Feral Cat Situation Deteriorating, New Hssing

[orange&white]

Are you talking about one of the two additional cats you trapped, that you thought were siblings to the first kitten? Or did you trap an additional adult now?

I think when they told you there was no way to tell if she had kittens, they meant that they didn't have a way to tell if she was pregnant when they spayed her. It would be obvious if she were a nursing mother cat.

 

[wannahelp]

I have th three siblings and this one may be another sibling or their mother. I know there were 4 kittens but this female weighs more than the others, so she might be older.

 

[orange&white]

So this is a fourth cat? When did you trap her? Seems you're starting to have you hands full with all these feral cats.

 

[maggiedemi]

Are you going to just put all these feral cats in cages in your garage? I think it would be best for you to TNR. Trap, Neuter, and Release. Cats can't spend their lives in cages in your garage. Maybe you can release them back where you found them, since they are fixed now. You did a good thing getting them spayed/neutered. But living caged up is no life.

 

[wannahelp]

I was going to release her but I’m giving this one to rhe feral expert. She wanted to take her.
I don’t appreciate th repeated jabs about cats living in my garage. The male is no longer there and when the girls are ready, they’ll be moved inside somewhere, possibly they will be going with the woman as well. She advised me to keep them right ehere they are for a while, as they were not ready to be moved inside. Everybody on this forum is awfully opinionated lately, considering I’m the one doing all the heavy lifting. It’s easy to criticize from afar but I asked if anybody knew if there was a rescue for these cats or if anybody with a better space thana garage would want them and got no replies. I am well aware that cats, dogs, and probably people don’t like living in cages but this is part of a process and I didn’t intend to keep any of them there indefinitely. If I had to release the male eventually, tha’s what I would have had to do, had I not been able to move him inside. I wouldn’t have wanted to because he is young and we don’t have TNR laws. I may not have the ideal setup here but if it gets me the result I want, then what sifference does it make? Everybody here is obviously fortunate enough to houses big enough to accommodate cat rescue but I am not, so I have to work with what I have. If I could get some assistance in this life, then maybe I would too but I asked about that also and didn’t get any volunteers. So, all of you who are more fortuante than I can keep these things in mind when reaponding.

 

[maggiedemi]

Nobody is taking jabs at you. We are trying to help you. But you are afraid of feral cats, yet you keep taking in more. I don't understand. Cats cannot live for months in cages. Tame them outside, or in a room, or in the garage itself, not a cage in the garage.

 

[orange&white]

I think Maggie's just concerned because having kittens in cages while their brains and bodies are developing isn't ideal. It would be better if you had your parents buy in to turn one room of the house into a cat room so the kittens had some space to run around while they're growing. But follow the advice of the feral expert who is assisting you.

How are the kittens doing? Is the one in the powder room still coming out of his shell and playing?

 

[maggiedemi]

Why not just get them ear tipped and let them go? You already did your part by neutering/spaying them. TNR. Trap Neuter Release. Not Trap, Neuter, Keep in cage for months. I can't stand reading about these cats being locked up for so long. Even one month is too long! My cats go insane if they are locked up for 1 hour. You need to use the yard, the garage, the cellar, or a room. I can't read anymore, good luck.

 

[maggiedemi]

You don't need a big house, use the yard, if it's warm enough where you live. Or the garage or cellar. I used all 3 with mine because I had a boy and girl unfixed at the same time. I used the carrier and moved them from room to room. They never stayed in the carrier for more than an hour, ever.

 

[maggiedemi]

Sorry I got mad at you yesterday. It's only because I care. Are the cages big enough for the cats to walk around in? Can you post some pictures? Maybe your setup isn't as bad as I'm imagining.

 

[orange&white]

How's it going with your cat crew? I expect you're making good progress with the original kitten, and maybe the others, and would love to hear an update.

 

[wannahelp]

The females have two cages attached-48x36 and a 54”x forty something. I might add one on top, so I can give them a tree.
The male has made a lot of progress. After the catnip loosened him up, he really started to come around. He is still a little shy and unsure but he’s becoming a ‘normal’ cat. He asks to be pet and rubs on me. I have not used the gloves with him. I am just putting a tree together for him. He will be an affectionate cat and he loves to play. He’s also very cute.
To answer another question, I did not release the younger cats because I wanted to try to rehab them and get them adopted because my town does not support tnr and they could be picked up by animal control and euthanized. I had the woman come to evLuate them shortly after they were spayed and she believes they ccam be rehabbed. There is also a possibility that all three females may go to a farm to be barn cats. In the meantime, I’m working with the younger girls and the woman has the older one.

 

[maggiedemi]

That's wonderful. It sounds like I misjudged you with the cages, since you know how to hook them together and make them bigger. That's great about little boy kitty too. Keep up the good work.

 

[orange&white]

That is terrific news! I'm happy the cat lady was able to take the older cat so you have more time to work with the babies.

 

[wannahelp]

I am still concerned that I may have taken the older female from a litter of kittens. I asked h vet repeatedly if she could be nursing and was told there’s no way to tell. However, I was told that she was coming into or out of heat. I read that cats can go back into heat within a week of giving birth.

 

[orange&white]

It's very confusing to me that your vet would say there is no way to tell. Her nipples would be swollen and prominent if she were nursing. He spayed her, so he would have noticed something like that.

 

[wannahelp]

You would think so. All i can think is that they were and they didn’t tell me because I might not have done it in that case, or, they weren’t, so there was nohing to say about it. I guess she would have been sedated before they woukd have seen anything and maybe they didn’t want to go to the trouble of sedating without spaying or having to work woth the same feral cat again. I almost want to call and have the wiman bring her back to release her. If rhe kittens were nursing, I wouldn’t think they would have survived, I use this particular vet for a specific reason but I am very uncomfortable with the situation, due to the lack of infomation. It’s not possible to get close enough to her for anybody to check.

 

[orange&white]

Do you still have a lot of additional feral cats around the area, or have you trapped all the ones you knew about? I'd think if the older cat were nursing, you'd have seen the little ones at some point.

 

[maggiedemi]

Hope you and the kitties are having a good holiday.

 

[wannahelp]

The male is still doing well. I’m trying to give him some more space by opening the door but I have to kitty-proof the laundry room, which is adjacent to the powder room.
I’m not really progressing with the females (male’s sisters). I’m still afraid of them I’m not so much afraid of being bitten on the hand as swiped in the face or the eye. That’s what really scares me. Because these two came in a couple of months after the male, I know it’s critical to make progress quickly but I am not able to do that, at the moment. One is more aggressive than the other. I wish I could get them separated. It might be easier to work with them that way.