One of our two-year-old TNR kiddos who has been coming inside for meals has slept inside our home overnight (it's COLD out) for nearly a week! He's such a good boy. Loves a good ear rub.
He holds his business in (so far) and just goes in the morning outside. We're working on the litter box. It's sand-like unscented with "cat attract" additive and leaves and grass clippings (he likes to go on the lawn).
He lets me pick him up, sort of, but he wriggles after a few seconds. So I've been able to put him in the litter box, but he doesn't seem to understand why. It's uncovered and in the bathroom, the only place we can put it.
We've already agreed among us in the house that the day we can successfully pick him up and get him into the cat carrier is the day we can officially, legally call him ours and we'll get him registered in the state. But until that day we've agreed that he'll be "a semi-feral who comes inside sometimes".
The ADVICE I need is regarding collars and litter box training.
for the box training: what else can I do? he's never made in the house, so it's not like I can just pick up poo and put it in the box. I've already "dug" in the litter with a finger to show him what it is. I've shown cats litter boxes before, but they weren't feral-born. Note, we don't mind him going out to just go on the lawn, but I worry one night he won't be able to hold it...
for collars, he's a panther and hard to see at night, so we'd want to get a reflective breakaway collar. We want him to be seen at night by drivers, and if he's going to be "our" cat, the state requires an outdoor cat be collared. Plus there are other ferals in the area and we want him distinguished from the others.
I guess my question to everyone is what brand is best for an 8-lb ball of muscle with a thick neck that is also either reflective or day-glo/neon. (seriously, he's so beefy I considered a 'small dog' collar lol)
Anyway, here's Panterita
He holds his business in (so far) and just goes in the morning outside. We're working on the litter box. It's sand-like unscented with "cat attract" additive and leaves and grass clippings (he likes to go on the lawn).
He lets me pick him up, sort of, but he wriggles after a few seconds. So I've been able to put him in the litter box, but he doesn't seem to understand why. It's uncovered and in the bathroom, the only place we can put it.
We've already agreed among us in the house that the day we can successfully pick him up and get him into the cat carrier is the day we can officially, legally call him ours and we'll get him registered in the state. But until that day we've agreed that he'll be "a semi-feral who comes inside sometimes".
The ADVICE I need is regarding collars and litter box training.
for the box training: what else can I do? he's never made in the house, so it's not like I can just pick up poo and put it in the box. I've already "dug" in the litter with a finger to show him what it is. I've shown cats litter boxes before, but they weren't feral-born. Note, we don't mind him going out to just go on the lawn, but I worry one night he won't be able to hold it...
for collars, he's a panther and hard to see at night, so we'd want to get a reflective breakaway collar. We want him to be seen at night by drivers, and if he's going to be "our" cat, the state requires an outdoor cat be collared. Plus there are other ferals in the area and we want him distinguished from the others.
I guess my question to everyone is what brand is best for an 8-lb ball of muscle with a thick neck that is also either reflective or day-glo/neon. (seriously, he's so beefy I considered a 'small dog' collar lol)
Anyway, here's Panterita
