- Joined
- Sep 8, 2022
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Hello!! I found this site not too long ago and spent many hours reading posts about domesticating semi-feral cats. The advice given to others have been so helpful and educational in preparing me with my journey that Iām about to share here.
I donāt want to take too much of anyoneās time explaining my situation so Iāll try to be as brief as possible.I currently have in my spare bedroom/office one mama cat, Babycakes, who is approx 12-14months old (black with white paws and chest) and her two babies, Maxi (all grey) and Cupcake (a mini- version of Babycakes, black with white paws and chest), approx 6-7months old (I think). All three have been vetted and spayed, all deemed healthy. They are in a Catio I set up in my office (pics included).
I rescued the babies first (on Oct 23 and 25, 2022, one at a time). I couldnāt stand the thought of them spending their life outside in the cold weather, esp with winter approaching (I live in NY). Got them spayed and tested and then placed them in the Catio, three days apart. I was originally bonded with their mom, Babycakes, who I was feeding and sheltering on my back deck. Watching the three of them outside playing, grooming, and sleeping together touched my heart. They were a bonded, close knit family. Babycakes was an attentive, caring mama. So I was determined to trap Babycakes and reunite her with her babies. After several failed attempts, I successfully trapped her on Oct 4th, so they were separated for approx 15 days. After she was cleared by the vet, I placed her in the Catio with her babies expecting a warm, loving reunion, but not so!!! She and Maxi hissed and swatted at each other. At this point, Cupcake and Maxi (babies) were somewhat adapted to the Catio, not with me though. I was never able to pet any of them when they were outside, however, they grew to trust me as evidenced by their willingness to eat while I sat few feet away. They were a fixture on my deck for weeks and would not run too far when I approached.
Back to current situation: now that theyāre reunited, Babycakes was obviously scared and retreated to the cubby in the corner of the Catio. Her babies looked as if they didnāt recognize her. They remained cautious and stayed awayā¦and kinda remain distant to this day (15 days since Babycakes joined them). Every so often, they swat at each other and get into minor scuffles with Babycakes (always one at a time). The babies are comfortable in the Catio as they frolic and play with each other and their toys. I lay down beside the Catio every night for an hour or so and spend a few hours during the day with them (I work some days from home and conduct my Zoom meetings in that room so they are used to my voice and presence, but donāt feel safe enough to allow me to pet them yet). I play with them using a feather wand and feed them Temptation treats with a long baby spoon that fits through the Catio bars. When I lay on the floor next to the Catio, Babycakes stays hidden in the cubby, while the babies play near me. When I leave the room, she comes out to eat, uses the litter box, and explores the top tiers of the Catio. She sleeps outside of the cubby when Iām not in the room. I will eventually leave the doors of the Catio open for them to explore the room, but I donāt know when the right time to do that will be. Help!
I feel bad they are confined to only the Catio space. This evening, I witnessed Babycakes attempting to get out of the Catio by reaching for and scratching at the vertical blinds behind it. She then proceeded to go to the other side of the Catio to scratch the bars. When she crossed paths with Cupcake, she gave her a good swatting causing Cupcake to scream/yelp in fear. Yet few minutes later, all three are laying throughout the structure or in the cat tower seemingly unbothered by one another.
I was at a breaking point this evening feeling like I should release Babycakes back into our neighborhood (which is a private enclosed small community of townhomes, relatively safe from traffic and a lot of people, but there are other wildlife, mainly raccoons who found their way to my deck after discovering I was feeding the cats). Anyway, Iām worried Babycakes is unhappy inside. I get scared for her babies because the three of them have not bonded inside like they had when they were outside. What do I do?
I donāt have additional spare rooms in my house to separate her from her babies, assuming that is whatās best for her. I have two senior dogs, both with their own chronic health conditions, that I care for and adore (theyāre my other babies; a 14yo chihuahua and 10ish yo recuse pitbull). They have the run of the house except for the office where the cats are. The cats donāt seem too phased by my dogs presence though, but they are cautious (they see each other from the hallway as I enter or leave the office, or Iāve had my 14 yo chihuahua sitting under my desk while Iām on Zoom and the kitties just stare at her and eventually sleep, not bothered by her presence. My dogs are not cat friendly [what did I get myself into?!?!] I also have a baby gate placed outside the office door as a precautionary measure).
Do you think Babycakes will be happier if she is able to explore the room? Iām afraid she will try to scale the walls or the vertical blinds of the window! The room size is approx 11x11 and has two bookshelves on either side of the Catio and my desk opposite side of the Catio (where my camera is set up to watch them, which I am obsessed)!! I am in the process of boxing up all my books so the book shelves are free for the cats to claim as their own. One book shelf doesnāt have a back so they can go in and out.
I know the babies will warm up to me once they have free roam of the room. I know to work at their pace and wait for them to approach me. I learned so many helpful tips from this site that I will utilize them once I feel the babies are comfortable enough to get access to the entire room. I set up another TALL cat tower by my desk. I want to place another litter box by the bookshelf so they have two boxes (theyāre all sharing one box inside the Catio!! I feel bad about that but so far, theyāre all using the litter boxā¦I scoop it like 3x a day
)!
Any advice will be greatly appreciated. Iām planning to move next August to a bigger home where the cats will have more space.
So I guess my questions mainly have to do with what to do about Babycakes. Should I release her? I donāt want to, but sheās not bonding with her babies, nor does she appear to be happy. She glares at me, to the point Iām afraid of her which is sad because I feel in love with her outside. She was the reason I wanted to trap them. And yes, I know itās only been a couple of weeks, but Iām more concerned with her sharing that small space with her babies and potentially hurting them.
I find Maxi sometimes laying in the litter box. I read on Google that cats may do that because theyāre stressed so they seek comfort in their litter box. Maxi never retreated to the box prior to Babycakesā arrival into the Catio. I just want them all to be happy
I know Iām all over the place with my thoughts in this post, so if youāre able to stay focused thus far, I thank you
! Iām overwhelmed, probably in over my head, and am doing this all by myself, so any advice is much appreciated.
Warmly,
Priya
Pics are of them in the Catio. Since Babycakes rarely shows herself when Iām in the room, I included a pic of her when she was outside on my deck (pre-trap days).
I donāt want to take too much of anyoneās time explaining my situation so Iāll try to be as brief as possible.I currently have in my spare bedroom/office one mama cat, Babycakes, who is approx 12-14months old (black with white paws and chest) and her two babies, Maxi (all grey) and Cupcake (a mini- version of Babycakes, black with white paws and chest), approx 6-7months old (I think). All three have been vetted and spayed, all deemed healthy. They are in a Catio I set up in my office (pics included).
I rescued the babies first (on Oct 23 and 25, 2022, one at a time). I couldnāt stand the thought of them spending their life outside in the cold weather, esp with winter approaching (I live in NY). Got them spayed and tested and then placed them in the Catio, three days apart. I was originally bonded with their mom, Babycakes, who I was feeding and sheltering on my back deck. Watching the three of them outside playing, grooming, and sleeping together touched my heart. They were a bonded, close knit family. Babycakes was an attentive, caring mama. So I was determined to trap Babycakes and reunite her with her babies. After several failed attempts, I successfully trapped her on Oct 4th, so they were separated for approx 15 days. After she was cleared by the vet, I placed her in the Catio with her babies expecting a warm, loving reunion, but not so!!! She and Maxi hissed and swatted at each other. At this point, Cupcake and Maxi (babies) were somewhat adapted to the Catio, not with me though. I was never able to pet any of them when they were outside, however, they grew to trust me as evidenced by their willingness to eat while I sat few feet away. They were a fixture on my deck for weeks and would not run too far when I approached.
Back to current situation: now that theyāre reunited, Babycakes was obviously scared and retreated to the cubby in the corner of the Catio. Her babies looked as if they didnāt recognize her. They remained cautious and stayed awayā¦and kinda remain distant to this day (15 days since Babycakes joined them). Every so often, they swat at each other and get into minor scuffles with Babycakes (always one at a time). The babies are comfortable in the Catio as they frolic and play with each other and their toys. I lay down beside the Catio every night for an hour or so and spend a few hours during the day with them (I work some days from home and conduct my Zoom meetings in that room so they are used to my voice and presence, but donāt feel safe enough to allow me to pet them yet). I play with them using a feather wand and feed them Temptation treats with a long baby spoon that fits through the Catio bars. When I lay on the floor next to the Catio, Babycakes stays hidden in the cubby, while the babies play near me. When I leave the room, she comes out to eat, uses the litter box, and explores the top tiers of the Catio. She sleeps outside of the cubby when Iām not in the room. I will eventually leave the doors of the Catio open for them to explore the room, but I donāt know when the right time to do that will be. Help!
I feel bad they are confined to only the Catio space. This evening, I witnessed Babycakes attempting to get out of the Catio by reaching for and scratching at the vertical blinds behind it. She then proceeded to go to the other side of the Catio to scratch the bars. When she crossed paths with Cupcake, she gave her a good swatting causing Cupcake to scream/yelp in fear. Yet few minutes later, all three are laying throughout the structure or in the cat tower seemingly unbothered by one another.
I was at a breaking point this evening feeling like I should release Babycakes back into our neighborhood (which is a private enclosed small community of townhomes, relatively safe from traffic and a lot of people, but there are other wildlife, mainly raccoons who found their way to my deck after discovering I was feeding the cats). Anyway, Iām worried Babycakes is unhappy inside. I get scared for her babies because the three of them have not bonded inside like they had when they were outside. What do I do?
I donāt have additional spare rooms in my house to separate her from her babies, assuming that is whatās best for her. I have two senior dogs, both with their own chronic health conditions, that I care for and adore (theyāre my other babies; a 14yo chihuahua and 10ish yo recuse pitbull). They have the run of the house except for the office where the cats are. The cats donāt seem too phased by my dogs presence though, but they are cautious (they see each other from the hallway as I enter or leave the office, or Iāve had my 14 yo chihuahua sitting under my desk while Iām on Zoom and the kitties just stare at her and eventually sleep, not bothered by her presence. My dogs are not cat friendly [what did I get myself into?!?!] I also have a baby gate placed outside the office door as a precautionary measure).
Do you think Babycakes will be happier if she is able to explore the room? Iām afraid she will try to scale the walls or the vertical blinds of the window! The room size is approx 11x11 and has two bookshelves on either side of the Catio and my desk opposite side of the Catio (where my camera is set up to watch them, which I am obsessed)!! I am in the process of boxing up all my books so the book shelves are free for the cats to claim as their own. One book shelf doesnāt have a back so they can go in and out.
I know the babies will warm up to me once they have free roam of the room. I know to work at their pace and wait for them to approach me. I learned so many helpful tips from this site that I will utilize them once I feel the babies are comfortable enough to get access to the entire room. I set up another TALL cat tower by my desk. I want to place another litter box by the bookshelf so they have two boxes (theyāre all sharing one box inside the Catio!! I feel bad about that but so far, theyāre all using the litter boxā¦I scoop it like 3x a day
)!Any advice will be greatly appreciated. Iām planning to move next August to a bigger home where the cats will have more space.
So I guess my questions mainly have to do with what to do about Babycakes. Should I release her? I donāt want to, but sheās not bonding with her babies, nor does she appear to be happy. She glares at me, to the point Iām afraid of her which is sad because I feel in love with her outside. She was the reason I wanted to trap them. And yes, I know itās only been a couple of weeks, but Iām more concerned with her sharing that small space with her babies and potentially hurting them.
I find Maxi sometimes laying in the litter box. I read on Google that cats may do that because theyāre stressed so they seek comfort in their litter box. Maxi never retreated to the box prior to Babycakesā arrival into the Catio. I just want them all to be happy
I know Iām all over the place with my thoughts in this post, so if youāre able to stay focused thus far, I thank you
! Iām overwhelmed, probably in over my head, and am doing this all by myself, so any advice is much appreciated.Warmly,
Priya
Pics are of them in the Catio. Since Babycakes rarely shows herself when Iām in the room, I included a pic of her when she was outside on my deck (pre-trap days).
.
girls due to their health conditions. I wasnāt planning on inviting three cats into my home but my heart hurt knowing they were outside in the harsh elements, esp the babies. And I knew I was moving next year so would the new owners take over feeding them? Probably not
!! The room theyāre in now has no vents or spaces they can crawl into, and yesss, I have a camera set up in there to watch them, which I do constantly
I do not feel you are. ā in over your headā at all! That is a beautiful space and I have seen much smaller spaces. Oh my! I was trying to save cats from an emergency situation and I had to buy and borrow crates from every source I could find quickly. Most of the local rescuers I know personally are sometimes taking care of a lot of kitties at once and have to figure out where they can put them. Recently I found four kittens and NO shelter had space but a rescuer knew that I needed help and did take them. It was a scramble for us both but three were adopted within a week. It was just a matter of us doing what we could to save the lives and figuring out the rest later. Lol We survived and lives were saved. The kittens are all doing great now. 
