I could walk around the house barefoot…
I wouldn’t have litterpan shoulder…
I wouldn’t have any idea what Feliway does…
I could sit on any piece of furniture at any time of the day or night…
I could actually sleep in…
I could have indoor plants…
I could have drapes instead of blinds…
I wouldn’t know every brand of cat litter and their pros and cons…
I would be able to pop open a can of soup without my ankles being mobbed…
I wouldn’t know up close and purrsonal what a hairball looks like…
Two litterpans would be plenty…
Cat hair wouldn’t be a second condiment…
My Dyson would Really suck…
I could wear shoes with shoelaces…
I wouldn’t have to carefully sift through my clean laundry looking for sleeping cats…
I could sleep in my own bed at night and not be covered by kittens by morning…
All true. Also: life wouldn’t be as frustrating/rewarding…
I do this ocassionally. I would have extra money, more room, I could sleep when I wanted, not when THEY wanted….then, just seconds later I think of how sad and boring it would be without them.
Marian in Houston
But where is the fun in that???? Without them, there would be no joy of kitten antics, no sleeping kittens in piles….. 🙂
Exactly my point- life would be boring and mundane without these gems roaming my home.
Face it, we’re hooked.
Marian in Houston
Hey i recently started reading your blog. I have been working with some feral cats around my neighborhood. I live in des moines iowa. It hasnt snowed yet but its getting cold at night. How do feral cats live through cold weather? They seemget to liveyou under someall porches and ini an abandoned garage by my apartment. One is named johnny. He was born in the wild last spring. I have got him tamed to the point that he will lay in my lap for hours on the porch. He has learned he loves being pet. I cant give him a home bc i already have two and a small apartment. Im worried about him. I have thought i could find a home for him.. but he seems to only show tame behavior toewards me so far. Do you have any advice. I know you are busy but therr are no tnr support groups in des moines and i dont know who else to talk to. Thanks. By the way thanks for writing this blog. Reading through it has already been a big help.
Meagen-
Thank YOU for caring enough about these strays to be worried and trying to help. I don’t know what your finances are but if you go to http://www.felinefurniture.com he has outdoor feral cat houses that most strays take to quite quickly. He makes them out of trash cans so they are weatherproof and cozy. Of course since it will snow soon, you would have to elevate them off the ground so they don’t become covered with snow.
Cats can find their own shelter in cold weather and you can increase their chances of surviving by giving them fresh water and food daily. If your finances can support it- wet food keeps them warmer when they have to be outdoors. But dry food is good too- feed on a schedule so they know at EXACTLY what time the food will arrive. Outdoor heated cat beds are the best but you have to have a place to plug them in. They do make heated cat houses, but I reviewed two different types and no cat would even go inside of them.
Suspect you don’t have true feral cats in your neighborhood, but strays with feral tendencies or cats who have been previously owned and dumped. It happens. I also encourage people not to think of the cats being “tamed” but instead being socialized. Otherwise, you might find yourself on the end of a world of hurt and a lap ful of claw marks at the first strange sound the cat hears when he is “sleeping” and is startled awake- but hey GREAT job and again, thanks for caring-
I will keep all this advice in mind. I actually know johnny is a true feral he started showing up once a feral torti had her kittens
and his brother and sisters are still alive. Sasly mama got hit by a car! They are all black which makes getting homes for them even harder. Some how he has grown to trust me and will sit in my lap. I can pet his brother and sister but cant pick them up. They are the only cats in the colony that are pretty social with me. They are always waiting when i get home bc they know they will be fed. When they started taking food from my hand i started geving them chicken and beef baby food. This was how i started being able to pet amd hold the one. I wish they were social with more people. I want. these guys to have homes. Thanks for anawering. Meggen.