I caught my feral tomcat!

[beckiboo]

I am SOOOOO happy this morning. We have a feral tom, named Tommy, who I tried to trap last night so I could bring him in today for neutering.

I put out two traps with salmon for bait. First in the trap was Jeff

, my already neutered adopted feral. Next Will went in

, my friendly male barn cat. (He also needs to be neutered, but I can catch him anytime!) Finally, this morning, I went to check the traps, and there was Tommy Boy, scared out of his wits, firmly trapped!

So he is on the way to the vet. They have a special deal to do ferals for $25, including rabies, distemper, rhino, calici vaccine. They are treated for earmites and fleas if needed, and microchipped for tracking purposes.

Tommy is a brown tabby. One of the two brown tabby males is believed to be the one that killed two litters of kittens at my neighbors farm this spring. And I know he and Will have been fighting. I am just so so so happy!

 

[huggles]

GOOD WORK!!! Such awesome news

your doing such wonderful work!!

 

[halfpint]

Well good for you, Makes you feel good doesn't it

 

[momofmany]

That is such good news! I hope you have a long life with the boy!!

 

[kittenhead]

How did you trap him? Did he flip out on the way to the vet? I have a ferel Tom that needs fixing so bad, but I can't catch him. He will let me pet hm and touch him, but he won't be fooled into a kennel. I'm also afraid he would go absolutely nuts in the car.

 

[jillian]

That's wonderful! Congratulations!

 

[tnr1]

Originally Posted by KittenHead

How did you trap him? Did he flip out on the way to the vet? I have a ferel Tom that needs fixing so bad, but I can't catch him. He will let me pet hm and touch him, but he won't be fooled into a kennel. I'm also afraid he would go absolutely nuts in the car.

Kittenhead....best thing is to borrow a humane trap from a rescue group (try to see if there is a TNR group in your area or contact Alley Cat Allies).

Katie

 

[beckiboo]

Originally Posted by KittenHead

How did you trap him? Did he flip out on the way to the vet? I have a ferel Tom that needs fixing so bad, but I can't catch him. He will let me pet hm and touch him, but he won't be fooled into a kennel. I'm also afraid he would go absolutely nuts in the car.

Like Katie said, I borrowed a couple of traps from the vet. They are specially made so the cat won't get hurt. This was a tomcat who I have never been closer than about 20 feet. No way could I pet him. But he did go into the trap for treats! DH took him to the vet, so I'm not sure how he did on the trip.

But when we first took Will to the vet, he totally freaked. He is very tame, but does not like to be held. I put a carrier up on its end, and dropped him into the carrier. I had help, so the door was closed quickly. He was spinning in circles looking for a way out, and yowled and scratched all the way to the vet. In fact when we got him there, we said he may need to be sedated!

Imagine our embarrassment when we opened the carrier. Will walked out, calm as can be. He brushed up against the vet and the tech, purring!

When we got home, I left the carrier in the garage with a towel in it. Will slept in the carrier for a few nights. Now he still dislikes being transported in the carrier, but is no longer afraid of it.

If you are sure you can pick your boy up and get him into a carrier, go for it. Otherwise, a trap is a great choice. Do not be afraid that he will not forgive you for trapping him. If he already knows you are a safe person, he will forgive you. And a neutered male will not get torn up in fights, and will most likely live longer.

 

[wellingtoncats]

Congratulations!

 

[beckiboo]

Oh, what a night! Tommy is home. I put a little bowl of water in his carrier. I noticed he was doing some shivering, and I know that can be a dangerous sign. So I put the carrier on a heating pad.

The next time I checked him, I noticed he had spilled the water! So now he sits, wet, in a carrier. Poor little guy!

But I am certain he will be ok. His best buddy Peaches-and-Cream is another story. For weeks, they have been together. She is an adopted spayed feral. She is buff and white. Tonight we found her limping as if her back leg is injured. Also her right eye is almost swollen shut, and quite bloody. I have returned the borrowed traps, and she won't let us get close enough to catch her.

She is hiding on top of the hay in our barn. I put a soft towel up there, and fresh water. Also a small can of food with antibiotic added. Hopefully she eats it before someone else does. Tomorrow when I let Tommy out, I will take him out by her so they can re-establish their friendship, and hopefully heal together!

Prayers that both of these fine animals will heal. I know the people here can understand that even a cat who will never be a cuddly pet needs to live healthy and whole.

 

[mlmcats]

Originally Posted by Beckiboo

Oh, what a night! Tommy is home. I put a little bowl of water in his carrier. I noticed he was doing some shivering, and I know that can be a dangerous sign. So I put the carrier on a heating pad.

The next time I checked him, I noticed he had spilled the water! So now he sits, wet, in a carrier. Poor little guy!

But I am certain he will be ok. His best buddy Peaches-and-Cream is another story. For weeks, they have been together. She is an adopted spayed feral. She is buff and white. Tonight we found her limping as if her back leg is injured. Also her right eye is almost swollen shut, and quite bloody. I have returned the borrowed traps, and she won't let us get close enough to catch her.

She is hiding on top of the hay in our barn. I put a soft towel up there, and fresh water. Also a small can of food with antibiotic added. Hopefully she eats it before someone else does. Tomorrow when I let Tommy out, I will take him out by her so they can re-establish their friendship, and hopefully heal together!

Prayers that both of these fine animals will heal. I know the people here can understand that even a cat who will never be a cuddly pet needs to live healthy and whole.

Poor kitties! One suffering inside and one out. Of course what you did for Tommy was fantastic; if only everyone would be so conscientious about their own pets!

Keep us posted how they both do. YOU are doing a marvelous job!

 

[beckiboo]

Thanks, Mary. I started a new thread about Peaches, no news yet! And now Tommy is set loose, but I don't know if they have linked up yet.