Moving: Can't Bare To Leave Feral.

[strayinnkeeper]

Before I go into my "dilemma"..just wanna' say a hello to all and while this is my 1st post, I've been coming here to read for quite some time.

The thread title pretty much explains my problem in a nutshell, but to give a little more detail: There's a cat, we call him"Buddy", he started coming around our house and we've been feeding him since last summer. I'm pretty positive he's a feral and not an abandoned or runaway stray - he won't come in, doesn't let us pet him..except a couple times I was able to get a "sneak" pet in. He also doesn't let us get extremely close. Although..as time has passed, I'm able to get closer to him than when he first started showing up. I'm pretty sure he's never far away anymore either - all it takes is one or two "here kitties" and there he is. Needless to say, we've become very attached to him and we love him as much as our other (actual pet) cats. Now we're going to be moving in a month and I just keep imagining him showing up wondering where we are (and his food). The thought of this breaks our hearts too much, so we decided we have to take him with us. I had already planned on trapping and having him neutered and was thinking, once that's done, maybe we could get one of those big pet cages and keep him in there for a bit, or keep him in a spare bedroom or the house has a good size basement. One other thing to mention - he's been around our other cats plenty of times, our cats play and lounge around the backyard all the time and they've never had issues. I've even seen him laying around close taking catnaps with them.

I guess the reason I decided to post this is just to get some opinions, as far as like - do you guys think it will probably work out ok, are we doing the right thing?

 

[1 bruce 1]

Before I go into my "dilemma"..just wanna' say a hello to all and while this is my 1st post, I've been coming here to read for quite some time.

The thread title pretty much explains my problem in a nutshell, but to give a little more detail: There's a cat, we call him"Buddy", he started coming around our house and we've been feeding him since last summer. I'm pretty positive he's a feral and not an abandoned or runaway stray - he won't come in, doesn't let us pet him..except a couple times I was able to get a "sneak" pet in. He also doesn't let us get extremely close. Although..as time has passed, I'm able to get closer to him than when he first started showing up. I'm pretty sure he's never far away anymore either - all it takes is one or two "here kitties" and there he is. Needless to say, we've become very attached to him and we love him as much as our other (actual pet) cats. Now we're going to be moving in a month and I just keep imagining him showing up wondering where we are (and his food). The thought of this breaks our hearts too much, so we decided we have to take him with us. I had already planned on trapping and having him neutered and was thinking, once that's done, maybe we could get one of those big pet cages and keep him in there for a bit, or keep him in a spare bedroom or the house has a good size basement. One other thing to mention - he's been around our other cats plenty of times, our cats play and lounge around the backyard all the time and they've never had issues. I've even seen him laying around close taking catnaps with them.

I guess the reason I decided to post this is just to get some opinions, as far as like - do you guys think it will probably work out ok, are we doing the right thing?

We've moved and have taken outdoor/not pet cats with us, and they have adjusted. We do keep them confined for a week or better in a room large enough for them to move around and not feel threatened by us, and to knock the homing instinct away a bit so they realize this is now home.
It can be done. The fact that you've fed him, pet him a few times, and can move closer to him, and also the fact that he knows your cats will only help this situation.

 

[strayinnkeeper]

We've moved and have taken outdoor/not pet cats with us, and they have adjusted. We do keep them confined for a week or better in a room large enough for them to move around and not feel threatened by us, and to knock the homing instinct away a bit so they realize this is now home.
It can be done. The fact that you've fed him, pet him a few times, and can move closer to him, and also the fact that he knows your cats will only help this situation.

That makes me feel so much better, especially since I should have also added that sadly, I don't believe any of the people who live around our neighborhood now could be counted on to take care of him. Thank you!

 

[tinydestroyer]

That makes me feel so much better, especially since I should have also added that sadly, I don't believe any of the people who live around our neighborhood now could be counted on to take care of him. Thank you!

In that case, I'm so happy that you are going to be taking Buddy with you! I think he'll adjust, but you'll want to make sure and plan the next month out well. Are you getting him neutered before you leave? Although finding a new vet is always hard, you might want to wait until you're in the new house. If Buddy is feral, he might not return for a while after his first vet visit. However, you know the situation best.
I'd also plan my packing / unpacking schedule so that buddy has his own area, and is ready to go prior to leaving. Hopefully some people more experienced with TNR or moving with cats can chime in! Good luck!

 

[trudy1]

You’re doing the right thing. Buddy found you, not the other way around. So now you have a trust bond even if he’s not like your other cats. This means he comes when he’s called even though his world is a scary one, let’s you pet occasionally and has adopted your cats. Your part is just what you’re doing. Bring him love, security, food and most of all making him a real part of your family.
Remember love is patience, requires time and the rewards are great.

He can’t say it to you directly so I will...thanks.

 

[1 bruce 1]

In that case, I'm so happy that you are going to be taking Buddy with you! I think he'll adjust, but you'll want to make sure and plan the next month out well. Are you getting him neutered before you leave? Although finding a new vet is always hard, you might want to wait until you're in the new house. If Buddy is feral, he might not return for a while after his first vet visit. However, you know the situation best.
I'd also plan my packing / unpacking schedule so that buddy has his own area, and is ready to go prior to leaving. Hopefully some people more experienced with TNR or moving with cats can chime in! Good luck!

Good point about him maybe taking off after a neuter before the move is done!!!
I've found with outdoor cats that they handle the trapping/transport/etc. better than I would expect but being confined for a week or better is what really kind of annoys them most when they're used to their world having no walls...This (if at all possible) would be the ideal time to do the neuter because most places want you to keep them quiet post op (even though that's practically impossible with TNR!) This way, by the time the neuter is done, he's been home, had a chance to heal, relax, and realize all things are good.
My only other advice is, wherever he's contained, make an appearance. A lot. Walk in, say hello, do something, then leave. Do this as many times a day as you can (even walking in, dropping 2-3 kibbles into an already full bowl). Just make sure he knows you're there, you're OK and he's OK and trusting you is good.

 

[Jcatbird]

As soon as I saw your post I was driven to reply. Please take Buddy with you. I have been working with strays and ferals for years. While they are all individuals and can react differently( just like people) I have never had one that I could not find a way to help. The advice you have been given here is good advice! You found the right place to look for information. When you first relocate a kitty they need an adjustment period. It is important that they know their new surroundings before you release them outside. I seem to need that myself when I move. Ha. They need to observe where they are, that you are still there for them and feel somewhat secure. It may mean confinement in an outdoor enclosure, a room in the house or even a garage. It is best if they can see the outdoors. A garage works great because you can open the door a little bit to let them sniff things and over time open it a little more, a little more etc. until Buddy can finally poke his nose out and then take a step out to test the area. It is great if he is left a way to get back in should he get nervous. There are many ways to help him adjust. You may find he decides to be a tame kitty. Getting him fixed is very important! It will keep him closer to home, prevent him from getting into fights and also your cats will be less likely to feel threatened by him. Not to mentioned it makes the spread of illness less likely. You can do this. You have already gained his trust and love. The rest will follow. Don't give up If you have any issues with the move just post again here. There are many wonderful and experienced cat lovers on this site who can and will help you through this. There are also many conversations going on about this very topic. You are not alone. I am in the middle of a large cat rescue myself and I am thrilled that you are willing to save this kitty. You are one of the good people of the world. I applaud you! I would love to see another post from you about your progress. Keep writing!

 

[1 bruce 1]

S strayinnkeeper , Jcatbird mentioned a garage. If this is a doable solution to provide him shelter, would installing an inexpensive cat-door on the garage so he can come and go be a feasible solution once he's settled in? (Most can be blocked off to lock him in if the weather is very cold or whatever.)

 

[maggie101]

Before I go into my "dilemma"..just wanna' say a hello to all and while this is my 1st post, I've been coming here to read for quite some time.

The thread title pretty much explains my problem in a nutshell, but to give a little more detail: There's a cat, we call him"Buddy", he started coming around our house and we've been feeding him since last summer. I'm pretty positive he's a feral and not an abandoned or runaway stray - he won't come in, doesn't let us pet him..except a couple times I was able to get a "sneak" pet in. He also doesn't let us get extremely close. Although..as time has passed, I'm able to get closer to him than when he first started showing up. I'm pretty sure he's never far away anymore either - all it takes is one or two "here kitties" and there he is. Needless to say, we've become very attached to him and we love him as much as our other (actual pet) cats. Now we're going to be moving in a month and I just keep imagining him showing up wondering where we are (and his food). The thought of this breaks our hearts too much, so we decided we have to take him with us. I had already planned on trapping and having him neutered and was thinking, once that's done, maybe we could get one of those big pet cages and keep him in there for a bit, or keep him in a spare bedroom or the house has a good size basement. One other thing to mention - he's been around our other cats plenty of times, our cats play and lounge around the backyard all the time and they've never had issues. I've even seen him laying around close taking catnaps with them.

I guess the reason I decided to post this is just to get some opinions, as far as like - do you guys think it will probably work out ok, are we doing the right thing?

A neighbor of mine moved and took her feral cat with her. She let him outside. The cat ran away after a few days probably back to his territory. It sounds like your cat will be able to stay inside.

 

[Jcatbird]

1bruce1 mentioned a cat door. Those things are great! The kitty can come and go freely and no litter box! Great idea if you can work it out for any door. Wish I had one!

 

[shadowsrescue]

I recently moved and brought 3 ferals with me. I moved in late February and brought the 3 inside my old home the end of December. They had already been neutered. I used a spare bedroom that I cleared of all furniture. I only had cat trees and one of the love seat they used outside on my deck. It was quite the adjustment for them, but it did go well. I had previously brought 2 other ferals inside as well.
I then had a mobile vet come to the house for vaccinations and SNAP test. It was very hard, but we got through it.

When you trap him to get him neutered, vaccinated, microchipped and SNAP tested please do not let him go back outside. It will be so very very hard to retrap. Have a large dog kennel or small room that is cat proofed ready for him. Ideally if you are not moving far, you could have him neutered and then bring him directly to your new home.

If you use a spare room, be sure that if there is a bed in the room that you lay it flat on the floor or pick the bed up. Under the bed is the first place a cat will go to hide and it's nearly impossible to get them out. You want him out in the open as much as possible so that he can get used to inside living.

If you plan to let him back outside, he must stay inside for an acclimation period. Most agree that 3 weeks is the minimum. If you let him out sooner, he will only try to return to his previous home. It is in a cats nature to return to the territory they know. It would be safest if you do plan to let him back outside that you build a catio or enclosure for him.

I decided not to allow my ferals back outside. I moved out into the country and the dangers of other animals is just too much. A catio might be considered later, but for now all are inside and still learning to adjust to both inside living and their new home.

Thank you for caring about this cat and all you are going to do for him.

 

[strayinnkeeper]

Thank you everyone for your opinions an advice, as I said - I feel so much better. With regards to a pet door, the basement I mentioned is one of those basement/garage combos..which I doubt we'll ever use for the car. We figured it would be a good place for my son and his friends to hang out in. So, the garage door will rarely be opened probably, but there's a regular door that goes to the backyard and we intend on installing a pet door. I would really like to at least keep Buddy (and our cats) contained to our yard. Not only so they don't disappear, but so as not to possibly bother our new neighbors, never know how new ones will be. The house has a fair sized backyard, we intend on putting a tall privacy fence all the way around and I've been looking online and found a number of neat ideas on how to "cat proof" your fence/yard to keep them in. For instance, one way showed putting up screens near the top of privacy fencing, they did it at a slant. According to what I read it's too difficult for the cats to get over the slanted screening to get on/over the privacy fence. You just need to make sure not to have anything close that's tall enough they could use as a like a "springboard". Another thing I was looking at some ppl have built were "Catios". My brother is pretty handy, he said it wouldn't be too very costly and may take some time, but given the yard is not extremely large, he could probably enclose all of it (at the top) so the entire yard would be like a "Catio". That would be awesome if we could do that. I saw in some of the examples ppl had also planted different feline-friendly gardens in them.

I would really love if we could work with Buddy enough that he becomes like the rest of our pets and is at ease w/us. Honestly, if we'd been able to buy a house w/a lot of acreage or a farm..I'd wouldn't mind trying to round up as many of the strays around this neighborhood as I could and give them all forever homes. Heck, we even have a cute, chubby possum that's been coming around here for supper for a long time and if I could I'd take him too lol.

Again, thank you every one for your help!

 

[trudy1]

It’s very hard to contain cats in a yard even with netting over the fence edges. They will find a way even through the smallest gap. There are systems sold that supposedly with keep them in...very expensive. Some I’ve looked at consisted of wire sheeting at the top of your fence facing backward into your yard. But you can build a very large enclosed cattery cheaper and with a cat door access be sure they will be there when you go back outside. An 8x8 about 3 ft high will run about $100. For a little more you can add a second story with floor, little ladder and port to get up there. They will love it.

 

[tinydestroyer]

...I've been looking online and found a number of neat ideas on how to "cat proof" your fence/yard to keep them in. For instance, one way showed putting up screens near the top of privacy fencing, they did it at a slant. According to what I read it's too difficult for the cats to get over the slanted screening to get on/over the privacy fence. You just need to make sure not to have anything close that's tall enough they could use as a like a "springboard"

I've seen a few members' pics with a setup like this. Most recently, member Norachan wss showing us pics of her new, cool cat house, and she had some screening at the top of her fence. She enclosed the cat house roof so they couldn't use it to climb the fence, I believe.

I have also seen a pretty rad cat enclosure system when I visited the Hemingway House in Key West. They have a huge cat colony there, descendants of the original polydactyl cats owned by Earnest Hemingway, and use this cat enclosure:
Purr...fect Fence - Hemingway House

I think it might be expensive, as another member stated, but if you don't want to pay for that, maybe you can get some DIY ideas from their design.

Here's a lot of great Catio inspiration:
Catio | Houzz

You're so awesome for taking Buddy with you. I am sure he'll be so grateful to go with his family!

 

[Norachan]

Yes, please take him with you! I moved the feral colony I was caring for when I moved house, 23 cats in total. We bought an old house with a large back yard so that we could fence it in and give the ferals a safe place to live. Too many of them were lost on the road and as we were living in a rented house it was impossible to care for them properly.

About half of them were still pretty wild when we first moved. We had to trap them again and keep them confined to the house for the first month so they wouldn't try to run off and get back to their old territory. The fence we have around the enclosure is supposed to be cat proof, but one cat climbs out no matter what we do and others have made it over the fence when trees have come down etc.

They're all very friendly now. We have a cat door so they can come in and out as they please. A couple more feral and dumped cats have been scooped up off the streets and added to the family over the years.

We've been here almost four years now!

Lots of pictures of our place in this thread.

Moving House, Taking The Colony With Me.

Let me know if you need any advice about fencing or anything. Our enclosure isn't 100% perfect, but it's been a steep learning curve and we're improving it as we go along.