From Feral To Lap Cats

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Norachan

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Shaman was taken in and given a home by a neighbor 4 blocks away
There have been sightings of Cooper but Mani is correct, he was neutered
Well, that is good news. A home for one of the cats and no worries about Cooper fathering any kittens.

And all of your other cats have been spayed and neutered, is that right?
 

jefferd18

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I probably won't get a response to this but I'll try anyway since I'm still very new to behaviour Why would Shaman send new cats to me when she won't come back herself. I know these cats are familiar with her as they all have the very same tipped style ear that she and the others have. She did this when I first started feeding her almost 2 years ago. I can't wind up with 80 plus cats or Mom will really have a cow.

Anyway: Un named The three daylight photos are of the same cat. Then a night photo of the other 2 newbies The 3rd one looks identical to Spirit only timid and won't come into the carrier to eat. Also never shows up during the day and so it's hard to get a good photo of him/her.

View attachment 334997View attachment 334998View attachment 334999View attachment 335000

Here is CG up close

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What are you trying to do with kitties- catch them?
 

jefferd18

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Aren’t possums supposed to be nocturnal? If so Ellie Mae and Cherry Blossom didn’t get the memo.

I'm finding the behavior of a lot of wildlife to be totally bizarre this past year. Raccoons trusting me and being out during the day, groundhogs approaching me and sniffing me and then walking off, red foxes approaching humans wagging their tails and then leaving. Cat's acting weird (although they always act weird but more so than normal). Sopdet in particular still makes only raccoon sounds. Just very odd. I even walked right past a couple of squirrels (like within inches) yesterday and they did not take off. I'm not saying they're sick or anything as they all look very healthy but their behavior is truly out of the norm.
View attachment 330619

They are getting to use to us, which is not good for them. :(
 

MoonstoneWolf

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All the other cats have been spayed except for CG. Since things are opening up now I'll be looking for a trap if there is any CG sighting that is. Whoever had CG just dumped him/her over a year ago. I still wonder what happened to CG though to be so terrified of humans. I can say without doubt CG was a pet as most feral cats don't wear collars. Treasure and Sopdet seem to be frenemies with Tourmaline. Tourmaline comes running now when I ring the meal bell.

CG I am definitely trying to catch so I can first remove that collar which is not a breakaway collar. He/she walks yards away from a trap or carrier though. Also I have no idea if CG is fixed as if former pet the ear may not have been tipped (I don't think pets get their ears tipped here although I haven't really asked a vet about the procedure with pets.) Tourmaline is getting braver and coming to me. Three of them I would like to have which are Treasure, Sopdet and Tourmaline. Used to be Shaman but since she has a home now I'm not going to disrupt her current stage of her life's journey. (I'm just hoping she doesn't get dumped again) Gypsy may need to be re homed if I can get Gypsy to show up during the day. It's possible Spirit moved a few blocks over to one of the other colonies. Shadow really needs a home with someone who wants a senior cat and she has to be the only cat. I still don't understand why none of the other cats even like her. I know cats are solitary but I've observed these cats forming a friendship with at least one other cat (Like Treasure and Shaman formerly and now Treasure and Sopdet). Cooper needs a home and again an only cat home.. Reports of colony caretakers is that he wanders into their colony and starts fights with the otherwise peaceful cats. Treasure is actually terrified of Cooper for some reason. Of course cats can't tell us so I'm left with speculation as to what happened. Shadow won't let me touch her but I can stand right next to her and after all this time being outside with no one I may be the only human Cooper will come to. So it's pretty important to find them homes if I can catch them. But again we have the guard cat chasing one off and cowering from the other. All of this I have to do while being able to listen for my Mom (who's health is getting worse)

BTW: Sopdet is now 100% tamed. Well around me. She still runs 1/4 acre away in 2 seconds if someone else comes near. Sorry I'm in housecoat, I was just changing to get ready for bed (I'm up at 2 am doing gpt sites) when Treasure started yowling outside so I went outside to see what was going on. The tub on the right was my bright idea for keeping one of the cams and power banks dry during the rain which didn't turn out well so I have the power bank in a bag of rice. The cam is still ticking. Love my Wyze cams. Treasure's "injury" is healed up with new fur growing over the spot. These cats go the entire 9 yards when playing. They growl, hiss, pounce, get into fight mode stance etc then fight and 20 minutes later they're sleeping side by side, grooming each other or eating out of the same bowl with them. This bunch always sound so bad playing I half expect to see on of them very seriously injured when I go outside. Star Trek fans (think Klingon: maybe I should have given them Klingon names) haha

1592828974378.png

And no it isn't good that this wildlife is getting used to us. I have red foxes in my backyard that I can walk right past without fear. I posted a video on here a few months ago of me rescuing Harrison (the raccoon) around Noon and him hobbling off. I was sitting there for some time and never even noticed him there until I came back from feeding Shaman (she was still here at that time). I walk past the groundhogs and they no longer run. It's like they're trusting us and that isn't good because no all humans are kind.

Anyway sorry for the book, I just wanted to update and answer the above questions. And I still love and miss Shaman. I sure hope she either remembers me fondly or doesn't remember me at all anymore. I want her to forget the bad stuff of being chased off and tormented by her brother (Treasure)
 
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MoonstoneWolf

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The Tiger Tabby showed up again to the feeder before the new raccoon ate all the food last night. I decided to name him/her Latte as the fur is the color of a cream latte. I'm calling the raccoon Piggy because of the way he/she eats. haha This raccoon is the raccoon equivalent of what Cooper was like when Cooper first showed up last year. I've never seen even Harrison put that much food away but since they leave the cats alone, and eat all the nasty bugs I don't mind them eating the food. I need to set up another feeding station though for nighttime so the cats have their area (at least for an hour) away from the raccoon invasion. haha
 

MoonstoneWolf

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What do you all think? Food, water, and my cam in here. My cousin bought the tent so thought I'd put it to use. We actually got it for Shaman to use but she never did before she moved on for the next part of her life's journey. This group of cats actually like eating in this area as Treasure barely comes this way. So they can sneak in and eat real fast.

A yes or no to the set up would be appreciated. Thanks

Food tent.jpg
 
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IndyJones

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Where do you think?
Is it under an overhang? I had a tent for camping that was left out and it developed mold and green stuff from being soggy from the rain.

It's a neat idea in theory though.

I should get one of those wyze cams for the Carolina Wren family who has taken residence in one of my flower baskets. They have newborn babies and are quite the characters.
 

MoonstoneWolf

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Is it under an overhang? I had a tent for camping that was left out and it developed mold and green stuff from being soggy from the rain.

It's a neat idea in theory though.

I should get one of those wyze cams for the Carolina Wren family who has taken residence in one of my flower baskets. They have newborn babies and are quite the characters.
I clean it daily. It’s only for rainy days and evenings. I have a shower curtain that’s soft and will drape over after I size it.

I love my Wyze cams. If you have a Home Depot you can pick them up there too. Be careful of fake Wyze cams though.
 

MoonstoneWolf

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Is it under an overhang? I had a tent for camping that was left out and it developed mold and green stuff from being soggy from the rain.

It's a neat idea in theory though.

I should get one of those wyze cams for the Carolina Wren family who has taken residence in one of my flower baskets. They have newborn babies and are quite the characters.
Update. I"m going to have to figure out a way to keep the playpen from collapsing on one of the sides. I have tried to put bricks in there but the cats can't get in. And the raccoons run in and collapse the thing near the entrance. Something that will protect the food from rain but at same time something I can take down quickly.
 

MoonstoneWolf

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Someone has been shooting the cats again. I’m so sad. Hope the cats got away. I’m close to giving this up bond or no bond. 😢😢😢😢😢
 

MoonstoneWolf

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First the cops said it was guns and people target shoot or just plain shoot. Also a neighbor saw the guns, I saw the guns. People get out there with them and shoot. They've been doing this for years but it's been more excessive for the past 2 or 3 years. They are not fireworks. I know the difference at 64 years of age. Also there are supposed to be laws but the cops don't do anything to enforce them. Remember my village doesn't do much to enforce any law (hence the hoarding of 80 plus cats that occurred) as here that is also against the law. And now we're down to only 4 cops (more than 3/4 of the force quit) over the past month. Remember I have lived here for 64 years so I know what goes on daily. There has also been reports of such all over my Next Door app about people shooting guns.

I have repeatedly mentioned that the cats I care for come from a hoarding situation. The fact that someone 3 blocks away was allowed to keep 80 plus cats in a 3 room house is enough to alert that the police in my area do nothing. There were complaints about cats not being well cared for at the time this was going on and the police did nothing. It was not until the cats were kicked to the curb after the human died and they started raiding commercial dumpsters that someone working at the village paid for the TNR of all of them. Granted I wouldn't have met Shaman or have the other cats here that I care so much about right now if it wasn't for this (although maybe I wouldn't be worried so much about them if this was taken care of at the time the first reports to the police department started). So I don't know. Last night though it was fireworks in severe storms at that.
 

Willowy

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There were complaints about cats not being well cared for at the time this was going on and the police did nothing.
Animal Control is not the cops' job. Fortunately. They'd probably shoot them (they do here). But a lot of towns don't want to pay for an Animal Control officer, so nothing really gets done. It's great that someone got them all TNRed though. I always thought it was an organization that did it, not an individual. That was quite an undertaking if it was only one person.

There isn't really any difference between a gunshot and fireworks---they're both exploding gunpowder---so I'm not sure how you can tell the difference from a distance, but of course if you've seen the guns that's a different matter. Do you think they've shot any of the cats?
 

MoonstoneWolf

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Animal Control is not the cops' job. Fortunately. They'd probably shoot them (they do here). But a lot of towns don't want to pay for an Animal Control officer, so nothing really gets done. It's great that someone got them all TNRed though. I always thought it was an organization that did it, not an individual. That was quite an undertaking if it was only one person.

There isn't really any difference between a gunshot and fireworks---they're both exploding gunpowder---so I'm not sure how you can tell the difference from a distance, but of course if you've seen the guns that's a different matter. Do you think they've shot any of the cats?
I'm not sure if they shot the cats (that disappeared) or any of the raccoons or the foxes. One of the raccoons seems injured and not sure if she (has red swollen teats) was hurt or not. Whether they're target shooting or not I have no idea. One police officer told me that they practice shooting their guns but the shooting range less than a mile away is open and free to anyone outside in their yard. So I don't understand why they can't just go and practice there. There is an ordinance here against guns and fireworks but nothing is enforced, or maybe there aren't enough police to enforce. Yea we have a feral cat colony but the individual gets the trap from the society, traps and contacts one of two vets that specialize only in ferals. It's $30.00 spay and neuter and as of last year microchip for $10 so $40 altogether. It was this hoarding situation that Shaman and the others came from. I
 

MoonstoneWolf

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Another cat came in, had a massive fight with Treasure and then Sopdet, and ran both of them out of the area. I'm no longer doing this. No more feral cats for me. Everything is taken down and will be donated to charity and from this time forward, the cats will have to go to another colony, as much as I love them. I can't deal with this any more.
 

MoonstoneWolf

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I have a very hard and difficult decision to make. Please bear with me as I write this as I won't be updating this particular thread after this post and just be lurking or posting other stuff elsewhere (hopefully in the correct forum). 2 years ago I fell and fractured my humerus. I was in a sling for a month and also suffered severe nerve damage in that arm and hand. When I came home from urgent care, arm in sling, I sat outside to warm up as I was cold from the injury, even though it was late June. It was on that day that I saw Shaman for the first time sitting yards away from me and watching me. Over the course of the following few months Shaman would appear when I was down in the dumps or very sad. She sat nearby when I witnessed a baby bald eagle fall from it's nest on cam and then the week later had to be euthanized due to West Nile Virus. A baby bald eagle that many of us saw the parents mate The First Lady laying the eggs, the incubation, hatching and the rearing of these 2 healthy eaglets. Only for the one to die before fully fledging from the nest. As a person who does not like to see bad stuff happen I swore off eagle cams (even though I know these things happen). But my curiosity got to me around December and I wanted to check in on AEF's other famous bald eagle pair Romeo and Juliet to a horror and nightmare that unfolded with Juliet getting injured in a territorial fight with another female, all the single females vying for Romeo's attention, Juliet's permanent disappearance, the killing of the not even fully hatched hatchling by a visiting female eagle and consumed. Romeo abandoned the other egg and nest and never had been seen since. The nest eventually claimed by offspring Samson but it wasn't the same. Also at that time Shaman hung close by sensing my grief. Then the other nest in Washington DC suffered same scenario as Romeo and Juliet and this was very dear to me as this was my very first bald eagle next 5 years ago. All of this sadness all of the problems from Mom Shaman hung close by. Finally I decided to set out food for her as an offering of thanks (like the Shamans and Native Americans do). Soon she brought all of the other cats with her. I should never have done this. I knew the issues from Mom would arise. I knew my heart would break a thousand times. I knew that I'd worry, fret and panic over everything. All of this at the time I swore off of all involvement and cam viewing of anything but sunsets. Over the course of the 2 years the cats mostly stayed. Shaman stayed til 3 months shy of 2 years. I heard at one time she found a home. But that was during the height of the pandemic. Now she's been recently spotted on the streets again (in the area). Ambrose has a home, or had one but who knows. I haven't seen him for months. Cooper took off and some say they spotted him. Then there was CG: once a pet but no avail looking for the owner (as ferals are not born with collars). Shadow took off for 5 months last year and then returned. There was Tourmaline, Spirit, Gypsy and Latte. All of them came and all of them left for one reason: Treasure. These cats have known each other in that hoarding situation. All have been TNRd. Well except for Cooper and CG. Sopdet is the only one here with Treasure and while I love the two of them dearly, I still ache for my little girl (gone 3 months today in fact). I have asked and pled on PawBoost, I have done the same on Next Door. I know for a fact that there are at least 10 other caretakers in this area as one person cannot possibly care for 80 plus cats. I ask if they're ok. I worry, ok? I'm not begging for their return, I just want to know if they're alive and ok. I guess I ask too much of people. I try and keep the others informed on Next Door about the welfare of the cats coming and going. Is it that hard to say "the cat is fine"? Maybe so. But to me care taker means just that. Taking care of. To just think "Oh feral cats do that. I don't care" is wrong and evil. And makes me sad that so many feel that way. I tried to figure out why these cats are leaving to begin with, other then Treasure. I have 1/4 acre backyard. Trees and bushes. No dogs except the occasional one that runs loose. The raccoons and possums don't bother these cats as they are all over this 16 block radius. I tried to brainstorm with others and got no response, or no one even cared. I still believe that something is/was chasing them off from here besides Treasure and Sopdet. How on earth did they survive in a colony before I started feeding them? I"m not expecting an answer to this I just wanted to speak my mind and air my feelings.

My decision to make is whether I should just find someone to give a home to Treasure and Sopdet and be done with this once and for all or continue? I love all of these cats and I don't know if either will trust another human if I did turn them to someone else yet I can't keep sitting here crying, worrying about every little scab, every little chase,and so on. I want to keep them but is it the best thing for them? Will they forget me until they see me again? :(
 
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