Although the weather is still a bit cold, soon spring will officially be here and the stray cats will come out of their winter nests and start searching for food in earnest…
Stray and feral cats are described by many labels: doorstep cats, porch kitties, bush dwellers, stray cats, feral cats, fractious cats. Feral cats are commonly thought to be disease-ridden, troublesome, pests, a nuisance something that needs to be eradicated. When truth be told, most “feral cats” are stray cats with feral tendencies.
Cats that lurk around homes and businesses become easy prey for the darker side of humanity. If they are lucky, where they have hidden themselves, they can scrounge daily for food and water. Cats skilled in survival conceal their presence well. Anywhere they can find a space that will not touch the outer tips of their whiskers, they know they can get inside and be safe. So adept are they in hiding, that there is currently no accurate count of how many stray and feral cats there are in the United States. There is just speculation.
Stray cats scavenge for food in dumpsters, behind restaurants and fast food places. If they are lucky, they find a kind soul who will not only feed them, but also trap neuter and rehome or release them into the wild. Without kindly benefactors these cats are left to survive the elements, predators and diseases on their own. Perhaps long abandoned on the streets by clueless owners or dumped out into the middle of nowhere by heartless humans for not being the “perfect cat,” former house cats’ memories of warm houses soon fades, replaced instead by their feral tendencies.
Tomcats roam looking for intact females and submissive males. Slowly, the cats find each other, fighting for dominance the group determines their pecking order, an Alpha takes over as leader, mating begins and the group grows. The cats begin to colonize especially around an easy food source.
Setting dry or wet cat food outside on a regular basis is a sure sign that a cat or two will soon appear. Feeding the stray cat in your yard, though admirable, only creates more of a problem. The cat once realizing that food is plentiful will start to spray your bushes with a pheromone alerting other cats that the house is “safe” for other kitties. This marking of your home or property identifies your home as a easy mark, a place of food.
The cats in the immediate area and over a mile away will pick up on this initial scent by using their Jacobson’s Organ (an organ located inside the mouth just behind the front teeth). As more cats arrive to the feeding bowls, more pheremones are sprayed. Soon, one cat becomes two, then three then ten. Unaltered cats and sadly most strays and feral cats are not neutered will stay near the food source and begin to fight and mate.
If you don’t spay and neuter the cats on your property, soon they will be breeding, fighting for territorial rights. The tomcats will be screaming in the middle of the night as they confront each other and fight for food, the right to mate and challenge the alpha of the group. Alphas are not always surprisingly the males. Females have been known to effectively achieve the level of Alpha in a group.
Cats are fierce predators. Cats teamed with humans when we began the agricultural part of our existence. Farmers feeding livestock grain, soon became overrun with rodents. Cats, realizing that living closely with humans increased their chances of getting a good meal of prey began to seek out human contact, lurking in barns and keeping the rodent population down. The barn cats of today still maintain this predatory role, while their cousins the housecats enjoy a life of being pampered and fed inside the home.
If you feed feral cat, you should also do what is known as TNR (Trap, Neuter and Release). Trapping is not always easy to accomplish. The best way to trap a large colony of cats is to have multiple traps set up all at once to trap as many cats as possible. Once the cats witness other cats being caught in traps, they will begin to steer clear of any trap making trapping difficult.Withholding food 24 hours before setting the traps makes the cats hungry to go in and eat the food that is set out for bait. The traps should be scrubbed out after every capture with an enzyme remover such as urine-off or Zero Odor. Cats, when they are stressed will be spraying the wires with urine. This urine tells other cats to “stay away.”
Some cats do not like the feel of the wire under their paws. Using a thin layer of newspaper to pad the front part of the trap, or once the trap is in place using kitty litter will also work. Just don’t impede the trigger.
For the hard to catch male stray cats, try using a little bit of soiled cat litter. Sprinkle it towards the back of the trap near the trigger to lure them in. They will catch the scent of the strange cat and move in to cover it.
There are several types of traps to use. Hav-A-Heart is a humane trap, they make them in several sizes, including kitten size. The Tomahawk Company out of Wisconsin also makes humane live traps. Traps can sometimes be rented from Animal Control, Animal Shelters, some veterinary clinics, feed stores, and pest control services.
There are drop traps you can build if there are two of you that will be trapping. Alley Cat Allies website has instructions on how to build one. http://www.alleycat.org/pdf/droptrap.pdf
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You want to place the trap in a secure location that is not out in the open. If you are trapping at a shopping center, your best bet is to place the traps near the dumpster where the cats will typically go to gather food. Please monitor these traps if at all possible, for someone can come along and steal the trap and the cat inside. Have a dark cloth ready to throw over a trap once a cat is caught, as well as something to weight down the top of the trap, for the cat will repeatedly throw himself against the wire in a frantic effort to get out. The blanket or dark cloth you place over the trap, will help to calm the cat quicker than leaving it exposed. It is best, once a cat has been trapped to remove the trap quickly to another area so the other cats don’t become spooked and run away.
Bait: You want smell to bring them into the trap, so mackerel, tuna, stinky cheap fish food, sardines or smelt all create an odor. Dribble the juice of the fish around the inside of the trap and on the trigger, and place a small amount of food in a large jar lid or a plate or a saucer, but not a bowl. The cat needs to see the food, and not just a bowl.
Once you have set the trap in place, carefully place the food at the very back of the trap beyond the trigger, and set your trap. Remove yourself from the immediate area, but check the traps about every two to three hours. Remember patience is key.
You can get creative, and start feeding your cats inside a large cardboard box that is flipped over on its side. Once they get used to going into the box, add a trap and go for the capture. You can also use what nature has provided to camoflague your trap. Pine branches, wood bark, leaves, wedge the trap between two logs, it all depends on where you are trapping.
If you are feeding a large colony of cats, keep a journal (and try to get photographs of each cat) that way you will have a record that you can refer to and be sure that you have trapped all the cats in the group. Record any type of distinguishing mark, color, sex, etc..
Persistence and patience is key here. Once you have the cat in the trap, get the trap to a vet that is familiar with handling feral cats. Don’t call and make an appointment without letting them know that your cat is feral. That is hardly fair to the vet and the vet techs. If you are using a spay day on a spay mobile, make sure you have enough dark cloths to cover each trap while the animal waits for his or her turn. There are a lot of cats on a Spay Day and the more you can reduce the animal’s stress, the better for everyone involved.
According to Lisa Doyle, cat rescuer and volunteer of AzCat the following items are essential to have with you while trapping large colonies:
Humane Traps
Can opener
Cover for each trap
Dish or lid to hold cat food
Flashlight
Tarp or plastic for under traps when transporting in vehicle
Newspaper
Coffee, blanket, radio with earphones (if you are going to stake out the area and watch the traps)
2. Set the traps around the area where the cats are used to being fed. You can also set up in areas where they are seen. In general cats like to be up against walls, etc. so you are more likely to catch them there.
3. Potential Trap problems: Be sure that the trap door has a full, unhindered swing. If you are using the brown traps with the side chain attached to the trip plate (thing that they step on) check to see that the chain is not twisted or jammed when you set the trap.
If your trap is one with a back door look at how it is secured when you get it so you know how to correctly close it. If you do not close it correctly the cat may be able to escape.
4. Put newspaper, folded in half length wise, in the bottom of the trap and put a small amount of smelly food on a lid or other small item in the back of the trap against the door that will remain closed. Sprinkle a very small amount of the food along the newspaper in one or two places. Never put any food outside the trap itself. Suggested food: Tuna fish; sardines; Fancy Feast salmon or other smelly cat food.
5. As you trap the cats and move them be sure to look at the ground. Sometimes the tuna or other food you use for bait will spill onto the ground. Pick it up immediately if you have not yet caught all the cats you are trying to trap. You don’t want it to be eaten by the other cats you are trying to trap.
When a cat is in a trap:
1. Immediately cover the trap completely with a towel or sheet then take the cat away from the area. (Careful as they can move back and forth quickly in the trap and catch you off balance.)
2. Always check to see if the left ear of the cat is ear-tipped. The tip of the left ear is cut straight across so that the tip is removed. That means that the cat was previously trapped, altered, and returned. It can be released. If you have sufficient traps, hold the cat in the trap until you are done trapping, and then release it.
3. It takes a while for other cats to come back in the area after a cat is trapped so be patient. It gets harder to catch the remaining cats with every trap they see or hear go off.
4. Do not feed the cat in the trap you risk escape and the cat is having surgery the following morning and should have nothing in its stomach. (The exception is kittens that are small but big enough to alter. Kittens blood sugar drops when they do not eat causing added risk during surgery so the recommendation is to feed them a small amount of MOIST cat food right up to a few hours before surgery.)
5. Put the trapped cat somewhere where it will not be too adversely affected by the weather and where it will be safe from people and other animals.
Transporting:
1. LEAVE THE TOWEL OR SHEET ON THE TRAP THE CAT IS IN THE ENTIRE TIME THE CAT IS IN THE TRAP. If the cat pulls the cover into the trap get another cover to put on the trap. Cats in traps must be covered.
2. You should put a tarp or other waterproof covering in the vehicle (for example, an old shower curtain.) The cats may urinate or defecate.
3. MAKE CERTAIN THE TRAPS CANNOT ROLL OVER IN YOUR VEHICLE. Gravity-operated (brown) traps will open if turned upside down. If you must stack the traps on top of each other make certain that the handle is not sticking up on the trap that is on the bottom and that the top trap is secure so that it will not tip on either side.
Holding the cat overnight and releasing the cat:
1. Hold the cats in an area where they are safe from predators and protected from the elements. After surgery, cats cannot regulate their body temperatures the way they normally can, so their holding area cannot be too cold in winter or too warm in the summer.
2. You should give the cats water and a little moist food, use extreme caution so the cats cannot escape from their traps. Using the same door you used to put the bait in the trap, lift the door up no more than necessary and never so far up that the cat can fit through the door if it suddenly decided to bolt forward. (The door should come up only a couple inches.) Be sure to secure the door correctly as well. If a cat is very groggy or unsteady, wait. You do not want to risk having the cat drown in the water or choke on the food.
3. Hold the cat a minimum of 24 hours after surgery. If there is continuing bleeding or other problems do not release the cat. Follow the instructions given by the veterinarian.
4. To release take the cat to its usual secure location preferably where there are bushes or other things in which it can hide, open the back door, pull the trap cover back, and stand at the opposite end of the trap to wait for the cat to go out. If it is near an area where there is vehicular traffic wait for a time when there is no traffic because the cat may make a panic run directly into oncoming traffic.
Follow up:
1. Clean the trap with a bleach solution. Bleaching traps helps prevent the spread of any diseases for future trappings.
1 gallon of water to 4 ½ oz. of bleach
2 gallons of water to 8¾ oz. of bleach
3 gallons of water to 13 oz. of bleach
4 gallons of water to 17 1/4 oz. of bleach
5 gallons of water to 21 ½ oz. of bleach
2. Wash the towels or sheets that were used as trap covers. Use bleach.
If you are only trapping one cat, this becomes easier. However, if the cat is older and trap savvy, he may not enter the trap readily.
Once the cat is trapped, transport him to the vet clinic. Be sure and call the clinic first to let them know you have a stray cat in need of a neuter. While the cat is being transported, be sure and keep the trap covered. This calms the cat down, though you may still hear him rush against the sides of the wire in a frantic attempt to get away. This is normal for trapped cats to feel such panic. You also need to prepare yourself for seeing some blood once the trap is uncovered. Many cats slash open their nose or face while attempting to flee captivity. If possible, keep the cat in your car in the covered trap until the vet is ready to see the cat in his treatment room (weather permitting). This decreases the amount of stress the cat is subjected to, shielding it from the other stess pheremones from the other animals waiting to be seen.
Initial Vet Visit
Any cat that isn’t used to being handled is considered feral to the vet and the clinic. This cuts down on the amount of injury to the staff and the cat as well. If the cat is brought into the clinic in a covered trap, the office girl will take down all pertinent information.
The cat should be tested for the prevalent viral diseases in the area. This testing will be undertaken once the cat has been sedated. What tests are taken should be determined by the vet and the owner. The cat is then carried back to the kennel area. His trap is then inverted upright (vertically) instead of horizonally. This minimizes the injuries he can cause himself.
At the clinic, they have an apparatus called “metal fingers.” This is a series of long metal rods that can be inserted into the main trap. The tech’s hands are outside the cage, holding on to the special gripper handle. The metal fingers are then worked through the bars of the trap, forcing the cat down into the bottom of the cage. The fingers, hold the cat securely in place while the vet administers the sedative. Different clinics use different drugs; Telazole, Rompum, Ketamine, Torbugesic or Xylazine are the preferred drugs of choice.
Once the cat has been sedated, he is removed from the trap. If ear tipping has been requested, the vet will surgically remove the bare tip of the left ear. This ear tipping is performed if the cat is being re-released back outside. Then all routine exams are performed, bloodwork taken to test for viral disease. If the cat is healthy, he will then be neutered, returned back to his trap or a waiting cat carrier if the owner provides one.
This type of treatment, no matter how gently it is carried out by the vet and the staff, only proves to terrify a stray cat more. Used to being able to escape in all directions, the cat wakes up in discomfort and on edge. It is imperative that when transporting the cat home, you keep the carrier or the trap covered at all times. Pain patches should be applied to help with the level of pain the cat will experience during the recovery process.
Because you have trapped this cat, cut off all access of freedom for him, you move quickly in the cat’s eyes from “rescuer” to predator. He is not going to trust you for sometime and may even do you great harm. Handling him right off if you don’t know what you are doing must be done minimally, especially if your goal is to just release him back into the outdoors.
We cannot catch 2 females , for over 1 year. drop traps used and others tuna, sardines were use any suggestions
One thing that has worked for me in the past with trap savvy cats is to use a double door trap. Remove the rear door, replacing it with a piece of plexyglass, take a thin sheet of newspaper and put it over the wire in the front of the trap, sprinkle dry food just outside the trap door and then bait it (use a flat paper plate) with stinky wet food laced with just a tiny amount of catnip. The cat sees escape on the other side as the plexy makes him feel safe- and enters.
Hope it works for you like it did for us-
The lengths we go to trying to convince cats to do what’s best for them…
We have 2 housecats and recently started taking care of about 5 adult yard cats; the total felines increased to about 10 last month. Now that it doesn’t seem anyone is pregnant, we want to start the TNR process. I have read up on it quite a bit, but was wondering if cats ever freak out even with a blanket over the trap? One of the tomcats goes crazy when a door closes behind him. Is it possible to lace the bait with a little sedative so that kitty is sleeping by the time you drive them to the vet?
They do go crazy when the trap shuts because they are trapped. But, if you put a dark cloth over the trap and keep it there (making sure the cat also has air) they will calm down. Store the trap in a dark, cool quiet place and don’t keep the cat in very long-48 hours max. Instead of sedating (never a good idea unless a vet recommends it and gives you the proper dosage) buy a can of Feliway spray and in the front of the trap lay one thin sheet of newspaper, spray it liberally with the spray and set the trap up to capture your stray. The spray will calm him or her down for the amount of time he is spending in tight captivity
line trap with cardboard, put a stick through the top part of the door from side to side UNSET, put food bowl at the opening and over the course of a week move the food bowl toward the end 6 inches at a time – if you see the cat eating, keep moving the foold further back – set it and you should have success. Have the cover over the top the whole time, use the same food all for routine…then when he/she goes in, fold down the sides of the cover right away to calm it. Sometimes tiny bits of soft food trailing in works – and a bit of catnip sprinkled over the trip plate…and yes it take time and patience,
We trapped an injured stray cat last evening. She got out. We followed her down the street two blocks and now can’t locate her. Any tips on:
(1) how to find her: (2) how to trap her again.
She was starting to come within 3 feet of us. She didn’t hiss. We thought we time and rehab she could be adoptable.
Was she actually trapped inside of a trap? Or did you use some other means to trap her? You say she is injured? How so? If she was in the trap, and somehow got out (I usually leave them inside the trap until the vet visit) It may sound cruel, but it is the best thing for them and is usually only for 24 hours. But, if she was inside the trap- you won’t be able to catch her for quite awhile.
I would do this, i would continue to give her food and water daily. I would set out the food outside the trap, then put special tidbits inside the trap BUT rig the trap to not snap shut. Use cable ties. Put down straw, cardboard, newspaper over the wire so she doesn’t feel the wire under her paws. Feed her in the back of the trap just like normal- use tuna, KFC chicken- Cream cheese balls rolled in organic catnip- something she wouldn’t find and can’t ignore. She won’t go in right away which is expected so just keep giving her special tidbits.
I wouldn’t follow her- let her come to you. Don’t make direct eye contact with her, if she comes on the site when you are laying out food- just ignore her. In a few days after you have seen she is going in the trap (You have to actually see her in there not just assume she is the one eating the food) take the cable tie off and set the trap. Be sure you have a dark blanket nearby to cover the trap immediately when she is inside and get her to the vet quickly. After the vet is finished, then either release her (hopefully you will have her spayed) or bring her into your home and start working with her gradually.
Good luck
Why would a stray cat come out only at night to our window and holler? We do have a female cat that has been fixed that we lock up in the garage every night. She is fed in the garage and her litter box is in the garage. This stray cat showed up about five wks ago one night when we failed to put our cat up. The stray had ours cornered in a tree, ever since he/or she will not leave, however, it is not around during the day. It is so annoying at night we cannot sleep. We cannot stand it and do not want it around. We are cat lovers, but sadly, will never love that one. Why did it choose our house and our windows to scream at? It seems like when it hears us talking in a room it screams at that window. very spooky! Out of the 12 yrs we’ve lived here this is the first time we have had this problem….any suggestions?
I am sad to read that you have already decided you cannot love this cat. I am not there to see this cat in action, but if I had to make an educated guess- I would suspect he is a tomcat and he is looking for a mate. He has fixated on your kitty (I suspect that you do let her outside?) He has picked up her scent and he is looking for her. he sounds like he needs someone to love him, to trap him, get him and get him neutered and socialize him. He sounds like just the cat I specialize in.
If you shine a black light on your windows, you are likely to see cat pee glowing back. Other cats spray, or your own, it doesn;t matter- suspect your home has been marked.
You will need to trap him, so call a local rescue group (offer a large donation for their help) this sometimes prompts them to act faster. But it is still kitten season so they are likely slammed with calls. Then hopefully, they can release him into a wild colony or at a barn somewhere.
If he is a true feral- you can drive him off by spreading human hair (go to a barber shop or beauty supply and ask for the floor trimmings. If he is a true feral, the smell will drive him off- but if he is used to humans- it won’t matter. Again, I am sad that he has already been rejected before given a chance for a wonderful life with two cat lovers-
Our 5 month old kitten has gone missing. She was last seen early hours yesterday morning in the garden with a huge black tomcat. We believe he is semi-feral. She is tiny and has not yet had her first season and was due to be spayed at the end of April when 6 months old. He looked huge! We are concerned that he has mated with her regardless and that she hasn’t come home. Is it possible she has followed him and cannot find her way back? What can we do? We have left food and a warm bed in the garage for her overnight and searched everywhere but to no avail. Please advise. She is a Maine Coon cross breed and extremely timid. We have her 2 sisters still at home – will the feral cat come back for them too? Should we keep them indoors until they have been spayed?
Just saw semi-feral tom cat sniffing around in the garden where we last saw our kitten. He was on his own so maybe Thea isn’t with him after all and has gone into hiding because she is scared/traumatized by him. Our vet advised spaying at 6 months old, but can’t help thinking that if she had been spayed already this would not have happened. Surprised to see him in the middle of the day as I thought feral cats were nocturnal.
it is quite possible that Thea is now pregnant and if she has been mated with then she is more than likely a bit scared. The mating ritual is pretty rough on the females, especially the shy ones. My one website http://www.lost-pets.org will give you ideas on how to find her, but my guess is she is pretty close to home.
If she does come back, please have her spayed even if she is with kittens. Most vets will now spay at 2 pounds, although there are some who still refuse to spay until 6 months. But if you have other intact females, you need to get them spayed because once they go into heat, they become very devious trying to get out of the house to find their mate.
The tom is likely not feral, but someone’s neglected pet or just a stray. he has sprayed the bushes and trees, maybe even the walls of your home outside leaving his pee-mail asking for single feline females to follow him. This can drive kitties (both male and female pretty crazy)
The best time to find Thea is around 2:00 in the morning. Use a laser play toy, a flashlight, pop a can of food- spread her soiled litter around the outside of your home so she can smell her way back. Do whatever she is familiar with to get her back. One trick I have used in the past that is quite successful is I went to the store and I bought this HUGE bag of birdseed. I spread it all around near out big bay window in the backyard so that I could see the birds feeding. The actions of the birds arriving, feeding and flying about brought Scatter back home pretty quickly. They can’t stop their natural instinct of preying.
Our kitten has just returned home. What a relief!
She’s probably pregnant, please get her spayed-
Took her straight to the vets yesterday morning, She is in excellent health just tired and hungry. The vet has agreed to spay her straightaway, so she and her 2 sisters will have their operations on Monday morning. In the meantime we shall keep them indoors, which they are not very happy about but needs must. Thanks for your sound advice. When I was knocking on doors trying to locate our missing kitten I ran across the tomcat in question, waiting to be fed at a house half a mile away. He is an awesome specimen, looks healthy, well-groomed, quite calm and happy to be stroked. Apparently he has been around for years and has several feeding stations in the immediate vicinity, all of whom would be happy to give him a home but he chooses to be a free spirit and only makes house calls. He is not aggressive to other cats. One old lady feeds him every evening. I suggested to her that she would be doing us all a service if she could catch him and have him neutered. She seemed to think that castration would hamper his ability to survive. I told her that if he was castrated he might just settle down and become her pet and stop roving the neighbourhood looking for food and females. I hope that she does something about him, because he obviously trusts her and lovely as he is, I wouldn’t want any other kitten to be lost and scared as ours has been on account of him. By the way we are responsible cat owners and have had many cats over the years who have been spayed at 6 months and never had problems like this before. Our kittens were booked in to be spayed in a couple of weeks anyway so we have just had to bring it forward. Our kitten has returned home very fussy so I think she is glad to be back. One of her sisters keeps hissing at her which is sad but hopefully this will dissipate after their ops.
You might tell this woman who owns this strapping fella, that he will live quite a bit longer if he were neutered, plus after about three weeks,he will not wander so much. The males become susceptible to testicular cancers when they aren’t neutered and no tom can be neutered to late in life. He is also in danger should another strapping boy enter his territory and take him out during kitten season.
About the hissing- the kitten smells different now, her signature scent has changed causing everyone to think she is a new cat. You can alleviate that problem by putting pure vanilla extract on each cat several times a day(not the imitation kind but the pure extract) Put it at two places just small dabs of it about three to four times a day, under their chins and at the base of their tail. This neutralizes all their scents and makes them smell the same. YOu will have to do this after the vet visit as well- because they will be full of stress pheremones from the experience and may all not like each other for a bit.
I will pass on your comments to her.
Thanks for the vanilla essence tip.
Where can I purchase the “metal fingers” apparatus for my cat trap?
Why would you need that? Normally the vet is the only one who needs this and he already has them on stock.
I have a stray showing up on my porch at night. I have been feeding her on my porch because we have had torrential rains and the food stays dry. My local humane society is helping me trap her(first time unsuccessful so far). My plan is to spay and release. However, I read in your comments that by feeding her on my porch that the place is marked as “safe”. The last thing in the world I need is for more to follow-which is what I thought spaying would help avoid. How do I continue to make sure she has food once I release without inviting friends. I think she has already sprayed/marked because my dogs react to it around the bushes. How do I get rid of that? and how do I avoid putting the vacancy sign out lighted up for others??? I already have 4 cats and 2 dogs-a FULL house:)
I have two strays hanging around my house. One I can tell is male and the other I am not sure. I give them fresh food and water everyday hoping I can catch one of them. I lost my calico that happened to have strayed in my yard 8 years ago. I had to put her to sleep due to having advanced asthma. I loved her very much and miss her and I don’t want to shame her memory but I feel sorry for the ones that are hanging around. They both show up at odd times. One of them the male has actually let me pet him. The other acts skittish and won’t let me near it. I have tried but it runs away. Should I give up and try the humane society?
I wouldn’t give up. I am a believer that sometimes those who have left guide those in need to my door. Keep feeding on a routine schedule, try and sit nearby (read a book or something) as long as weather permits until they get used to seeing you. Bring the food a bit closer to where you sit over a period of weeks and see if you can gain the trust. Or contact a local rescue group offer to make a donation if they can come and trap them. But first PLEASE research the group locally as some of them don’t really have the best intentions of the cats at heart- sad but true.
Thank you for your answer and I have another question? Could these cats have owners now but hang around because the food is there?
With so many people losing their jobs and homes, it could be they have been tossed out of a home because the people can’t afford to feed them. One thing, if you do trap them- be sure and have the vet scan for a chip because sometimes, cats just get scared and run away from home.
We discovered a Mom with a litter of 3 kittens who have apparently been living under our house. When we first became aware of them we think they were about 3 months old, looked very healthy, and still with Mom. She would occasionally allow them to nurse, but mostly would discourage them. We have been researching what to do as we have three indoor cats already and do not want to care for more cats. We wouldn’t mind them visiting us from time to time, but would rather they did not continue to live in our yard. Nor do we want to just let them roam un-neutered. We have decided to do TNR for all four and are waiting for our appointment which is two weeks away, and we are still feeding the kittens so they will still be here. Mom has just returned after being away for 2-3days and is being very hostile with her kittens. She was also away a day or two last week, but treated the kitties normally when she returned. I am concerned about what to do. Do these kittens have the skills to survive after we release them? We have seen Mom feed them baby rats, but haven’t seen them hunt themselves. We are in a residential neighborhood, so this isn’t exactly releasing them to the wild. All they have known pretty much is our back yard except when Mom would take them with her on her outings. We just want to do the right thing by these kittens. Is Mom being hostile because she doesn’t remember them? If she were pregnant would that make her act this way? She won’t let them get near her…if they try she charges them, spitting and batting them with her paw. Keeps them away from the food bowl. Any insight you can give me would be much appreciated.
Unlike humans, cats don’t stay attached to their kittens all their lives. She is driving them away so they CAN survive- forcing them to hunt and go out on their own and not eat the food she needs. Hate to say this, but if she is outside and not spayed, she is more than likely pregnant and you need to act quickly and get her spayed before the kittens can arrive.like you said, you don’t need anymore cats.
i have been feeding a small black male cat, obviously fixed with a clipped left ear, for about 6 months. He finally let me touch him two weeks ago. I pet him and he jumps in front of me when i try to walk to get more attention, the problem being that sometimes he nips me hard enough to draw blood, I raise my voice and say no and then go inside whenever he does this….I already have 4 indoor/outdoor cats and two german shepherds….i hope I can continue feeding this little male cat without having to bring him inside. Is there something I can do to curtail this biting behavior?
We have an outside cat next door, probably was a lost or abandoned pet as she is quite tame, who has had a litter of four kittens she has stashed under the roof overhang on their garage roof. We all want to be sure that Mom and kitties get neutered. We have just done TNR with her last litter, but weren’t able to trap mom. We would like to have contact with the kittens as they are very young and could be prevented from being feral, but we don’t know what is the right thing to do. Our neighbors are afraid that the kitties may fall off of the roof as they get older and more active. We are afraid that if they attempt to move the kittens mom will either abandon them or move them again and we will lose the chance to do right by them. What kind of shelter would the mother be likely to accept staying with her kittens in until they are old enough to be weaned? Is there any group that fosters kittens who need to be bottle fed? We have three house cats, and now three feral outside cats, so our hands are pretty full.
I don’t know where you are located, but you can always type in your location (for example, I would type into Google Albany Oregon feral cat rescue) and then hit search. Of course my name would come up but oh well! LOL But seriously try that then start calling and ask for help. Offer a donation, it gets help to you quicker.
If that isn’t an option if there is someway you can build a safety platform for the momcat and her kittens- a sort of wooden enclosure that would shield them from the weather and stuff it with straw- she would accept that.
The only other thing would be to design a drop trap and start feeding under the trap for several days without dropping it- then once mom is comfortable, drop it down over her- if the kittens are weaned, they should be following her in when she eats.
There has been a stray cat staying on my porch. I’ve been feeding her/him. It has one front paw that looks like either a defomity or possibly was broken. The claws are so long, they look like they are growing into the flesh. She has medium length black fur with brown fur like a collar. She meows very quietly and comes fairly close to me. I put a carrier on the porch with a small pillow inside and she/he has been sleeping in the carrier. it seems like it would be pretty easy to just close the door so I can take her/him to a vet. I’m thinking of keeping the cat even though I have two others. The stray doesn’t hiss or growl. It seems very gentle. Is this a good way to “trap” the cat? I feel so sorry for it.
You are way ahead of the game if she is going inside the carrier. Take a stout but thin cord (phone cable is best) and turn the carrier so the end of it is away from the chair, or the window where you stay when she is near. If she tolerates your presence near her- set up a comfortable chair and sit on it when you feed. Feed inside the carrier and have the cable or line set up so she can become accustomed to it- but keep the door propped open.
Once she is moving in and out of the carrier easily- pick up the line and hang on to it. Be sure that there is something stable you can tie to line to once the doors are shut (not locked) because if she charges the door she could get out. Tie it off firmly then go over quickly and lock the door- then call the vet and get her in quickly.
Good luck- I am glad she has ended up on your porch!
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Last week I trapped, had neutered & vaccinated a female feral that I’ve been feeding for the last couple of years. She is not a cat that I can bring into my house with my 3 cats as she is FIV positive and she is pretty aggressive in behavior, spitting, hissing and charging my indoor/outdoor neutered male when he try’s to come in the front door of my house. I am rehabbing her now in my garage and she is doing well; I plan on releasing her this Thurs. so she’ll have had 5 full days of rest and food. My concern is when I go into garage to feed her, she runs to me with her usual getting of hissing and as I try and walk past her, she is running through my legs and at times head butting my legs. I would not attempt to touch her as she has spit at me in the past and attempted to swat my leg if I didn’t feed her fast enough. I would release her tomorrow but the weather is supposed to be bad and would like her to have the addtl day of rehab but I am getting more nervous with her physical contact to my legs and do believe she might bite me if I moved too quickly. Is this behavior normal for feral cats and should I chase her or carry protection, ie. broom to ward off this behavior. I don’t want her to be afraid of me but I don’t want my fear creating a problem either, thank you.
Why are you releasing her outside when she is FIV positive? If you do this, you put her at risk as well as any other unvaccinated cat in the area especially if she is aggressive and a fighter. this virus constantly challenges the immune system and makes her susceptible to dying from something as simple as a cold. You said you vaccinated her, did you vaccinate her before or after she was tested? Some cats after being vaccinated for this disease will test positive for it. Inside cats after being diagnosed with FIV will live with good, proper care from their owners up to five years- but according to your post you are going to turn her loose outside? Honestly, I would put her down if it were me. I know that sounds unkind, but it is the reality check of the situation- turning her outside on her own is much more cruel.
I’m handling this situation as best as I can and how I was advised. I was told that if she had Leukemia that she should be put down but if she had the feline aids there was no reason that she couldn’t continue to live her life especially if supplied with food, water & a shelter; and she otherwise appeared healthy. She was tested prior to neutering and received other vaccinations but not the leukemia or aids. I certainly don’t want to put my indoor cats or any other cats at risk but unfortunately, I’ve been feeding her outside now for roughly 3 years and thought I was finally doing the right thing with TNR. I’m now regretting ever feeding this cat and doubt I’ll ever feed another based on all this info and possible consequences. I’ll continue to monitor her overall health and behavior and do the best I can to keep her healthy and limit the exposure to my cats. I’m hoping that since she’s been neutered she may be less aggressive. I’ve never seen her fight but she will at times charge my outdoor cat, he of course backs off so we’ve been lucky so far. She barely leaves my front porch anymore so she’s not a real roamer like she once was and just likes to sit in the chair or sit in the sun. I appreciate your advice and wish I had heard it sooner. I doubt she would enter a trap this soon after her recent experience but if the time comes that putting her down is needed, I will do so.
I apologize if I sounded harsh. I have been doing this for a very long time and I have a certain set of standards I follow. I did not mean to make you doubt your kind heart of feeding outside strays. I can be a bit direct with people and that gets me into trouble from time to time. They call this disease the angry cat disease because really the only way she can transmit this is by biting another cat. It is what may happen inside of her that concerns me, bcause this disease strips down the immune system and it flares up in times of stress and does its dirty work.
As you said, you are doing the best that you can based on what you were told. Her charging your other cat is quite normal especially if they are put together right away. Keeping her alone in a room for awhile for everyone to adjust to her is best- but if you don’t want to take that on, I do understand.
Again I apologize if I hurt your feelings or made you doubt your kind actions. I am facing some personal obstacles in my life and they are making me out of touch with my own humanity. It was not my intention to upset you- I just give out advice to the best of my abillity. I put the cat’s best interest first and don’t worry so much about how it comes across- and I should remember my manners. I did grow up with them. Again my apologies
I accept your apology and can appreciate your sincere interest in doing what’s best for the cats. You have been doing this for a long time and I applaud your concern and efforts to help our feline friends.
I have learned alot from this experience and now have more knowledge to make future decisions should the need arise. I will attempt to give Spooky girl the care that helps support a good quality of life, watch out for my own cats and rest assure, I would still try and help another kitty in need. 🙂
I hope things in life become easier for you, God Bless!
In February I rescued an outside female cat that was being attacked by several males. She was pregnant and I had her fix and all the shots. I have kept her because she did belong to someone that abandoned her and is sweet as can be. I do not bring her in the house with my other female because they hiss at each other through the door. She mainly is on enclosed back porch /garage and goes out a little when I am there to watch her and then bring her in. One of the reasons I can’t bring her in is because she sprays bushes outside. Strange for female in my opinion but she was loose awhile before I rescued her. She does use litter boxes on porch and garage and doesn’t spray in those areas. Any suggestions on reasons and solution? Thank you. I enjoyed this area, just discovered it today.
Also, trapped a so called feral female small cat this past Monday. She comes around early mornings and night but also I have seen her in the day time. I was feeding her, winning her trust and she would talk to me and come within a foot of me while she ate. My neighbor said he would give me a trap and he wanted her. He took her to the vet, she was negative on everything and then she was fixed on Wednesday. I reminded him to get some pain meds before bring her home and he insisted he never heard of such a thing and has had cats for years and never had to use pain meds. I have also had cats for 40 years and I have made them comfortable after surgery with some pain relieve. I think of them as family and wouldn’t want them hurt. I am not so sure that cat was feral but anyway, why wouldn’t a vet give some kind of meds for a female after surgery anyway? That was too hurtful to hear when I had won her trust and was really loving this cat, but I can’t be the owner, too much already at my house. But no meds?????????
Some vets are old school and don’t send meds home. The males don’t need it but the females do. here in Oregon it is illegal to send a cat home from a surgery without giving a pain shot first- so now males and females get pain meds and you have to pay the extra monies for it.
i need to create an outdoor litter box for two porch cats that have adopted my home. they are using neighbors’ homes and i don’t want that. i was thinking play sand and scooping it often. or are there better ideas? thank you for your consideration.
Part of the problem with outdoor litter boxes is weather. Unless it has a high roof to protect it from rain or snow and is a bit elevated, it can turn into a gooey mess. If your neighbors are okay with this- they sell a litter at WalMart that has citrus in it and all cats hate the smell of citrus. You can sprinkle this litter around the areas your neighbors don’t want the cats to be on but again, you are at the mercy of the weather and the first rain will wash it away. You real alternative if you have the property for it is to build a cat enclosure to keep the cats and their litter box contained.
thank you for the quick reply. i wish i had the space, but it’s tight and the neighbors just replanted their yard and don’t want cat mounds (understandable).
both cats are tnr (donations to local feral cat center) and rather loyal. given upcoming fall and winter rain and snow, this is why i considered play sand in a desinated (perhaps covered) location next to my home. indoors is not an option as we have severe cat allergies (of all things) and they’re scared to come in the house.
they have little cedar homes (18w x 24d x 20h) on the porch i previously built to keep them safe and warm year round. they love those, now i just need to retrain their bathroom habits.
i might be able to add a roof to a play sand area, just don’t want to use litter because of the problem you described.
thanks
About two years ago, my husband started feeding a stray cat that was living in our barn. She had kittens, then he was feeding her and four kittens, then another cat showed up and she had four kittens, then a young tom showed up, as time went by we were feeding about 15 cats, so we decided to get them all fixed. I trapped them one at a time and took them to the Feral Cat Program. I had 10 cats fixed and released and donated over 300.00 to the program. We were relieved that they wouldn’t be having any more kittens. Now another kitten has shown up. We don’t know where it came from. I thought since the colony was stable it wouldn’t be getting any bigger, although I have noticed that some of the cats we had in the barn have left, and now new ones are showing up and here we go again with TNR.
Two years ago, my family started feeding the stray cats in the area. Some of them only came around once or twice a week, but two of them stayed around. The one got pregnant and after a while we started seeing four little babies around the area.
We’re planning to TNR them all, but the problem is that we’re not sure who the father of the kittens are for he isn’t around as much as the mother (or so we think is the mother). The kittens look nothing like who we think the parent figures are (the kittens are a beautiful brown/orange, the “mother” is black and white, and the father is is brown with thick hair and a mane).
How do we go about trapping them and releasing them? They’re ruining the neighbor’s lawns and digging in the garbage even though we feed them two bowls of cat food a night.
There are also more cats that come to the area to eat on cold nights; there have been as many as 9 cats on the side of our house eating.
Should we only be concerned about the family that’s there all the time or try catching and spaying all of them?
Though we’ve been interacting with the kittens for their whole life, they still aren’t comfortable enough to let us pet them. We’re thinking that the family of cats are more feral and less stray.
Please give me some advice on what to do. Any option will help. We also can’t keep them for myself and my mother (I’m 19) have horrible cat allergies and we’re pushing ourselves as it is with my kitten (2 months old). We would love to catch, neuter, and release them to a barn but we’re not sure how to go about it. There are too many cats and there are too many that come around sometimes that we’re not sure are stray for they’re not here all the time.
Thank you again. As I said any advice would be appreciated.
Taylor-
If it is possible, can you just tnr all the cats that are hanging around? Do any of the cats show the tips of their ear missing? It would be a deliberate slice, not just a tattered edge. If they are missing the tips of their ears- they have already been neutered. I don’t know where you live but there is an organization in Texas that works with people who want to place cats into barns. She has networking all over the united states.Her website is barncats.com – wonderful lady! She will not accept any light-colored cats for barns no matter where the barn is as they have little chance of survival.
You can always google your town and then feral cat rescue and see what pops up. There are also many organizations that offer spay and neuters at low-cost (again depending on where you live) alley cat allies is another website to contact. Ask them if they have any helpers in your area. You can rent traps from professional pest control companies, feed stores, some vet clinics have them as do shelters. Just be sure they are humane traps as some of them are pretty medieval and will hurt the cats
My cat got out a month ago. We had only had her 3 weeks then We didnt see her for 3 weeks then my neighbor saw her in the woods i got close enough to touch her but couldn’t catch her. We have tried a trap but get racoons and possums. We are in the woods. How far will she travel. How do i know shes still in the area. Do you think she will come near the house if my other cat didnt like her to begin with? Its been a week again since weve seen her. I realy want to catvh her. Help.
Since you only had her a short time and she has already had problems with your resident cat- it is going to be tricky to get her back inside. Do you know how she got out? is there any way you can leave that way open for her for a few days to see if she makes her way back inside? How old is she? Because you have outside predators she is at risk of becoming prey so she will resort to her feral tendencies quite quickly in order to survive. If it were me, I would set up a feeding station someplace close to the house. I would put the food out during the day always at the same time(s) each day and make sure fresh water is also supplied. I would NOT feed after dark.
When the food starts to vanish (in the daytime) put a layer of kitty litter under the food area so you can see what the footprints are that are feeding. If you see that it is cat prints- then I would set up a trap and keep it propped open (during the day) putting the food inside until the cat is used to going in and out without issues. Then I would set it- again all of this before dusk- and trap your kitty
I have a male cat the is fixed and this stray cat keeps coming at night to fight with my cat. I don’t understand what this other cat is looking for. Once they get physical the stray cat leaves and doesn’t come back till the next night.
The other cat is looking to maintain dominance in his territory. In this situation, I am afraid your options are limited. You can either keep your neutered male inside at all times or trap the other cat and get him neutered and release him. You can also try contacting a local feral rescue group in your area, explain the situation and offer them an incentive (money works well) to come out and trap him and move him to another location. Does that always work? not always. Some groups will pay for the neuter but will release the cat into the same territory. It is kitten season and tomcats are on the prowl looking to mate and looking to fight (even with neutered cats). Your cat could get seriously hurt and you could have a huge vet bill if they tangle again. 🙁