| i live in upstate NY, theres a hassidic jewish camp near my house and it is active each year from june to july, then they leave and go back to brooklyn and almost each year they leave a cat behind. the camp and most of the area becomes totally desolate and the cat then has to hunt for food to survive and becomes feral. i dont know if they realize that cats cant survive the winter temperatures in upstate NY, at least thats what google tells me. and i guess thats why the one they left behind last year was never seen again in spring time. so this year they left another one behind and i dont want to let it die so i started leaving tuna fish near the part of the camp where it stays under a camp building. i didnt realize they left this one behind until a couple of weeks ago so it must have been surviving on birds and mice since july and so by now it has been on its own for almost 4 months and runs away humans. i thought i would leave tuna fish because i know cats like that, and it has a strong smell to attract the cat to find the food, i microwave the tuna in a plastic container so it will have more smell. i doubt the cat will ever be the kind of cat that will let humans pet it but who knows. in this case i am against calling animal control because i dont think it will ever be a freindly pet for humans and will probably spend time in a cage until put to death. also i believe in karma and i dont think it would be good for my karma to be responsible for taking it away from what is now its natural habitat. i just saw the encouraging article here about making thermal boxes for feral cats. the problem is how do i get the cat to my property, the campsite is exactly 3 minit walk at normal human walking speed, so i figured what if i leave the food a little closer to my house each time and in my garage i can put a cardboard box with my electric foot warmer underneath for warmth. perhaps the cat would stay in it through out the winter. but i dont know if it will ever make it to my house, because so far it is scared to come near me, so i thought maybe if i just make sure it gets enough food maybe it wont freeze to death. or maybe the reason why the previous one didnt make it to spring was a combination of it had to deal with both the freezing temperature plus lack of food if hunting may be harder in winter or prey may be more scarce in winter. so im wondering in the event this one doesnt make it to my property before it gets too cold and has to survive under the abandond building in the camp, maybe if i feed it very food very high in fat, and try to give it a good layer of fat it might make it to spring. i understand cat food is somewhat low in fat since usually the problem is that domesticated cats tend to be sedated and fat. or possibly mixing animal fat also known as cooking fat. i remembered from when i used to work in fast food restaurants like burger king or mcdonalds that the french frys are fried not in oil but deep fried in what is basically animal fat otherwise known as lard. i noticed you can buy Manteca lard at the supermarket, i could mix a teaspoon or half a teaspoon with a 5 ounce can of cat food to make it more fat. i would microwave it first to make it mix better. any ideas or comments? |
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add fat to feral cat food for the winter?
- Thread starter mike5361
- Start Date
Right, if you you cant get decent cat food with good contensts of fat, say 20-22% on dry food, its even higher ratio on good canned wet food, it is wise to add some fat during the winter. Tuna is good as a beginning as you did began with, but itsnt not enough, you do have right.
. I would suggest smelt butter. Olive oil of decent quality is OK too, but animal fat is better. Thus, butter.
( I dont know anyting about these lards whatever. I suspect it is a third rate something, made to be cheap, not nourishing.)
Melted animal fat, which the jews themselves eats traditionally with bread as alternative to butter, should also do nicely.
If the cat seems to be semiferal, not just becoming shy because it was on its own so long, I dont understand what he did with these hassids? I suspect they had a very amateurish try of fostering a shy semiferal... And left it when they didnt succeed. If it were the traditonal "summer cat" like they sometimes have in Sweden, it would prob become warmed up to you aftere these weeks of you helping it.
If so, a abandoned fostering attepmt, it is prob an experienced survivor, and will prob survive this year too... (or is it apparently a very young cat?)
Anyways, I would suggest you try and contact some of the leaders of the congregations, or their rabbi.
Ask them what happened. Be very friendly and diplomatic. Ask and beg them not leave after them any more cats.
Not abandon domestic cats, and preferably not make do half hearted fostering attempts, abandoned halfways.
Exactly what you say depends of course on what story they tell, so play it by the tune and your ear.
Show them this my post if you so wish.
Jews are supposed to be nice to animals, there are lotsa of rules in their Bible for being kind to animals.
Thus, one of the very few allowed exceptions to break the Sabbath holy rest, is to save a donkey who fell into a well.
Not for saving the drinking water of the willage, but in purpose to save the life of the donkey... Im completely sure of this interpretations, as they do have also other examples for when you should help the animals.
One jewish writer of the early 1900 (Perez I think, but perhaps Shalom Aleichem) retold a statement of a poor religious Jew, who often hadnt enough with food for his family, and they of course didnt ate on the Holy days either: "We Jews knows how to manage without food if necessary. But our donkey, she cant read, and thus cant eiher read the holy comments to our Bible, so she is starving thrice a day, and thus, she must get her food thrice a day"...
The ONLY exception to all this niceness is the renown scape-goat, whom they send away into the wilderness, bearing on it the sins of the people and carrying them away...
But who knows. Somebody could be collecting it as soon it was out of eyesight. I would almost guess it was so, now when I think about it.
Continue to report and ask!
Tx for caring!
Good luck!
. I would suggest smelt butter. Olive oil of decent quality is OK too, but animal fat is better. Thus, butter.
( I dont know anyting about these lards whatever. I suspect it is a third rate something, made to be cheap, not nourishing.)
Melted animal fat, which the jews themselves eats traditionally with bread as alternative to butter, should also do nicely.
If the cat seems to be semiferal, not just becoming shy because it was on its own so long, I dont understand what he did with these hassids? I suspect they had a very amateurish try of fostering a shy semiferal... And left it when they didnt succeed. If it were the traditonal "summer cat" like they sometimes have in Sweden, it would prob become warmed up to you aftere these weeks of you helping it.
If so, a abandoned fostering attepmt, it is prob an experienced survivor, and will prob survive this year too... (or is it apparently a very young cat?)
Anyways, I would suggest you try and contact some of the leaders of the congregations, or their rabbi.
Ask them what happened. Be very friendly and diplomatic. Ask and beg them not leave after them any more cats.
Not abandon domestic cats, and preferably not make do half hearted fostering attempts, abandoned halfways.
Exactly what you say depends of course on what story they tell, so play it by the tune and your ear.
Show them this my post if you so wish.
Jews are supposed to be nice to animals, there are lotsa of rules in their Bible for being kind to animals.
Thus, one of the very few allowed exceptions to break the Sabbath holy rest, is to save a donkey who fell into a well.
Not for saving the drinking water of the willage, but in purpose to save the life of the donkey... Im completely sure of this interpretations, as they do have also other examples for when you should help the animals.
One jewish writer of the early 1900 (Perez I think, but perhaps Shalom Aleichem) retold a statement of a poor religious Jew, who often hadnt enough with food for his family, and they of course didnt ate on the Holy days either: "We Jews knows how to manage without food if necessary. But our donkey, she cant read, and thus cant eiher read the holy comments to our Bible, so she is starving thrice a day, and thus, she must get her food thrice a day"...
The ONLY exception to all this niceness is the renown scape-goat, whom they send away into the wilderness, bearing on it the sins of the people and carrying them away...
But who knows. Somebody could be collecting it as soon it was out of eyesight. I would almost guess it was so, now when I think about it.
Continue to report and ask!
Tx for caring!
Good luck!
Stephan makes some good points. The people who run the camp may not be aware of how cruel abandoning a cat can be. I would definitely talk to someone there to help them become aware of it. Depending on your area, they may actually be breaking the laws against cruelty. Perhaps you can find that out before speaking to them.
As to getting her to your property - can you buy or borrow a humane trap? Trapping her may be upsetting but it gets the issue addressed quickly. Take her to the vet's as soon as you trap her. She will need vaccinations and may need spaying (or neutering, if a male). Then you will need a safe place to keep her while she gets used to your property as her new home. (A spare room, a large dog crate inside a garage or shed - that kind of thing).
As long as she is fed, given a warm bed and litter box, she will acclimate to her new digs within two weeks. Trying to move her gradually runs the risk of her being injured during the move.
Thank you for caring!
As to getting her to your property - can you buy or borrow a humane trap? Trapping her may be upsetting but it gets the issue addressed quickly. Take her to the vet's as soon as you trap her. She will need vaccinations and may need spaying (or neutering, if a male). Then you will need a safe place to keep her while she gets used to your property as her new home. (A spare room, a large dog crate inside a garage or shed - that kind of thing).
As long as she is fed, given a warm bed and litter box, she will acclimate to her new digs within two weeks. Trying to move her gradually runs the risk of her being injured during the move.
Thank you for caring!
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #4
butter is made from milk, i thought milk is bad for cats. (i havent had a cat in 20 years)
that sounds nice, would i get that at a normal supermarket?
i see that the definition of "lard" is melted fat from a pigs belly, so maybe its the same thing?
i noticed the cat 3 or 4 months after the camp was vacated, so i dont know if the cat was left there as a small cat. i think the previous one from the year before was relatively small.
yes i should contact the congregation and ask them about it and ask them not to do that, thats a good idea, i will have to wait till the camp becomes active in june.
yesterday it was cold and windy and the food froze before the cat could get to it, i checked later and i got dry purina cat food and left it there. i checked back an hour later and was happy to see the cat eating it.
being involved in this sure helps me appreciate how lucky we humans are to have shelter and as much food as we want. at least in most countries. ive always liked cats, my family had a lot in my teens, its a weird feeling being in my warm house and thinking about this cat underneath the camp building. i hope there is a nook or someplace that it can get into there. just comeing back from feeding it i wasnt wearing gloves and my hands were freezing from the wind, i think under a building protects from the wind. i better get going on this styrofoam box.
im not sure how much money i would want to invest in a feral cat because around here seem to have such short life spans, i think their predator is bears.
do you guys know if cats can run faster than bears? this cat seems to be able to run very fast.
im no expert but something tells me if i trap the cat and bring it to my property it will just run away?
i havent had a cat in 20 years but i used feed a feral cat in oakland california back in 1999 that was living under my building, and i did trap it to get him nutered, but the cat always paranoid hating me despite i gave it food for years.
im no expert but something tells me if i trap the cat and bring it to my property it will just run away?
The purpose of keeping the cat confined for a time is to allow it to become accustomed to the new area and adopt it as "home." It is not difficult but it takes time.
im not sure how much money i would want to invest in a feral cat because around here seem to have such short life spans,
We have many members here who can attest that feral cats can live as long as housecats - as long as they are spayed or neutered, fed regularly and given appropriate shelter. What you are doing is laudable. But I would suggest it only goes halfway towards helping this cat.
i think their predator is bears. do you guys know if cats can run faster than bears? this cat seems to be able to run very fast.
She will not last long if she is up against bears with no help at all.
The purpose of keeping the cat confined for a time is to allow it to become accustomed to the new area and adopt it as "home." It is not difficult but it takes time.
im not sure how much money i would want to invest in a feral cat because around here seem to have such short life spans,
We have many members here who can attest that feral cats can live as long as housecats - as long as they are spayed or neutered, fed regularly and given appropriate shelter. What you are doing is laudable. But I would suggest it only goes halfway towards helping this cat.
i think their predator is bears. do you guys know if cats can run faster than bears? this cat seems to be able to run very fast.
She will not last long if she is up against bears with no help at all.
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #6
so you are saying like i would get one of those humane traps and bring the cat to the garage and keep it there with a heater and maybe an insulated box, and for how long? can you give me a clearer picture of what we are talking about.
and when the time comes to let it out of the garage wont it run away and hate humans even more?
Whenever one relocates a cat, whether up the block or to a new town , the cat needs time to acclimate to the new territory. Every place has sights, smells and sounds that cats need to familiarize themselves with. Being such creatures of habit, they need to feel safe and being familiar is the way to feel safe.
So you need to plan for a few weeks (three at the least) of confinement. A garage is an excellent place, although you should make sure there are no places she can hide and no way she can escape. That's where a large dog crate would help. If you can't do that, just make sure she can't hide or escape.
and when the time comes to let it out of the garage wont it run away and hate humans even more?
Absolutely not. In fact, if she was socialized at all as a kitten (and she probably was), she will begin to realize how good she has it! After all, she will be provided with food, a warm bed and a nice potty by you - a wonderful human!
When you feed her or tend to her potty, always talk calmly to her. Cats hear a higher pitched voice better, so use your falsetto voice.
You may notice her becoming more friendly as time goes on. I've often sat in the room with the new kitties and read out loud to them. It gets them used to a human voice and presence. If she was left by a camper, I am betting she was socialized and she may very well come around.
Good luck!
ps - you may be able to borrow the trap from a local rescue group. They can also help you learn how to use it. (For instance, you can't set it and leave it for more than 2 hours or so, especially in the cold weather. If she's goes in the trap, she will freeze if she's not taken up right away.)
So you need to plan for a few weeks (three at the least) of confinement. A garage is an excellent place, although you should make sure there are no places she can hide and no way she can escape. That's where a large dog crate would help. If you can't do that, just make sure she can't hide or escape.
and when the time comes to let it out of the garage wont it run away and hate humans even more?
Absolutely not. In fact, if she was socialized at all as a kitten (and she probably was), she will begin to realize how good she has it! After all, she will be provided with food, a warm bed and a nice potty by you - a wonderful human!
When you feed her or tend to her potty, always talk calmly to her. Cats hear a higher pitched voice better, so use your falsetto voice.
You may notice her becoming more friendly as time goes on. I've often sat in the room with the new kitties and read out loud to them. It gets them used to a human voice and presence. If she was left by a camper, I am betting she was socialized and she may very well come around.
Good luck!
ps - you may be able to borrow the trap from a local rescue group. They can also help you learn how to use it. (For instance, you can't set it and leave it for more than 2 hours or so, especially in the cold weather. If she's goes in the trap, she will freeze if she's not taken up right away.)
I used to live in Upstate NY and the winters are harsh and oh so snowy. The poor cat would have a very difficult time surviving without your help. Trapping is not difficult and should be quite easy if she/he is hungry. There are many videos on how to use a humane trap and how to trap a cat. Alley Cat Allies has some great videos.
Have you thought about trying to resocialize the cat? Many cats that are left and considered stray develop feral tendencies, but they can once again be socialized loving pets. I brought in a stray turned feral in late May. He had been living outside on his own for about 2 years. It took him months to trust me. I first trapped him and took him to be vet checked and neutered. I then returned him to his outside home, but retrapped him again in May to bring him inside. I have another cat inside as well as a large dog. It has been adjustment for the cat, but he has done so well. He is friendly and loving. He has never once tried to escape out an open door. He knows now how good he has it and outside life is over for him.
There is so much help to be found here. So whatever you choose, we are here to help.
Thank you so much for caring for this cat.
Have you thought about trying to resocialize the cat? Many cats that are left and considered stray develop feral tendencies, but they can once again be socialized loving pets. I brought in a stray turned feral in late May. He had been living outside on his own for about 2 years. It took him months to trust me. I first trapped him and took him to be vet checked and neutered. I then returned him to his outside home, but retrapped him again in May to bring him inside. I have another cat inside as well as a large dog. It has been adjustment for the cat, but he has done so well. He is friendly and loving. He has never once tried to escape out an open door. He knows now how good he has it and outside life is over for him.
There is so much help to be found here. So whatever you choose, we are here to help.
Thank you so much for caring for this cat.
Most cats who were pets as kittens will resocialize nicely once they understand you mean no harm. Those born feral are much tougher and may never trust you fully. So if she was the camp pet I suspect she'd warm up quickly once she's caught.
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #10
if i put the cat in a dog crate surely that would make it hate me and associate my place with like jail? but there is no way the cat could escape the garage unless it gets out when i go in to give it food. what do people do to get in the garage to give food etc without risking the cat escaping?
it turns out there is a place right near me where i can borrow one of those humane cat traps.
i really dont think i want to invest any other money other than buying it food, cats have a short life span around here, even domestic cats around here vanish, i guess because of bears, cars and who knows what else. im of low income and i really dont think there are any other cats around here that it could mate with. what are the vaccinations against?
3 weeks in the garage might be a preferable alternative if it would really work, but would 3 weeks really get the cat to hang around my house and access a warm place instead of under a vacant building? i cant let any outdoors cats into my house because weve had a serious problem with lyme ticks and outdoor cats carry lyme ticks. but the garage may be fine.
is it possible i might not need to feed it much during spring/summer because it appears to have survived the last 4 months on its own? i get the feeling cats actually enjoy hunting since they do it even when they have access to pet food.
this would save me from having to build a styrofoam cat shelter box, instead i could put a cardboard box in the garage with my electric foot warmer inside it, this is an electric foot warmer i ordered from amazon.com last year, its a very good product. actually i was going to suggest somewhere on this forum that instead of going through the trouble of building styrofoam boxes that one could just use a cardboard box with a hole cut in it and one of these electric foot warmers, provided its near an electric outlet.
as far as trying to get it to a styrofoam box, someone said its probably too far fetched for me to think i can lure the cat using food to my property which is a 3 minit walk from the camp, about a quauter of a mile, so i should make a styrofoam cat shelter box and put it near its current location in the camp, but this means crossing the surrounding fence of the camp which according to the signs "do not enter" must be private property. i wonder if there might even be surveillance cameras there that could see me, or if a worker or owner might visit the camp, see the box and remove it. so i will take this idea of keeping it in the garage seriously. please advise
Many cats dont manage cow milk. but products of milk are easier for them; thus, plain youghurt and cheese are OK.
And butter...
Goat milk is always OK, although we arent talking goat milk at this moment..
If lard is melted fat, yes it should do nicely. Tx for the tip!
Jews themselves doesnt eat THIS lard from pigs, but nobody expects you to give it strictly koscher food.
Poles ate them too such a melted animal fat, I suspect their is from pigs.
Im not living in the USA, so I dont know for sure what products you do have and what not.
But as at least two big minorieties does eats such products, Im sure you will find it at supermarket or in some local shop with minority food - polish or jewish, possibly other groups too.
You will prob have it easier with this than me living in Sweden.
Ah, vet costs. Of course, you CAN held them on low budget. Not all pay for testing for Felv/Fiv for example.
but spaying is necessary to get somewhere - if you do it, or you get help from some rescue group, I cant know for now. so it doesnt need to cost a fortune.
cheap spaying:
If you are in the U.S. , the ASPCA has an online database. http://www.aspca.org/pet-care/spayneuter
Or here is a hotline number that will find you a low cost clinic in your area 1-800-248-7729
Good luck!
if i put the cat in a dog crate surely that would make it hate me and associate my place with like jail?
No, exactly the opposite usually happens, especially with formerly socialized cats. They realize (remember) the good life and will more often than not, warm up to their human. Will they like being in the crate? Probably not but it is a good way to ensure she doesn't escape.
but there is no way the cat could escape the garage unless it gets out when i go in to give it food.
This is a good set-up, then.
what do people do to get in the garage to give food etc without risking the cat escaping?
Using large crates is how they confine the cat when, say, the garage door is open.
it turns out there is a place right near me where i can borrow one of those humane cat traps.
This place may also have good resources for spaying and neutering, plus vaccinations
i really dont think i want to invest any other money other than buying it food, cats have a short life span around here, even domestic cats around here vanish, i guess because of bears, cars and who knows what else. im of low income and i really dont think there are any other cats around here that it could mate with. what are the vaccinations against?
Vaccinations against rabies, which are probably the law. When a cat wants to mate, he or she may travel for miles to locate a mate. The instinct is that strong. That wandering is what usually gets outside cats killed - they are out of their own territory and up against other cats vying for resources and against predators. PLEASE do not help this cat halfway. Making sure it has its shots and is fixed, then giving it food and shelter is the best way to ensure it lives a long, healthy life.
3 weeks in the garage might be a preferable alternative if it would really work, but would 3 weeks really get the cat to hang around my house and access a warm place instead of under a vacant building? i cant let any outdoors cats into my house because weve had a serious problem with lyme ticks and outdoor cats carry lyme ticks. but the garage may be fine.
The garage will be a very good place to keep her. You can also treat her for ticks/fleas and other parasites. Yes, it costs money but getting rid of the pests is good for you as well as her.
is it possible i might not need to feed it much during spring/summer because it appears to have survived the last 4 months on its own? i get the feeling cats actually enjoy hunting since they do it even when they have access to pet food.
Once you begin feeding her on a regular basis, your should keep it up. Yes, she may still hunt but that really should be supplementary to what you provide for her.
this would save me from having to build a styrofoam cat shelter box, instead i could put a cardboard box in the garage with my electric foot warmer inside it, this is an electric foot warmer i ordered from amazon.com last year, its a very good product. actually i was going to suggest somewhere on this forum that instead of going through the trouble of building styrofoam boxes that one could just use a cardboard box with a hole cut in it and one of these electric foot warmers, provided its near an electric outlet.
Careful of the foot warmer - make sure it doesn't get too hot. It may ignite the cardboard or burn the cat otherwise.
as far as trying to get it to a styrofoam box, someone said its probably too far fetched for me to think i can lure the cat using food to my property which is a 3 minit walk from the camp, about a quauter of a mile, so i should make a styrofoam cat shelter box and put it near its current location in the camp, but this means crossing the surrounding fence of the camp which according to the signs "do not enter" must be private property. i wonder if there might even be surveillance cameras there that could see me, or if a worker or owner might visit the camp, see the box and remove it. so i will take this idea of keeping it in the garage seriously. please advise
Styrofoam coolers are an excellent winter shelter but only if they are secure and the cat uses them. Your most likely will not be able to lure the cat to your house slowly. (That's why I suggested trapping her.
I wouldn't go on private property without permission - as you said, they may have cameras and prosecute you. Is there any way you can contact someone from the camp and explain the situation. Perhaps ask for their help?
Contact the people with the traps. I am betting they can help you through this process.
No, exactly the opposite usually happens, especially with formerly socialized cats. They realize (remember) the good life and will more often than not, warm up to their human. Will they like being in the crate? Probably not but it is a good way to ensure she doesn't escape.
but there is no way the cat could escape the garage unless it gets out when i go in to give it food.
This is a good set-up, then.
what do people do to get in the garage to give food etc without risking the cat escaping?
Using large crates is how they confine the cat when, say, the garage door is open.
it turns out there is a place right near me where i can borrow one of those humane cat traps.
This place may also have good resources for spaying and neutering, plus vaccinations
i really dont think i want to invest any other money other than buying it food, cats have a short life span around here, even domestic cats around here vanish, i guess because of bears, cars and who knows what else. im of low income and i really dont think there are any other cats around here that it could mate with. what are the vaccinations against?
Vaccinations against rabies, which are probably the law. When a cat wants to mate, he or she may travel for miles to locate a mate. The instinct is that strong. That wandering is what usually gets outside cats killed - they are out of their own territory and up against other cats vying for resources and against predators. PLEASE do not help this cat halfway. Making sure it has its shots and is fixed, then giving it food and shelter is the best way to ensure it lives a long, healthy life.
3 weeks in the garage might be a preferable alternative if it would really work, but would 3 weeks really get the cat to hang around my house and access a warm place instead of under a vacant building? i cant let any outdoors cats into my house because weve had a serious problem with lyme ticks and outdoor cats carry lyme ticks. but the garage may be fine.
The garage will be a very good place to keep her. You can also treat her for ticks/fleas and other parasites. Yes, it costs money but getting rid of the pests is good for you as well as her.
is it possible i might not need to feed it much during spring/summer because it appears to have survived the last 4 months on its own? i get the feeling cats actually enjoy hunting since they do it even when they have access to pet food.
Once you begin feeding her on a regular basis, your should keep it up. Yes, she may still hunt but that really should be supplementary to what you provide for her.
this would save me from having to build a styrofoam cat shelter box, instead i could put a cardboard box in the garage with my electric foot warmer inside it, this is an electric foot warmer i ordered from amazon.com last year, its a very good product. actually i was going to suggest somewhere on this forum that instead of going through the trouble of building styrofoam boxes that one could just use a cardboard box with a hole cut in it and one of these electric foot warmers, provided its near an electric outlet.
Careful of the foot warmer - make sure it doesn't get too hot. It may ignite the cardboard or burn the cat otherwise.
as far as trying to get it to a styrofoam box, someone said its probably too far fetched for me to think i can lure the cat using food to my property which is a 3 minit walk from the camp, about a quauter of a mile, so i should make a styrofoam cat shelter box and put it near its current location in the camp, but this means crossing the surrounding fence of the camp which according to the signs "do not enter" must be private property. i wonder if there might even be surveillance cameras there that could see me, or if a worker or owner might visit the camp, see the box and remove it. so i will take this idea of keeping it in the garage seriously. please advise
Styrofoam coolers are an excellent winter shelter but only if they are secure and the cat uses them. Your most likely will not be able to lure the cat to your house slowly. (That's why I suggested trapping her.
I wouldn't go on private property without permission - as you said, they may have cameras and prosecute you. Is there any way you can contact someone from the camp and explain the situation. Perhaps ask for their help?
Contact the people with the traps. I am betting they can help you through this process.
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #13
thanks for the advice, i should have a decision in the next couple of days.
its snowing here now, ive been leaving it dry cat food because canned cat food freezes, so i made sure to also leave it water, but the water also freezes, so i would like to know is do cats know that snow is made of water, i mean if its thirsty will it know that it can eat/drink the snow?
its snowing here now, ive been leaving it dry cat food because canned cat food freezes, so i made sure to also leave it water, but the water also freezes, so i would like to know is do cats know that snow is made of water, i mean if its thirsty will it know that it can eat/drink the snow?
If it's a female, she'll have kittens (they always find a tomcat somewhere unless you live on a deserted island! :lol3, and that will cost you more than spaying :/. So that's really a must. You may be able to find a low-cost spay/neuter clinic in the area, they do vaccinations too. Check out www.spayusa.org for some ideas.
, and that will cost you more than spaying :/. So that's really a must. You may be able to find a low-cost spay/neuter clinic in the area, they do vaccinations too. Check out www.spayusa.org for some ideas.
He or she will probably not eat snow - for the same reasons a person wouldn't. The cat will need to keep it's core warm and eating snow would defeat that. Cats get their water from their food, so any time you can put out wet food will benefit it.
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #16
my last hurdle to get over in this decision is the remote possibility that i may be stealing someones cat. is it possible that someone may have left it there with some sort of provisions, like might the person have made a styrofoam box for it under one of the buildings.
is it possible that someone else may be leaving it food for it somewhere else, because on the one hand when the cat comes for the food i leave it it always polishes off the whole bowl, but on the other hand the intervals between when it comes for the food are like 24 hour periods, yet i leave food in the morning as well as the evening, half the time i come to leave it more food i find that it hasnt yet gotten to the previous one. is that normal? so its only coming to eat about every 24 hours. when i checked this morning the food i put out for it yesterday morning was still there. by now the cat should know that food is almost always there so why would it come to eat only 24-36 hours?
is it possible that someone else may be leaving it food for it somewhere else, because on the one hand when the cat comes for the food i leave it it always polishes off the whole bowl, but on the other hand the intervals between when it comes for the food are like 24 hour periods, yet i leave food in the morning as well as the evening, half the time i come to leave it more food i find that it hasnt yet gotten to the previous one. is that normal? so its only coming to eat about every 24 hours. when i checked this morning the food i put out for it yesterday morning was still there. by now the cat should know that food is almost always there so why would it come to eat only 24-36 hours?
Another good reason to get in touch with someone from the camp. Also, perhaps another neighbor is the other feeder. Maybe you can knock on some doors and ask. I would definitely make sure before I brought her back to my place.
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- #18
the camp is vacant, closed, i suppose i could google to find something about it. is it possible the reason why they might leave a cat behind each year is because all those buildings must have lots of mice and leaving a cat helps insure the camp to be mice free next season?
Doesn't seem to be a very good plan, if that's what it was, as it would only work if the poor cat survives. You said yourself the last one didn't last long.
Unless you are able to contact someone from the camp or a neighbor is feeding the cat, it looks like you can pretty much do what you need to do to take care of it.
Unless you are able to contact someone from the camp or a neighbor is feeding the cat, it looks like you can pretty much do what you need to do to take care of it.
I hope you're able to trap her - it's very likely her best (even only) chance to make it through winter in the east coast of the US. Even this week is supposed to be nasty!
Trapping isn't generally that hard - your local humane society (or spay/neuter clinic) will likely loan one to you for a small deposit (that you get back when you return the trap). There are tons of places online with great trapping advice - one of the best is the Alley Cat Allies website. And I'll chime in with what everyone else is saying - getting her in, then spaying/neutering, etc. is by far the best. If she's going to survive outside she'll have to have decent shelter, and she needs to have a food/water source. Alley Cat Allies has great info on putting out food/water for ferals too.
But it does sound like it's a good chance she's not completely feral - if she started out hanging with the people at the camp this summer. It's likely she's just taken on some of the feral characteristics since she's been forced to fend for herself (and likely encountered some very unfriendly people along the way). If you trap her and get her into your garage, chances are she WILL come around within a week or two. At least enough to know if she's feral, or just a stray who's having a rough time. Best is definitely a large (like great dane size if possible) dog crate - and keep it covered with a sheet initially. It will keep her calmer in there (and warmer - if she's in your garage. Because if she's not crated - yes it's a possibility she'll bolt when you enter. Chances are she won't - she'll probably retreat initially when you enter. But you'll actually have a better chance of socializing her if she's in something a little more confined.
I definitely don't think she'll think of it as "jail" - we've trapped and neutered/spayed many ferals, and most keep coming around afterwards for food/water/shelter. They recognize a good thing when they've got it!
And watch the foot warmer - I looked at the Amazon entry. and it sounds like it gets pretty hot - and they say not to put anything on top of it. I' hate to see you set your garage and the cat on fire! You could always set it in the cage - or if she's loose in the garage, set it in there and let her have the option of sitting on/by it when she wants and moving off of it when it's too hot. They do make outdoor cat heating pads - which are great for those situations - but if money's super tight that's probably out.
Keep us posted!
Trapping isn't generally that hard - your local humane society (or spay/neuter clinic) will likely loan one to you for a small deposit (that you get back when you return the trap). There are tons of places online with great trapping advice - one of the best is the Alley Cat Allies website. And I'll chime in with what everyone else is saying - getting her in, then spaying/neutering, etc. is by far the best. If she's going to survive outside she'll have to have decent shelter, and she needs to have a food/water source. Alley Cat Allies has great info on putting out food/water for ferals too.
But it does sound like it's a good chance she's not completely feral - if she started out hanging with the people at the camp this summer. It's likely she's just taken on some of the feral characteristics since she's been forced to fend for herself (and likely encountered some very unfriendly people along the way). If you trap her and get her into your garage, chances are she WILL come around within a week or two. At least enough to know if she's feral, or just a stray who's having a rough time. Best is definitely a large (like great dane size if possible) dog crate - and keep it covered with a sheet initially. It will keep her calmer in there (and warmer - if she's in your garage. Because if she's not crated - yes it's a possibility she'll bolt when you enter. Chances are she won't - she'll probably retreat initially when you enter. But you'll actually have a better chance of socializing her if she's in something a little more confined.
I definitely don't think she'll think of it as "jail" - we've trapped and neutered/spayed many ferals, and most keep coming around afterwards for food/water/shelter. They recognize a good thing when they've got it!
And watch the foot warmer - I looked at the Amazon entry. and it sounds like it gets pretty hot - and they say not to put anything on top of it. I' hate to see you set your garage and the cat on fire! You could always set it in the cage - or if she's loose in the garage, set it in there and let her have the option of sitting on/by it when she wants and moving off of it when it's too hot. They do make outdoor cat heating pads - which are great for those situations - but if money's super tight that's probably out.
Keep us posted!
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