How to Rehome a Friendly Feral?

[leeloolyndsie]

Hi there,

A friend of mine just had her dad pass away and is now trying to find homes for all his animals because she and her mom are not capable for caring for them. One is a male cat named Casper who just showed up one day to the family's farm and her dad started feeding him and got him a heated cat house. Casper is of indeterminate age, never been to the vet, and is an outdoor-only cat. The catch is that he's very, very friendly so my friend just doesn't want to leave him at her mom's if no one is going to feed him.

We don't have a farm, but we do have a big enough outdoor space far enough away from outdoor roads that an outdoor cat could probably do OK so I have offered to take him as she needs to rehome them ASAP. As we have 6 cats in the house (two couples...not all mine haha!), he can't be indoor at least not yet. He does seem to get along with the other cats on the farm, so there's a chance he may be able to integrate with our in-house cats. But for now, as it's getting toward summer, he should be fine outside with his house.

So, I'm wondering, how do I rehome him so he knows that he has a place to come back to? I do plan to take him to the vet and get him up-to-date on all the vaccs really quick, then neuter him when I can.

Casper will come with his food bowl and his heated house.

 

[FeebysOwner]

Hi. Having to rehome him ASAP is going to be the biggest challenge. He cannot simply be moved to your house and let roam free because he most certainly will try to get back to the home he knows as his. Have you considered buying or building a catio/cat enclosure in your yard where he can still be outside but confined so that he can't actually leave? If this is even a remote possibility, is there anyone who can feed him at his current home while you prepare to bring him to your location?

There are tons of simpler cat enclosures that wouldn't take long to build, most handymen could make one. Search the internet for catios/cat enclosures to possibly get some ideas to share with someone who is handy with tools/building materials. You could also buy one like this too, at least to start with. FRISCO Collapsible Wire Cat Cage Playpen - Chewy.com

 

[leeloolyndsie]

Hi. Having to rehome him ASAP is going to be the biggest challenge. He cannot simply be moved to your house and let roam free because he most certainly will try to get back to the home he knows as his. Have you considered buying or building a catio/cat enclosure in your yard where he can still be outside but confined so that he can't actually leave? If this is even a remote possibility, is there anyone who can feed him at his current home while you prepare to bring him to your location?

There are tons of simpler cat enclosures that wouldn't take long to build, most handymen could make one. Search the internet for catios/cat enclosures to possibly get some ideas to share with someone who is handy with tools/building materials. You could also buy one like this too, at least to start with. FRISCO Collapsible Wire Cat Cage Playpen - Chewy.com

This is exactly what I was worried about and perfect information. We’ve actually been looking at catios for our other cats that are indoor only but haven’t bought/built one yet. This is a good idea. So essentially, keep him in there and feed him/give him attention for a bit?
I think this will give another added benefit because we do have one indoor/outdoor cat who is old and doesn’t go far but then she could meet him and they can establish a relationship that they both live here.
And I have about a week and a half to plan because they have to move at the end of the month. He’ll be fed until then but I won’t be able to go down there since they live about over an hour away from me and I’m going on a short vacation. So yes anyway to inggraiate himself to me before he roams free I think would be good. I will definitely look into that! Thanks!

 

[fionasmom]

I have a friend who used a catio to bring two semi feral cats from her workplace, which was going to be torn down and renovated, to her property which was several miles away. She kept them in the catio for about a month so that they determined that was the new home.

He has to stay inside the catio permanently during the introduction period. There is such a thing as psi trailing, which is probably related to an internal GPS that cats have, which will help them to return to their home, even over long distances.

 

[kittychick]

Your compassion is overwhelming. So few people would be willing to take this on. So big ups to you on this venture you’re embarking on!

As usual fionasmom is right. He’ll need to be kept in the catio full time (or inside your home in a separate room, like a spare bedroom if you have one). The biggest issues are that he’ll need to remain totally enclosed for some time in order to “relearn” that THIS is his territory now. When ferals or strays (but esp ferals) are moved, as fionasmom noted, they have to be confined for multiple weeks or they simply try to return to their original home, no matter how far away it is. I’ve always used around 6 weeks as a general rule on confinement (which I just hate — but I always want to give them the maximum chance for a successful move). Our local cat sanctuary that sometimes takes in ferals uses this timeframe & has had good luck with it —and It’s the length of time I generally see recommended for maximum chance of success. I wouldn’t let any of your current cats out into the same space until he’s been tested, etc AND until he’s feeling safer & less frightened.

Don’t hesitate to ask questions! Because practically any question you have, someone on this site has likely faced a similar issue — and we all want you to succeed. So keep us posted!

 

[leeloolyndsie]

Here is the updated progress of the Catio so far. My roommate and partner are awesome! since then we've put in a few shelves for him to hang out on and We're going to add a covered house and tall scratching post + toys. The opening in the bottom will let him go into the window well where his litter box will be. There's a door on one side and it'll have a roof and chicken wire all around. I'll post more pix when it's done!

 

[FeebysOwner]

Very cool!!!!!!

 

[fionasmom]

Please do! That looks fantastic.