"Flipping ferals?"

chellen2

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My previous attempts at flipping ferals was not very successful. However, at the time that I attempted to do it, I really did not have enough knowledge to do it properly. I recently helped someone trap 4 ferals-3 older kittens and an adult. Due to the conditions, where they were living, I hate to have to send them back out there. However, I don't think it's feasible for one person to attempt to socialize 4 cats. Because they are not located near my home, I wouldn't see them, once they are released. Someone does feed them regularly. These cats are not aggressive. They are just very frightened.
How do you determine if the cats would be better off released back outside or whether it's advisable to try to work with them? How many people would it take to be successful?
 

Norachan

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Are you in a position to be able to keep them yourself?

I have a lot of feral and semi feral cats that live in my fenced in back yard. I have a big outdoor shelter for them. If you have the resources to care for them, just get them spayed, neutered, vaccinated and chipped and keep them yourself.

Just one person is enough to get a nervous cat socialized, but some cats will only ever be friendly with that one person. It really depends on the personality of that cat.

If they are really difficult to socialize you don`t need to worry about them being very friendly. Just "Feeder friendly" is enough. I`ve had several cats that lived with me for over 10 years without me ever being able to touch them.
 

di and bob

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Me too, just remember wher ever you release them, they need to be contained in that area for a month to get used to being there. If you just take them far away and release them, they will scatter, never to be seen again, trying to get back home.
The kittens would be easier to tame, it could be done with them all together (for security) or separately. Mama might be a different story. I have a mama cat right now who is 4 years old and I have never touched her. she is spayed. She rolls when she sees me, but never lets me get close. If at all possible I would realease mama somewhere, after containing her of course and after being spayed. Then work with the kittens fro a few months adn if tehy are tamed fine, and if not let them go as farm cats, after being contained in a pen of course fro thirty days or so, wherever they go. All the luck!
 

Kwik

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Personally I'm not a TNR advocate - I just don't believe any cat should be out to fend for his/her self .....I've always felt if I trap them then I'll see to placement - be it as a working cat ,sanctuary or foster program for adoption

But as I said,those are my personal feelings and I have had many organizations and facilities to make use of because I've worked with so many and had my own feral socialization program- it's what I do,I understand not everyone has those options or opportunities to take advzntage of and most shelters will not take ferals.And most working cat programs have their own ferals waiting for placement and it's tough - very very tough,usuallt everyone is full to capacity

Lol,I remember many years ago I spent 2 days trapping a colony of over 30 cats that someone was feeding in a McDonald parking lot in front of empty fields- they were putting up Condos and the cats were being pushed out towards the main thorofare and a busy commercial area... at that time I could afford to board them all- some went to the sanctuary,some were socialized for adoption while others went on to be adopted by individual barn owners,dairy farms and ranches..the time,energy and money for such an endeavor is no small feat and so we ask everyone thst starts feeding ferals- can you keep them?Once they are getting fed they become dependant on humans to feed them and then they get in trouble or you'd probably never even see them( not a true feral,they don't want to be seen).I'd prefer most people leave them be if they cannot commit to them then imo it's not helping

I know a few folks like Norachan Norachan that have their own little feral sanctuary in their own yards-the cats have shelter,most are surrounded by some type of very high fencing,one has their entire yard screened it- its a feral haven - but most importantly ,the cats are safe and all their medical needs are provided for..... such wonderful,very special people

Kittens are easy,and socializing a litter is very easy'- but as di and bob di and bob mentioned if you are considering moving this little family then do understand it would require containment for a minimum of 30 days to relocate or you will make matters worse for them as there is nothing worse to a cat than unfamiliar territory- they will run frantically searching for their territory

Thanks for sharing and ASKING first- it's hard to resist acting impulsively but glad you didnt❤

Do you have any cats at home- got room for a Mama with babies?
 

Meowmee

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I have taken in many outdoor cats over the years. I could not keep all of them so some just got TNR and released…about 10 years ago I started feeding because there was a pregnant cat and I was trying to capture her and I ended up with a small colony, but there were more who came and went and disappeared. I took care of them outside for many years with insulated shelters etc. and then I slowly took them all in one by one now there is only one left of the original colony, plus Xena, who showed up later.

No one can know for sure whether the cats will able to be living in a home. Two of the cats who I took in, Fred and cinnamon did not become touchable no matter what I did. It’s OK, but it makes it harder because I couldn’t get them to dvm easily, it was easier to trap them outside if they had to go to the Dvm.

It depends on how old the kittens are, but kittens are usually easier to socialize. You have to work with them- the best way to socialize a cat, whether a true feral or a stray or whatever is to keep them in a carrier or some sort of cage for at least two weeks… then open it up slowly, it should be inside a room and you are interacting with them, feeding them treats on the spoon or whatever trying to play with them on a daily basis… you shouldn’t make eye contact with them. You should just read to them and play music and let them get used to you. Still some cats are never going to be touchable etc. and a lot of people are OK with that. As I said, the drawback is if you have to get them to the doctor.

If you have people to help you, it’s a lot easier. I did not really have any connections with the Rescue groups here and although I did go to some of the TNR clinics, I did not find any of them to be all that helpful or friendly to me. In fact, I will not go there again because one of my cats who ended up biting me outside, but not aggressively was vaccinated at those clinics and when I called them to give me the rabies certificate in case I needed it, they claim they didn’t know which cat it wasn’t him etc, which is unbelievable.

Also, at some point, someone was supposed to help me get him adopted because I couldn’t take him in at that time and pretended to put him on her Facebook page, but he was never on there…I know because I couldn’t see anything about him… so I’m not impressed with the groups in this area although I’m sure some of them are good people and do good work.

If you have kittens, people will usually come running to help you however, if you have older unsocialized cats, less so and if they have bitten etc. forget about it. Fortunately, my beloved Merlin ended up with us, and I trained him to be much calmer and not so mouthy, he was a big love bug. Xena was fear aggressive when he first came inside, but after a couple weeks, he totally calmed down. He was on gabapentin for a few days too.
 
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tarasgirl06

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My previous attempts at flipping ferals was not very successful. However, at the time that I attempted to do it, I really did not have enough knowledge to do it properly. I recently helped someone trap 4 ferals-3 older kittens and an adult. Due to the conditions, where they were living, I hate to have to send them back out there. However, I don't think it's feasible for one person to attempt to socialize 4 cats. Because they are not located near my home, I wouldn't see them, once they are released. Someone does feed them regularly. These cats are not aggressive. They are just very frightened.
How do you determine if the cats would be better off released back outside or whether it's advisable to try to work with them? How many people would it take to be successful?
Hello C chellen2 and welcome to TCS! Lots of good thoughts from previous posters. I lived with my ex in an area where there were a lot of "community cats" who were fed by a couple of neighbors but never vetted, so over time, we got every one of them vetted, sterilized, and innoculated; we had a large fenced yard and built several modular cat houses, so it was not ideal, but as we had our feline family members inside, this was the best we could offer them. The matriarch and some of the others were feral or semi-feral, but we were able to get everyone "fixed," even the one completely feral girl who never let us touch her and would run from us, but fortunately was caught by my ex and received sterilization, checkup and innoculations. When we moved, we were able to take every one with us except one little guy who slipped the trap -- I hope he was fed by those neighbors -- and the feral girl, who did not adjust to the cat-fenced barn compound we had, and as we were concerned that she would harm herself, the hard decision was made to take her back down where we had lived and let her go to hopefully be fed, too. The "barnies" were varying degrees of shy, but they were safe and cared for and regularly fed/watered and given veterinary care when needed.
I hope you'll be able to keep "your" 4 or rehome them if possible; keep us in the loop as to their progress, please! And we love pix here at TCS!
 

Kwik

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Hello C chellen2 and welcome to TCS! Lots of good thoughts from previous posters. I lived with my ex in an area where there were a lot of "community cats" who were fed by a couple of neighbors but never vetted, so over time, we got every one of them vetted, sterilized, and innoculated; we had a large fenced yard and built several modular cat houses, so it was not ideal, but as we had our feline family members inside, this was the best we could offer them. The matriarch and some of the others were feral or semi-feral, but we were able to get everyone "fixed," even the one completely feral girl who never let us touch her and would run from us, but fortunately was caught by my ex and received sterilization, checkup and innoculations. When we moved, we were able to take every one with us except one little guy who slipped the trap -- I hope he was fed by those neighbors -- and the feral girl, who did not adjust to the cat-fenced barn compound we had, and as we were concerned that she would harm herself, the hard decision was made to take her back down where we had lived and let her go to hopefully be fed, too. The "barnies" were varying degrees of shy, but they were safe and cared for and regularly fed/watered and given veterinary care when needed.
I hope you'll be able to keep "your" 4 or rehome them if possible; keep us in the loop as to their progress, please! And we love pix here at TCS!
You helped so so many .... it's heartbreaking we are unable to help every single one or" the one that got away " I was just sent a video from 2011 from a friend- it about the Humane Society the rescued over 700 cats from a Florida "Cat Sanctuary" - years of neglect and just outright cruelty..

Some days I just feel contempt towards people and then I see someone like you who restores my hope for humanity and keeps me grounded❤
 

tarasgirl06

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You helped so so many .... it's heartbreaking we are unable to help every single one or" the one that got away " I was just sent a video from 2011 from a friend- it about the Humane Society the rescued over 700 cats from a Florida "Cat Sanctuary" - years of neglect and just outright cruelty..

Some days I just feel contempt towards people and then I see someone like you who restores my hope for humanity and keeps me grounded❤
Thanks (if this comment was addressed to me)! Being born into a cat-loving family "with cat," it's always come naturally to me. And I feel the same way as you do, times a thousand. But as we learn from our ancestors/family, peers, and society, it's understandable that many are ignorant and unfeeling. Those of us who care do what we know and try to educate those who may never have been informed.
 

Kwik

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Thanks (if this comment was addressed to me)! Being born into a cat-loving family "with cat," it's always come naturally to me. And I feel the same way as you do, times a thousand. But as we learn from our ancestors/family, peers, and society, it's understandable that many are ignorant and unfeeling. Those of us who care do what we know and try to educate those who may never have been informed.
Yes you tarasgirl06 tarasgirl06 👍
 
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