Ughh... feral/not feral cat Updated 7/11 updated 1/5/23

[TexasProud]

Ok, so we currently have a 17 year old border collie that I expect to die in the next year or two. Not in great shape. We also have a 16 yo inside/outside cat ( goes outside during the day, sleeps in daughter's room at night).  We are starting to travel A LOT for weeks at a time. So far one of our adult children has been here when we have been gone, but may not be feasible as much in the future, and we have some young people that can help when they cannot. But we have said for a long time no more pets ( These are the last 2 of the 2 cats and 4 dogs we have had since 2005...well momma dog started at 2000).   We plan to be gone for a month August/Sept and another three weeks in October.  (Of course depends on mom, as well...) 

So a few days ago a cat showed up. Assuming it was dumped because it is so incredibly friendly.  We could make it a barn cat ( We live on 50 acres and have 2 outside open sheds: one where we store tractor and other farm equipment, our firewood, etc.  The other one that houses cows when we have them.  We have had a few wild cats that live out there, but we never fed them and they ran as soon as they saw anyone.  

The shelters around here do not place feral cats. They put them to sleep.  We can take it and have it "fixed" and then bring it back home. (They do that for free. Now sure if we would do that or take it to our vet if we chose to do that.) Honestly, we could put it in a carrier right now.  It is sitting by our front door meowing right now.  But then would we need to feed it? It is so skinny. Would it learn to hunt? Our other animals have timed feeders. I guess we could buy another one to put by the front door... But again, we are traveling so much... We really didn't want another animal. But my heart hurts for this really sweet cat. She looks to be 9months to a little over a year old... an adult, but a young one.   So this could be around awhile. 

Any advice?

Edited January 5, 2023 by TexasProud

[Selkie]

Definitely give her food and water and get her spayed. Is there anyone who could come over and put food and water out for her while you're gone?

[fairfarmhand]

9 minutes ago, Selkie said:

Definitely give her food and water and get her spayed. Is there anyone who could come over and put food and water out for her while you're gone?

This is what I would do. Even if they just put out a big pile twice a week I think kitty would be ok. Or you could get on next door or fb and make a plea for somebody who needs a nice barn cat. Especially if you’ve gotten her fixed I wouldn’t be surprised if you found a taker.

Edited June 7, 2022 by fairfarmhand

[Jean in Newcastle]

Here, a cat that comes up and allows human contact would not be considered feral but would be considered a stray.  Do shelters there have different policies for stray cats that are not feral?  I would call and ask. 

[Elona]

I say care for it long enough to find it a good home. If it's not skittish and running when you go near, its not ferrel. Maybe it can, in fact go to a shelter. But don't take it on as your ultimate responsibility - you already know what you want and this is too much. I say this as someone who decided pets were too much for traveling, and also as a bleeding heart who feeds the many ferrets that come around. Hold your ground!

[Reefgazer]

1 hour ago, TexasProud said:

Ok, so we currently have a 17 year old border collie that I expect to die in the next year or two. Not in great shape. We also have a 16 yo inside/outside cat ( goes outside during the day, sleeps in daughter's room at night).  We are starting to travel A LOT for weeks at a time. So far one of our adult children has been here when we have been gone, but may not be feasible as much in the future, and we have some young people that can help when they cannot. But we have said for a long time no more pets ( These are the last 2 of the 2 cats and 4 dogs we have had since 2005...well momma dog started at 2000).   We plan to be gone for a month August/Sept and another three weeks in October.  (Of course depends on mom, as well...) 

So a few days ago a cat showed up. Assuming it was dumped because it is so incredibly friendly.  We could make it a barn cat ( We live on 50 acres and have 2 outside open sheds: one where we store tractor and other farm equipment, our firewood, etc.  The other one that houses cows when we have them.  We have had a few wild cats that live out there, but we never fed them and they ran as soon as they saw anyone.  

The shelters around here do not place feral cats. They put them to sleep.  We can take it and have it "fixed" and then bring it back home. (They do that for free. Now sure if we would do that or take it to our vet if we chose to do that.) Honestly, we could put it in a carrier right now.  It is sitting by our front door meowing right now.  But then would we need to feed it? It is so skinny. Would it learn to hunt? Our other animals have timed feeders. I guess we could buy another one to put by the front door... But again, we are traveling so much... We really didn't want another animal. But my heart hurts for this really sweet cat. She looks to be 9months to a little over a year old... an adult, but a young one.   So this could be around awhile. 

Any advice?

I volunteer for a cat rescue.  Identify a cat rescue near you and contact them to tell them she is friendly, you are willing to pay for a spay and rabies vax, and ask can they help find her a home.  Please continue to feed her, though; she did not aske to be dumped.

[MercyA]

Quickly!

Please do not relinquish kitty to any shelter which admits to killing feral cats. Shelters can and do label cats feral if they are nervous and skittish at the shelter. And many shelters euthanize perfectly friendly cats if they don't have space for them. 

Please do feed her; poor thing! 

I'll be back later. Gotta get DD somewhere.

[Selkie]

4 minutes ago, MercyA said:

Quickly!

Please do not relinquish kitty to any shelter which admits to killing feral cats. Shelters can and do label cats feral if they are nervous and skittish at the shelter. And many shelters euthanize perfectly friendly cats if they don't have space for them. 

Please do feed her; poor thing! 

I'll be back later. Gotta get DD somewhere.

Yes, this. And OP lives in Texas, where the shelters are perpetually overflowing and strays don't stand much of a chance unless they are lucky enough to get transported north. 

[Tanaqui]

Feral means that a cat is NOT friendly and amenable to human contact. This kitty is just a stray.

Definitely get her fixed, and ask the vet and the shelter if they know of any people who are looking for a cat as a pet or even as a foster while they look for a forever home.

[TexasProud]

Ok, so called the city we do all of our business in and can't use that one because we actually live in different county ( our city covers 2 counties). Called the one in the correct town and they are completely full.  She took my information and I sent her pictures. She will call me when they have room.  The good thing is there is some kind of organization attached to it whose goal is for 90 percent of the animals to survive. They publish stats and very few cats have been killed over the last 6 months. I think they foster and stuff.  We did end up putting out food and water and she knew exactly what shaking the bowl was. She has obviously been someone's pet. Who knows. Maybe she is just lost and the shelter/organization ( they rescue, foster, etc.) can find her home.

I am heading to my mom's to get my sister's car to work over the next few days and to go to husband's doctor appointment in Dallas.  Saturday we have girls coming to stay with us with an exchange program and tons of activities with them all next week.  So I really do not have time to devote to this. It will have to be enough.

[MercyA]

Thank you for feeding and watering kitty and getting the ball rolling to find out if someone is missing her or if there is a safe place for her to land. ❤️

[TexasProud]

5 hours ago, MercyA said:

Thank you for feeding and watering kitty and getting the ball rolling to find out if someone is missing her or if there is a safe place for her to land. ❤️

Oh my goodness, it has adopted my husband. It followed him around as he did the work around the place. She loves my husband. This was obviously someone's pet. Our son wondered if it might have a chip in it, since the shelter gave him his cat with one embedded. So I will call our vet this morning and find out if they have something that could check that. Maybe I can run her up there before we leave later today. 

It just kind of irritates me that now I have another responsibility. Probably wrong, but I get really tired of taking care of people and animals.

[livetoread]

3 hours ago, TexasProud said:

It just kind of irritates me that now I have another responsibility. Probably wrong, but I get really tired of taking care of people and animals.

Not wrong. Not wrong at all. I used to love nurturing others and watching them flourish. I did it for decades - plants, animals, people -  but have hit a wall and refuse to apologize for not wanting to do it anymore. The payoff for all that nurturing has been meh (my young adults are not in a good place) and it's time to really dig into what I want now versus what everyone else wants. I'll do the nurturing that still needs to be done but no way am I adding anything more to the pile.

[TexasProud]

Stray Cat- updated

 

Just returned from our trip, had to extend trip to quarantine. Limited strength due to Covid, will update later, but need Hive mind in this issue.

Stray cat is so incredibly sweet. So talkative. Follows my husband around the garden, actually follows him everywhere.  Immediately following my other post, we took it to our vet to see if it was chipped. It was not, but oh my goodness, so easy to get in and out of the kennel. The vet’s wife remarked how incredibly sweet it was. They set us up for an appointment to get him/her ( thought pretty sure it is a him) fixed and all its shots on July 13^th ( soonest they had available)

We had pretty much decided to just keep him as we have never heard from the shelter or any of the rescue people. The Facebook feed is full of kitten photos. Doubtful anyone would want what we would estimate to be a 12-18 month old cat. Were going to buy an outside automatic feeder for our month-long trip.  Though he traveled so well to the vet, daughter thought we should make him our RV cat as she believes we could walk him like a dog. 

The problem? The other cats. Our daughter’s cat is 15 years old, no front claws. Has issues peeing when she is mad. Had to make her a partially outside cat because she was peeing on all the furniture. ( Yes, checked it all out. Yes, tried various remedies. Trust me. Anger issues.) So she would stay out during the day and then sleep in garage or in daughter’s room at night. She was so much happier and the pee issue pretty much cleared up.

Our son, who works from home, has a 3yo male cat. He has claws. Our son alternates spending weeks here and weeks at home. He does this partially because since he is not working remotely, he has no human interaction at his own apartment. So he brings the cat here. His cat and my daughter’s cat do not get along at all. When son’s cat isn’t here, we let my daughter’s cat in with us in the playroom, as long as she is supervised.  She walks to and from the back door straight to my daughter’s room. But I have to carry her when my son’s cat is there.

Now the stray cat has become territorial.  I am sure partly because we have been gone for a week and half, so my husband hasn’t been outside working. The kids are working, so no one is outside. He has now taken over the garage, which was my daughter’s cat’s safe spot.  Also, my son’s cat was in the study and stray cat jumped on the window, causing our son’s cat to go completely ballistic.  Stray cat is also throwing himself at the back door. Not sure if he wants in or wants us to come out.  This stray cat is so people oriented.

So what am I not thinking about? My daughter’s cat was here first and needs to feel safe at least somewhere. Before the stray cat, I was fine with her having my daughter’s room and outside on a consistent basis and sometimes more of the house. But now, she only has my daughter’s room.

[Catwoman]

I’m sorry because I know this is supposed to be about the cat, but are you saying you got Covid on your trip??? 😢 Are you ok??? 

[Selkie]

Build a catio so your dd’s cat has a safe space to spend time outside.

[TexasProud]

4 minutes ago, Selkie said:

Build a catio so your dd’s cat has a safe space to spend time outside.

Ok, I just looked up these on the internet. They are tiny. I don't see much difference between being stuck in a room and being stuck there.  I guess, one option, might be to put her on the back porch with the 17yo dog ( who isn't doing very well..looking at putting her down maybe) But anyway, the two of them just ignore each other.  Not sure what the cat would do if I put her in the backyard...would she stay there? If she would, that would work because the stray doesn't go back there...

[regentrude]

Have you worked on getting the two pre-existing cats to get along, slowly and consistently? It's not like you can throw them in the same space and hope they're fine. How about training for newcomer and preexisting cats? It does take some time to introduce a new cat to an existing arrangements.

Catio for DD's cat. Or make DD's room attractive so she wants to be in there. Or leave garage to her and prevent new cat from using the garage.
Is new cat getting enough attention? The jumping on the door might mean he wants more human interaction.

[regentrude]

1 minute ago, TexasProud said:

Ok, I just looked up these on the internet. They are tiny. 

Catios are as big as you make them. Like a screened porch. And since they are outside and contain an enriched environment, they are more interesting.

But also, for an old cat, a room with plenty of cat furniture should be fine.

[TexasProud]

25 minutes ago, regentrude said:

Have you worked on getting the two pre-existing cats to get along, slowly and consistently? It's not like you can throw them in the same space and hope they're fine. How about training for newcomer and preexisting cats? It does take some time to introduce a new cat to an existing arrangements.

I guess I am not sure how you do this and live a life.  I mean with my son's cat and daughter's cat, they would sniff at each other with the door. We sat for a little bit with the two of them once or twice, but son's cat just wanted to chase her. She runs immediately.

And yes, I have sat out there with the two of them or did before we left on vacation.  My husband supervised them a ton for weeks and it was fine. They didn't like each other, but it was ok.  The issue started when we were gone.

But again, that is the issue and why we didn't want another cat. We travel A LOT.  We are supposed to go overseas for a week and a half in August.  Then we spend a month in Utah. We won't be home.  We were already feeling guilty about leaving our existing dog and cat so much (though if we don't need internet, our son can come for some of that). 

 

[TexasProud]

2nd update

Well... turns out that he is already fixed. The vet guesses his age to be about 6 years. No wonder he wants inside and easily uses the outside litter box. He was someone's cat. 

For now, we are taking my daughter's cat for supervised times on the back porch. That is working really well.  She and the dog already have an understanding.  The birds at the bird feeders are not happy though. 🙂 But she really likes it back there. So that may be our plan for now. 

[stephanier.1765]

3 hours ago, TexasProud said:

2nd update

Well... turns out that he is already fixed. The vet guesses his age to be about 6 years. No wonder he wants inside and easily uses the outside litter box. He was someone's cat. 

For now, we are taking my daughter's cat for supervised times on the back porch. That is working really well.  She and the dog already have an understanding.  The birds at the bird feeders are not happy though. 🙂 But she really likes it back there. So that may be our plan for now. 

One of our cats that just walked in the door one day was already fixed when we got her to the vet. It was a nice surprise just on the money aspect of things, but it wasn't too much of a surprise because she is the sweetest of all our cats. She must have belonged to someone. I'm glad she's mine now, though, and I'm glad you have a new sweet boy for your household, as well. For some reason, the animals we have rescued (not adopted) have always been our sweetest ones.

[KrissiK]

We acquired our latest cat that way, too. She just showed up in early June meowing and starving. So, we started setting out food for her.  We haven’t seen any posters for her in the neighborhood, but she is so lovey and friendly that she had to be someone’s cat. Our guess is that her people moved and either left her or she found her way back to the neighborhood. Whatever the case, she’s very sweet and we love her.

Edited July 13, 2022 by KrissiK

[TexasProud]

So yeah, we named him Tut. I can't remember if I told the hive that our border collie passed away. He doesn't even look like the same cat. I will attach pictures. He loved to be around us outside, but didn't really want to be petted or picked up.  But loved to go on walks like a dog. Well, then he asked to be let inside when it was cold, so we did. And we needed to for that last bad cold snap anyway. Again, liked to be in the same room, but not to cuddle. He would sleep on the couch if someone was in the recliner. He hasn't like to be petted all that much. 

When he is inside, we often use that time to put my daughter's cat outside. Tut is only allowed in the playroom/utility/study area where he is under supervision. He still has the bad habit of knocking over trash cans. I have no idea how long this poor guy had to eat from people's trash cans outside. Well, yesterday, he jumped up in my lap when I was working in the chair.  This morning he did it again and then when I went to the bathroom, he returned to my lap. I even heard him purr for the first time. 

Yep, we are suckers. Our neighbor girls took care of him the month we were gone last fall. They will take care of him again when we go to Africa. We may take him in the RV. We'll see. We named him Tut because he looked so Egyptian when he first showed up, but he looks so different now. 

[Kanin]

2 hours ago, TexasProud said:

Well, yesterday, he jumped up in my lap when I was working in the chair.  This morning he did it again and then when I went to the bathroom, he returned to my lap. I even heard him purr for the first time. 

😍 That's amazing!

[fraidycat]

Kitty snuggles are the best. 
 

So sorry about the loss of your dog.

[Scarlett]

Awww. So sweet.  

[MercyA]

Beautiful update. Lucky kitty, lucky you!

I'm so sorry about the loss of your dog. 

[TexasProud]

No need for condolences about the dog.  It happened this summer/fall around the time of mom's death. I think I wrote about it back then.  Tut came back in and is cuddling again. 🙂 

[ScoutTN]

He looks lovely! Hooray for a snuggly kitty!

[catz]

Awww ... this is so sweet!  Thank you for being such a good human for this kitty.  😻

[Ali in OR]

He looks like our sweet Henry--very much a snuggler.

[stephanier.1765]

We're still taming our feral cat and this gives me a lot of hope. Ours loves to be petted but not picked up and forget getting in anyone's lap. LOL Slowly, we are picking him up to place him on the back of furniture and then pet him as a reward. I really, really hope we can get him where Tut is now. I can't believe how much he has fleshed out. The poor thing really did look like an Egyptian cat from being so skinny. You guys are awesome to have achieved so much with him!

[Tanaqui]

Oh, I love to hear about ferals becoming friendly! Cats are not really supposed to live like wild animals.