Going On Vacation

[jessaka]

I am in a quandary. I have two cats, one is an indoor outdoor cat named Mandy that doesn't like to be locked inside the house. She was once a feral. The other cat is an indoor/outdoor as well, she name is Taffy, but there is a feral cat that comes around and beats on her. She has been fixed. I can't live trap the feral; I have tried. I have taken 3 long two week trips, and whenever I come back Taffy has been frightened out of the house. We have doggie door that they use. And she is really thin and has been bitten and in need of medical care. The person who comes to feed the cats can't catch her.

Here are my thoughts:

1. kennel
2. lock her in the house and hope she doesn't get out when the sitter comes to feed her. close the doggie door. Mandy won't be able to get in unless the sitter lets her in and then puts her out again. Mandy spends most of her time outdoors. Making her stay in as well may not sit well with her.
3. lock Taffy in another room, leave the doggie door open for Mandy.
4. When we leave the dog door open there is a chance that this feral cat will come in and spray or cause problems. I have come home to a house full of cat spray, and that was one of the times that Taffy was afraid to come inside.
5. I have thought to have the sitter let Mandy in if she wants, and then let her out the next day when she comes back by. This will give Taffy some comfort of not being alone, maybe. They are not buddys but they don't harm each other.

I'll be gone for about 2 weeks.

Any suggestions or other advice would be grateful.

 

[Columbine]

Hi, and welcome to TCS

The first thing that comes to mind is fitting a microchip activated cat (or indeed, dog) flap. Once programmed, it will give both Mandy and Taffy free access to the house, whilst keeping this intruder firmly out. I appreciate that this may not be a complete solution, especially if this feral stops Taffy from making it to the door, it would be a big step in the right direction.

Another option, if you want to make certain that Taffy stays safe inside, would be to programme the flap to only recognise Mandy's chip. Alternatively, fit two microchip flaps - one on the external door programmed to only admit Mandy, and one on the interior door of that same room programmed to recognise either one or both cats. Both these options would keep Taffy safe and secure, but without cutting off Mandy's access to the whole house. Having both flaps programmed only for Mandy's chip would give you an airlock type system, so there would be two doors between Taffy and the garden. Conversely, programming the interior flap for both cats would give Taffy full access to the house - something worth considering if Taffy is likely to be really distressed at losing part of her indoor territory for a while. It depends, too, on how careful your sitter is, and how confident you are that they'll make certain Taffy is in the house before they leave.

Other things to consider (at least some of which would be best tackled after your trip) would be to use cat proof fencing to enclose all or part of your garden into a safe and secure 'catio'. This would give both your girls safe outdoor access whilst keeping intruders out.

I'd also suggest that you contact a shelter/rescue experienced with trapping feral cats, and ask for their help trapping this intruder cat. Getting him caught and fixed would be in his and your interests, after all. I do appreciate that this may take some time to achieve, though...after all, working with ferals is never easy You might find some support in our Strays and Ferals forum too

I hope at least some of this is helpful. I'm sure some other members will be along with other ideas soon.

 

[jessaka]

thank you for the welcome.

I like the idea of the microchip. I will look into it.

I volunteered at the Humane Society, and they had no new ideas, and neither did the pound in regards to the feral cat. He is leery now that I was able to trap him once, and he was able to break my live trap and get out.

Thanks again.

 

[Columbine]

It might be worth contacting Alley Cat Allies for help with this feral. They specialise in dealing with feral cats, so might be more help than the Humane Society or the pound. Just a thought

 

[Kieka]

I love our microchip catflap. I have the sure flap pet door and have never had a problem with it. I can also program it to lock while we're gone atsprcofic times and unlock again so the cats are in at night.

 

[jessaka]

I love our microchip catflap. I have the sure flap pet door and have never had a problem with it. I can also program it to lock while we're gone atsprcofic times and unlock again so the cats are in at night.

First, Thanks Columbine.

May I ask which doggie door you got? Also, does this mean that you have to have a doctor place a microchip in the animals? Or if it is on a collar, I think of those break away collars for cats, and how in the past my cats have always lost them. Thank you also.

 

[Kieka]

I have this one, https://www.petdoors.com/sureflap-m...6o4drcVFCFFNfye97W6k6uEF_751hMvhoCjl4QAvD_BwE, but I've used the cat door too with some success. It was a little small for my 13 pound cat only because he is tall.

The microchip is the same identifier one that most pets get. So no additional microchip is needed. There are those that work off a hanging tag but I prefer the ID chip.

 

[jessaka]

Thank you so much. I will look into that one.

 

[1 bruce 1]

I am in a quandary. I have two cats, one is an indoor outdoor cat named Mandy that doesn't like to be locked inside the house. She was once a feral. The other cat is an indoor/outdoor as well, she name is Taffy, but there is a feral cat that comes around and beats on her. She has been fixed. I can't live trap the feral; I have tried. I have taken 3 long two week trips, and whenever I come back Taffy has been frightened out of the house. We have doggie door that they use. And she is really thin and has been bitten and in need of medical care. The person who comes to feed the cats can't catch her.

Here are my thoughts:

1. kennel
2. lock her in the house and hope she doesn't get out when the sitter comes to feed her. close the doggie door. Mandy won't be able to get in unless the sitter lets her in and then puts her out again. Mandy spends most of her time outdoors. Making her stay in as well may not sit well with her.
3. lock Taffy in another room, leave the doggie door open for Mandy.
4. When we leave the dog door open there is a chance that this feral cat will come in and spray or cause problems. I have come home to a house full of cat spray, and that was one of the times that Taffy was afraid to come inside.
5. I have thought to have the sitter let Mandy in if she wants, and then let her out the next day when she comes back by. This will give Taffy some comfort of not being alone, maybe. They are not buddys but they don't harm each other.

I'll be gone for about 2 weeks.

Any suggestions or other advice would be grateful.

I would consider things like::
-how much you trust the sitter (not "how much do I like them", but trust them to do a good job and take precautions. I like a lot of people!...but I wouldn't trust them all to take care of my pets because sometimes they act a bit off when the owner isn't around. The sitter absolutely must be savvy about slipping through doors and body blocking exits to keep cats from getting into areas they shouldn't be, rather than standing in the doorway, door hanging open, while they check facebook etc. Cat newbies always amaze me at how they just don't KNOW how fast a cat can slither out of a door that's left open 2 inches. It's why the nice maintenance people (who really are very nice, but are cat stupid IMO) are scheduled when we're home to keep the cats in another room. =/
-I would also consider the boarding situation and decide if you have a boarding facility you're happy with that will meet their requirements. Short term cage boarding for some house cats is a bit stressful but they come through no worse for wear. If a cattery exists where the cats could have outdoor access in a 100% cat-safe catio, that would be GREAT, but expect to pay much more for it.
-The time. How much time does your pet sitter spend at the house, what are your cats social requirements (are the people persons or more independent?)

 

[britt]

Don't know if this will help or if you have time to do this process. I had one feral left after my neighbor took the rest without me knowing i honestly thought they roamed and searched them for months and still do. I was pressed for time since he was trying to trap him it took me three months to try and get him to trust me enough to let me near him. My Sunny(the feral) refused to be trapped because I trapped him and his mother when he was younger to get them fixed. One day he let me stand next to him while he ate on our picnic table I had a towel and grabbed him with it firmly but gently. He didn't like it and kept pushing against me but I got him on my porch. Almost a year and he's a indoor cat now. Still skittish but he seems happy and he's healthier not having to face the elements outside. What I'm getting out is the trap may not work but you can always try and build trust and a bond with the feral enough to where you can catch him or her without a trap.

 

[tarasgirl06]

Hi J jessaka and cats, and welcome to TCS! Other posters' thoughts are probably helpful, and all I want to add is that getting the feral guy neutered and baseline innoculations would be wonderful if you can; and keeping cats indoors only is what caring, responsible people do for their cats' safety and their own peace of mind. I know that your situation is such that you may not be able to do this before going on vacation, so I would say after your return, I hope you can work on this, making sure your cats have plenty of stimulation indoors such as windows to look out, cat furniture to climb and play on, safe toys to play with including interactive toys you play with them with, and lots of love. When you go on vacation, I would probably choose an accredited "pet" sitter over boarding, because cats prefer to be in their own environment and yours would undoubtedly be happier at home than stuck in a cage where they may not be given caring indivdual attention as often as they'd like.

 

[jessaka]

Don't know if this will help or if you have time to do this process. I had one feral left after my neighbor took the rest without me knowing i honestly thought they roamed and searched them for months and still do. I was pressed for time since he was trying to trap him it took me three months to try and get him to trust me enough to let me near him. My Sunny(the feral) refused to be trapped because I trapped him and his mother when he was younger to get them fixed. One day he let me stand next to him while he ate on our picnic table I had a towel and grabbed him with it firmly but gently. He didn't like it and kept pushing against me but I got him on my porch. Almost a year and he's a indoor cat now. Still skittish but he seems happy and he's healthier not having to face the elements outside. What I'm getting out is the trap may not work but you can always try and build trust and a bond with the feral enough to where you can catch him or her without a trap.

i thought of doing this bug not enough time.

we did grt him though, and going on vacation wasva success my two cats were happy camprts with him gon e. Thanks so much to everyone.