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Honored Social Butterfly

Feral Cats

Do you have any in your area?

Is there any rescue group that helps trap & neuter them, try to socialize & get them adopted?

Do you feed them?

If you feed them, do you have a long-term game plan for them?

Do you live in a climate where they need summer or winter protection from extreme temperatures/snow?


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                             Tuesday, January 10, 2023--4:51 pm CST

 

Yes, I feed one feral cat. It's a black long hair cat. I named it Midnight.

 

                                      Terry Marvn (Dallas, Texas, USA)

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As a former humane society worker, it was always a heartbreak when they would bring in a feral cat.  The adults, we would not try, they cannot be tamed in that enviroment.  The kittens I would have better luck with and they would often be tame, and adoptable.  Now, we were able to get some of the adults adopted out (after spay or neuter) as a barn cat.  Those were good times.  Where I live now, there are a few ferals.  One of our neighbors feeds them, and is quite happy about having them here.  While we do not live 'out in the boonies' we are surrounded by open land and some forest.  A good Trap, Neuter Release program needs to be on the list for every city.

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@m496672s   I agree. Our suburban county has one now. Thankfully I have not had a cat move in for awhile.

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Yes!  I definitely have experienced feral cats in my area. 

 

A few years ago, one morning I opened my front door to retrieve the mail from the mailbox only to be confronted by a very angry and openly hostile cat that I did not know.  Never saw her before.  But she apparently had made herself at home on or around my front porch.  I tried shooing her away, but she hissed at me and arched her back like those cutouts of the witch's black cat you see on display during halloween. Image result for halloween cat cutoutWell, since she obviously had full control of the situation, I quickly realized I needed some backup.  So I called the local animal control folks who promptly sent out a very confident and capable young woman in a beige kahki outfit with a badge on her lapel which assured me I was being serviced by one of our town's finest civil servants.  Anyway, I digress.

 

Once on the scene, the control person quickly established the perimenter.  She asked me a few questions. (Just the facts maam.  Just the facts.)  Then she went back to her truck and got out a medium sized metal cage.  She put the trap down near my front porch and behind some bushes.  Inside the trap she put a small bit of food way in the back of the cage (enticement for my feral guest).   She set the trap and gave me instructions to leave it alone, but keep an eye on it to see if anyone takes the bait.  Then she left.

 

I would say, not even three hours passed before I heard, not the sound of the trap being sprung, but the sound of screams and the clawing of a very angry, mad trapped feral cat.  Oh, she was NOT pleased!  I don't even think she took the time to eat her din din...the bait.  Chuckles.  She hissed and spun in that cage like a whirling dervish. Related image I got right on the phone to animal control as I wanted her gone as soon as possible.  By now,  it was kinda late in the day, but as if she was sitting at the desk just waiting for my call, the same animal control lady arrived and she scooped up that cat in cage, put her into her truck, and then she went back to the scene of the crime and found two or three small kittens living under my front porch right where this feral animal had established herself just days before.  That was why she was so hostile...she was trying to protect her babies. 

 

So anyway, all of them (momma and babies) were carted off to animal shelter heaven.  Hopefully, they all found good homes as my B & B Image result for b&b closed signwas now closed. 

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@LydiaN586309 - While the kittens may have found good homes, the mother cat may not have been so lucky, if she was so insocial. 

 

I've been away from my house for 3 weeks, since breaking both of my wrists. While my 1 indoor feral cat is OK, and someone did leave food for the 2 outdoor cats, only 1 had showed up, since I returned home yesterday. I keep going to the door and calling the other cat, and would be heartbroken if he didn't return.


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@EveRH   So sorry this happened to you.  Surely he will be back.

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@LaDolceVita I hope so!


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@terrylynnmarvin  - Does Dana go out at all?

 

It's interesting getting a new post to this discussion, since I previously posted back in 2017! Since then, 2 of my 3 ferals live inside part-time, and 1 is inside full-time due to injuries. All 3 of them have full run of the house, and feel safe sleeping wherever they want. Only the indoor cat uses the litterbox consistently, one of the others might in an emergency, but the 3rd doesn't want to. That means that 2 of them go outside for the bathroom, and because they like being outside. They all spend nights inside. Compare with photos from 2017!18-02-10 - Stubby - 3.JPG18-04-17 - Kinky - 3Cropped.jpg18-09-28 - Blackie 2.JPG


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@EveRH  They look fat & sassy, or if not sassy exactly, look very relaxed!  The top one, is Stubby I believe?

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@LaDolceVita - Yes, indoor-only Stubby is on top (he has a shortish tail), next is Kinky, who has a short, kinked tail, and last is my big boy Blackie, who has a long tail with a kink at the end.


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                                        Monday, February 24, 2019--11:15 pm CST

 

I have a feral cat that I domesticated. She's a 7 year old Calico cat that  I've had since she  was  a kitten, I love her very much and she loves me very much. My cat's name  is Dana.

 

                                           Terry   Mmarvin (Dallas, Texas, USA)

 

                             

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Our home backs up to a "Reclaimation Creek" that naturally hosts a variety of wildlife. We do have ferrel cats and at one time there was quite an overpopulation. But we did put out food and simply constructed shelters. It took a while but with the help of just a couple neighbors and the SPCA  sponsering a "catch and release" we were finally able to get the population under control. It was too heartbreaking seeing so many kittens being born and being attacked by other animals or dieing of Cat diseases. So we knew we had to take action.

 

There was one kitty that stood out amoung the crowd. She seemed   determined to have a better life and was not going to let any of the others stop her . She was tuff . We observed her watching us.  Little by little she would come closer and one day my Husband was able to give her a little petting..She started following him around the yard since he is always outside tinkering around. Soon he was calling her the helper cat. Whatever he was working on , she wanted to be there observing He always talked to her and she seemed to like that. Three years went by until she decided she was going to have a look around the "inside" of the house. She would run in and then get edgy and want out right away. Each time she would stay in a little longer and explore a little further. 

We named her "Rockie" and she is now a regular house Cat and  So sweet and cuddly. Rockie still spends most of her time outside, but in the evening she likes to come in and she is facinated with the TV ! 

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@NJSmirk wrote:

Our home backs up to a "Reclaimation Creek" that naturally hosts a variety of wildlife. We do have ferrel cats and at one time there was quite an overpopulation. But we did put out food and simply constructed shelters. It took a while but with the help of just a couple neighbors and the SPCA  sponsering a "catch and release" we were finally able to get the population under control. It was too heartbreaking seeing so many kittens being born and being attacked by other animals or dieing of Cat diseases. So we knew we had to take action.

 

There was one kitty that stood out amoung the crowd. She seemed   determined to have a better life and was not going to let any of the others stop her . She was tuff . We observed her watching us.  Little by little she would come closer and one day my Husband was able to give her a little petting..She started following him around the yard since he is always outside tinkering around. Soon he was calling her the helper cat. Whatever he was working on , she wanted to be there observing He always talked to her and she seemed to like that. Three years went by until she decided she was going to have a look around the "inside" of the house. She would run in and then get edgy and want out right away. Each time she would stay in a little longer and explore a little further. 

We named her "Rockie" and she is now a regular house Cat and  So sweet and cuddly. Rockie still spends most of her time outside, but in the evening she likes to come in a is facinated with the TV ! 


@NJSmirk  Awwwwww 😀

 

Life's a Journey, not a Destination" Aerosmith
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@LaDolceVita - These are my three:

 

17-07-31 - Kinky Tail, Blackie & Mini-Blackie - 1 - Cropped.jpg

Although one's a tiger & the other 2 are almost pure black, I think they're related based on them all having some version of a unique, short kinked tale. They're all very pretty cats. The tiger has become very affectionate, running into the house as soon as I open the door. The more dominant black one isn't afraid of me, but only last night let me actually start petting him. The other black one is still afraid & runs away if I just come out on the deck.


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(4 comments) That is a "darling" picture @EveRH !!! 🐈


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Now they live with me; one is indoors full-time due to several injuries, and the other two are in & out .. but spend nights inside except in the summer. 21-06-27 - Kinky in Bed - 2.JPG20-03-29 - Blackie & Stubby - 1.JPG


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(2 comments) Another set of CUTE pictures!!! Thank you @EveRH 🙂 Luv the "update" too. Nicole 🙃


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They're a lot more photogenic than I am! 😉


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@EveRHWell, I do believe you have acquired some cats!!  What will you do? 

 

Coming down the drive way this AM I walked into screeching & screaming.  Ellie Mae had the new red guy running through the woods.  She s tiny  but looks pretty big because of all her hair.  We were able to treat the new guy for fleas but he needs neutering.  They have a mobile service but I simply do not have the time!!

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@LaDolceVita - One of my recent visits to PetSmart, I checked out the cats up for adoption .. they were all monsters, having to weigh > 20 lbs each. The 3 I have eat like elephants (do elephants eat a lot?), but are still quite petite .. bet none of them weighs more than 8 lbs!


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@EveRHYes, we do have a group which spays & neuters feral cats if they can be trapped.  I get cats moving in all the time.  Sometimes they do not want to stay because of the dogs.  Sometimes they stay, to the dismay of our half feral Ellie Mae.  She is old and I dont like to see her upset.  I keep cat food out  on the porch and there is lots of places to stay between the house & outbuildings.  I will not let one stay w/o getting it neutered.

 

We have a lovely new male, he is not feral, he is quite friendly and attractive.  Working on finding a rescue group for him.  He is making my life miserable as all the dogs bark when he prances around.

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We do have feral cats around here. I usually see a couple of them every year. I do not do anything for them.  I'm in Chicago area so I don't know what happens to them during the winter. But I am in a semi-rural suburb meaning a lot of open land, and farms not very far away, so they may be finding shelter in barns.

   I'm not a cat lover! If it were a dog, I would try to do what I could.


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@EveRH

 

I was just talking to someone the other day about how you seldom see stray dogs or cats in our city but now that I think about it, you would really not see stray cats  like you would dogs.  It is amazing to think about it now, how there used to be stray dogs roaming the streets all over.  Cats are quieter and avoid people.  I have not seem any in my neighborhood but don't know if I would.

 

 

Life's a Journey, not a Destination" Aerosmith
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@nyadrn - In the 23 years I had my other home, and the first 7 years I've been here, I never had feral cats on my property .. although my one neighbor's cat periodically visited here. Then one cat showed up late winter, and then 2 "relatives" early summer. All it takes is a couple of irresponsible residents to allow their un-neutered/spayed cats out, and suddenly there's an epidemic! In talking to the cat rescue woman, there are residents in other parts of town - ironically where the housing's more dense - who have been feeding growing numbers of feral cats. Some wait to trap too long, and then they have another couple of generations on their hands!


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Do you have any in your area? Yes. Some old timers in the area 'keep' what they call barn cats, but what are generally feral felines. Keep in mind this is a rural area with a 2.5 acre minimum.Much of my viewshed is wildlands. Most of my viewshed, I think. We do not keep barn cats. I just couldn't.

 

Is there any rescue group that helps trap & neuter them, try to socialize & get them adopted? Yes and no. There is a rescue group that captures then helps to place them in non-inside settings. That meaning barns, places with access to shelter, a human commitment to feeding them.

 

Do you feed them? Not unless you count the moles, voles, birds, rats and mice they hunt for in the environs. 

 

If you feed them, do you have a long-term game plan for them? We do not keep barn cats. Like I said, I just couldn't. Frankly we don't have pets because we believe the environs far too wild for domesticated animals. I have no desire to pick up pet pieces off the rocks. This property frequently hosts foxes, bear, coyotes, raptors and mountain lions. I worry about the domesticated cats and small dogs of persons newly moving into the area, though of course their personal pet management choices --as long as they follow the law-- only become my concern when it impacts my livestock. We see what have to be pet cats hunting our rocky ridge with regularity. I should say that the actual cats change. The risks, sadly, do not.

 

Do you live in a climate where they need summer or winter protection from extreme temperatures/snow? Oh yes.


 

"The key to success is to keep growing in all areas of life - mental, emotional, spiritual, as well as physical." Julius Erving
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