First Time Colony Caretaker

[be81174]

Hello!

I just began trapping cats for the neighbourhood TNR program. There are about 10-12 cats living in an abandoned yard so I figured it was time to get them fixed. There are three 8 month old "kittens" and the rest are older cats.

Yesterday I went out and trapped one of the kittens. A male. He is very frightened but not hissing or spitting. He even allowed us to pet him although it was obvious he wasn't enjoying it. All three of the kittens are feral but they have been exposed to humans. One of them will eat from my hand and play with the toys that I bring. I am wondering if they might be socialized! I will be keeping this one overnight while I ponder the idea of socializing these cats....!

Drop me some thoughts on the matter...would I be wasting my time? Are 3 at a time too difficult?

 

[Primula]

This is a useful article.

Neighborhood Cats | How to TNR | What is a Feral Cat?

Keep in mind that a cat is not necessarily feral just because it has nobody to take care of it. There are many stray & abandoned cats in colonies. As the article states, cats who are feral can become non-feral in the right environment.

If the kitten eats from your hand & plays with toys, it is not feral. What my local shelter does is it evaluates each cat in the colony (we have a couple on my street). If the cat is adoptable, it is removed from the colony & will never be outside again. If the cat is unadoptable, it is TNR'd and returned to the colony where it has a food source.

To answer your question, 3 at a time is not too difficult, especially if they are siblings & can comfort each other. Good luck!

 

[be81174]

Hi primula,

They are for sure "feral" - they were born last fall. I spoke to the man who has also been feeding them. We fed them all winter and now we are on the prowl for the mama cat to get her fixed (she might be a stray rather than feral). The "kittens" are just a little used to people being around them. The reason why they play with me and eat food out of my hand is because I visit every day and train them a little. If I make one move though - they bolt. They also don't let me touch them.

This kitten got TNRd and they did not keep him. He is very frightened but not hissing and spitting.

 

[orange&white]

Is the frightened one who let you pet him and isn't hissing or spitting the same one who plays and eats from our hand? He definitely has promise! If those of two separate kittens, they both have promise.

The older they get before anyone touches them, the harder it is to socialize them. I think if you trap them and bring them in for a few days, you'll be able to tell which ones can be socialized...or if they can all be. You'll also get a good idea of how much work it is to take care of 3 new cats at the same time....wild or domestic...and whether or not it's something you want to do.

Good luck! Keep us posted, and thanks for helping the kitties.

 

[be81174]

Hi orange&white

Actually - the one I have now is one of twins (2 black cats) so he is either the timid one that always watches us play and snack but never gets close, or he is the brave one that plays with me but can't be bothered with food out of my hand. His sibling is the one that fetches food out of my hand and plays. Either way - this kitty is annoyed and nervous but not hissing and biting. He might have some promise :-)

Socializing 3 at a time might be too much for me as a beginner but I don't want to leave them unsocialized for much longer. Either way - he will be cared for in my colony but I would feel much happier if I could home them all.