neighbor dumping her feral kitty

[feralvr]

WONDERFUL!!!!!! Oscar is back I have not really had problems with re-trapping feral cats. BUT it is possible. There is one tomcat that only passes through my yard rarely. He is very trap saavy and no matter what I put in there to entice him, he just saunters right past the trap and leaves. It makes is much easier to re-trap when you have a regular kitty that you are feeding on a schedule everyday. I will usually put the trap out a week before I actually want to trap. Tie up the trap door and only feed in the trap for that week. On the day you want to trap, reset the trap door. Works for me quite well. SOOOOO happy to read this news. :bigthumb:

 

[bastfriend]

Thanks Feralvr for your support, from Oscar and me!   That is great news to hear that most cats can be retrapped - my indoor feral has shown great resistance but I give her credit for unnatural brilliance.   I didn't see him today but don't feel as worried now.  My mission for the next couple weeks is to get him on a regular feeding time and get the feeding location moved off of the patio before new people move in there.  I'm trying to get away from thinking about my ex-neighbor because steam starts coming out of my ears each time I do.   Oh I called my local TNR group and they said they don't help with relocating ferals at all only TNRing.  Looks like lots more calls for me to make to other groups.   Even though I like the idea of a happy ending where I can tame Oscar and he can join my two indoors the last couple of days my big alpha male (call him BAM for short) has been getting more aggressive to Patches (the indoor feral).   It's because he smells the scents tracked in on my shoes - he also chases her if he sees another cat outside.  He was neutered at 8 weeks, so he couldn't have less testosterone.  Oh and this is with a Feliway diffuser going.  I doubt he'd ever accept another male in his home, so it may be back to long-term relocation planning for Oscar.  

 

[feralvr]

How old is BAM? Because if he was older when he was neutered he could be retaining some of those "tomcat" behaviors. BUT this is very common behavior for indoor house cats when they see or smell another cat from outside. :slant: They transfer their frustration on another cat in the household. That really doesn't mean that they will never accept another house mate, though. Oscar would need to be confined anyway for some time before you would have to worry about intros, IF you do decide to try to socialize. Since this is a new "threatening" smell, Bam is unsure of what it might mean. :lol3: I do wish you much luck with Oscar as far as getting him on that regular feeding schedule and eventually trapping him. Keep making those calls, sometimes people will surprise me and end up helping me with a particular cat. I even found a fantastically run feral cat sanctuary in my county by making calls to my contacts and them referring me to their contacts!!!!! :bigthumb:

 

[everybody only]

I so agree with you!!!  I absolutely adore animals, even though I am deathly allergic. So working with ferals has brought me great joy and yesterday a colony of 5 heathy fixed cats was delivered to a shed that is air tight, double insulated, with a cat door leading out to a enclosure with chicken wire, and a separate room (powder room for ferals) with 2 litter boxes. As we are still transitioning one litter box is in the shed for now. When I agreed to this I realized I was taking on a 20 year commitment. I have a 7 year old daughter who is also highly allergic, but highly empathetic, and I am teaching her how much patience she will need, and how calm and quiet she needs to be while the cats are getting used to the new space. One is very friendly, purrs like a motor and loves to be scratched...it sends a good message to the others that he is purring, we think he is the dad of the 2 5 month old kittens. I have the BEST group of guys that work at my home, we live in CT on 5 acres and it requires a lot of maintenance. They busted their butts getting the enclosure ready, they are all Brazilian and so cute. I think they were as excited as I was to have the cats come to our home.  Because there is a drop from the cat door to the enclosed patio (2 feet) they even built steps....Aristocats.   I found out how to say cat in Portuguese so I am going to have a sign made that says Casa de gatos (my housekeeper is also Brazilian and my age 47, so she will help me, I am so lucky to be surrounded by such great guys). 5 of them were down there for 3 days they wanted it to be perfect.  I had planned on putting radiant heat in the floor and covering with tile and the outdoor rug, but cats came sooner than expected.  I bought 10 of the furry thermal reflective blankets and put them in boxes big enough for 2 or 3 cats.  I had a lot of unused square large faux lead garden planters so we cleaned those and also used baskets I am waiting to see what they gravitate to. However, we are still on the runway, we have weeks ahead of us before I start to know them.  We covered the floor with straw and the a drop cloth and rugs, and used the pink foam insulated and smooth wood over that.   (I knew the insulation would become a scratching post nightmares). The shed is completely tight and dry and sound....but any ideas on how to keep the chill out. I have a space heater down there that I only turn on when I go in and sit (I figure one more positive association...lady =food + heat).  But I am not comfortable leaving it running when I am not there. We live in Connecticut and it can get down to -20...I know I will end up sleeping in the shed to keep the heater on, but I have a husband and daughter who might not approve, and asthma that might kill me with that choice.  Do you have any ideas as to how to heat the space. BTW our property abuts a preserve of 400 acres so we do have coyotes, deer, hawks, possum raccoons....but I probably wouldn't even have them venture out until spring when we are all comfortable and I know who will return and who might disappear.  We are completely deer fenced...and if they disappear for a day that is 60 or 70 degrees I am fine....not when it is 3 degrees out.....sorry for the long post....

 

[feralvr]

I so agree with you!!!  I absolutely adore animals, even though I am deathly allergic. So working with ferals has brought me great joy and yesterday a colony of 5 heathy fixed cats was delivered to a shed that is air tight, double insulated, with a cat door leading out to a enclosure with chicken wire, and a separate room (powder room for ferals) with 2 litter boxes. As we are still transitioning one litter box is in the shed for now. When I agreed to this I realized I was taking on a 20 year commitment. I have a 7 year old daughter who is also highly allergic, but highly empathetic, and I am teaching her how much patience she will need, and how calm and quiet she needs to be while the cats are getting used to the new space. One is very friendly, purrs like a motor and loves to be scratched...it sends a good message to the others that he is purring, we think he is the dad of the 2 5 month old kittens. I have the BEST group of guys that work at my home, we live in CT on 5 acres and it requires a lot of maintenance. They busted their butts getting the enclosure ready, they are all Brazilian and so cute. I think they were as excited as I was to have the cats come to our home.  Because there is a drop from the cat door to the enclosed patio (2 feet) they even built steps....Aristocats.   I found out how to say cat in Portuguese so I am going to have a sign made that says Casa de gatos (my housekeeper is also Brazilian and my age 47, so she will help me, I am so lucky to be surrounded by such great guys). 5 of them were down there for 3 days they wanted it to be perfect.  I had planned on putting radiant heat in the floor and covering with tile and the outdoor rug, but cats came sooner than expected.  I bought 10 of the furry thermal reflective blankets and put them in boxes big enough for 2 or 3 cats.  I had a lot of unused square large faux lead garden planters so we cleaned those and also used baskets I am waiting to see what they gravitate to. However, we are still on the runway, we have weeks ahead of us before I start to know them.  We covered the floor with straw and the a drop cloth and rugs, and used the pink foam insulated and smooth wood over that.   (I knew the insulation would become a scratching post nightmares). The shed is completely tight and dry and sound....but any ideas on how to keep the chill out. I have a space heater down there that I only turn on when I go in and sit (I figure one more positive association...lady =food + heat).  But I am not comfortable leaving it running when I am not there. We live in Connecticut and it can get down to -20...I know I will end up sleeping in the shed to keep the heater on, but I have a husband and daughter who might not approve, and asthma that might kill me with that choice.  Do you have any ideas as to how to heat the space. BTW our property abuts a preserve of 400 acres so we do have coyotes, deer, hawks, possum raccoons....but I probably wouldn't even have them venture out until spring when we are all comfortable and I know who will return and who might disappear.  We are completely deer fenced...and if they disappear for a day that is 60 or 70 degrees I am fine....not when it is 3 degrees out.....sorry for the long post....

WELCOME to the forum!!! WOW, that shed sounds just PERFECT!! Lucky kitties for sure. Honestly, I don't think you need to worry about heating that shed but agree that I would not want to leave the space heater on. This would be expensive BUT you could get a few of those outdoor heating pads and place them under some blankets and maybe surround the inside walls with bales of straw just for extra comfort. The cats love straw and is really turns into a great insulation for keeping their body heat in. AND hopefully they will snuggle together :rub: So even without added heating, I think they will be just fine. OH the coats our feral cats get for winter.... incredibly thick. :nod: If you want, you could start a thread about your kitties and your experience!! We love to share stories and read other rescuers successes. :bigthumb:

 

[bastfriend]

Just talked to the ex-neighbor, since this is the internet I guess I'll restrain myself slightly.  But my mood is

  I just simply cannot comprehend how it possible for someone to feel so little guilt, so little shame, so little responsibility, and so little empathy.   

I'll respond to posts later when I'm in a better frame of mind - thanks you guys for being here as living proof there are decent people in the world.

 

[bastfriend]

Ok, after a bit of deep breathing now back....

Everybody only, wow what a space you are building for those cats!   Now see you are exactly the kind of person I need to find to help my dear Oscar out.  

Feralvr, about BAM he was neutered as a feral kitten at 8 weeks old and tamed soon after and is seven years old now, so it's not testosterone causing his trouble unless the vet didn't get everything!   Still it's encouraging to know you think he could accept another housemate in time.    I'll get on the phone calling and networking soon - who knows maybe I'll find someone like Everybody Only!    I never realized how upsetting it would be to be in direct contact with the kind of person who abandons a cat or lets cats breed indiscriminately, to actually hear their escaping responsibility and justifications.   I feel like now I want to take care of Oscar in defiance of all this!   Thanks always for the good vibes!

 

[feralvr]

Feralvr, about BAM he was neutered as a feral kitten at 8 weeks old and tamed soon after and is seven years old now, so it's not testosterone causing his trouble unless the vet didn't get everything!   Still it's encouraging to know you think he could accept another housemate in time.    I'll get on the phone calling and networking soon - who knows maybe I'll find someone like Everybody Only!    I never realized how upsetting it would be to be in direct contact with the kind of person who abandons a cat or lets cats breed indiscriminately, to actually hear their escaping responsibility and justifications.   I feel like now I want to take care of Oscar in defiance of all this!   Thanks always for the good vibes!

I hear ya. It can be extremely angering to deal with people with that mentality and attitude about cats in general. I guess over the years and the many dealings with people like that, I have learned (the hard way :lol3 to suck it up and if anything, try to educate them in some small way. Most times it is a futile effort on my part. The most important thing is Oscar and I think something good will come of all of this for him .... and you. :nod: