my most beloved cat of all time, Muffin. He was a feral cat I cared for during four and a half years. He became very ill from FIV, and when I got him to a vet, I made the difficult decision to have him euthanized because the disease was at an advanced stage and I was told he had a lot of suffering ahead of him. However, a week before he passed, he had brought his offspring, a beautiful little feral kitten who looked exactly like him in every way, to my porch to care for her. He had in the past brought other offspring to me, and two others are living in my house as well. A few days after Muffin passed, I trapped little "Cupcake" and brought her to the vet to be spayed. I brought her into my home with my other four rescued cats. She made a remarkably wonderful transition to being an indoor cat, was socialized fairly easily, and is extremely sweet and loving and reminds me so much of Muffin. And I know he brought her to me, not just because he wanted her to be cared for, but becausr he knew he was passing and that she would bring great comfort to me. And she does. So I do believe that sometimes our beloved cats do in fact bring us someone else to care for and love before they pass.

 

[mani]

MOD NOTE:

These are lovely and interesting sentiments, but we are veering OFF TOPIC in this thread.

 

[msaimee]

AmandaG had mentioned the unusual timing of the new cat appearing right before her cat Gary passed, and her concerns about caring for another cat so soon. I was in a similar situation a year ago and was sharing my experience and views about it but if you feel I veered off-topic, you can delete my post. Perhaps I should have shared that in a PM instead.