Moving This Week, Still Not Sure What to Do With Peaches!

[coco maui]

We got the keys to the new house yesterday! I am so excited about the move

The only thing I am worried about is I still don't know what I am gonna do with Peaches. If I put her on the back porch I am afraid she will run away. She does not get along with my indoor cats so if I bring her inside she will have to be locked in the spare room until I can figure out how to get her to stay on the porch without leaving.
If I put her in a carrier/cage and put her on the porch, I am afraid that she will be scared being locked up. I can build her a tempory shelter for the back porch too, but same thing there, I don't want her to be locked up outside with nowhere to run and hide when she gets scared.
I could put her in the garage, but this would defeat the purpose of trying to get her used to being on the back porch.
Ugh! I am stressing about this since we have to be out of the old house by Sunday!

Another question...I feed a feral on my porch now too. She eats every few days or so. What should I do about her? Would it be ok to trap her and take her to my new house and put her outside or would she be better off staying where she is comfortable? I am afraid that if I stop her feedings that she will suffer since she has become dependent on the food I give her!

So worried! Any advice would be great!
Thanks, Ginger

 

[purrfectcatlove]

Maybe this would be a good time to bring her in the spare room and get her used to the sound of the house and the smell . Also it would be a great timming to get her more socialised to humans .
Maybe in the same time you can catch the other feral and get it fixed if not already done and after that place him/her in a little enclosure on your back porch . Maybe for a few weeks to get used to the suroundings where you life .

 

[coco maui]

Peaches is very socialized, She purrs loves to be pet, etc.. She even likes to come inside and sleep on the bed as long as my other four are not in the room. She likes other cats but my other cats don't like her AT ALL.
Problem is, we (well mainly Steven) do not want another cat indoors. I wouldn't mind but I think 4 is our limit. I really would like to find Peaches a good furrever home but I do not want to just give her up to anyone. She is very sweet and special.

 

[valanhb]

Ginger, is there a way to keep Peaches in the spare room for about 2 weeks? From what I understand, it takes about that long to get a cat acclimated to a new location. From there, you can release her onto the porch and be sure to leave some really good, stinky wet food for her. Also, leave a wringing wet, sweaty shirt on the porch when you release her there so she knows that YOU are there.

 

[coco maui]

It's possible that she can stay in the bedroom for a little while. I don't think Steven will go for it though. Man I wish this new house had a screened in back yard or patio or something.

 

[maui]

I think the garage could work really well, as long as you know the garage doesn't have any access to the outdoors, or weird holes or cracks that she could hide in or under. It would give Peaches lots of places to hang out and it wouldn't be anywhere near Steven or the 4 kitties.

Once she establishes the garage as her turf, then anytime something startles or scares her, she will run into the garage — which is tons better than running out in the street or something.

 

[dougbug]

boy you do have some things to work out, maybe you could talk to the vets offices where you live and see if any one there would be interested in peaches? or ask a friend to help you find a home suited for her, if all fails just take her and try your best to get her adjusted, and take the feral also if you can, i would make sure you feed them right off the bat when you get there to let them know this is where the food is

you also might want to check out the new neighbor hood to see if there are any cat killers around, maybe by asking someone you feel comforable to ask in the neighbor hood, some people just dont like cats, i dont get it but there are stupied people in the world

, i really hope this works out for you and the kitties, i know you will do your best for them....

 

[coco maui]

Tomorrow is the big move, for now the plan is to take her and put her in the spare bedroom until we get all moved and settled and then try to get her used to the front porch or better yet, find her a great furrever home.
Thanks for everyone's help. I will keep ya'll updated

 

[valanhb]

Good luck with the move Ginger! I hope everything goes super smooth, and that includes everything with Peaches.

 

[yola]

Ginger good luck with the move. I do hope you can take the feral with you. It would be awful to leave it to fend for itself if it's become dependent on your feeding it. Maybe you can appeal to the kind heart in your partner to see if he won't relent. My experience is that they do when it comes to decision time . . .

 

[wellingtoncats]

Lots of luck with the shift Ginger.

Keep us posted.

 

[coco maui]

Peaches is in the spare bedroom, purring away. She really loves being inside

Hopefully I will be able to keep her there until she gets used to being in a new environment.

As for the black and white feral. I have not seen her in a couple of days and even if I do I have no experience in catching a feral. I will see about renting a trap for her once we get all moved.
I need to read up on how to go about trapping her and transporting her to our backyard.

I am a little worried about relocating the feral, will she be harmed if I move her from her territory, will she adjust well there or fight with the cats in the new naighborhood?

So far so good with Peaches though. She is doing great in the spare room.

 

[hissy]

It's hard to say. You won't be able to just release the black and white one immediately into the area, you would need to keep it inside and at least bond with it before releasing it. Ideally if you could make an enclosure, so the cats can smell the outside, and have the other cats come up to them, and still stay safe, that would be the best thing to do. When you do release them, make sure you leave out bowls of smelly cat food and temporarily put their litter pans outside so they can smell their scent and call it home.

 

[coco maui]

Thanks for the advice hissy.

The black and white kitty is a freal that I have had no contact with at all. She comes to eat while I watch her through the window. How well do you think she will do in a cage outside my house?

And, Steven will not like it if she stays on the back porch at all. He has no idea that I am planning on even taking her with me

Does anyone know of a place that relocates ferals in the Ft. Lauderdale area? Do people take in ferals to be socialized? I really have no idea how to go about this. Please help

 

[hissy]

Ginger, if it is a large spacious area with plenty of hidey holes, any feral would be fine, it is a small area that is cramped, that wouldn't be fair to coop the cat up in there.

I found this link, perhaps one of these organizations might help you help these cats?

Florida Ferals

If ferals were easy to socialize, I suspect there wouldn't be the problem with them over populating as they are. But they take time, and a considerable amount of work to establish a bond with. I do wish you luck, and thank you for caring about what happens to them in the long run-

 

[coco maui]

Update on Peaches:

Peaches is living in my spare bedroom. She is quite happy about the whole situation!! She purrs and sleeps by the window. She is using her litter box perfectly and loves her new catnip toy

Update on the black and white feral:

I feed him (I just found out it's a male) every few days or so by the fence where he would normally come into my yard. I have not seen him eat, but something seems to be eating the food.
I really wish one of you guys from TCS lived close by so you could help me catch him and get him used to the new yard. I still don't have a clue how to go about trapping a feral and moving him safely to a new environment. I have read all the posts and articles, now just doing it is the hard part

 

[purrfectcatlove]

I am very happy that Peaches is doing great . I kind of worry about her . I am sure you will do your best traping the male cat and relocate him savely . Good luck

 

[coco maui]

Peaches is still livingin our spare bedroom. I feel so sorry for her being closed in there all the time. She seems to be doing ok though. I go in and spend time with her as much as I can but it breaks my heart to think she is in there alone so much. I put the other four cats in my bedroom and open Peaches' door at least once a day but she just hides in the corner, scared to come out because she thinks the other cats are around.
She purrs up a storm when I go in there and brush her and feed her, etc... I guess it is better that she is in the room than her being outside without claws fo protection.

Do any of you have cats that live in thier own rooms like Peaches???
I could use some ideas to keep her from becoming bored.

Thanks

 

[valanhb]

I don't, but I know that there have been some here on the board. Maybe run a search?

 

[purrfectcatlove]

There are a lot of breeders who has a room just for females and a room for the males . They just place a lot a toy's and climbing tree in there to make them happy . But maybe in time she will come around . Don't just give up on her now . Remember she was feral/stray and that make a big difference . So patiance (sp) is the key I think . But I am glad she is doing good and who knows she may be happy just in that room .