This morning when I went in to feed- the enclosure was a mess. He had pulled out supplies in the drawers, ransacked the food cupboard, thrown over litter bags and torn them open. He was a busy boy. He has fled! I found a portion of the floor where he had found a weak spot and chewed and clawed his way to freedom. 🙁 My hope is just the containment was stressing him) and he knows that he can eat, find heated cat beds and safety here and he will be back. At least, he has a chance to survive being neutered and healthy. No way a sick cat could create such destruction. I took down the door separating the catio from the enclosure and the catio door stays open, because that is where Chessa sleeps and eats, so he can re-enter at any time, find his warm bed and hopefully understand he can escape at any time.
Feral Cat Behavior
Blogging about feral cats and life in general
Good Heavens, I hope you didn’t lose any supplies. You may have to consider this a case of trap, neuter and release. He ay indeed come back, on his terms, but it sounds like he’ll do all right on his own.
We lost some small bags of cat food and some cat litter. He broke the bag open that holds the small 13 gallon trash bags and spread them everywhere. Then he peed all over them. His anxiety at being confined was over the top. I did see him last night way down in the pasture on top of a fence. But as I started to approach- he fled back by the creek. I have stripped the enclosure and set a mister inside to kill all the fleas in there. The frontline did help him a bit, but he was so covered with those fleas I had to flea bomb the place. Took me awhile, but I got it done.
Guess he made his wishes known!
We might wish a comfortable warm home with adequate food and a cozy lap to snuggle in for him. But that’s not what Bronson wants.
Bronson may not want to stay, but without the brief hiatus with you it seems likely he would have died – two abscesses, two broken teeth . . . And even if he somehow survived this, if he was not neutered there would only be another fight, and another, and a short, painful life.
You did your best, MaryAnn, as you always do. And it’s good.
I hear a cat at night- I think it is him. The problem is the meowing isn’t consistent enough that by the time I rush into my clothes and get outside, it stops. I think tonight, I will sleep with my clothes on so all I have to do is grab my shoes and a coat and go outside to see if it is him. I believe it is, because it is the same meowing I heard once he was confined. It does sound a bit like MK, but I have seen her in the daytime and she doesn’t seem to be out-of-sorts or ill. I am hoping it is Bronson- will know more by the weekend, IF I can find the source of the meowing.