Smuggles, the cat who I was told was the “mom: sat on my lap this morning for the first time. Funny thing though, she is a he. Makes me a bit uneasy to have them both together in the room still- since the kitten is a female. Although both are fixed I heard some trilling from inside the room yesterday and wondered about it but when I went in they were both asleep on the bed.
The little three-legged boy is now in a new home. I was at PetCo yesterday and ran into someone who adopted from me in the past. I told her about him and she came and got him this morning! He’s in such good hands and he will be sharing a life with two little girls and a cocker spaniel and another black cat.
I found your site via google and am hoping you might have an expert opinion or could point me in a direction of one who might.
We rescued a 5-month old feral last November. I have worked with him over the last 7 months and with wonderful success; he has brought an added dimension to our lives, even when he insists it is time to be brushed and/or petted.
Months ago he got out of the house and we didn’t see him for nearly 4 days. I was able to finally get him to come to me and brought him back inside. He cried out loud. I know he wants to be outside. Open windows and screen doors cannot be resisted by him.
Saturday he got outside again and we have barely seen him. We always feed him in the early morning, so we put food and water outside the kitchen door so he wouldn’t be hungry. He has eaten, but when we go to the door, he runs away. I call him (meooow), he answers, shows himself and then he runs away again.
It has been four days now and I sense that he may not come back inside, and I don’t believe making him do so is the right thing to do. As much as my heart is broken, I know he is a feral and he loves being out there. Yesterday morning I went out on the deck and called him; he answered and came out from hiding and ran up a tall oak, looked at me with such pride, ran down and off he went.
Yes, there is a question here. Do you think I should try to capture him and bring him back inside or do I simply let him be who he is? My gut says the latter but my heart is a mess.
I appreciate any comment/s you might have.
hmmmmmm…
Gotta wonder who decided Smuggles was a ‘momma’.
Cheers on the three-legged boy finding a furrrever home so quickly.
Diane, I would let him outside if that is what he wants. Understand the risks of him being outside, if you haven’t vaccinated him, re-catch him and do so. Set up a place where he will always find food, water and shelter. If you go to the homepage of felinexpress you will see a link on the right hand side for felinefurniture.com Click on the link and order an outside feral cat shelter for him. All the outside cats love this shelter and my kitties here at home with get a percentage of the sale of this item.
It’s hard to accept but there are just some cats who don’t want to live inside. Maybe they look at it as just a big padded cage, I don’t know- but I do have six kitties that live outside here. If I bring them in, they start fights, spray and act out. Outside they are loving, playful and healthy
Excellent news about the three-legged cat. He’ll have a happy and undoubtedly long life now. If only all cats could be adopted so quickly.
You know it is interesting, folks seem to want to adopt the three-legged kittens before the four-legged. One of my friends says her vet is always telling her that he wishes he could cut the leg off every black kitten he sees in his practice as he knows they would find a good home then! Sad but true, every three legged kitty I have rescued rarely stays here 24 hours before someone steps up and says they will take it. My vet is fond of saying all cats are born with an extra leg. They do remarkably well with just three legs. I think humans have more trouble dealing with the decision of having to cut off the leg of the cat under our care then the cats do after the surgery. They are up and around in no time at all.
So happy to find this topic. I am also so torn about what to do. We became caretakers of 5 kittens born under our porch 7 months ago- had everyone plus momma tipped & fixed & vaccinated. When re-released, momma bolted but all the kittens stayed & we feed them every day. Last week one of the 5 missed a meal, then many…. Finally came back with a broken leg, took 3 days to find & trap him(a nightmare) long story short- he had his hindleg amputated today. We are struggling about what to do next. We have a dog who goes crazy when he sees cats, I’ve never had an cat before, but really like our clan ( I pet them everyday- they are comfortable with me, but still skiddish & run away unless I have food). The vet said after recovery, he will do fine outside, but I’m not sure I can emotionally handle it if something else happens to him. Am I better off finding him another home, trying to get the dog used to him ( worried about too much stress on kitty with the dog going nuts while adjusting to 3 legs & being inside), or should I let him just stay with the others on the porch? I want to do what is best for him.
I would keep him inside. Dogs and cats can get along just fine- it just takes time and patience and I would be happy to help you along with the process. Your cat doesn’t miss his leg but would be at a great disadvantage outside without that leg. You can email me at mothermary55(at)comcast(dot) net