November | 2020 | Feral Cat Behavior

This visit was only for their second set of shots and a re-check. They were also tested and all came out negative. They are doing so much better health-wise but what we are facing with them now is (sorry for using an over-used term) but it is unprecedented. Whatever horror they lived through during the fires have left all of them with PTSD. But with Ashes and Magoo, it goes further than that. Because of the time they spent away from the rescue and were at the vet (a total of 15 days non consecutive) they came back with yet another form of PTSD.. These kittens are now deathly afraid of hands.

We’ve had to think out of the box and try to figure out how to show them without scaring them, that hands are good. For Magoo, it is a bit more difficult. He was put on antibiotics which unfortunately led to him getting Herpes and he is still on meds for that. His last treatment will be Monday and we can’t wait. His behavior has become so bad that the minute one of us walks into the room, he hides from us. Thankfully, I had set the bedroom up with him not being able to make a complete escape. The bedframe was even removed so they couldn’t duck under the bed. He will hide in the folds of the comforter, hugging the sides of the mattress hoping we don’t find him. But we do.

Ashes is so traumatized by her experiences, she is now suckling Magoo’s lower ears to the point that we have to apply YUCK to Magoo’s ears to make them less tempting to suckle on. That stuff is so nasty. I got some on my fingers and when I test tasted it- well it really is YUCK, It seems to be working though.

So although there is a a family waiting in the wings to take all of these three, they are not ready to go anywhere. Their new mom has been here one time and it did not go well. Not one of the kittens would go over to meet her or her grown-up son.

We will keep working on this problem and hopefully show these beautiful babies that the world is still good and hands do not always hurt them. Wish us luck!

Temps have dipped down into the 20’s at night resulting in more food being put out for the cats. We are running low on canned food. Feeding Purina Cat Chow or Purina Natural as well as Fancy Feast canned. All heaters are on full-roar at night in the enclosures and the heated water bowls are emptied on a daily basis.

After spending 15 days at the vet’s office, the smoke kitties are home and they are doing great! It is such a relief to have them healthy and home.

They have a new friend that arrived here last week. He was found running around Sweet Home well after midnight by a merchant in town. When I saw the post and that he was “feral” (no one wanted him) I knew we had to act. He is a brilliantly colored orange boy who I have named Sundance. He is about 7 weeks old? He was so emaciated, flea-ridden, and wormy. He was vomiting round worms and had baby tapes crawling out of his poop. He is now doing well, being somewhat accepted by my bonded pair. They will beat up on him occasionally, but as he is growing and gaining strength he is standing up to his bullies and giving back what he gets. It’s not dangerous their fighting. They are just finding their way with each other.

I did have Sundance sequestered off into the bathroom when he first arrived but three days later after listening to his endless crying, I decided to take a chance and put him with the other two. I kept close tabs on them the first two days, and now, there is an uneasy truce between them.

I have also changed the name of the white boy. He is showing some signs of being a flamepoint. The tips of his ears are turning orange as is his tail, but the orange coloring is quite dilute. So we will have to see. His permanent name (I swear I will not be changing it again) is Magoo. He fits that name perfectly. He is always into Kitty Mischief-

I hope you enjoy the photos of these three and if you can find it in your heart to send food (really canned food is what is going fastest) We would appreciate it. We still do have a pretty extensive vet bill to settle as well. $1068.90

Ok my apologies, all the photos I just uploaded seems to have vanished. I will have to figure out what I did wrong. Running on sleep depravation recently. Because the kittens are so active at night in the bedroom, I have been sleeping in the living room on the floor. By the time, Kota and Molly join me, my air mattress gets a bit depleted and sleep is hard to come by. LOL! I will post more photos when I figure out what went wrong.

Here you go-