Bought Feral heated Cat Condo...He Used It Until It Got Cold Outside! How do I get him to use it aga

[jmarkitell]

My male feral, Callie the Calico, was pretty comfortable with me and my family in the fall, when he would sometimes venture inside (as long as the door was still open in case he wanted to leave) and would come when called. Last6 winter, Callie disappeared in December and I thought he perished in the -20 degree weather we had last winter...he re-appeared in March or April, a little skinny but in good health. All summer long I fed him well and he put on his lost weight (and a little extra) so he would have a good fat reserve for this winter.

   I bought a fancy Cat Condo, made out of a large cooler, that features two doors and a heated floor. Callie used it frequently during the fall, especially when it started to get colder outside. As it progressed into winter, Callie quit using the Cat Condo and wasn't seen too often. I saw him yesterday, standing in the snow, but he wouldn't come down to visit, despite a big bowl of food as an enticement. It seems he tends to disappear during the winter then spends the next 9 months hanging around the house. Callie is intact and I'm thinking he might be "making his rounds" during this time...I'd like to get him fixed but he is too wild to try that...at least for now.

   Anybody have a similar issue? How can I get Callie to use his condo again?

Jim 

 

[catwoman707]

 
My male feral, Callie the Calico, was pretty comfortable with me and my family in the fall, when he would sometimes venture inside (as long as the door was still open in case he wanted to leave) and would come when called. Last6 winter, Callie disappeared in December and I thought he perished in the -20 degree weather we had last winter...he re-appeared in March or April, a little skinny but in good health. All summer long I fed him well and he put on his lost weight (and a little extra) so he would have a good fat reserve for this winter.

   I bought a fancy Cat Condo, made out of a large cooler, that features two doors and a heated floor. Callie used it frequently during the fall, especially when it started to get colder outside. As it progressed into winter, Callie quit using the Cat Condo and wasn't seen too often. I saw him yesterday, standing in the snow, but he wouldn't come down to visit, despite a big bowl of food as an enticement. It seems he tends to disappear during the winter then spends the next 9 months hanging around the house. Callie is intact and I'm thinking he might be "making his rounds" during this time...I'd like to get him fixed but he is too wild to try that...at least for now.

   Anybody have a similar issue? How can I get Callie to use his condo again?

Jim 

Calico cats are females.

Maybe 1 in a million (not exactly but may as well be) calico cats turn up to be males, and if so, they are sterile.

But anyway, cali is a girl

She really needs to be trapped and spayed, I suspect her time away involves having babies.

 

[jmarkitell]

Callie is a definite male, unless this female has an unusual pair of lumps below her butt!   He has been around for a few years and usually hangs around and will sometimes allow us to pet him...always on his terms. He gets along well with our other 4 cats and isn't aggressive at all, but trapping him is a different story. With him being a calico, I wasn't too worried about him siring any broods due to the sterility issue. I live in a pretty rural area and I see very few other cats and I don't think there are any feral colonies within 10 miles.

   Getting him fixed is in the plans, but things usually have to work at his speed...he has no problem going away for a month if things don't go his way. Regarding Callie's chances of being a male calico, he is indeed a male, but prior to him I had a buff colored female show up and join our family...another genetic rarity. I think there are pictures of both Callie and Cleo (the buff female) on my cat photos. She is the cat in my "solids" photo. Her ears aren't tipped, rather the result of injuries that caused the equivalent of Cat Cauliflower Ears!

Jim

 

 

[shadowsrescue]

I really don't believe that he goes off for months because things don't go his way.  Most likely he goes off in search of a mate.  Cats can roam very far distances.  They are hormone driven and searching high and low cannot be helped.  How have you tried trapping him in the past?

He may be the sweetest and most loving kitty and not aggressive, but he will fight with other tom cats if he comes across them.  This too is hormone driven. 

I hope that you can find a way to trap him.  This may or may not stop his wandering as the older they get the more habitual wandering can become.  Yet many cats once neutered will stick closer to home. 

I am a bit confused that you say he is too wild to be fixed, but then later you say that you can sometimes pet him.  You will need a humane trap and it really shouldn't be too hard to trap him if you use a very stinky bait.  Getting him into a cat carrier right now is not in your best interest.  He could hurt you as well as hurt himself in the process.  A humane trap is not difficult to use. 

You can often rent or borrow one from rescue groups, humane societes and sometimes vets will have them.  You might also find someone to borrow one from.  They are the same traps used to catch raccoons and other wild life.  There are also videos we can share on how to trap.

As for using the heated condo, does it have an entrance and exit?  Is it in an area where he can easily escape?  Placement is often the key.  You can sometimes try to attract a cat to the shelter by sprinkling a bit of cat nip.  Just do not use food as it will attract other wildlife.  He must have a warm place where he feels safe.  Keep offering your shelter, he may change his mind.

 

[jmarkitell]

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• jmarkitell
• Sep 12, 2015

The heated shelter has two entrances/exits and is placed near where he frequently likes to sit. Callie will allow us to pet him but it is only in one spot on my property...anywhere else he will run from us even if we have food. I don't want to spook him away as it takes a long time for him to get over any incursions into his doings...it took two years before he wouldn't run off as soon as he saw people, even inside the house! I don't know why he won't go back to the condo as he was using it for about a month before it got too cold. I have a shed at the top of my yard and I believe he is staying up there, at least part of the time.

Jim