- Joined
- Nov 27, 2021
- Messages
- 7
- Purraise
- 12
Hello everyone, thanks for reading my first post! I'm happy to have found this resource and am looking forward to getting advice and updating you on this journey!
A little about me: I've always loved cats and was a no-kill shelter manager many years ago. My 18-year-old kitty was my office mate at the shelter before I brought him home, he's a mushy lovebug and my husband and I treasure him.
In late June, a small black cat showed up in my backyard with 3 kittens. I would see them in the yard throughout the day and got them on a morning/night feeding schedule. I contacted a shelter for help with TNR, since mama was still nursing we had to keep them together. She stopped coming around in September so I called the TNR folks back, they were booked up we couldn't trap the kittens until 11/11. We did a drop trap and got all 3, and they were released back into my yard 2 days later.
I've been interacting with the kittens since I first started feeding them - the two black ones let me get close to them when they eat, but I'm unable to pet them and usually hiss and run away. The grey one is a completely different story. He flung himself at my legs one morning in September and kept rubbing my ankles with his face. When I put his food down I started to pet him - after two days doing this he started to purr so loudly! I started sitting down on the deck to see what would happen, and he would walk around me rubbing up on me, and then he plopped down with his back against my legs. He'll show up outside of "food time" (he often sleeps in the sun near the door) and meows for me to come out and pet him.
On Thanksgiving night when I got home to feed him and his siblings, he wasn't there, and I knew something was wrong. I called for him (I named him Purrito, his brother is Sid and his sister is Obi) and I heard scared crying. I was running around with my flashlight calling him, and every time I would get a really panicked meow back - after doing this for 5 minutes I was able to pinpoint that he was in my neighbor's garage. They had gone out to get folding chairs and he must have snuck in, he climbed up to the rafters and got himself wedged between the top of a cinderblock and a beam. They helped me get up on a ladder, we were able to scoot him with a soft brush and I fit my hand in to scruff him. I expected him to freak out, but he was clinging to me and stayed in my lap on the deck for a long time. I hated going back inside, I sat with him while he ate and was petting him while he purred up a storm. When I came inside my husband was like "Yeah, I think the universe wants him to be our cat, let's get him inside." (I had mentioned a few times that Purrito seemed to want to live with us, but it took the garage incident to convinve my husband!)
So tonight is the night we bring Purrito in! I feel nervous for his brother and sister, but they seem to be thriving outside and are clear that they have no interest in me beyond their food. When I talked to someone at the TNR group they told me that if there are friendly cats in a colony many caretakers will bring them in to socialize and adopt them, but that for truly feral cats being a caretaker, spaying/neutering, and monitoring them is what helps the most. I hope that's true. Of course, I am committed to taking care of them - I have 3 heated winter shelters on the deck, a heated water bowl that they love, and a regular feeding schedule where I take pics of them and notes. (I'm going to be able to trap mama soon, I hope - she started showing up again while the kittens were at the spay/neuter clinic.)
I'm a bit anxious, and I'm prepared that Purrito will not be my buddy for a while as he gets used to things. Here's my set-up:
Purrito:
The king of my heart, my treasure Stonewall:
The TL;DR - a 4 cat colony lives in my backyard, I TNR'd the kittens. (Working to get mama) One of the kittens is very attached to me and begs to come inside, so I'm bringing him in tonight!
A little about me: I've always loved cats and was a no-kill shelter manager many years ago. My 18-year-old kitty was my office mate at the shelter before I brought him home, he's a mushy lovebug and my husband and I treasure him.
In late June, a small black cat showed up in my backyard with 3 kittens. I would see them in the yard throughout the day and got them on a morning/night feeding schedule. I contacted a shelter for help with TNR, since mama was still nursing we had to keep them together. She stopped coming around in September so I called the TNR folks back, they were booked up we couldn't trap the kittens until 11/11. We did a drop trap and got all 3, and they were released back into my yard 2 days later.
I've been interacting with the kittens since I first started feeding them - the two black ones let me get close to them when they eat, but I'm unable to pet them and usually hiss and run away. The grey one is a completely different story. He flung himself at my legs one morning in September and kept rubbing my ankles with his face. When I put his food down I started to pet him - after two days doing this he started to purr so loudly! I started sitting down on the deck to see what would happen, and he would walk around me rubbing up on me, and then he plopped down with his back against my legs. He'll show up outside of "food time" (he often sleeps in the sun near the door) and meows for me to come out and pet him.
On Thanksgiving night when I got home to feed him and his siblings, he wasn't there, and I knew something was wrong. I called for him (I named him Purrito, his brother is Sid and his sister is Obi) and I heard scared crying. I was running around with my flashlight calling him, and every time I would get a really panicked meow back - after doing this for 5 minutes I was able to pinpoint that he was in my neighbor's garage. They had gone out to get folding chairs and he must have snuck in, he climbed up to the rafters and got himself wedged between the top of a cinderblock and a beam. They helped me get up on a ladder, we were able to scoot him with a soft brush and I fit my hand in to scruff him. I expected him to freak out, but he was clinging to me and stayed in my lap on the deck for a long time. I hated going back inside, I sat with him while he ate and was petting him while he purred up a storm. When I came inside my husband was like "Yeah, I think the universe wants him to be our cat, let's get him inside." (I had mentioned a few times that Purrito seemed to want to live with us, but it took the garage incident to convinve my husband!)
So tonight is the night we bring Purrito in! I feel nervous for his brother and sister, but they seem to be thriving outside and are clear that they have no interest in me beyond their food. When I talked to someone at the TNR group they told me that if there are friendly cats in a colony many caretakers will bring them in to socialize and adopt them, but that for truly feral cats being a caretaker, spaying/neutering, and monitoring them is what helps the most. I hope that's true. Of course, I am committed to taking care of them - I have 3 heated winter shelters on the deck, a heated water bowl that they love, and a regular feeding schedule where I take pics of them and notes. (I'm going to be able to trap mama soon, I hope - she started showing up again while the kittens were at the spay/neuter clinic.)
I'm a bit anxious, and I'm prepared that Purrito will not be my buddy for a while as he gets used to things. Here's my set-up:
- 32”(L) x 22”(W) x 49"(H) cat condo in my office room
- Small litter box with organic potting soil
- Small bed (which I used to pet Purrito with yesterday)
- Food/water dishes
- A small cave-like soft bed
- A few small catnip toys
- Sheets to cover the cage
Purrito:
The king of my heart, my treasure Stonewall:
The TL;DR - a 4 cat colony lives in my backyard, I TNR'd the kittens. (Working to get mama) One of the kittens is very attached to me and begs to come inside, so I'm bringing him in tonight!
I know I could be overreacting (my husband told me to calm down!) but I'm just scared.
