Picked up two traps this morning. They are scheduled for surgery for next Thursday. Here goes nothin!
(They'll also scan Siamese for microchip, so I might try to snag him over the weekend too)
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Picked up two traps this morning. They are scheduled for surgery for next Thursday. Here goes nothin!
(They'll also scan Siamese for microchip, so I might try to snag him over the weekend too)
Good luck! You might leave the traps out for the the next few days. Secure the trap doors, but leave some food in them so that the cats start to get used to going into them. I used canned food with a handful of kitting treats leading into the trap. When you trap them the day of surgery, cover the traps immediately with a sheet or light towel. It will hopefully calm them down to some extent.Quote:
Originally Posted by jessmarimba
I'll say the same thing to you that Mimi was kind enough to say to me: Thanks for making a difference.
Thanks for all of the advice!
The orange guy has gotten so friendly (when he wants something, anyway) - he is still so kittenish and hopefully Thursday is still early enough that he doesn't start spraying. He ran up purring this morning and let me really pet him, loved having the back of his head rubbed. Then he tried to suck on my finger. If all goes well I may let him out in a room in the house and see if he can't be tamed. He's "old" to tame, for a feral, but seems to be quite comfortable around me.
Last thing I need is another cat, but I don't see my living situation changing any time soon.
Today starts the "don't feed 'em til you wanna catch 'em" phase...
Will try and trap one tomorrow night and the orange guy tomorrow or Thursday morning. I feel kind of bad now about the whole thing even though it needs done, but it's awful to think of them in the cages and having NO idea what's happening...
I hope they don't remember that the only person they trust did it to them. Or they don't hold a grudge, anyway.
If I trap one the night before the surgery (or both) is it better to leave them in the cages outside with towels over them? Will they be safe from the other cats, foxes, dogs, etc? Or should I put them in the garage or something?
If you catch them, place the cat and the cage in a safe dimly lit place. You don't want them exposed to the elements nor to wild critters: skunks, racoons, opposums, coyote... None of them are going to be nice to a young cat.
:confused::confused:Quote:
Originally Posted by indysteel
If he spayed your female cat, she can't get pregnant. If she was already pregnant when he spayed her, he removed her uterus(s) and so there is no pregnancy after a cat is spayed. No matter what he removed all uterus and ovarian tissue.
For some reason, I was under the assumption that they just tied their tubes, although to be honest, I know nothing about that part of the cat anatomy.Quote:
Originally Posted by Biciclista
Thanks for the reassurance though. I can breathe easy now.
i was going to make those letters smaller but you already quoted it, owell.
the other thing is, if you catch a cat, cover the cage with a towel or a blanket, it will make them much more relaxed. Good luck! a lot of us have done this. I had to practice A LOT because i wanted it to work right the first time. (and it DID)
They should be okay overnight, but I would line the trap with newspaper and place it on additional newspaper on the assumption that he will pee at some point. I'd bring them into your garage if it's not too hot. None of our strays are holding a grudge. If anything, they've gotten friendlier. They'll be fine.Quote:
Originally Posted by jessmarimba
Definitely not too hot...lows in the 40s tonight :eek:
Alright, garage or utility room it is. My backyard is fenced but the cats have created a lot of holes under it, so critters definitely go in and out all night. Skunks, other cats, possibly dogs and other critters (I don't venture out much to check).
but ughhhhh I think I saw more (older, maybe 12 weeks?) kittens yesterday morning. I need to chat with the neighbors that are feeding the mama cat. No wonder she hasn't been around much.
Uh oh. Obviously, you may have a bigger problem on your hands. I'd still get that mom in as soon as you can; she's likely to go into heat again soon, if she hasn't already. The kittens--if there are any--will soon be ready to be fixed, too.Quote:
Originally Posted by jessmarimba
I have one angry cat in a carrier in the utility room and two terrified cats in traps in the garage!
Mama showed up. Starving. She almost went in the trap before I had the food set in there. I caught her and then the orange guy, but I knew I'd have to get the tortie now or never...The orange one will always take food before her, since he's not really afraid of me. So I scooted the orange guy into a carrier and reset the trap for the tortie.
They have surgery in the morning.
I talked to the neighbors - mom did have kittens, but they're not young enough to still need her. They said the kittens weren't in the yard anymore (but they aren't in mine either) so I'm going to have to keep an eye out for them. Hope they're alright for a couple of days without their bodyguards.
Good work. I hope surgery goes well. How long will your vet keep them? Mine are currently trying to figure out their new shelters. We have a nicer one on order, but we made a couple additional ones out of a plastic bin and a styrofoam cooler. We didn't anticipate it getting so cold this early.
I drop them off between 7:30-9:00 am and pick them up between 4:00-5:00 pm. Then I guesss they have to sit in the traps here for another 12-36 hours? They said 12 was for a lactating female. So maybe longer for these guys.
The orange guy is wailing his head off, and the only thing that comforts him is if I come down and stick my finger through the wires and rub his head. I guess I'm gonna have to keep him when this is all over, at least until I can maybe find him another home.
(I'm not a crazy cat lady I swear...)
We kept our male in his trap in our basement for another 24 hours. Some feral organizations say they should be kept inside for a week. That just wasn't realistic. Put female was on heat so the vet kept her and her kitten several days--bless them.
And trust me; I am the crazy cat lady.
wonderful!! good luck!!
Just a friendly reminder. No food or water after midnight till surgery. Males can be released generally 24 hours after surgery. But I usually like to keep them for few extra days just to be sure. Girl cats, usually a week. Older cats are kept longer.
You did really well in catching three cats at once. Congratulation.
I don't think they're going to believe me that the orange kitten is feral. For one thing, he learned to meow for my attention (probably from mooning over my cat, who cries to get out day), so he's been sitting in his crate HOWLING ALL NIGHT LONG. Second, even though he's clearly distressed, if I stick my finger in the cage he rubs his cheek and head and face on it.
But I guess if I decide to keep him I don't have much time to kitten-proof a house. I don't have enough doors here to even confine him to one place.
maybe orange kitten wasn't born feral but was abandoned ? good luck with them all. sorry he's so noisy.
Oh I have a nice story to share about a feral cat.
When we bought our flat, there was a big stray cat in the common yard. He must have been some sort of Maine Coon, definitely the biggest cat I had ever seen. I asked the housekeeper about him and she told me that he had been living in the yard for years, but wouldn't let himself being touched or else would bite and scratch really badly, she told me that she was really afraid of him. Our neighbor was always leaving some cat food outside for him, but told be he was too wild to be kept as a pet and that I shouldn't touch him.
Sometimes he strayed over our patio, but wouldn't let us touch him or even get close. Sometimes I gave him some leftovers, and over time, he sometimes would sit beside me when I was in the garden. When I moved slowly and carefully, I could pet him for a little while, but not his head.
One day, month later, he slipped inside the open back door, looking at me warily. As long as we kept the door open, he would stay besides us. Over weeks, he would sit and watch a little TV with us and then leave again. At some point it was even possible to close the door without him panicking.
One evening, I noticed how he was watching my husband, who was lying on the couch, for quite a long time. Then, abruptly, he walked up DHs feet, let himself fall on his belly, then stopped moving entirely, carefully watching what would happen next.
It was funny on the one hand, and heartbreaking on the other. Somehow this broke the ice forever and he stayed with us the remaining years of his life (a long life, the Vet told me that he was well above 15 when we first brought him there, and he lived another 10 in our home).
Believe it or not, he became the most cuddly cat I ever had. I always had the feeling that he was grateful for his nice new home. He needed quite some time to get over his wariness, I guess his life hadn't been good at all, but when he did, became very trusting and calm. His looks were daunting, he weighted 25 pounds at his best times, his ears scratched from fighting, one of his fangs broken, but he jumped on my lap whenever I was sitting down and let me pet him, purring unbelievably loud an deep. He waited on the corner of the house when I got home from work and came running like a dog when I called him in the evening.
He died at night some years ago, in the living room. I think he didn't feel well at all in the evening, but still enjoyed being cuddled and purred for me even then.
That's such a sweet story! I got Clementine, my older cat, in a similar way. Except after she got locked in the laundry room closet at our old apartment complext for two weeks, we took her in the apartment and never let her out again. She was pretty unhappy with us at first but now has no desire to go out.
The orange guy got out in the car on the way there :eek: :eek: :eek:
I'd had the windows down b/c he reeked of pee but I got them up in time. He just sat on the dashboard til we got there, and then I picked him up in his towel and put him back in the carrier. Surprisingly easy. Even my owned cats wouldn't have been so cooperative.
I am going to be stressing all day.
I asked for the orange dude to be FLV/FIV tested, b/c if he's positive I can't keep him with the cats I already have. But if he's positive, they euthanise. Ugh....I'm so worried now.
Is that a typical vet policy?Quote:
Originally Posted by jessmarimba
Here's what one of our local feral organizations has to say about it:
http://indyferal.org/index.php?page=fiv-felv
I agree with IndyFeral - there is no reason to kill them, especially if they aren't symptomatic. There's nothing on the RMACA website about it but I think it was in the small print on the paperwork I signed for those guys this morning.
Now I'm wishing I hadn't asked him to be tested but I also didn't want to put my girls at risk...I hope he's ok. Maybe they'd call first? It says that "There are no exceptions to their rules" on the website but they already broke 'em by not charging me the "tame cat" fee for the one that ended up in a carrier instead of the trap.
Have you ever seen him with any signs of a fight? The incidence of infection is still relatively low and it appears that he was in a home at some point in time and not living on the street, so just hope for the best.
Sorry to bug all of you with the stress! They just called, the kitties are doing fine and I can pick them up whenever I'm ready. Yay!
Yay, kitties! I'm glad they're doing fine!
I've already given orange buddy the run of the laundry room. He somehow doesn't seem to connect me with ANY of this...instead, I think he's decided that I'm his mother. Seriously. He might be the most affectionate cat I've ever seen. He will not stop purring and just wants pets (too funny, I just got back from a concert, and he would run to his towel/bed - then run back for more pets, then bed, then pets, til he finally passed out mid-trip)
And I may have confused some of you earlier, but he was definitely born in my backyard...his mother got fixed today, too. So I'm quite happy that he seems to be content inside!
Always love a happy ending. Yayyy!! for the orange kitty. I'm really happy for both of you!! Sounds like a real loverboy!! :cool::cool:
HooRay for a happy ending! May the kitties live long and happy lives. And not drive you too crazy.:cool:Quote:
Originally Posted by smilingcat
We learned three important things today!
1) After peeing all over a paper bag I gave him to hide in, he has used the litter box all day. (He must've been really waiting on that bag though, b/c I can't believe he could hold that much liquid. So he was obviously trying not to go someplace "bad")
2) He learned how to sit in a lap and make biscuits :D
3) He learned how fun it is to sit someplace high and knock everything off (therefore, this must be an instinctive trait)
Jess, how are you stray cats doing? Did they heal from the surgery? How is the newest addition to your indoor cats doing? Any further leads on where the Siamese came from?
I hope you're all doing well!
Orange critter is doing well! He seems incapable of learning how to move on wood floors...it's so funny to watch him try to stop and completely spin out.
I've seen Mama cat twice, and she is a little more scared of me but seems otherwise fine.
Orange guy's sister learned to meow at the vet and now asks for food. I think she's forgotten the whole ordeal.
And the Siamese has returned for the last two days, but he's still on the heavier side and still won't eat the food I set out, so I'm pretty sure he either has someone else feeding him or has an indoor home somewhere.
I need to start working on a shelter for them soon. It's getting chilly here at night.
We now have two shelters: One we fabricated out of a Rubbermaid container and a styrofoam cooler, with a hole cut out for access. It sits on our front porch. Our adult male took to it right away. Most nights, you can see that he's burrowed inside. I've placed my hand inside after he's stepped out of it, and it gets quite warm. Granted, it's not overly cold out yet.
This past Friday, we picked up this shelter from a local man who makes them. It has two entrances and an upper "deck" inside where the cats are supposed to sleep. We also picked up some straw and catnip (to attract them). We think the mother cat and her "teenage" son are already using it. We have it on our back deck in a spot that gets a lot of sun. I'm still thinking of what we can do to make it a bit warmer on the coldest of days, e.g., an electric pad or one of those warmers you can throw in the microwave. I sure hope they make it through the winter.
you're awesome!! they'll be fine now.Quote:
Originally Posted by indysteel
And just a few hours later...orange guy is out again :(
I have a friend staying with me and she says that when she got up the back door was open. One of my cats got tired of outside and was on my bed when I got home, one was still sitting calmly in the back yard, but the orange guy is on the rampage. He hasn't been allowed to play in the wild for weeks so he's taking advantage of it.
I guess I could just leave him there but after all these vet bills... :(
I hope he gets hungry enough to come back in and snuggle...
I bet he's tired of the cold and wants to come back in.
Good call! He woke me up meowing plaintively on the roof outside my bedroom window in the middle of the night. After I let him in he jumped right on the bed to snuggle and I swear he's been purring for 7 hours straight! I'm so relieved that he's ok though.Quote:
Originally Posted by Biciclista
I like this! I'm glad he's back in safety and warmth of your home.Quote:
Originally Posted by jessmarimba
he had to go back out and see what he was missing, thanks for good news.