T.N.R. stray

[vickync]

I have been caring for a young adult cat for several weeks now and it appears to be a stray rather than feral.  For the past three days the cat meows when she sees me, has purred, come to me, waits for me to put out food and water, rubs against my legs and has allowed me to pet and even pick her up.  She looks like either a young female that has never been pregnant or a neutered male and I noticed yesterday that the tip of her left ear has been clipped off.     If she was trapped, neutered and released would she also have been given immunizations by the T.N.R. group?  I definitely wish to place her in a forever (indoor) home and will take her to my vet as soon as I can determine that she is not owned by someone in the neighborhood.  What have others done when they encounter a very trusting (hungry) stray living outside for weeks?

 

[ondine]

If she's been TNR'd, she's probably gotten her first shots.  I would ask around the neighborhood and see if anyone is feeding her.  That person may feel ownership, so I would check first.  If you don't find anyone who claims her, by all means, find her a good home.  Life is tough outside and if you can, it would be such a wonderful thing for her.

Thank you for helping her!

 

[vickync]

Thanks Ondine, I will post a message on NextDoor.com to find out if anyone else is feeding her/him in the neighborhood.  She is waiting for me to feed and give her fresh water each a.m. and afternoon at the feeding station I set up.  She is either a young adult female that has never had kittens (which if not spayed would have had kittens her first heat cycle) or a neutered male.

 

[msaimee]

It looks like she's already chosen you to be her new caregiver

. I imagine she's a "dump." We get a lot of them in my neighborhood. People move away, or don't want to care for a cat any longer, and put their cat out on the street because the local Humane Society in my area is ALWAYS full. She's clearly not a feral because she's too friendly and trusting. Is the clipped ear a clean cut, or could the ear be torn and healed from an injury? In cases such as this, I encourage people to take the cat in, because even if someone else is their "caregiver," they are being neglectful. If you take the cat in and she belongs to someone, there will be pictures of her posted on telephone poles and social media, because responsible pet owners actually care about missing pets and try to find them. But I seriously doubt anyone will look for this kitty if you take her in.

 

[ondine]

Just to be clear, I would take her in immediately and look for her "owner."  This will give her a safe place to be until she is re-homed.

She has chosen you.  

 

[biologrady]

The clipped ear probably indicates he/she was indeed part a TNR, but her behavior suggests she is not very "feral" at all, and might not make it in the wild.
Our feral story... A beautiful black cat kept his distance from us for 2 years. Couldn't get near him, hissed if we got too close. Hadn't seen him for a few months, then he showed up again and saw immediately he had become very ill; we caught him but had to let his infection pass before we could neuter him, and in that 2 weeks he became quite used to us. In fact, I took him to the neuter appointment a little sheepishly because I paid only the subsidized TNR fee, but he acted like a pet. They neutered him, notched his ear, and we still weren't sure if it would work out absorbing him into our 3 cat household or if he would go back outside. He and one of our cats hit it off immediately, as if they were long lost brothers (not possible) so it was a very happy ending.

 

[vickync]

To MsAimee, thanks for replying.  Like you, we get a lot of abandoned cats since we have two major universities very close and students will turn their "pets" out when they leave for the summer thinking that the animal can hunt and fend for themselves.   We also have a couple of irresponsible owners of cats in the neighborhood who claim they believe their cats are happier being allowed to be "indoor/outdoor" at will---even when told it is dangerous for the cat due to a pair of hawks feeding nestlings, foxes and traffic but the owners state "they know there is danger, but they are willing to take the risk".  The owners have been told that their "pets" are stalking song birds at feeding stations but the owners just say, spray our cats with water and they will leave---some people are unbelievable!

 

[vickync]

To Newbie, thanks for your reply.   I agree this cat is a stray and not feral.   Over the years I have taken in two strays from the neighborhood who were starving and four cats from the animal shelter and without exception none of them EVER wanted to go outdoors again---in fact they would run away from an exterior door thinking they would be put outside again.   3 1/2 years  ago I cared for a genuinely feral cat for 6 months (food, water, dry bedding, shelter) before it would allow me to approach (she would come up onto my deck wanting to eat and would run down the stairs if I opened my back door.)   She had a horrible mosquito bite allergy and had scratched all of the hair off the back of her ears and half of her face and had only oozing, bloody scabs on the back of her ears.   She would not go into the borrowed trap from my vet but after 6 months she allowed me to pet her one afternoon and the next morning she allowed me to pick her up, place her in a carrying kennel and take her immediately to my vet.  She has been an indoor-only cat since returning from the vet, she enjoys watching "cat T.V.", i.e.  birds and squirrels through windows, and the hair grew back on her face and back of her ears when she was no longer scratching the mosquito bites but she has no desire to go back outdoors for any reason.   My vet estimated she was at least 2 years old and not part of a colony when I took her in and she has never been willing to have anything to do with my non-aggressive males who want to be friends with her.  I have only recently learned that she is deaf---my vets had no idea either even though they see her regularly.

 

[vickync]

To Ondine:  your advice has always been extremely helpful to me on this web site, thanks!   I do believe that a cat chooses its new home and owner.   My only hesitation in taking this cat in immediately is the effect of adding a fourth cat to my household when one of mine is a formerly feral who refuses to assimilate with my two gentle male cats who want to be friends with her.  Previously when I added a fourth cat to my household it changed the dynamics among my cats and they no longer got along as well as they had when there were only three living together in the house (e.g. two became aggressive with each other and would fight frequently when previously they got along well with each other.)    I currently have a wonderful next door neighbor who has one cat and one dog who has volunteered to share feeding responsibilities with me for this cat and I thought that if she begins feeding the stray regularly she will fall in love with the cat as I have and will want to adopt her as an indoor-only pet.  I would be interested in the opinion of others on this idea.

 

[msaimee]

It has been my experience over the years that cats adjust to living with each other and work out their differences. Unlike many humans, they learn to live peacefully together despite their differences. A couple months ago I took in a 5 month old feral kitten. I have four other cats in my household, all rescued cats. I have two male alpha cats, a lame female who is still semi-feral, and a geriatric cat with heart disease. Cupcake assimilated very quickly and well into my household. She still won't let me touch her, but she feels at ease with my four other cats. Don't assume that taking in a fourth cat will disrupt your household. It may take a few months for your new kitty to find his place in your household, but chances are he will befriend one or more of the other cats. Surprisingly, it was the bossy, aggressive alpha male who befriended and looked out for the kitten when I took her in--he bonded with her on day one. I hope you will be able to take this cat inside or find him a good home. It's great you're helping him.

 

[vickync]

To MsAimee:  Thanks for your reply to my concern re: adding a fourth cat to a household with a formerly feral who is not assimilated even after 3.5 years.  You have quite a household there---it is reassuring that peace is possible among a such a mixture.

 

[ondine]

I recently moved to a new house and our seven cats are currently adjusting to it and each other.  There were three groups at the old house - one cat, a tortoiseshell, had her own room.  Two others were outside in an enclosure (simply because I did not have room inside for them).  The other five had the run of most of the rest of the house.  Soon after we moved, one of our cats, Molly, was diagnosed with cancer and we had to have her euthanized.

In any case, the remaining seven cats are all in crates in our large sun room.  I am gradually introducing them to one another and they are adjusting (some quickly, some not so quickly).  My point is, they are adjusting.  Cats are pretty pragmatic.  If they realize this is their only choice, they soon learn to at least co-exist.  None of my cats is buddy-buddy bit they do get along.  I do know when I purchased cat trees, they seemed to do better.  Lots of vertical space really helps.

I would bring her in and if possible, give her her own space for a bit (a small bedroom, a bathroom, etc).  Slow introductions and lots of scent swapping will help.  Rub one end of a towel on her and the other end on another cat.  Put her end on one side of the door and the other cat's end on her side of the door and feed treats.  This way, they associate the treat with the other cat's scent.  Works really well with food motivated cats.

Of course, if your neighbor can bring her inside, that might be a better solution.  But please try to get her inside as soon as you can.

 

[msaimee]

Yes, cat trees are a wonderful way to introduce a new cat into a multi-cat household. I purchased a new one for my feral kitten a few months ago on Amazon for under $100. I can post the link if you like. It is 6 foot tall and has different levels and cubby holes. My kitten is extremely happy on that cat tree and feels very safe there. I also have a cat tree downstairs for the alpha cats. The great thing about a cat tree is that a new cat can hide in the cubby holes but still be seen by you, or lay on top and feel secure because of the height. So I agree with Ondine's suggestion.