URGENT- need advice about ferals and hurricane

[houseofcats]

Good pointers Renae!!!

 

[lotsocats]

I just posted this paper from the Humane Society on disaster planning for pets. I think it will be helpful.

 

[pamela]

Thanks for all the tips. I really appreciate it! I will try to trap her tmr nite after my night class then I won't have to worry about her for the next several days.

Remember that hurricanes can be deadly, and that you and your family may need to move into the bathroom or a closet during the storm because the walls of these small rooms may be able to stand up if the roof or walls collapse. Make sure your own cat is in a carrier the whole time as well so that if the house is damaged your cat will not escape. Make sure your cat has a collar or has a chip so that if the cat does escape, and is found it can be returned to you.

This is a very good point- I planned to loan a friend of mine 2 of my cat carriers since she needs 2 extra cuz she lives closer to the coast but now I think I better keep all 4 of my carriers so just in case I need to transport my babies, I will have sufficient carriers. I feel bad for my friend but I'm sure she'll understand...

Pls keep ur fingers crossed so that I won't have to deal with disasters... I CAN'T think of losing my babies. It scares me.. I think u guys can tell I am more worried about my cats than myself!

 

[pamela]

After I have thought some more about this, I've decided to go ahead to Petsmart tmr (will call in sick tmr am)and use my credit card to buy a small crate or kennel. The hurricane might come earlier or later and might last short or longer so if I do have to keep her longer then it's not fair to keep her in a small trap where she can't move around much so that's why I've decided to go ahead with the crate or kennel even though I can't really afford it..

I will keep u posted regarding trapping Callie tmr nite. HOPE she comes in the trap right away and not give me a hard time like she did when I tried to trap her for spaying.

 

[ldg]

This is a wonderful thing you are doing!!! They still don't know where the hurricane is going to hit, but thankfully it looks like it's slowing down a bit (last I heard).

If you're not able to trap her, I expect, hope and pray she'll find safe cover.

How's it going, and what have you decided to do at this point?

 

[pamela]

Thanks for asking and thinking of us poor suckers out here on the east coast.

I am going to run to Petsmart tonite and see if I can buy a small crate or kennel so that way Callie can have some space to move around in after I trap her and move her into the kennel.

I also realized that there'd be a problem with having the trap in the bathtub cuz I was told that I should fill the bathtub with water in case electricity goes off so that means I can't have Callie in the bathtub.

What I've heard and read so far from news doesn't sound too good. Yes, the wind is lessening but still...Here's some quotes from USATODAY I read. (I only live 10 min away from DC so I'm really close to DC) .

Washington braced for the prospect of what one local disaster planning official called "the perfect storm" — a hurricane barreling up the Chesapeake Bay and Potomac River and into the nation's capital.
Authorities there have set up the old convention center and Robert F. Kennedy Stadium, former home of the Washington Redskins football team, as disaster mobilization sites.

Another part from that website-

Hurricane forecaster Stacy Stewart said he "could easily see" winds at hurricane force — 74 mph and above — extending 150 miles out from the storm's center when it strikes land. Winds slightly less than hurricane intensity could extend up to 300 miles from the center.

In a conference call Monday for federal and state disaster planners, Stewart said the storm could bring widespread damage inland, not just along the coast.

Sigh. I have SO MUCH to do AND now I think I am starting to get a kidney infection again cuz my back and side has been hurting for the last few days and is getting worse. I have a class tonite from 4-7 pm then am having a bed delivered tonite to my home, have to run to Petsmart which is about 30 min away to get a crate or kennel and some bachs rescue remedy to calm my cats down if they get freaked out or Callie from being trapped, trap Callie, get more food and water together, check all of my flashlights' batteries to make sure they're working! And I have to do all this tonite!

HOPE I accomplish everything tonite.

I can tell that the cats knows there's something up because last nite Buddy kept wanting to ride on and STAY on my shoulders- ususally he'd just jump up on my back and stay there for about 10 min before jumping off but last nite he stayed on my back/shoulders for over an hour before I had to pry him off.. Some of my other cats are starting to act a bit differently- more nervous...

 

[houseofcats]

Here's some good reference sites for disasters and prepardness:

http://www.hsus.org/ace/18730

http://www.uan.org/ears/cat.html

 

[purrfectcatlove]

Thanks HouseofCats those are some great site's .

 

[houseofcats]

Pamela
How are things going? Did you trap her? Are you prepared?

 

[pamela]

No luck with trapping her so far. Will try again tonite and tmr am. Still trying to get prepared!! Am half prepared now. Ha.. It's frustrating to hear that Isabella was downgraded to category 2 therefore I got my hopes up that it won't be bad then hearing that it was upgraded to a category 3 again.. ARGGGG It's nervewrecking.

Thanks for asking..

 

[loubelia]

Hi
I would put catnip & kitty cat treats in a natural warm sheltered spot, be it inside or outside (wherever you think she may want to go first). If she's like my kitties, the smell of the treats and catnip will make it hard for her to resist.
Good luck!

 

[ellie]

Hi Pamela,

I'm in the same boat you are. I live in Southern Maryland and I have 7 inside cas and 4 ferals. I've been trying to get two of the tame ferals in the house but I just can't get my hands on them. I left the doors of my shed ajar and have it fixed so that it won't blow open.

I don't scare easy, but this situation really has me worried. I live in a small house with 9 big oak trees in the back yard. If one of them falls on the house both me and my cats could be crushed.

Good luck!

 

[pamela]

I am ready to scream with frustration and pull out my hair!

Callie just REFUSES to go into the trap. I SWEAR she's doing it to DRIVE me NUTS...

For the last 3 nights, I'd set out the trap, watch her sniff around it, take ONE step in to lick the juices off the papers then back off and sit right next to the trap staring at me! ARGGGG! I have left the room several times so she won't see me if she went near the trap but still no luck.

Tonite I feel really bad because I put out tuna fish (LAST RESORT for me) and actually saw her get in the trap - ONE-TWO MORE STEPS and the trap would've shut! I was starting to get sooo excited thinking I've finally succeeded! That D*** CAT (pardon my language-I RARELY swear so this shows how upset I am)- she backed out and jumped up on the fence and looked soo smug!

After a few minutes of frustration, I decided to go and play with my cats and not watch.. WELLLLLLLL, the next thing I know, I saw Callie jumping down from the fence and approach the trap so I walked up to the door and realized that another feral (who doesn't come regularly to feed) got trapped instead! I had to let that POOR terrified feral go (I was planning on trapping him later on and get him fixed but now I'll have a harder time trapping him!) While I was opening the trap door, I swear to u guys, Callie was sitting a few steps away from me watching and I could SWEAR she was LAUGHING

at me!!!

I am getting STRESSED

out cuz news says the storm will hit earlier than expected- will hit tmr (thurs) in the AFTERNOON instead of late Tues nite/early Fri morning so I don't have much longer left before I can catch Callie safely and get her in!!

PLS send me some good luck!

I want to take all food inside tonite so that way Callie'd be hungry BUT at the same time I want other ferals to be able to feed NOW cuz who knows when they can come out to eat after the storm..

Let me know what u think if I should take all food in so Callie can't eat but what about other ferals?!?

I took food in today all day so she didn't get to eat much today but no luck so far....

Ellie, I HOPE u have better luck getting ur ferals in than I am having with Callie!

Be safe! Try to go into the basement- I think that might be safer cuz of less windows? Also keep all ur cats in their carriers during the storm cuz someone mentioned that cats can get scared and run off if the house becomes damaged.

I have also bought Feliway ( couldn't find Bach's rescue remedy) so I hope Feliway works- I'm going to plug it in tmr when the storm starts and hope it keeps my 4 cats CALM...

I am pretty much prepared- I have cat food, all 4 carriers set out, flashlights, extra batteries, candles, junkfood, some good books to read if electricity goes off and start praying that no trees hits my house/basement,no flooding (I live near a river), etc..WISH I don't live alone-

could use another human being with me in my apt.

Two last things left is to get the kennel/crate AND get Callie in! Last nite as I was going to sleep, I suddenly recalled that one of my friends have a big dog crate/kennel so today I asked her at work if she still has the kennel and if she was planning on using it this weekend. She said she wasn't going to use it so she'll let me borrow it! That means I don't have to shell out big bucks for something that I will probably never use again in the future!

Now, I need to concentrate on getting that D*** cat into the trap, transfer to the kennel then try to calm her down.

 

[pamela]

Ellie- I was wondering if any of ur cats are acting funny or differently recently?

I'm asking because I can tell my cats are getting nervous. Buddy CONSTANTLY wants to stay on my back/shoulders. Spike who had not jumped up on my back/shoulders for over 2 years recently started jumping up on my back and wanting to stay like Buddy does. (this is NOT good cuz I already have so many scratches on my back/shoulders/arms from Buddy-don't need more from Spike also!) Pepper seems to be meowing more often and wanting more affection - Zebra seems to be wanting more attention also. They all are also staying closer to me than usual and that means I'm constantly tripping over them.. They like to be in the same room with me usually but not under my feet like now..

Was wondering if u were having the same experience? Anyone out here on East Coast that are noticing differences in their cats' behavior due to the hurricane coming?

 

[kittymomof5]

Callie is adorable!

I might have another suggestion for you for trapping her.
Put your cats in your bedroom, open the front door with food just inside the door. Sit in your car or somewhere else outside unseen and wait for her to go to the door. If she is curious, she will go up to door wondering why it's open, eventually she should go in for a bite to eat. As soon as she gets in, quietly run up and shut the door behind her.

This is how I caught my two feral cats at work. Like you I was determined to get them indoors back in December because I knew the winter days would be rough for them.
The first one I caught no problem this way. The second it took a whole month later to catch him because he was a little more skittish than his sister was. The way I caught him was, I put his sister in a carrier inside and left the door open, he heard her cries and came in to investigate, I used a fish net to grab him before he bolted for the door when he saw me and shut the door. LOL, I know it sounds funny that I used his sister for bait and a fish net, but it worked! They both stayed as office cats for a few months until they calmed down, now they are the most loving cats I have ever had here at home.
It's amazing how you can turn feral cats into loving cats with time and patience.
Anyway, sorry I got off topic there.

Try that to trap her. She may not trust that trap you have now and is being more cautious because of what happened to her last time. You may have to try something else to get her.

I know how frustrating it is but hang in there! And if you don't catch her, I'm sure she will find shelter somewhere else. Like you said, they do have instincts when it comes to danger coming.

How is the weather there now? Has it started to hit the inland yet?

 

[pamela]

Thanks for the idea about coaxing her into the house. I did try that with another cat and it worked so I will do that today. I set out the trap early this morning with tuna fish and am hoping to catch her with that first. when i opened the blinds, Callie was sleeping on my door welcome mat and run off a bit when i opened the door then as soon as she saw me setting up the trap, she left.

I'm hoping shell come back soon!

Work is closed so I can't go in to work today.

I'm sure u all are thinking "U crazy lady, why are u sad!?" I really thought I'd have to work today so I left some stuff at work. I also was supposed to get a dog crate from my friend at work but now I have to drive over to my friend's home (about 30 min away) to pick this up so if I DO succeed in trapping Callie, I can transfer her to the kennel so she can move around in it. That's one reason why I'm disappointed about work cuz my workplace is only 10 min away from my home. Now I have to drive for about 30 min and HOPE that the wind won't pick up too much before I get back home.

Wind is starting to get stronger and it's very gloomy outside. It hasn't started raining here yet but I'm sure it will soon. I am going to move 2 outside plants inside, try to find a secure place for my garbage can and some other stuff.

Will keep u posted further.. From what I see from the news, the main area of hurricane/storm will hit my area this afternoon/evening..

 

[valanhb]

Stay safe Pamela, and extra strong COME IN THE HOUSE CALLIE vibes coming your way!

 

[pamela]

THANKS! I've pretty much given up on Callie's being trapped or coming in. I opened the door like someone suggested with tuna fish on little plates leading inside and Callie did start going in but when I tried to close the door behind her she took off and I missed her.

I will keep an eye on her and if she's still at my door as it gets worse, I'll open the door and see if she'll come in.

My cats are DEFINATELY upset. Zebra started meowing like crazy about an hour ago- she RARELY meows sooo that shows she knows something is coming. All 4 cats keep huddling near me. I just plugged feliway on and hope that will start working to calm them.

I can't believe how sick I am now! Last nite, I started getting a cold and now my ears are aching like crazy, keep sneezing, sniffing and sometimes coughing AND it had to happen NOW when I can't go to a dr to get antibiotics! I feel so crappy and TIRED but at the same time, I CAN'T rest or sleep cuz I'm afraid if I fall asleep then I won't know if it gets too bad, if a window gets broken, etc (I'm deaf so I won't hear glass breaking so that means I need to WATCH so I'd know) so that's frustrating...

Now all I have to do is sit tight and hope for the best-no broken windows, doors, walls, no flooding, etc.... I've heard that Isabel has been downsized to cat. 1 so that's good!
Guess that's all for now....

 

[houseofcats]

Good luck to you! Please let us know how everything went. I sure wish you could've trapped her. *sigh*

 

[hissy]

Not only that, but I wish you could have kept the one caught in your trap as well. I understand that your mission was to trap callie. You can try putting a thin, and I mean thin layer (one layer) of newspaper at the bottom of the trap (so she won't feel the cage on her paws) That sometimes work, but looking at her picture and guessing her age, I would say she is probably trap savvy. Just be sure she has a place where she can get food and water if you don't trap her. Quite honestly, ferals have good instinct. If it really starts to blow and she is standing outside your door, I would be tempted to just open the door, and step way inside your home and let her come in. Good luck and I hope you don't really get hit to hard!