When Is It Time To Return A Feral?

I'm sorry this is so long, but I'm hoping that the more information I provide, the more some of you may be able to help with advice.

I've had a neutered male feral in my basement for about a month now. Let's just call him Mr. Cat. He's part of a colony that lives near my farm about an hour away.

When we bought the farm, we had two neutered males. Since then, a pregnant female found shelter in our barn with our males and gave birth twice -- once to a litter of four and a second time to a singleton. The kittens were socialized, spayed/neutered, and rehomed except the three males that we kept on our farm. Mama was spayed and continues to live with us. She's social enough with my husband that she follows him around and allows him to pet her.

Since our males were neutered before we moved to the farm, we know they're not the fathers of her kittens. We suspect that Mr. Cat is the father to at least one kitten, if not all. Mr. Cat and mama were spotted together many times over the past year and we believe they were from the same colony.

Anyway, before I trapped and neutered him, Mr. Cat started to take up residence in our barn. Mama and the single kitten didn't seem to mind, but apparently he didn't get along with the other four males, three of whom have had to visit the vet for a tail bite and big-time scratches. When I took Mr. Cat to get neutered, he had a scratch behind his ear. To get to the point, we think our inexperienced young adult cat and 7 month old kittens got their butts whooped by Mr. Cat. It would be typical for these three to get too curious and too close, ignoring warning signs.

After the second fight, our cats were on high-alert (seriously, it looked like a western where men with rifles are posted in strategic positions) so we trapped Mr. Cat, who needed to be neutered anyway, and I brought him to our house that's away from the farm. As far as a feral goes, he seems content but will not venture out of the room I made for him in our basement. He has access to our large family room where he can perch and look outside, but I've seen no signs that he's been out of that room. I even have an infrared camera so I can see him. I don't have a ton of time to socialize him in a manner where I can sit with him for an hour at a time throughout the day, and I have a Yorkie on my main and upper floor that he'd totally shred, so having him up here is out of the question.

To add a little more fuel to the fire, other ferals are starting to make their way to our farm. One is an orange female that needs to be trapped immediately as we think she is in heat. There are also two others, a gray and white and a solid gray. All of these ferals look to be about 1 1/2 - 2 years old. This group seems to be moving back and forth between our neighbor's farm across the road and our farm, which to them is probably the Ritz. Our barn loft is warm and we have nice heated cat houses, along with plenty of food. Our cats are also the friendly-type and seem to think that all cats want to be their friends. They've never needed to defend their territory for food and shelter.

Our farmer friend across the road does provide decent food and shelter for these wanderers. We also do not have time right now to build other feral shelters or to chase them from our barn, which needs to remain open at night for our cows that are calving. Plus, I have work and other obligations that keep me away from the farm for days at a time. It's easier at this point to let them come and go while we bed our boys in our heated shop at night. Feral mama and her last single kitten prefer to stay in the barn with the gray and white feral.

Here are my questions:

1. Do I return Mr. Cat to my farm in the hopes that he will again find companionship with mama cat? Is he lonely in our basement?
2. Will Mr. Cat get along better with our other males now that he's neutered or is it likely that they'll continue to be at odds?
3. Would Mr. Cat's return discourage the new wandering ferals from moving in?
4. Should Mr. Cat continue to stay in my basement while I just do my best to TNR the newcomers?

In another year, I'll be at the farm 24/7 and can create my own feral cat sanctuary, but for now this is the situation.


Our two boys on the left, female feral on the right.



Mr. Cat


Mr. Cat napping today. The door is open to the family room with a large lookout window and wide sill.




Charlie and Lucky - heated winter shelter
in the barn loft



Charlie and Shadow - Summer on the farm

Hi!

FarmersWife24 said:

Is he lonely in our basement?

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According to how my neutered male alpha cat behaves, for other feline company? - no.
Although if you can, you might try and spend a bit more time with him. He doesn't need quantity of time ie; hours or more each visit, but rather more frequent shorter visits for head scritches and belly rubs if he's accepting, definitely talking to him, playing with a wand toy, etc. I realize spring isn't far away but he does need to be kept active if at all possible. Also, try some music now and then - musicforcats . com. There may be some things here that will work with a feral;

7 Proven Ways To Get Your Cat To Be More Active

#2, it depends, if you can transition them it's possible they'd all get along, utilizing things from this;
How To Successfully Introduce Cats: The Ultimate Guide

#3, debatable, I think. Wanderers will wander, there, here and everywhere. His presence, assuming he's an alpha means that there will be fights, and somebody might be "persuaded" to leave but they won't be dissuaded from showing up initially.

I personally would leave Mr Cat where he is.

FarmersWife24 said:

create my own feral cat sanctuary

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Mostc cats do not like being alone. It is very possible he will be ok with the other males after being neutered. Most of his life was with other cats. A neutered Male mixed in with un neutered males should be avoided. Is there a big crate or make a catio so other cats can smell him? Like@furballsmom suggested, soft music. Is their a window he can look out of? Is he adoptable?

Oops. I had to reread everything.I wonder what would happen if you were to take the cat out of the basement and put him in the large room?

I am also going with 1. no; 2. maybe; 3. maybe; 4. yes. And by the way you have done a huge amount for those cats and it sounds as if your neighbor has at least helped. They look healthy, happy, and from your description it must the the Minnesota Ritz from their point of view.

However, I live in an entirely urban setting so things are a little bit different. All I can add that might be similar to your experience is that when I moved from my first house there was a feral living in my garage who was dependent on me for food and shelter, even if it was LA. I was able to trap her on the last day I lived in the house, talk about cutting it close, got her vetted and boarded her at the vet's for a few days. When I got her to my new house which was at the foot of the San Gabriel Mountains I knew that she had to be inside only, so I put her in a bedroom with the door opened and she never walked out of the room for 3 1/2 years. She became diabetic, I was able to give her insulin, but she did pass away from the diabetes and the only time she left the room was for the last trip to the ER. It was almost as if she felt so incredibly lucky to have that room that she just never wanted to leave.

All the above advice is good. I have worked with many and if he has been away from the colony this long I think it would be very difficult for him to fit back in. He sounds like he can be fit into your family. Socializing and blending takes time and each cat moves at their own pace. I’ve blended dozens as I did rescues. Some got adopted and some stayed but none were put back outside. Our area is not safe for outside kitties. Since new cats are coming in to the farm I feel sure he would have great difficulty finding his place in the mix now. If you were there 24/7 it might be different and he might fit back in with Mama and kitten but it would require supervision. I would keep him where he is. You don’t want him being pushed out of the farm colony after all this time. I’d say he is no longer a feral and more accustomed to being inside. I love Mr. Cat!
You’re doing a wonderful thing helping these cats! Bravo! A cat sanctuary is much needed!!

Thank you so much for your helpful advice, everybody! You really helped me to keep trying with this cat — all of you.

Today, Mr. Cat, whom my daughter named Binx, is in the family room laying in the window! What a change! He also roams around more and comes back out much quicker after he’s run to hide. He’s not ready to be out in the open with us yet, but he
started talking yesterday to my teenage daughter, Emma. Yes, he is saying “meow”! He still needs to be in his little hideout corner, but he will look at her, blink, and meow. They had a conversation today.


(Binx is laying in the window)

Awwwww! Mr. Binx! I love the photo and that he is talking to your daughter. He has decided you can be trusted and loved. That is awesome news! (I really love it when my kitties talk to me, not all do that but the ones that do always turn out to be exceptional kitties!)
Bravo for all the wonderful progress you made. I know it took patience and effort on your part. Yay!!!!!!
Happy cat! Happy home!

Update: Binx spends the majority of his time out of his safe room. He talks to us regularly and has just started sitting out in the open when we are in the family room in the basement. Today, he even ate in front of me! I can get as close as four feet before he’ll start to back away, but he doesn’t run and hide. The feather-on-a-stick toy still puzzles him, but he did allow my daughter to pet his back with it. It’s funny how he’ll all of a sudden take a big step forward when I least expect it. I guess it takes more patience and less clock watching.

Ahhh! Binx! Good kitty! A pet on the back is a show of trust. It may be hard to wait but Binx is coming along nicely. They just go by their own kitty clock. Lol I’m so glad you posted another photo. I just love that cat’s expressions! Definitely a precious one refelected in that face! It kind of seems like he has a soft spot for your daughter. Talking to her and now allowing some stroking, very good. It is funny how they make those leaps when we least expect it. I think they like to keeps us on our toes.
I’m very glad that things are going well. Kudos to you for being so patient. It isn’t always easy.

he looks very happy in your home. thanks for caring for him

(Grand-kitties Salem and Midnight enjoying spring in Minnesota)

UPDATE: Sorry if all the updating is tedious. I thought I might do it for those who are new and wondering how long the process of socialization can take. :-) I feel like Binx has been with us a long time but in the scheme of things he’s come around quickly. He’s got a long way to go but I feel like he’s constantly rewarding us along the way so we don’t give up.

Earlier this week, he bunted my hand and rubbed his cheek along my hand and arm. He then proceeded to rub his cheek along door frames and cabinets, marking his scent. Tonight, I scratched his head for a long time. When I thought he’d maybe had enough, he reached out with his paw and pulled my hand back toward him. He even laid on his side while I did it.

His hisses and body language have changed from stern warnings to stress relieving hisses as he gets used to being approached. He meows a lot. Sometimes it seems for human attention and other times to make sure the coast is clear.

He seems to enjoy our company but still very much needs his space. For example, he was acting like he wanted to come up out of the basement. We have stairs, then a landing, and then stairs going up, so he’s got a corner to hide around if he wants. We made a wall of baby gates to protect our dog and visiting grand-kitties (one of whom is likely his daughter), but he just wasn’t ready.

Binx peeked around the corner but there were so many unfamiliar noises and smells that he retreated to his bathroom sanctuary again. And that’s fine. Binx endured the stresses of our daily comings and goings, a Yorkie barking, two female teenage kittens with attitude looking at him like, “What’s wrong with you?”, the sounds of television, and the vacuum. I shut the door to the basement to give him some space. He’ll come out when he’s ready.

Ha! Love the Gran kitties! Great photo. Bronx is really progressing be leaps and bounds when you look back. He’s becoming very brave and much more confident in his strange new world. It’s becoming home to him. A loving and safe place. Awwww! This is all so great to hear. Thank you for the update. There’s nothing tedious about it. It’s inspiring!

Love the updates!

Update: Binx now has free roam of most of the house. My bedroom, bathroom, and closet are usually off-limits to cats who like to play at night. While he used to be strictly nocturnal with a consistent schedule, Binx has adapted because he seems to want to be wherever we are. The only noise he makes at night is when he meows for us and when he plays with his ball toy — the circular multi-level one that mimics a running mouse. I’ve found that he’ll stop meowing if I just open my bedroom door. He sleeps just outside on the top step.

Lately, Binx has been following us everywhere. He wants to be petted and wrestle a bit, practicing his gentle bite. This week, he decided to purr. And fart unabashedly.

Another big leap is that Binx has decided that noises are just noises and that humans can walk up and down steps just fine if he stays put on his side of the step. He understands that, “Come on...” means that we want him to join us or show him something fun or give him a yummy treat. The cat tree is still a mystery to him.

Getting used to my curious and energetic Yorkie has been a challenge for him, but Binx is much better. He’s now loosening his 10-foot distance requirement. Sammy is curious and wants to play, but he doesn’t get cat language— other than hissing.

I wonder what Binx will surprise me with next?