Help! Feral Kitten Is Mad At Me!

[FriendofFerals]

Hi everyone,

I just registered and am brand new to this site, hoping for some help. I have been caring for a feral colony for a year now. There are 6 cats at the horse farm where I keep my horse, and 2 were Humane Society barn cat adoptions, 1 just showed up, and then last year three kittens from the same litter were dumped there. I have been giving them extra food daily to make up for the fact there just aren't enough rats to go around. I have been socializing the three kittens for a year and two are very friendly. One of them, named "Bingo" has become so friendly that he's practically tame now. He allows me to pick him up and walk around with him on my shoulder while I look for chicken eggs, and we have our daily routine of feeding, then getting picked up and taken to the barn (they all live under the horse trailers away from the barn) then sitting in my lap while chewing my fingers and giving head butts. He's such a great little cat.

Well...I had to go on a 14 day trip for work and I was dreading it for a year. I paid two different people to feed all of them the dry food, and wet food, and give them the water I always do while I was gone. Still, I was worried. I asked about them and was told everyone was OK, and Bingo was sleeping on my bales of hay. (After I left for 7 days for Christmas in December, he peed on my bags of pine shavings outside my horse's stall in protest) but this time, just sleeping on my hay.

So I go out there yesterday literally hours after my flight gets in, and everyone shows up but Bingo. I searched for him in the woods and eventually he came out and he'd lost a lot of weight. He was the biggest of the three kittens and now he was smaller than the runt! His neck was all sunken in, and I could feel his spine and he was very sad looking. I picked him up and cuddled him, and sat with him while he ate but he kept walking away. I'd pick him up again until he purred and set him down to eat again and he'd nibble.

Today I went out there to take care of my horse, back on schedule, regular time and all but one of the 6 came out....and no Bingo. I called for him everywhere and he never came out. I saw his sister and brother who both look much better than he does. Is he really that mad at me? He's always the first one there to meet my truck in the afternoon, and was there yesterday, and he knew I was back...I feel awful now and knowing he didn't come for food today worries me. Any advice?

 

[FriendofFerals]

I neglected to mention....It took a full year to gain the trust of Bingo and his sister, though she is more skittish, and the third kitten (Punkin) is even more spooky. I have never touched the other ferals but the kittens were young enough to gain some trust, and Bingo stood out as the bravest of the three and most trusting, but it took a year to get to where I am today with them.

 

[shadowsrescue]

Is Bingo neutered? If not he could be out looking for a mate. When cats come to maturity they will search far and wide for a mate.

Caring and feeding cats also comes with the responsibility of spaying and neutering them. If not, the cats will multiply before your very eyes.

I am sorry Bingo is missing. I had this happen to a feral male I was caring for years ago. I had a very hard time trapping him for TNR. Right after winter, he took off. He was gone for 5 months. He had just come to maturity and boy he changed when he returned. Fortunately I was able to trap him and get him neutered.
I hope that you will be able to find Bingo.

 

[keeneland]

he'd lost a lot of weight. He was the biggest of the three kittens and now he was smaller than the runt! His neck was all sunken in, and I could feel his spine and he was very sad looking.

I have no doubt that you were missed but if food was available for those 14 days it sounds like your kitten might have something wrong with it physically. I am thinking maybe worms of some type. If you can locate him he needs a to be checked out by a vet IMO.

 

[surya]

I was thinking the same thing, he might be sick or hurt and need to see a vet.

 

[FriendofFerals]

Is Bingo neutered? If not he could be out looking for a mate]

Hello! Thanks for the reply. I neglected to mention that all 7 cats in the group are neutered with their ears clipped. All were that way when they were dropped off. Someone must have neutered the three kittens and just left them at the barn a year ago, but at least they did that. So Bingo is neutered.

And I did see him the day I returned and he cried and I was able to catch him and pick him up and hold him a while and that when I noticed how thin he was. He and the others are born feral but he has made it clear he’s ok with me and is the only cat on the group I can pick up or handle much. I’m slowly working on the other two kittens. So Bingo l knew I was back and still yesterday at the normal time for feeding he was nowhere to be found, but the others came.

I treat him for worms and fleas since he’s the only one that will let me and 2 weeks ago he was a healthy, strong kitten and now when I saw him Saturday he looked depressed and hungry.

Given the amount of food I left for them for the barn girls to feed, and the amount remaining, they were getting plenty of food. The rest of the cats look fine, but Bingo looks bad and now he’s diaappeared even knowing I’m back.

I know he loves our little play sessions every day with toys I bring and our head scratching time together but I didn’t think he’d react like this. He didn’t appear sick like warm nose, crusty eyes or anything... just stand offish and sad. He usually comes running at the sound of my truck but I had to find him in the woods that first day back and call him out. Yesterday he was gone.

Hope he’s ok... I’ve never had a feral act like that and I know they vanish and return but this group stays together at the barn and all of them are there but him. Hope he’s ok.

 

[FriendofFerals]

I was thinking the same thing, he might be sick or hurt and need to see a vet.

If I can just find him again and get another look at him... he seemed OK like no eye crust, runny nose or anything and he’s treated for worms because I can get close enough to give him a pill which is amazing. He’s a practically domesticated feral by his own choosing and his litter mates are not like him in that way.

 

[FriendofFerals]

Update: I went out and fed today and someone had two big German Shepherds off the least (with muzzles thank goodness) who were chasing the poor cats when I got there. Got the owner to leash them and fed, with only a few finally coming out....and no Bingo. I asked the barn manager to let me know if she saw him at all since no one had seen him since Saturday. She texted me to say he showed up, responded when she called his name, and she gave him food, noticing he was thinner than before. She went on to say she thinks he is actually mad at me. I walked the whole property calling for him today with no luck.

Thanks for your help everyone and I'll let you know when I finally see him again. I need to check him for any worms or issues but he's treated so should be OK unless something happened recently.

Anyway....here's a link to a video I took of him a few months ago. He's a totally feral kitten but of the three he's the only one who was brave enough to trust me and that's why I'm so upset that he was sad when I had to leave for two weeks

 

[FriendofFerals]

Ok we have a happy ending to the story. Today I arrived at the barn, normal time around 3:45PM back on schedule after my 14 day absence. No cats running to meet my truck yet again...they are still off their routine. I did see Leelah and Punkin, two of the kitten siblings, and I put their food out. Then (finally!) Bingo decided to show up. He didn't want to eat though and was noticeably thinner than in the video above, but he wasn't sick as suspected before.

He followed me to the barn and we had a good 30 minute cuddle session, occasionally interrupted when he'd run off if someone approached. He's still a semi-feral and is wary of people in general, but of the group he really wants to interact, and will keep coming back to try. So after that I brought him back out to the food with the other two and he ate a good bit, then more hugs and kisses. I think he forgave me for leaving him. It's almost like on Saturday when I came home and saw him and he was all stand off-ish and quiet, he was thinking. OK how about you see how it feels for ME to disappear like YOU did! And he did just that for 2 days. Well we are OK now. Later Mickey came out and let me pet him on the head before he ate (a feral in transition). I did not see Julius who was chased by the dogs yesterday, but he is smart and hard core feral and I think he will be back.

So....we're OK now and cat mom is back for Bingo and the feral barn cat clan.

 

[trudy1]

So glad you two are getting back on “speaking terms”. I had a tnr colony I fed every other day for 8 years. Out of the 9 cats there were two who would go off for days. After the first few years 6 of them were like your babies...almost domesticate sit on your lap, pet, even pickup but stiff legs..But some days not so good. You never know what they go through at night or the times you’re not there.

Thanks for what you’re doing. They can’t say it but I will.

 

[FriendofFerals]

Thank you so much, trudy1! It's amazing but they do actually thank me. The kittens are braver about head bonks and nose kisses than the older more feral cats in the group, but even they thank me by not running away, being relaxed and lying down while I'm there, and of course, slow blinks that let me know that they appreciate the help.

 

[kittychick]

SO glad you had a happy ending! I'd been "lurking" on this one - - and so happy it had a positive end! What an adorable baby!!!!!

I strongly agree with trudy1 - - it's amazing how something can happen when we're not around the sets off the "feral alarm" in them. And how differently they all react to things too! Just today (as we prepare to have 40 people over for a Kentucky Derby Party tomorrow!) there was a huge gust of wind and a HUGE tree in our neighbor's yard snapped and fell into our yard, narrowingly missing our house! It did damage to awnings, siding, etc but obviously could have been far worse! My immediate panic - - - it's a tree our 4 ferals looooooove to climb up and around - -- so my first thought wasn't for the house - I was terrified one of our guys had been in it when it fell!

Luckily kitties were all safe and sound all in their houses in the garage. And as always - - - every single one had a VERY different reaction to the loud noise and giant disruption in their surroundings. Two came out and followed me around, nuzzling, as I took pics for insurance. The other two, however (and one's the alpha of the four!), decided obviously I was now a dangerous stranger who'd rocked their world. These two looked at me in terror the rest of the day - and ran in wide-eyed terror if I came near?!?!

But a few hours ago and a bits of chicken and all was forgotten. In fact - the two who'd spent 12 hours looking like i was going to push a tree onto THEM in particular decided that if I had chicken - that overruled any fear, and all was right in the world by 1:30 am tonight.

(I do always try to remind myself that it's that built-in cautiousness that many ferals never completely lose is why these special guys are still alive - - -so I try to think of of it as a good thing!).

 

[FriendofFerals]

WOW kittychick, that's a HUGE tree! That's around the size of the one that fell across my driveway and totaled two cars during Hurricane Irma last year. I'm so glad to hear all of the fur babies were safe in the garage and not in that tree when it fell!

I can see how they would revert to feral mode after an event like that....at the farm I usually can't find any of the cats for a day after the lawnmower crew is there, and then slowly they come back over a few days. It is rare to have one simply not show up for a long time though. Once they feel the danger has passed I'm sure they'll trust you again, but of course now there's the loud, scary tree removal and chainsaws coming. After the hurricane we has so many trees down at the barn it was nothing but chainsaws and tree removal trucks for months and I was worried for the kitties, but they all made it through it.

Here's hoping everything gets back to normal for you and the furry family soon!