From Feral To Lap Cats

[Furballsmom]

A folded over towel maybe?

 

[MoonstoneWolf]

Mom would throw a fit if I grabbed one of her towels. I'd be sleeping with the cats in one of those tents. We don't have old towels. At the moment Mom can see anything I put on the trash cans.

Ok the cans in the stairwell works great and it blocks Mom's view of the cat area

 

[MoonstoneWolf]

Shaman absolutely loves these balls. I've been throwing them in the yard for her to play with. Cooper (as usual) prefers to eat instead of play. haha

 

[Furballsmom]

Ok I was able to edit this but still not able to edit the one above? It was only 30 minutes time in between.

About this, I think what may have happened is that there was a server glitch or two, because you also got a duplicate postings #580 and #581 at just about the same time.

What you can do, with either a duplicate post or when you have issues editing is click on the little flag in the lower left hand corner of the specific post, and type a short description of the problem into the popup screen.

 

[MoonstoneWolf]

Cats fought tonight but I saw what happened this time. 2 big Pit Bulls came running through the yard, eating all their food, stole another of the cat dice, Shaman ran up one tree Shadow ran up another and Cooper just sat there. But the Pit Bulls weren't interested in the cats, just ran around the yard. Finally they all took off and I had 3 cats clinging to me. They were grumpy at dinner but I understand it this time, they were still scared and mis directed aggression.

 

[CatLover49]

Cats fought tonight but I saw what happened this time. 2 big Pit Bulls came running through the yard, eating all their food, stole another of the cat dice, Shaman ran up one tree Shadow ran up another and Cooper just sat there. But the Pit Bulls weren't interested in the cats, just ran around the yard. Finally they all took off and I had 3 cats clinging to me. They were grumpy at dinner but I understand it this time, they were still scared and mis directed aggression.

Oh my...That could have been bad FOR the kitties...those dogs could have killed the cats

 

[MoonstoneWolf]

I have no idea where the dogs came from. One minute the cats were resting and the next Shaman and Shadow were gone. I think if Cooper sensed any danger he would have taken off. Cats are a lot smarter than we give them credit for, especially feral cats. These cats have been outside for at the least 2 years now and I'm sure they know how to avoid these animals. Sadly there was nothing I could do about it, Mom is deathly allergic which at her age is dangerous. I just had to hope for the best.

 

[MoonstoneWolf]

Sad update: Cooper ate some Styrofoam that blew into the yard. And we're on "killer in neighborhood" lock down so I cant even go outside as result to do anything about this tragedy. Ok lockdown is lifted. Went outside. It was one of those long strips of styrofam that is used in packing stuff. No food smells. I don't know if Cooper has PICA or not but time to get rid of the shelters made of Styrofoam.

I promise I feed the cats good, maybe too good haha

The training of meals continues. Cooper doesn't get it yet. You would think going from 6PM to 7:30AM would make him hungry enough to concentrate on his own food. I hope this doesn't take long. However Shaman did eat all but 2 bites of her serving so she's catching on that if she keeps following me around or stopping and staring at Cooper she has to wait for the next meal. Still hope I'm doing the right thing being these are feral cats and the advice on this was on Jackson Galaxy for indoor cats.

I feel like a meany doing timed feedings. Because of Cooper the other cats suffer. I hope they return and don't think I want to get rid of them by switching to timed feedings.

 

[MoonstoneWolf]

Although I'm not fond of his homeopathic approach I do like Jackson Galaxy's idea of timed feedings. However does it work for feral cats and why do I always feel so guilty bringing the food inside while a straggler (usually Shaman ) is giving me that "look". How long does it take for them to get used to this? I've been doing this for a week and these cats must be challenged or something because Cooper doesn't get it. I have tried in the past with Treasure (RIP) and he never got it either after 5 months. I feel like such a meanie but I can't afford to feed birds, squirrels and groundhogs. Please advise on this. As I often say I'm at my wits end.

 

[MoonstoneWolf]

My heart is breaking in two over the feeding tragedy and no one seems to want to advise me on here. I have to keep reminding that I am NEW to feral cats.

 

[AbbysMom]

My heart is breaking in two over the feeding tragedy and no one seems to want to advise me on here. I have to keep reminding that I am NEW to feral cats.

I think you've gotten A LOT of advice in this thread, but for one reason or another you can't follow the advice so people are running out of ideas.

 

[MoonstoneWolf]

This is the latch hook project I'm going to be doing soon. After that I have one of a bald eagle coming in to do. Right now I'm knitting something, not sure what but it may turn into a 20 layer blanket/afghan to wrap around me while playing security guard with the cats. lol

 

[MoonstoneWolf]

I am so sick. These cats probably think I no longer love them as I'm staying inside and out of the cold. My heart is breaking in two over this but nothing I can do. Sadly. If something happens to me Mom certainly won't feed them. If only there was a way to feed them without having to go outside in this cold damp air. People keep saying hang in there but I"m not getting better. My health is actually getting worse.

 

[fionasmom]

Although I'm not fond of his homeopathic approach I do like Jackson Galaxy's idea of timed feedings. However does it work for feral cats and why do I always feel so guilty bringing the food inside while a straggler (usually Shaman ) is giving me that "look". How long does it take for them to get used to this? I've been doing this for a week and these cats must be challenged or something because Cooper doesn't get it. I have tried in the past with Treasure (RIP) and he never got it either after 5 months. I feel like such a meanie but I can't afford to feed birds, squirrels and groundhogs. Please advise on this. As I often say I'm at my wits end.

I have ferals on my property who have been TNRed....there are about 8 of them but only the most sociable 4 stay close to the house where their food and beds are located. I do not do timed feeding but take up the food before I go in for the night. However, the local feral cat rescue group does clicker feeding and they say that the cats are easily trained to come for the clicker and eat within one hour, at which point the food is picked up, or mostly eaten. So it is working for someone at least.

I do not do it because of the fact that the 4 completely wild ferals do not seem to understand that they would have to eat within a certain window and the most irregular of them is not even visible to me for days on end. In fact, I keep a weekly log on Monday of all the cats I see during that week just to know who might have gone missing.

And yes, around here it is a very regular possum and a couple of obnoxious raccoons who apparently have no trouble with setting their watches to the split second that food appears.

 

[MoonstoneWolf]

I have ferals on my property who have been TNRed....there are about 8 of them but only the most sociable 4 stay close to the house where their food and beds are located. I do not do timed feeding but take up the food before I go in for the night. However, the local feral cat rescue group does clicker feeding and they say that the cats are easily trained to come for the clicker and eat within one hour, at which point the food is picked up, or mostly eaten. So it is working for someone at least.

I do not do it because of the fact that the 4 completely wild ferals do not seem to understand that they would have to eat within a certain window and the most irregular of them is not even visible to me for days on end. In fact, I keep a weekly log on Monday of all the cats I see during that week just to know who might have gone missing.

And yes, around here it is a very regular possum and a couple of obnoxious raccoons who apparently have no trouble with setting their watches to the split second that food appears.

Thankfully I only have the 3 regulars which are Cooper, Shaman and Shadow. The others drop in maybe once a month and barring the fact that Mom is allergic, very ill and elderly these cats are probably no longer feral but outside cats as they stay in or very near the cat area 24/7 (cam tells me so). I'm only asking because I was advised timed feedings would stop the fighting between Cooper and Shaman. If they knew that they were ONLY being fed at certain times they'd make sure they ate instead of playing with cat dice, chasing each other, following me to the door or running around looking for me. But thanks for the input. These cats never did catch on to clicker training and I"ve been trying for 7 months. They do know their names though,but it took a year

 

[MoonstoneWolf]

Uhm, what? Just now I went outside and all the trash from the yard was by the trash can and the cat dice back inside the tents. No person was in the yard or it would have triggered an alarm. I did watch Cooper try to retrieve some trash that blew off this morning without much luck. Not sure who else did this, since no human.

 

[Furballsmom]

don't think I want to get rid of them by switching to timed feedings.

They won't.
AbbysMom is right, you have quite a number of complicating, and changing, variables and since we're not there with you, it can get challenging to know what will work for you.

You know what, though? I think you're doing a bang up/terrific job of finding ways to accommodate the ever-changing situations that surround you, and you are accomplishing the bottom line which is to keep those cats fed. Maybe not always perfectly or smoothly, but in the world of feral cats there is no such thing, or certainly very rarely. You have every right to feel confident in what you're doing, I promise.

 

[MoonstoneWolf]

Thank you. Sometimes I feel like I"m doing it all wrong or that I could be doing more. It's hard when you're sick but I learned that cats seem to know that. Ever since my injury to my left foot I notice Shaman holding up her left paw only when my foot/toe injury starts bothering me (it was my left foot) and I always take that as her telling me to go rest. Cooper and Shadow are now doing the same thing, sometimes all at once, especially when the foot hurts me too much. And they all use the corresponding paw/foot.

It's hard on me though as we went from nice weather outside where I could sit with the cats for hours on end to literally cold wind and rain the next day and I'm huddled up inside. Then with the loss of 2 of them, and the cats wanting me to play food bowl security guard, it wearing me down especially since Mom also needs my help. The added worry of the cats refusing to use the shelters I picked up but insist on sleeping in those flimsy cat tents instead but I don't want to bring the tents inside as at least the tents provide some kind of shelter when lined with straw. I still wish there was a way to feed all 3 in peace. I tried the elevation thing and it sadly would not work with them. Shaman jumps and runs if she sees the more dominant cat approaching.

This morning Shaman and Cooper were best friends. Of course by lunchtime that can change and Shaman will be scared of him again. Cats.

 

[MoonstoneWolf]

Pit Bulls returned. I was outside and Shaman was acting weird. She looked at me and the driveway and back at me again. I'm clueless at times so I was wondering why is she suddenly scared of me. She then darted to a tree and climbed to her favorite high spot. I then saw Shadow take off through the other yard. Just then I almost got knocked down by a pit bull being chased by another pit bull (the same ones as the night before) Neither of them really seemed dangerous, they looked more like they were playing and chasing each other. Cooper, as usual, just stood there watching.

 

[Furballsmom]

Dogs, geez!!