Taming feral cats

[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.

[jessmarimba]

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

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.

[jessmarimba]

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.

[indysteel]

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?

Here's what one of our local feral organizations has to say about it:

http://indyferal.org/index.php?page=fiv-felv