Taming feral cats

[Biciclista]

I

I sure hope we got the female fixed in time. She was already in heat when we took her in. That was on August 3rd. She's gotten a lot more affectionate recently and doesn't look as thin as she did. Of course, she's also gotten used to us and is eating regular meals, so who knows. We have a vet appointment for our indoor cats on Saturday. I'll talk to the vet then. I don't know if it makes sense to have her checked out to verify whether she's pregnant or just wait and see. I do not want to deal with more cats. If there's a litter, I'll have to get them placed in a home or shelter.

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.

[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.

Thanks for the reassurance though. I can breathe easy now.

[Biciclista]

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)

[indysteel]

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?

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.

[jessmarimba]

Definitely not too hot...lows in the 40s tonight

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.

[indysteel]

Definitely not too hot...lows in the 40s tonight

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.

[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.

[indysteel]

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.

[jessmarimba]

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...)

[indysteel]

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.

[Biciclista]

wonderful!! good luck!!

[smilingcat]

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.

[jessmarimba]

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.

[Biciclista]

maybe orange kitten wasn't born feral but was abandoned ? good luck with them all. sorry he's so noisy.

[Susan]

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.