I'd posted a thread a couple of weeks ago about introducing my feral boy to a backyard enclosure. I was going to relocate him because he was losing the only home he's ever known - an old, unused garage.
This past Tuesday (Nov. 4) the garage was demolished. I'd been trying to trap my little guy for weeks, but he didn't cooperate. The good news is that he got out of the garage before it came down.
Tuesday night I saw him - crouched in the parking lot where the garage had been located. He meowed a little bit - it was different than usual, scared -sounding. Though he usually lets me pet him, he wouldn't come near me or let me approach him. I left food and a little shelter (under the deck of one of the garden apartments at one end of the parking lot).
I haven't seen him since then. I feel terrible about this, like I've let him down. If only I could have trapped him, he'd be safe in my yard.
I'm sticking to my twice daily feeding schedule. I walk all around the area calling him. I leave the food. I know losing his home is a traumatic situation for him, but would he leave an area that's otherwise completely familiar to him? He's lived in the garage 9 years. I've been taking care of him the entire time.
I dread going there tonight and not seeing him again. Just thinking about it makes my stomach hurt. Has anyone been through a similar situation? Any thoughts on this?
This past Tuesday (Nov. 4) the garage was demolished. I'd been trying to trap my little guy for weeks, but he didn't cooperate. The good news is that he got out of the garage before it came down.
Tuesday night I saw him - crouched in the parking lot where the garage had been located. He meowed a little bit - it was different than usual, scared -sounding. Though he usually lets me pet him, he wouldn't come near me or let me approach him. I left food and a little shelter (under the deck of one of the garden apartments at one end of the parking lot).
I haven't seen him since then. I feel terrible about this, like I've let him down. If only I could have trapped him, he'd be safe in my yard.
I'm sticking to my twice daily feeding schedule. I walk all around the area calling him. I leave the food. I know losing his home is a traumatic situation for him, but would he leave an area that's otherwise completely familiar to him? He's lived in the garage 9 years. I've been taking care of him the entire time.
I dread going there tonight and not seeing him again. Just thinking about it makes my stomach hurt. Has anyone been through a similar situation? Any thoughts on this?