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[kisscat]

I caught a semi-feral cat a few days ago. I want to try socialization instead of just TNR, however, I have a bit of a dilemma. 

The girl has yet to be fixed, and the place I plan to take her to does both ferals and housecats. Housecats are a flat rate which includes the surgery and pain meds. The rate for ferals is cheaper and doesn’t include pain meds.

The problem: I was told to determine if she could be handled. i.e. if she can’t be picked up or bites if picked up, I should take her as a feral. When I placed my hands around her to pick her up this morning, she panicked and ran to a little shipping box for safety. She didn’t scratch, hiss or growl the whole time, but if I had gotten her off the ground, she probably would have scratched me just from flailing around. I don’t have a good idea of whether she would have bitten, but I can’t rule it out.

I’m stuck between taking her to the vet as my housecat, which could put the vet at risk since I don’t know how handle-able she’ll be, or taking her in as a feral. Or a third option, waiting to have her fixed while I try to get her to a point where she’s less terrified. I don’t want to release her if I don’t have to, but that could also be an option.

 

[DreamerRose]

Why don't you take her in as a feral and ask for the pain meds, too, if you don't mind the extra cost. If you are trying to tame her, you don't want her in extra pain. And taking her in as a feral will warn the vet that she may not be easy to handle.

 

[kisscat]

 
Why don't you take her in as a feral and ask for the pain meds, too, if you don't mind the extra cost. If you are trying to tame her, you don't want her in extra pain. And taking her in as a feral will warn the vet that she may not be easy to handle.

Good advice. They take ferals without an appointment, but I'll call ahead since her case is unusual. 

They only admit ferals who are in traps, so it'll be interesting 'trapping' her in my own home. 

 

[artiemom]

My male cousin called me first thing this morning! 

He has a cat family staying in his yard. There are 2 adults, and 3 kittens. He does not know how old the kittens are, but from what he described, I would think about 12 weeks. 

They were there yesterday afternoon, last night, and again this morning. He does not want them to make this their home, because he feels so bad for them. 

I guess the adults have been roaming the neighborhood, since he has seen them in other yards. 

My cousin has always picked up unwanted strays, but now he does not want this family. He has 2 elderly cats, and both are hyperthyroid and fussy with food. 

I mean the family could eat what he cats do not want, but he says he cannot afford to feed them. That is not true, he can afford to feed them, but I cannot say that. 

He called, asking me for advice. He feels bad ignoring them. He knows they are looking for food...but he is so darn stubborn. 

My cousin asked me for advice. He wanted to get some of the 'cat away' spray from Home Depot, but wanted ME to take care of the cats.

I do volunteer with a cat humane society. I called the adoption/rescue coordinator, and gave him my cousins number.

The Rescue Person said that if they were feral, then all they would do is spay/neuter and release. I asked about the kittens..he could not give me a good answer...so he asked for my cousin's number...

He also could not understand why he would not feed them.... 

I understand the reasons, but I think I would break down and give them food. I have too much of a heart not to...especially when I see kittens. 

My cousin is; what can I say??? eccentric? frugal? strange? in his own world? 

Needless to say, I do not have much contact with him.

At the end of our conversation he told me that he has catnip growing all over his yard!!!!  

   No wonder the cats are hanging out there!!!  

He needs to pull up the catnip and the cats will leave!! OMGosh!!!   

Let him fight it out with the adoption coordinator....

that is my vent....

 

[Mamanyt1953]

I am still fighting with Punk.  The good news is, I can now reliably get  him to turn on and boot up whenever I ask.  I think that when I can get a decent free malware program, and make sure that all my stuff really is in DropBox, I'll be able to get off of Computersaurus Rex, and let him retire honorably right next to our dumpster.  I may well keep the monitor, it is just a year old, and the 15" screen on Punk is a touch small.  As soon as I catch up on here, I'll be googling malware.  We progress.

 

[segelkatt]

Avast! is a really good FREE one. You can get a fancier version than the basic one for a small yearly charge but I have been with the basic one for several years with no problem

 

[segelkatt]

 
Good advice. They take ferals without an appointment, but I'll call ahead since her case is unusual. 

They only admit ferals who are in traps, so it'll be interesting 'trapping' her in my own home. 

Are you saying that if you bring her in a cage and say she is a feral they won't take her? That makes no sense whatsoever. I would call and ask them. Who has traps? Just because you caught her of course does not make her a feral but a stray who has been on her own so long that she is afraid of people and so acts out the only way she knows: hissing, scratching, biting. My foster cat Patrick even after living in my home for almost 2 years will have nothing to do with anyone but me, he is still scared (although that is another story), although the vet has a way with animals that even Patrick behaved himself in his office. 

 

[segelkatt]

 
My male cousin called me first thing this morning! 

He has a cat family staying in his yard. There are 2 adults, and 3 kittens. He does not know how old the kittens are, but from what he described, I would think about 12 weeks. 

They were there yesterday afternoon, last night, and again this morning. He does not want them to make this their home, because he feels so bad for them. 

I guess the adults have been roaming the neighborhood, since he has seen them in other yards. 

My cousin has always picked up unwanted strays, but now he does not want this family. He has 2 elderly cats, and both are hyperthyroid and fussy with food. 

I mean the family could eat what he cats do not want, but he says he cannot afford to feed them. That is not true, he can afford to feed them, but I cannot say that. 

He called, asking me for advice. He feels bad ignoring them. He knows they are looking for food...but he is so darn stubborn. 

My cousin asked me for advice. He wanted to get some of the 'cat away' spray from Home Depot, but wanted ME to take care of the cats.

I do volunteer with a cat humane society. I called the adoption/rescue coordinator, and gave him my cousins number.

The Rescue Person said that if they were feral, then all they would do is spay/neuter and release. I asked about the kittens..he could not give me a good answer...so he asked for my cousin's number...

He also could not understand why he would not feed them.... 

I understand the reasons, but I think I would break down and give them food. I have too much of a heart not to...especially when I see kittens. 

My cousin is; what can I say??? eccentric? frugal? strange? in his own world? 

Needless to say, I do not have much contact with him.

At the end of our conversation he told me that he has catnip growing all over his yard!!!!  

   No wonder the cats are hanging out there!!!  

He needs to pull up the catnip and the cats will leave!! OMGosh!!!   

Let him fight it out with the adoption coordinator....

that is my vent....

OK, so your cousin is strange, let's leave it at that.  If he does not want cats hanging around his yard he needs to pull up the catnip. It's like leaving a bank's door open all night with the safe full of money open also. He would not be surprised if homeless people and thieves would congregate in front of the bank.

So back to the cats. 

12 week old kittens are just the right age to be adopted so they need to go to a shelter. The adults cats need to be TNR'ed and when they get neither food nor the catnip they will go elsewhere and they won't be able to have any more litters either. So it's time for trapping all of them. Perhaps your frugal cousin would be open to that and foot the bill.

 

[segelkatt]

Now I have posted three in a row and somebody is going to be mad at me.

 

[di and bob]

I worry every day about my little female stray being outside, but we have a tiny house and already 3 inside cats, so what to do? She has a son outside that cries for her when she is inside. I can only care for so many and gave her a great gift by spaying her and her son. If I could find her a nice home I would in a minute, but there are so many strays in this town the only ones that want her are farms, and I won't do that to her, they lose all their cats to coyotes. She and her son are strays that people have dumped like the other 5 I feed every day. She has a heated hut in the winter, and I have a feeling she is snuggling up to my husband  to let her stay inside more and more!

 

[artiemom]

 
OK, so your cousin is strange, let's leave it at that.  If he does not want cats hanging around his yard he needs to pull up the catnip. It's like leaving a bank's door open all night with the safe full of money open also. He would not be surprised if homeless people and thieves would congregate in front of the bank.

So back to the cats. 

12 week old kittens are just the right age to be adopted so they need to go to a shelter. The adults cats need to be TNR'ed and when they get neither food nor the catnip they will go elsewhere and they won't be able to have any more litters either. So it's time for trapping all of them. Perhaps your frugal cousin would be open to that and foot the bill.

so, the adoption coordinator got in touch with a feral cat rescuer. She came down today to see the location and how many cats there are. They were hiding (nesting) under some wood he had out there. She will be back tomorrow with enough traps. She just stopped by today to survey the situation. She persuaded him to feed the cats. 

I am hoping she says something to him about the catnip!

I told him this morning they came in there because of it!! Will not listen to me! His cats like it so he lets it grow.. It would be better confined to a pot either outside on the porch or inside the enclosed porch...But what do I know. If it is not his idea, he will not do it.

At least the cats will be taken care of. I know the kittens are adoptable. Not sure about the adults. Who knows they could have been house cats that were dumped.

He will tell me what happens tomorrow. The rescuer-er is also a member of the humane society, so I am not fearful for the cats.

 

[Margret]

 
OK, so your cousin is strange, let's leave it at that.  If he does not want cats hanging around his yard he needs to pull up the catnip. It's like leaving a bank's door open all night with the safe full of money open also. He would not be surprised if homeless people and thieves would congregate in front of the bank.

So back to the cats. 

12 week old kittens are just the right age to be adopted so they need to go to a shelter. The adults cats need to be TNR'ed and when they get neither food nor the catnip they will go elsewhere and they won't be able to have any more litters either. So it's time for trapping all of them. Perhaps your frugal cousin would be open to that and foot the bill.

Not just leaving the bank and vault doors open, but putting up a sign saying:

Free Money!  Come and get it!

I'm sorry, @Artiemom, your cousin is not just eccentric; I'd like to know whether he was dropped on his head when he was a baby.

Margret

 

[artiemom]

 
Not just leaving the bank and vault doors open, but putting up a sign saying:

Free Money!  Come and get it!

I'm sorry, @Artiemom, your cousin is not just eccentric; I'd like to know whether he was dropped on his head when he was a baby.

Margret

@Margaret...no offense taken.. To be honest, I was shocked that he was so adamant about not feeding them! 

He always finds homeless cats! They seem to come to him. They always come up to him. That is how he got his cats. He had 4 at one time and now it is just the 2. His last cat was during in a snowstorm. He adopted that one. 

Last summer he rescued and nursed a baby robin whose mother died. He took it in the house, used an old cage type cat box for it, feed it with an eyedropper, etc, until it was old enough to be set free. 

I can't understand how he could leave this family out there without food. Clearly they are homeless. And he has some wood out that (saving it), for what reason, I do not know.. that is how rodents and vermin find homes. 

He told me tonight that a raccoon came after him last year. He had to pay an animal exterminator for trapping and removal. 

At least the cat family will be provided for properly.

 

[Margret]

 
@Margaret...no offense taken.. To be honest, I was shocked that he was so adamant about not feeding them! 

He always finds homeless cats! They seem to come to him. They always come up to him. That is how he got his cats. He had 4 at one time and now it is just the 2. His last cat was during in a snowstorm. He adopted that one. 

Last summer he rescued and nursed a baby robin whose mother died. He took it in the house, used an old cage type cat box for it, feed it with an eyedropper, etc, until it was old enough to be set free. 

I can't understand how he could leave this family out there without food. Clearly they are homeless. And he has some wood out that (saving it), for what reason, I do not know.. that is how rodents and vermin find homes. 

He told me tonight that a raccoon came after him last year. He had to pay an animal exterminator for trapping and removal. 

At least the cat family will be provided for properly.

So this is out of character for him?  In that case, I wonder whether he's ill.  Is your cousin married?  If so, perhaps his wife would be able to provide a better understanding of what's going on with him.  Goodness knows, it may have taken me four years to figure out that Roger was behaving insanely, and the reason for it, but no one besides me had any chance at all of figuring it out.  And once I knew the problem the solution was ridiculously simple.

Margret

 

[artiemom]

 
So this is out of character for him?  In that case, I wonder whether he's ill.  Is your cousin married?  If so, perhaps his wife would be able to provide a better understanding of what's going on with him.  Goodness knows, it may have taken me four years to figure out that Roger was behaving insanely, and the reason for it, but no one besides me had any chance at all of figuring it out.  And once I knew the problem the solution was ridiculously simple.

Margret

He is not married, never has been. He is not physically ill. Long story about the rest..never did therapy. It was suggested to him before. He adamantly refuses. He said he took a course in psychology and knows how 'they' work....

What can I say. I have more contact with him than anyone else in my family, but not all that much. He is almost always available if I need help..

He is an animal lover, but this surprised me. He is pretty much a loner. He does have outside interests, and does have some activities, but I think he is really lonely. He talks my ear off when we talk; and does ramble from one subject to another. I know... it is obvious, but what can you do????  nothing...no siblings either. 

That is why his attitude towards this cat family is surprising to me. At least I was able to get in contact with someone who would help him. 

 

[donutte]

Asking my TCS peeps to send some good thoughts / wishes / prayers / what have you for a friend whose cat got out last night. It's an indoor-only cat that apparently knocked out a screen on the window. This cat is his life. Seriously, since he got this little guy, nothing else mattered. And he wasn't even a cat guy, he just got it from a friend (I think her cat may have had kittens? not sure about the whole back-story). Anyway, he's devastated, as is anyone and everyone that knows this guy. Pretty much every post on his FB either includes a pic of this boy, or he's mentioned somehow (even when the post has nothing to do with him). We've ALL gotten to know this kitty via him.

I worry because this is a black cat, and I am paranoid about the cruel people out in the world. I'm trying to think positively though.

 

[Margret]

 
He is not married, never has been. He is not physically ill. Long story about the rest..never did therapy. It was suggested to him before. He adamantly refuses. He said he took a course in psychology and knows how 'they' work....

What can I say. I have more contact with him than anyone else in my family, but not all that much. He is almost always available if I need help..

He is an animal lover, but this surprised me. He is pretty much a loner. He does have outside interests, and does have some activities, but I think he is really lonely. He talks my ear off when we talk; and does ramble from one subject to another. I know... it is obvious, but what can you do????  nothing...no siblings either. 

That is why his attitude towards this cat family is surprising to me. At least I was able to get in contact with someone who would help him. 

Oh, dear.  That's very worrisome.  Men frequently have a low opinion of therapy; there are a lot of misconceptions about how it works, and, in my experience, men tend to assume the worst, and since therapy can be expensive they're unwilling to even give it a try.  But it sounds as if that's not really what your cousin needs -- he needs some friends!  Unfortunately, that's something you can't do for him.  What kind of outside activities does he like?  There are a lot of things that work best in groups of some kind -- bowling, role playing games, if he's a reader a book club might be fun for him.  Perhaps a casual mention of how much you've enjoyed some group activity would give him an idea, and since it's his own idea he'd have less resistance.

If he's been there to help you I know you want to be there to help him, and we're not talking about manipulating him into doing what you want, just about ways to encourage him to be happier.  It sounds to me as if you're at least as concerned about this atypical behavior of his as you are about the feral cats who are caught up in it.

Margret

 

[rhondalee]

Wow. So much sad news this evening. Prayers for the cat that got out and the stray cat family and everyone else. I hope tomorrow morning brings good news.

 

[donutte]

My friend is a roadie for a few bands. One of the touring bands in town that he's friends with was out looking for this cat last night. THAT'S how much anyone that knows this guy knows what this cat means. He never, ever expected to love this little kitty as much as he does.

 

[NewYork1303]

My friend is a roadie for a few bands. One of the touring bands in town that he's friends with was out looking for this cat last night. THAT'S how much anyone that knows this guy knows what this cat means. He never, ever expected to love this little kitty as much as he does.

I really hope the cat comes back. I am always worried about the screens on the windows in my home. I just don't feel like they are stable enough to prevent a cat getting out.