New to caring for a stray/feral and second-guessing myself and need some encouragement and support

[kitty caregiver]

Thank you for your reply, tulosai. I wish I could contain her in a quiet room all to herself.  My house is fairly big but the way it is set up doesn't really provide a lot rooms that can easily be shut off. I don't have a basement and my large storage room is outside off the carport. The bathrooms and two entrances to the kitchen/den/ breakfast area have sliding pocket doors that can easily be opened by a cat. The laundry room off the latter area is the only place for her since it has two strong doors, but  while a decent size does require me having to use the room pretty often. The dining room, living room and hallway are open so there are no doors that can be closed to block off an individual room. Having only two bedrooms also creates a problem as I do have guests coming. This is why I have to alternate times with the cats being in the main parts of the house by shutting each up for a part of the day. My cat has house roaming rights at night, but since the new cat is now skittish of being shut in the laundry room, well...


Chaucer and Henryetta "met" through the glass door and screen for a couple of months prior to her coming inside. The batted back and forth with the screen between them so they aren't really strangers. The first morning she was inside, they touched noses and ate breakfast in separate bowls next to each other, sort of like they did when she was outside and he was inside, but since my misstep and his "attack" due to that, things have been different.

 

[chaucer]

I'm a little confused about the set-up of this post, but I'll try to answer you. 

While I understand that you want to help the kittens, six weeks is pretty young to be without its mother and siblings. The kitten is hungry and needs to be bottle-fed kitten formula or it won't survive without its mother.  If you can trap the mother and the get the kittens, it would be much better for them.

 

[kitty caregiver]

I'm a little confused about the set-up of this post, but I'll try to answer you. 

While I understand that you want to help the kittens, six weeks is pretty young to be without its mother and siblings. The kitten is hungry and needs to be bottle-fed kitten formula or it won't survive without its mother.  If you can trap the mother and the get the kittens, it would be much better for them.

Thanks I'm really thinking about putting it back I thought it would be fine. 6 weeks is to young, waiting for friend to respond if she wants to take this challenge on.

 

[kitty caregiver]

well thanks again , there's one happy momma and baby kitten , guess I'll try again in a couple weeks! Gonna try to get them all homes and trap her and get her fixed and let her live outside. We live on over 200 acres so she will be fine, plenty of shelte

 

[feralvr]

Sometimes if he is in the area, but not on my property, and I call his name and "Kitty, Kitty, Kitty" he comes running, but always stops short of coming too near. 

HUGE sign that Orville has developed a bond with you!!! AND - the fact that he is mewing too - is an even bigger sign too. It takes a very, very long time to befriend and gain the trust of a feral cat but when it happens, I swear, there is nothing like it on earth, that feeling in your heart. :heart3:

p.s. This thread is a wonderful story and blog of your feral cat experiences, quite the novel in the making and I think you are finding with feral cats : Where there is one, there are many. (sad to say - but they do tend to keep coming).

 

[chaucer]

Orville goes back and forth with me, but he is definitely coming around.  Mr. Gray Kitty showed up the other morning and I heard the "screaming" and then a brief fight between Chaucer and Henryetta that happens when Gray Kitty shows up. This time both Chaucer and Henryetta were screaming and growling at Gray Kitty. Henryetta ran off when Chaucer "attacked" her but they were buddies again a little later. I have to carefully close the drapes and then take Chaucer off to another room for a time-out.

I am very convinced that Gray Kitty is someone's cat. He doesn't show up all the time but when he does, he comes straight to the patio door, looks in and if it is just me is fine, but if Chaucer or Henryetta are around it's an all-out war through the glass. Trying to diffuse things that morning, I brought out the cloth measuring tape that C and H play with and dangled it up against the glass. Gray Kitty seemed to know it was a toy and batted at it. He looks well-fed, clean and is certainly not afraid of people.

Went to see the kittens I'm trying to help get adopted. I'm concerned that the owner is trying to get them adopted out way, way too soon. One was already adopted and they were only born on April 8th! I don't feel I can tell the owner what to do but did suggest that mine were 10 weeks when the first one was adopted and they do better if they are with their mother longer. The little thing was not quite 5 weeks old and certainly not weaned!

Have not seen any other cats besides the ones I have mentioned, and it appears that three have homes. The others - Henryetta's paramour, Dephine and Mr. White (with groucho brows) I've not seen in a long time.

 

[samantha15]

Wow, What a great room. 

I'm a newbie to the feral world too.  I thought I could handle a new mommie stray I got a few weeks ago but now but i realize now how green I really am..lol.

15 years ago I took in a pregnant stray who since passed away, and comparing her to the one I have now is night and day.  I realize that my first one was probably just someone's abandoned pet.

In any event....seems like you're doing great and from the pic she seems very friendly!  The pregnancy complicates things and I agree with others who say they don't expect her to be ready for your resident cat until much later.

I don't know if you're planning on adopting any of the litter, but imo the best case scenario is to adopt them all out and keep none.  Mom will be relieved eventually and there will be less complications with dynamics of all the cats.  I had 2 moms I had experience with.  As I said, my first one walked into my apartment as a pregnant stray, very sociable.  I kept one kitten and that was probably a mistake because most of the time the mom did not want to play and the kitten really did need a sibling, I just didn't know.  This second time around mom is truly feral, she was the work cat I fed every day that I took home.  She had her babies as work and I was only able to get one kitten.  I didn't want the same dynamic as before and tried to get the other kitten left at work but wasn't successful, so either a security guard got that one or it's still there.  So I'm stuck with mom and only one kitten again, I feel bad for them.  Plus...with her being truly feral, shes being hostile toward me in defense of her kitten, where she didn't really act that way before she was pregnant at work.  So....I dunno,but I have a feeling when your cat gives birth she may be pretty defensive too and you may see a change in personality.  But ask the experts here...they know, I don't.

Good luck and bless you for helping the cat!

 

[chaucer]

My original post was from over a year ago, but this is sort of an ongoing thread about the cats in my neighborhood I'm trying to help. I'm not so good at rescuing. I was lucky with Henryetta. She was most likely abandoned in the sense the people feeding her moved off and left her and possibly the father of her kittens.  Henryetta trusted me completely with her kittens. I could pick them up the next day, but I tried not to handle them too much at first.

All the kittens were adopted out to people who love cats and so far these kittens have provided a lot of entertainment for their new families. I had references from a friend for two of the new owners - one of them took the three males and whose family is a big supporter of our local low-kill shelter.  The other two went to a friend and to the niece of a friend. I was fortunate and so were the kittens!

Chaucer, my resident male, loves to play and he has welcomed Henryetta into the house, except for his bullying her off the bed, sofa, etc. She carries on when he jumps her and hisses and growls and then comes back for more. He also really enjoyed the last kitten who was with me for nearly 5 months out in the storage room with its mother. He loved to go out and play, and the kitten loved to play with him. One of my best friends adopted that kitten and she is really funny and playful. I credit Chaucer for teaching her about playing. That kitten is not afraid of anything!

Like you, the second rescue attempt is not as good. I'm attempting to do this with a male who may or may not be Henryetta's father!  He is clearly not as socialized to people as Henryetta was since it's taken six months just for him to let me get within two or three feet of him. I have not attempted to trap him because I have a feeling he is pretty savvy at avoiding traps and such, but have the hopes of him accepting me enough to eventually allow me to catch him without too much drama. I've already spoke to my vet about him.  I'm not sure if he's been neutered or not at this point. He hangs out with two spayed females who belong to my neighbor and I find that odd since he ought to be running around the neighborhood and acting territorial, but he isn't.

Good luck with this new rescue and her kitten!

 

[samantha15]

Oh I did't realize...but its kind of nice to fast forward to the update and know everything worked out!

I'm sure this new cat will come around in time.

 

[chaucer]

This is Orville yesterday.  He runs out to see me but stays about 2-5 feet away. He meows at me. He blinks at me. He knows his name. He rolled on his back briefly on the driveway.  I called him the other day and saw him come out of the bushes, sit and look at me and then go back to his hiding spot. I'm making progress. Sometimes I think he wants to come to me but is still a little unsure.

Orville.jpg

• chaucer
• May 20, 2015

Orville1.jpg

• chaucer
• May 20, 2015

 

[feralvr]

This is Orville yesterday.  He runs out to see me but stays about 2-5 feet away. He meows at me. He blinks at me. He knows his name. He rolled on his back briefly on the driveway.  I called him the other day and saw him come out of the bushes, sit and look at me and then go back to his hiding spot. I'm making progress. Sometimes I think he wants to come to me but is still a little unsure.

Orville.jpg

• chaucer
• May 20, 2015

Orville1.jpg

• chaucer
• May 20, 2015

LOOK at that !!!!!!!!!!! Wow. Orville is totally wanting to get close and the look on his face is very calm and trusting too. HE IS SO CUTE. I love his face. This is really great progress too. You may even try to hand feed him some grilled chicken pieces. A total irresistible treat for feral cats. That is how I was able to first pet my Willow on the cheek as he ate some chicken from my hand. This was after a YEAR of caring for him. He was already TNRd early on but it took that long for him to take food from my hand. They are all so different in how fast they learn and want to trust. I think the want is what makes some feral cats move at a quicker speed to socialization. I know my feral cats would watch me inside my house through the windows and see me holding and petting my indoor cats and this was a very curious thing to them to see. It really does help them understand by watching their caretaker loving on another cat and that cat loving the attention back. Poor feral cats - they just do not know any better and do not know love but once they DO - there is no turning back from that particular caretaker. :heart3: AW ORVILLE - he is a "wanter" now.

 

[mani]

How good is that!?  The look on his face - quite brilliant.

We're all sending 'go to the lovely human, Orville' vibes...

 

[chaucer]

I think he is a wanter too.  He's just slower than Henryetta was because she was in heat and then pregnant and she had more contact with humans.

Today, I was late feeding him and had to call him. His two non-feral female friends came running but he wasn't with them. He showed up a little later. He was a little skittish because I had already put the food out and was not there when he started to eat. He saw me through the door and walked off. However, he began washing himself and I got a look at his....well, um... and they don't look big like some of the intact Toms I've seen and certainly not like Chaucer who was neutered as a very young kitten by the shelter vet. He came back to eat, though.

 

[chaucer]

So I think Orville is making a little more progress.  He now blinks at me and will eat while I'm sitting on the steps 4-6 ft away. He's less skittish too. I have carried Chaucer out, stood on the step and held him while Orville and the other cat are out there eating. Nothing ever happens. Chaucer is happy to be in the fresh air for a minute or two and the other cats look at him and go about their eating. No growling, hissing from Chaucer or the others and they don't run off when they see him. Today, it was just Orville and I was sitting on the step watching him eat about 6 ft away. Chaucer was pawing at the glass wanting out. I took a chance, opened the door glass door and put Chaucer on my lap. Orville looked up and then went right back to eating. Chaucer wiggled around in my lap with a happy, excited look on his face. Still holding Chaucer, I set him on the bottom step. Neither cat did anything. Orville continued eating, looking up occasionally and Chaucer, still being held around the middle, sniffed around the step. This is not something I will do often but it's just to get Chaucer and Orville acquainted.

 

[feralvr]

So I think Orville is making a little more progress.  He now blinks at me and will eat while I'm sitting on the steps 4-6 ft away. He's less skittish too. I have carried Chaucer out, stood on the step and held him while Orville and the other cat are out there eating. Nothing ever happens. Chaucer is happy to be in the fresh air for a minute or two and the other cats look at him and go about their eating. No growling, hissing from Chaucer or the others and they don't run off when they see him. Today, it was just Orville and I was sitting on the step watching him eat about 6 ft away. Chaucer was pawing at the glass wanting out. I took a chance, opened the door glass door and put Chaucer on my lap. Orville looked up and then went right back to eating. Chaucer wiggled around in my lap with a happy, excited look on his face. Still holding Chaucer, I set him on the bottom step. Neither cat did anything. Orville continued eating, looking up occasionally and Chaucer, still being held around the middle, sniffed around the step. This is not something I will do often but it's just to get Chaucer and Orville acquainted.

HMMMMMM - do I predict a third addition indoors someday, maybe, down the line???!!! :lol3: This is all very good news and I am thrilled that Orville is making such great strides in YOUR DIRECTION. I think he likes Chaucer too. HOLD on to that grey fellow of yours though, I shuddered a wee bit in panic thinking the dumb "what if's". Leave it to me to be the worrier. :bigthumb: Keep up the great work!!

 

[chaucer]

HMMMMMM - do I predict a third addition indoors someday, maybe, down the line???!!!

This is all very good news and I am thrilled that Orville is making such great strides in YOUR DIRECTION. I think he likes Chaucer too. HOLD on to that grey fellow of yours though, I shuddered a wee bit in panic thinking the dumb "what if's". Leave it to me to be the worrier.

Keep up the great work!!

Thanks. Yes, I had the same thought that he might get loose.  I didn't mention that my neighbor's big spayed female Chloe was eating about 3-4 feet away on the other side of the steps at the same time.
 

Chaucer is a very social cat with other cats and humans. He's played footsie through the door (slightly opened so he can stick paw out) with Peekaboo, my neighbor's other spayed female.

 

[chaucer]

I want to add that Chaucer purrs while sitting on my lap outside while watching the other cats.  I did put him back inside this morning when Peekaboo, the neighbor's other cat, finished her meal. While she's really friendly to me and will meow-purr-trill with me, she has a tendency to growl a little at Chaucer through the screen, even though they will play footsie through a small quickly-closable crack in the door. With her, I don't take a chance.

This morning, I saw a buff-colored, young adult feral I'm sure that I haven't seen before. I thought it was Henryetta's kittens' father at first but it's leaner and built more like Chaucer. In fact, it looks just like one of Henryetta's kittens and probably a year or two old and not too afraid when it saw me at the front door so I sent a message to the person who adopted her making sure her cat was not missing.

The raccoon mother and baby seem to eat Orville's left-over food at night so I'm not really attracting additional ferals now.

 

[feralvr]

The raccoon mother and baby seem to eat Orville's left-over food at night so I'm not really attracting additional ferals now.

:lol3: Oh those raccoons, surely they will help themselves to the food and finish it up completely and any water nearby? they will gladly use that to wash their little paws.

OH boy - another cat, huh? Buff? I hope you get an answer and that the person who adopted did not lose the kitten....

 

[chaucer]

The buff cat was not Henryetta's kitten that was adopted, thankfully, but I imagine it might be one from one of her previous litters when she was unspayed and running around for three or four years. I haven't seen it again. Orville is getting a little closer. He is eating about two feet away now, but I don't think he will get much closer or ever be adoptable. He is/was a true feral and still exhibits some of those characteristics, but at least he is getting some nutrition. I worry a little because he looks thinner but that could be because of the summer.  He doesn't seem that interested in wandering and looking for females and he hangs around with two spayed females and is mostly here at  but I don't know what he does at night.

Henryetta circles the perimeter several times before getting on the sofa with me when I have house guests, and that is only after the guests have been there a couple of days. She is very skittish around them even after three or four days and will run if they even move.  Chaucer, on the other, has never known a stranger. He likes people and other cats.

The raccoon family still comes by but as soon as the baby gets just a little bigger, I'm stopping putting out a full cup of cat food since Orville only eats about 1/3-1/2 of it. I'm sure I'm not the only place the raccoons stop to eat.

 

[chaucer]

To those still following my ridiculously-long thread about my ferals: 

  Just easier to keep it all in one thread!

Update on Orville, my feral I'm feeding and hoping to at least TNR:  He is eating about 18 inches-2 feet away from me now. He "talks" to me when he sees me. If he is in the area, he comes when I call him by name.  But the big news is that he has started grooming himself several feet away and today he began rolling on his back about 6-8 feet away from me. He is DEFINITELY male and DEFINITELY not neutered. I had the full view! (How nice for me!

) He is, unfortunately, the type to be very skittish of traps so I'm hoping I can win his trust enough that he will go right into a carrier one of these mornings if I put a little tuna in a bowl in one. I'm concerned about him because he seems to be thinner and he is dining with me twice a day. I've added some wet food every now and then when it is just him and not the neighbor's little beggars. Today, I gave him a few small pieces of cold chicken.