Hello folks. This Cat Site is wonderful. I have been reading for a while, especially on this forum as I have a big decision to make. I have been feeding a semi-feral 1 year oldish female calico (I call her Dinah, see Avatar pic) for almost 2 months now. She is afraid of Everything and Everybody but, she is warming up to me. Now, she is coming inside my (cat-less) house to eat after many weeks of eating on my front porch.
She will not come inside if she hears ANY noise at all except for me opening her can of food, the microwave oven, (warming her favorite...MILK) and my soothing voice. If she comes in and sees movement on the big screen TV, she will turn and scoot outside. So I have to turn everything off. When she does eat, then she leaves (I keep the entrance door ajar) and goes directly to a neighbors open garage that is falling down. That seems to be her home.
She will not let me very close to her, as she just scoots away. This seems to be her life. Eat here, sleep in garage. Come here to eat again. I would love to bring her into my home. We have Bears, Fishers, Coyote's, Eagles, and now a few other feral cats in this very rural area. My house also sits on a state highway and, another hard winter is getting started too.
I have an appointment with the local SPCA on January 16th between 8:00 and 8:30 am, to have her fixed and to get the normal shots. I must try and trap her outside, in a havahart trap. This will be very difficult as Dinah shows up at different hours of the day. I cannot try to trap her at night.
She seems to be good natured, curious in the house, and does play with toys sometimes (usually outside at a distance if I engage her.) She also seems to be in very good health, has a ferocious appetite (she was really thin when I first saw her) and loves catnip. Amazing how heart-warming it is to observe a Cat that has never played with a toy before or reacts to catnip for the first time.
My question is this. Do I try to wait and try to trap her the morning the appointment, or do I try to keep her inside as soon as I can, and hopefully get her to a vet later down the road?? I understand all of the procedures of trapping. I honestly cannot see the point of letting her back outside after the SPCA visit.
About me and Cats: I have had Cats in the past. My last Cat Pepper, left this world last February and I have not wanted any more Cats until this girl showed up.
I have a litter box filled and ready, a very large Cat-house condo, multiple Cat beds, and a small bedroom with windows dedicated for this possible transition. I will also keep this room's door ajar so she would be able to roam as she wants.
One last thing. FATE. I have never had a conversation with strangers about stray/feral cats. Yesterday, at a Doctors office, in a waiting room (and I changed waiting rooms because of a rude person) this couple just started talking to each other about a stray Cat they had taken in at their kennel !!! Needless to say, we had a very nice informative conversation on my current situation as well as the kennel they keep! FATE? That is what they said about my situation.
Thank you in advance for your votes on my decision and any other advice or questions you may have for Dinah and me!
Greg
She will not come inside if she hears ANY noise at all except for me opening her can of food, the microwave oven, (warming her favorite...MILK) and my soothing voice. If she comes in and sees movement on the big screen TV, she will turn and scoot outside. So I have to turn everything off. When she does eat, then she leaves (I keep the entrance door ajar) and goes directly to a neighbors open garage that is falling down. That seems to be her home.
She will not let me very close to her, as she just scoots away. This seems to be her life. Eat here, sleep in garage. Come here to eat again. I would love to bring her into my home. We have Bears, Fishers, Coyote's, Eagles, and now a few other feral cats in this very rural area. My house also sits on a state highway and, another hard winter is getting started too.
I have an appointment with the local SPCA on January 16th between 8:00 and 8:30 am, to have her fixed and to get the normal shots. I must try and trap her outside, in a havahart trap. This will be very difficult as Dinah shows up at different hours of the day. I cannot try to trap her at night.
She seems to be good natured, curious in the house, and does play with toys sometimes (usually outside at a distance if I engage her.) She also seems to be in very good health, has a ferocious appetite (she was really thin when I first saw her) and loves catnip. Amazing how heart-warming it is to observe a Cat that has never played with a toy before or reacts to catnip for the first time.
My question is this. Do I try to wait and try to trap her the morning the appointment, or do I try to keep her inside as soon as I can, and hopefully get her to a vet later down the road?? I understand all of the procedures of trapping. I honestly cannot see the point of letting her back outside after the SPCA visit.
About me and Cats: I have had Cats in the past. My last Cat Pepper, left this world last February and I have not wanted any more Cats until this girl showed up.
I have a litter box filled and ready, a very large Cat-house condo, multiple Cat beds, and a small bedroom with windows dedicated for this possible transition. I will also keep this room's door ajar so she would be able to roam as she wants.
One last thing. FATE. I have never had a conversation with strangers about stray/feral cats. Yesterday, at a Doctors office, in a waiting room (and I changed waiting rooms because of a rude person) this couple just started talking to each other about a stray Cat they had taken in at their kennel !!! Needless to say, we had a very nice informative conversation on my current situation as well as the kennel they keep! FATE? That is what they said about my situation.
Thank you in advance for your votes on my decision and any other advice or questions you may have for Dinah and me!
Greg