Our Outdoor Family

[going nova]

We're moving in one week and we're leaving behind the three who are outdoors. It breaks my heart, but we can't take them with us to the new apartment. I plan to continue feeding them, though it'll be a bit different because I'll have to drive into the parking lot of the family fun park next door to do it. (Our apartment complex is gated.) I don't have the time or money to keep trying to trap Rex, the male cat. He disappears for days at a time, and I'm concerned about his wandering. ETA: I'll continue with the trapping when I get a spare moment. Right now, I need to figure out the next couple of months, and what to do about income.

Loki and Zoom will be coming with us to the new apartment, of course. We made half-hearted attempts to rehome them because neither one of us (in spite of our better reasoning) has the heart to split them up. The plan is to move them to the new apartment first, with a Feliway diffuser. Then, move Nova. We hope she'll be less territorial and will at least tolerate them. If that doesn't work out, we'll work at rehoming them in earnest. It's getting difficult to switch them back and forth twice a day so that everyone gets plenty of room to run around and human contact.

 

[going nova]

Today, I went to PetSmart to buy some feral food. I saw a little grey thing scurrying across the parking lot. This is the third time I go there and notice cats running around. The last time, I saw a yellow mama cat and two kittens.

I did the best I could to approach kitty. He/she didn't hiss, but seemed pretty scared. I opened my bag of food and left some. At least for tonight, kitty will have a full belly. I suspect that people drop off cats there because of the PetSmart.

I know they did that at Petco. It breaks my heart... but what can I do? Even if I managed to trap him/her, our apartment is pretty full of cats. There isn't enough room to keep everyone separate and safe. Maybe we could keep him/her in the bathroom for a little bit...

At least our bathroom is better than a parking lot.

I think we could help more cats if we didn't keep Loki and Zoom, but I'm super attached to them by now. I don't know what to do.

 

[going nova]

Wow, it's been over a month since I updated the thread.

We moved a couple of towns over, and I was so heartbroken about leaving our ferals behind. I'm gone for most of the summer, so SO has been feeding going back to the old place to feed Mater, Quietus, and Rex.

We had difficulties because their eating spot was invaded by skunks! Not one or two skunks... several skunks. I went to feed, and saw about 5 of them frolicking on the hillside!

So then we started to feed earlier (before sunset, when the skunks come out), and pick up the dishes after feeding. This resulted in some of the ferals missing feeding time on several days. Yesterday, we managed to feed all of the cats and get the dishes up before any "stinkies" showed up.

I think everything will work out OK.

Rex is limping quite a bit. We want to try to trap him and have him checked out. Hopefully SO or I will catch a break with work and find the time to trap. It's more difficult now that we have moved, since the apartment complex is gated. We either have to park at the family fun park next door, or sneak in behind someone who does live at the complex.

The boys have adjusted well to the move. Nova is still aggressive toward them, but she tolerates them a little better. Loki is just about Nova's size now (12lbs), but so docile. I wonder if Loki and Zoom aren't perplexed by Nova's behaviour. They lived in a friendly clowder before.

It's easier to manage them with two bedrooms. They each have a different safe room.

 

[going nova]

There's a new addition to our colony. This cat is definitely not feral. He/she allowed me to pet him/her today, but is very skittish. Cat was extremely hungry, looks like he or she was recently a pet. Cries a lot. Managed to trap, but the trap didn't latch. Still let me pet him/her afterward. Will retrap and figure out something... until I come back from working, we're at our limit. M can't juggle all the cats around on his own.

 

[going nova]

I leave for work today... 250 miles away. I'm bummed because I wanted to get to work on the new cat. The more I think about it, the more angry I become. What kind of scumbag would let their pet out like that? What kind of scumbag abandons their pet? That poor cat. At least the poor thing still has his claws. His/her coat is kind of orange and grey, something like an Abyssinian in color.

 

[kittykattiva]

Aw kitty sounds like a cutie, and you are so lucky that your bf supports you in your wonderful efforts.
How is the kitty doing now, have you found his owner?
Good luck at your work

 

[going nova]

Originally Posted by kittykattiva

Aw kitty sounds like a cutie, and you are so lucky that your bf supports you in your wonderful efforts.
How is the kitty doing now, have you found his owner?
Good luck at your work

Thank you. My boyfriend is a great guy, extremely kind-hearted. He was actually the one who started feeding the cats, though I suggested spaying and neutering.

I'll be home in a few days, and will put up flyers in an attempt to find the owner. I was thinking of putting them up at our local shelters, the apartment complexes in the area, craigslist, and the Pennysaver. I'm worried that someone noticed we were taking care of the ferals and decided to leave their cat with us. I contacted the local humane society, and we can bring the cat to their adoption events but there aren't any foster homes available.

I will see if my wonderful boyfriend will let me keep kitty in the bathroom until we can adopt him/her out or a foster home opens up. I think it'll help my case if I take over the cat care duties.

Nova is still pretty aggressive toward Loki and Zoom. She lunges at them with all her weight and clamps down on their soft spots.

We were hoping that she would at least tolerate them when we moved, but that didn't happen. I wonder if it's been too long to hope for a successful re-introduction? In any case, I plan to buy all the products people have suggested for this sort of thing and give it another try. I held off on buying them before because I didn't think I'd be employed past June and was trying to save money.

We live in a 2 bedroom apartment now (The rent is less than at our old place!), and it's a lot easier to keep the cats separated. Our bedroom is Nova's safe room, and the computer room is Loki and Zoom's safe room. In the day time, Loki and Zoom sleep in the computer room and Nova has the rest of the apartment to run around in. At night, Nova is in the bedroom with us and the boys get the rest of the apartment. It works out OK, because the boys sleep in the computer room even if the door is left open so everybody is happy more or less.

 

[going nova]

Today, we trapped "Goopy." Her eye looks pretty bad, but I don't know if we have space/time to foster her. She's in our bathroom for now. Tomorrow she'll be tested and have her eye checked out... that is, if I can get her into the carrier. She wouldn't go into the trap, but she let us pet her, so we scruffed her and put her into a kennel. I'm going to lobby the local rescues for a foster home... she's extremely friendly, definitely not a feral!

I'm worried about her eye. Anyhow, here's a photo of our lovely guest.

 

[going nova]

Our little houseguest is totally at ease.

She's already trying to explore the rest of the apartment. The boys somehow know that she's in the bathroom and they're curious about her.

 

[kit e cat]

Just saw this thread. I'm alone at work all day so I'm bored out of my mind! Anyway, I think what you're doing is awesome! You sound just like me. I have a mommy and 4 8 week old babies in my spare bedroom right now, that I've been fostering since the kittens were about 4 weeks. You can't beat the feeling that you get by helping out and knowing that you're preventing more litters from happening.

 

[going nova]

Feliway diffuser has been plugged in for a week now. Once in a while, each of the cats will walk right up to it and give it a sniff. Since we now have 4 cats in our apartment, separated into 3 groups, I'm very eager to get Nova to the point where she will tolerate the boys so that we don't have to shuffle cats around nearly as often.

'Goopy' is still in the bathroom. She has an appointment with the vet (Nova's old vet who just opened his own practice in town earlier this month) for later today.

In the meantime, I followed the advice from the other thread and decided to let the cats sort out their pecking order without interfering. I got a cheap baby gate and put it in the doorway to the boys' room. The boys are able to jump over it, but Nova isn't.

Anyhow, Zoom decided that he wanted to be in the living room. Loki decided he wasn't going to let Nova eat him and went to sleep in the closet.

I don't know if it's the Feliway, but Nova hasn't lunged at anyone's throat or belly. She did give Zoom some good swats and bites, and for the first time ever he decided he was going to swat her back! They've been coexisting for about an hour now, and I'm so relieved! M and I were stressed about taking on 'Goopy', but if Nova can tolerate Loki and Zoom, life will be so much easier.

I did catch this photo of Nova and Zoom. It doesn't look like much, but I'm very excited.

P.S. If Loki and Zoom stay with us, we might change their names. At least, I'll be changing Loki's name because I don't think the name suits him.

 

[krz]

wow, it sounds like things will work out, good for you for rescueing yet another kitty! i am going through the same thing right now, cats in separate rooms and moving them around. right now it's okay but i too am hoping everyone will eventually get along. it just takes time and patience.