First Timer: Fears And Concerns W/ Four Ferals

[Willowy]

If your house is a good place for cats to live, there WILL be cats. . .. It just sort of happens whether you want it to or not. I can't guarantee it will be those cats, but since they've been treated well at your place, I bet at least one or two will settle there.

 

[tarasgirl06]

Well, I can't deny I don't mind the little guy eating insects. I also don't want to hurt or forcibly displace him, don't get me wrong. I just get the feeling that maybe he spooked the cats, not by being aggressive but by his presence. There's also that issue of my putting food out there only for the opossum to come by and eat it, leading me to believe the cats have returned which is not the case. I'm just so vexed by the whole situation and concerned that I'm not able to get them back.

So my last post, as well as W Willowy 's post, should be helpful to you. I hope they are!

 

[DasKatzchen]

Good news about two weeks later!

I am elated to announce that each of the cats have returned tonight! At first, we only saw one of the orange cats, but after giving it some food the others came shortly after. What's even more surprising the Calico also returned, as before it seemed too shy to stick around.

Each of them look quite big and healthy! I have to wonder now for sure if they've been stopping by at other homes in the area, or perhaps they're just really skilled at the hunt.

There's no guarantee they'll stick around as they've already shown a propensity to roam, but we'll see. I'm going to see what I can do about the spaying. Now that the semester is over, I'll have a lot more time to attend to them. Haven't had much luck on the very limited options of rescues, though.

Question: Is it normal for a cat to rub against items and people so much? I might have mentioned this before, but one of the orange cats does this quite a bit. Does it have a health problem or is it just particular on putting its scent on everything? It always seems like it's trying to mediate an itch.

 

[tarasgirl06]

Good news about two weeks later!

I am elated to announce that each of the cats have returned tonight! At first, we only saw one of the orange cats, but after giving it some food the others came shortly after. What's even more surprising the Calico also returned, as before it seemed too shy to stick around.

Each of them look quite big and healthy! I have to wonder now for sure if they've been stopping by at other homes in the area, or perhaps they're just really skilled at the hunt.

There's no guarantee they'll stick around as they've already shown a propensity to roam, but we'll see. I'm going to see what I can do about the spaying. Now that the semester is over, I'll have a lot more time to attend to them. Haven't had much luck on the very limited options of rescues, though.

Question: Is it normal for a cat to rub against items and people so much? I might have mentioned this before, but one of the orange cats does this quite a bit. Does it have a health problem or is it just particular on putting its scent on everything? It always seems like it's trying to mediate an itch.

Hurrah! That is great news! And yes, it's quite "normal" for a cat to rub against things and people. Cats have scent glands in their cheeks that leave a pheromone we can't smell, but they can. By doing so, they are giving the stamp of approval and ownership to whatever they rub. Consider yourself honored if they rub you! Spraying is another way they do this. Spaying and neutered eliminates this impulse in the majority of cats, but if they are spayed/neutered after reaching puberty, they may still feel the need to spray -- or not -- and some cats always do spray. Our little girl Katie was spayed as a kitten, of course, as we always did with all female cats we could, but she always sprayed. In fact, she sprayed so much I nicknamed her "Squirtle" after a Pokemon character because...well, she squirted so much.
I am very happy to read that they are well fed. No matter where they're eating, this is very good news. Keep up the great work!