New here with feral cat

[aloner]

Long story short; since around three weeks we are feeding and caring for a feral cat. She is very afraid of people, and also of me, her feeder. We have big dogs not used to cats, so it is a bit complicated. But she is in our stable/garage building, and since a couple of days I have closed the opening where she could slip in and out. The weather is bad, it is cold outside, and I want to keep her inside to try to have her de-wormed and figure out if we can trap her and take her to the vet for a check-up and have her castrated.
She is a grown cat, not a kitten, so I don't expect to make a pet out of her. We are prepared to take care of her basic needs in the future. Food and a warm place to sleep etc.
It is very hard to get a good look at her, as she is so shy, but I put up a trail camera and managed to see a bit more of her. She looks relaxed and content when she is on her own out there, which feels good. She has a very thick winter coat, so a bit hard to see her shape. But I am a bit worried about one thing, her belly looks a bit to big for a starving cat who has only been fed for a few weeks. Could she be pregnant in the middle of winter? I have posted one short video from the trail camera on youtube, if someone would please have a look and tell me what you think.

 

[maggie101]

She is stray,not feral,. If taken to a foster the foster can spend time with her to be adopted. my cats hide from strangers. They are not strays. Pregnancy someone more knowledgable will reply. If not pregnant a vet can find out if it's parasites or anything else

 

[aloner]

She is stray,not feral,. If taken to a foster the foster can spend time with her to be adopted. my cats hide from strangers. They are not strays. Pregnancy someone more knowledgable will reply. If not pregnant a vet can find out if it's parasites or anything else

Well, I don't know how exactly you define stray vs feral. I wrote feral because this is a cat that I am pretty sure has never lived in a home.. This is out in the country-side, and according to the neighbours I spoke to when trying to figure out if she had a home, a lot of cats are still born to semi-wild cats living in and around barns. I did grow up with cats and had a couple myself, and some were strays that we adopted, so I am not completely new to cats even if it was many years since I had one.
I have observed this cat since we moved here in August, but assumed she belonged to a neighbour, and didn't really pay attention. But during the winter she started to come to my bird feeding station, not to catch birds, but to try to find something to eat. She did eat fruit and even some seeds that I had put on the ground. That's when I realized she was starving. She was also dirty, and looked bedraggled. After finding her way into our stable, and being fed four times a day, and sleeping in our heated garage for a couple of weeks she looks like a different cat. Clean and thriving.
On the video the cat looks very content and relaxed, but this is filmed with a trail camera at night when all is quiet and she feels safe.

 

[aloner]

Sorry. In my reply above I wrote that it was filmed at night. It was in the day, but the cat was alone in the building and it was quiet around, so she is relaxed. When I enter she is always hiding out of sight. If i try to approach her hiding place she will run in panic, so I stay a few meters away and don't look directly at her.

 

[maggie101]

I guess that's why I keep having stray cats come to my porch. My apartment is in the back,no walkways so it is very peaceful. This is Coco. Born on my porch,disappeared 5 weeks old,came back a year later. Her mom was very friendly even though she turned feral- no longer ate on my porch. Instead hunt still very loving. Coco is very sociable,just like her mom, and has never hissed or growled In 6

yrs

 

[poolcat]

... if someone would please have a look and tell me what you think.

That certainly is a healthy looking kitty. I doubt a scrawny homeless cat would have been able to gain much weight in only a couple of weeks, if also pregnant. And I don't see bulging sides, typical in late pregnancy.

If she's had bad experiences with humans, it could take a long time for her to trust one, even one who's feeding her regularly. I've been feeding a feral since last summer, and he still always hides when I bring his meals.... though he's not running away in terror any longer.

 

[aloner]

That certainly is a healthy looking kitty. I doubt a scrawny homeless cat would have been able to gain much weight in only a couple of weeks, if also pregnant. And I don't see bulging sides, typical in late pregnancy.

If she's had bad experiences with humans, it could take a long time for her to trust one, even one who's feeding her regularly. I've been feeding a feral since last summer, and he still always hides when I bring his meals.... though he's not running away in terror any longer.

Thanks a lot for having a look! Yes she looks great, and I am relieved she doesn't look obviously pregnant. She probably did fine until winter and cold weather. She has been hanging around an abandoned barn since we moved here, and mice and voles are plentiful.

Her full story we will never now. She is not missed or wanted by anyone, so we decided to do what we can for her.

 

[dahlia]

What a lovely cat. I can see what you mean about her sides. I have noticed my colony cats will sometimes look pregnant in the winter because they bulk up and their coats get so thick. I live in a place where we generally have pretty cold winters although this one has been pretty mild and, from what I have seen, the female cats start going into heat in mid-January.

 

[fionasmom]

Welcome to The Cat Site and thank you for helping this cat. Out here in LA, where it is 90 degrees today, cats can get pregnant all year long, but I had thought that in a very cold climate like Sweden it was more seasonal...not that it is any guarantee that I am correct. You are sure she is even female?

She is at a point where the distinction between feral and stray is not that important. Strays and even abandoned pets will be very guarded around humans, just a ferals will. Some true ferals will continually remain out of sight....I don't know if that helps or not.

You are very kind to plan to go forward with helping her and providing for her once she is fixed. Please let us know how this goes and don't hesitate to ask for help if you need it.

 

[aloner]

What a lovely cat. I can see what you mean about her sides. I have noticed my colony cats will sometimes look pregnant in the winter because they bulk up and their coats get so thick. I live in a place where we generally have pretty cold winters although this one has been pretty mild and, from what I have seen, the female cats start going into heat in mid-January.

Thank you! I am a bit less worried now, and think it is her stocky build and all the winter coat. I think cats normally go into heat in the early spring here, so I'm thinking it was just in time that I locked her up so she doesn't get pregnant. Just today I saw a new cat that I've never seen here before. It looked like a big male. The search for a partner may have begun.

 

[aloner]

Welcome to The Cat Site and thank you for helping this cat. Out here in LA, where it is 90 degrees today, cats can get pregnant all year long, but I had thought that in a very cold climate like Sweden it was more seasonal...not that it is any guarantee that I am correct. You are sure she is even female?

She is at a point where the distinction between feral and stray is not that important. Strays and even abandoned pets will be very guarded around humans, just a ferals will. Some true ferals will continually remain out of sight....I don't know if that helps or not.

You are very kind to plan to go forward with helping her and providing for her once she is fixed. Please let us know how this goes and don't hesitate to ask for help if you need it.

Thanks for the welcome! yes I do think it is more seasonal here. We still have winter and freezing temperatures at night, even if we are in the most southern part of Sweden.

About stray or feral, I found a very good (IMO) list on another site (the alley cat), and from what I can tell she is a feral. No eye contact, constantly crouching in a hiding place if I am in the stable. When I have observed her outside she has always carried her tail hanging down. If I look directly at her, ears slightly back, dilated pupils. She has never made a sound. I guess she would hiss if I cornered her, but I want to build a certain trust so I don't. She is nocturnal, and very scared to be close to people. We had workers outside the stable the ohter day and she was so scared that she didn't eat the whole day and she peed on the bare floor twice close to her preferred hiding place. The food and the place where she normally goes potty is in another room, but she obviously didn't dare to go there. After my husband had entered the stable (without looking at her) she took off for two days. Hunger forced her back eventually and that's when I closed her entrance to keep her inside, as we want to have her fixed.

She is a female from all I can tell. Very feminine small cat with a small face (which doesn't show well in my video). Got some footage with the hidden trail camera that shows her behind and no testicles.

We will contact the vet, and I have written to a cat-rescue to see if they could help us. We will need some way to catch her, and will need some transporting-cage. I only have huge nylon cages for big dogs, and I don't know if that is a good option for a cat.

 

[fionasmom]

I agree with you that she is probably a feral. Have you ever trapped a cat before? It is not that hard, but there are some steps that are helpful. From your description, you will need a cat trap, like a Havahart, and a destination for her to be spayed as soon as she is trapped. If she is as shy as she is, the use of a nylon dog cage will not work. There are a couple other options, such as getting her to eat in a carrier and then closing the door behind her. However, in the case of a true feral, you won't have a lot of chances to get this right. A traditional cat trap is the best solution. We can give you advice here on TCS about trapping. Alley Cat Allies also has good resources on their website. Let us know what you find out from the rescues and vet.

 

[aloner]

I agree with you that she is probably a feral. Have you ever trapped a cat before? It is not that hard, but there are some steps that are helpful. From your description, you will need a cat trap, like a Havahart, and a destination for her to be spayed as soon as she is trapped. If she is as shy as she is, the use of a nylon dog cage will not work. There are a couple other options, such as getting her to eat in a carrier and then closing the door behind her. However, in the case of a true feral, you won't have a lot of chances to get this right. A traditional cat trap is the best solution. We can give you advice here on TCS about trapping. Alley Cat Allies also has good resources on their website. Let us know what you find out from the rescues and vet.

Thank you so much for engaging! No, I have never trapped a cat, but I am getting closer now. I read your reply, and agreed that I need a real trap.

I have tried to spend more time in the garage/stable. Just sitting there or doing something, not paying attention to the cat. Bringing really nice treats that i put down a few meters away from her. This has made her withdraw even more, hiding further back among our junk, and being slower to approach the food when I leave the building. Also I could see she has struggled to get out of the building and knocked some things down. So I am now pretty sure she is a feral, and my mere presence is very scary to her. I don't want to stress her out, so I am changing my approach. I will leave her be for the most part, as the goal is to keep her as comfortable as possible so that we can trap her.

I have gotten into contact with a cat-rescue that will lend us a trap when they have one free. The brand of the trap was "Lorin" if I remember correctly. I have also gotten advice on how to slowly lure her inside. We have also talked to a vet clinic and once she eats in the trap we will make an appointment. I guess this will all take some time, and I am not happy about having her locked up for so long, but we don't want to see her in the area with kittens in the summer...

I am also hoping that once she is spayed it will be easier to make her stay around, and give me a chance to work on her trust.

 

[aloner]

Oh, I forgot to mention that I have started the de-worming. I was so relieved and happy that she ate the food with the paste in it. Two more days to go.

 

[fionasmom]

I am not sure if I found a pic of that brand of trap, but is it a wire trap with a trip bar or pedal and a door that is rigged like other standard cat traps? If so, I recommend that you use this trap as it will give you the most chance of getting this cat in one try. Feeding her, little by little, in the trap with the door securely wired in the open position should work. Once she is eating in the back beyond the trip bar, you can set it. No mistakes before that though as it might make her trap wary forever.

These situations with true ferals are never ideal. If you have any other resource for a trap, you could start sooner, but if you let her out you are back to the beginning. If you don't get her fixed, not only will you have litter after litter to take care of somehow, but her health will be in jeopardy. I would not let her out, given the circumstances; she has food and protection, even if she is not completely happy, and this is best in the long run.

 

[aloner]

I am not sure if I found a pic of that brand of trap, but is it a wire trap with a trip bar or pedal and a door that is rigged like other standard cat traps? If so, I recommend that you use this trap as it will give you the most chance of getting this cat in one try. Feeding her, little by little, in the trap with the door securely wired in the open position should work. Once she is eating in the back beyond the trip bar, you can set it. No mistakes before that though as it might make her trap wary forever.

These situations with true ferals are never ideal. If you have any other resource for a trap, you could start sooner, but if you let her out you are back to the beginning. If you don't get her fixed, not only will you have litter after litter to take care of somehow, but her health will be in jeopardy. I would not let her out, given the circumstances; she has food and protection, even if she is not completely happy, and this is best in the long run.

Don't worry. I will not let her out! I know it is in her best interest, even if she is unhappy and scared right now.

I picked the trap up today already. The trap is as you describe, wire with a trip pedal. I had instructions how to use it, and someone to call if I get problems. I am so grateful for the help I get, here on this forum, and from the cat-resuce person who lend us the trap.

I do NOT want to make any mistakes, and have the cat suffer, so I will move the feeding step by step just like you and the local rescue suggested. Once she eats all the way inside we will make an appointment with the vet, and set the trap.

Second dose of de-worming today and she ate it. Just one to go, and I am happy that we could take care of this before spaying and vaccinations.

 

[aloner]

The pretty little wild one photographed at night through a dirty stable window

 

[fionasmom]

She is very pretty and clearly happy to have her own food bowl. Lucky she found you!

 

[aloner]

It is coming together. Appointment booked at the vets' tomorrow morning!
-She is eating in the trap, food placed all the way back.
- I have tested the trap today to be sure I arrange everything right.
- I have a black sheet ready to go in and cover the trap once it is done.

My question is, how long can she sit in the trap before the trip to the vet? I need to figure out how to time things best, and at the same time doable for us, all things taken into consideration.

 

[fionasmom]

The sooner you can get her to the vet, the better. However, I realize that there can be all kinds of constraints. I have left cats in traps overnight in extreme situation; however, securing the trap in a safe place on my property where the cat could not be bothered by animals or humans. If she has to stay in the trap, don't leave her entirely unattended and make sure that no one can get in to release her inadvertently. Don't open the trap at all under any circumstances such as thinking that she needs water or food. To be honest, my vet leaves the very wild ferals in the trap for as long as they are in his office, which has also been overnight in most cases. As you said, keep the trap covered; you will be shocked at how much that will calm her.

Try to work this out as best you can, but the most important point is that she be fixed. Please let us know how this all goes. You are doing a great job so far.