Life With A Feral Begins.. Brand New Provider Of A Completely Wild Feral!!!

[CreamsiclePuff]

Hello fellow cat people I have spent some time reading about some of your experiences today when I found this forum and I just knew I had to be a part of this community. I'd like to share my story, and get to know everyone here on this life journey with our ferals. It's quite a unique experience for sure and I'm sure will tie us together with the remarkable bond that can only be made through those who have been and are in the process of gaining the acceptance of a precious feral.

I live in south-central Canada, and the winters are bitter cold and unforgiving. It drops into the -40's Celcius and with temperatures like that human skin can freeze in three minutes of exposure. Needless to say most strays lose the tips of their ears and tail due to frostbite if they're lucky enough to survive the winter at all. So when I noticed a gorgeous orange and white puff ball in my yard I knew I had to sort out if this cat had a home or not, and fast, as winter was quickly approaching at that time... Well after some investigation and closely watching its behaviour, I realized that this cat was completely on its own and I, for one, was determined to ensure its survival this winter. ...and this is how I've ended up having a very, very wild, but extremely beautiful full grown cat in one of my bathrooms for the last week now. What an experience! But I did it, I got this gorgeous creature indoors where I won't be worrying about the little thing anymore on these cold nights. ..and so it begins..

 

[FeebysOwner]

Hi. Welcome! And, bless you! I live in Central Florida - and we just had our first 'cold' night for this season (37 degrees F), and another one tonight too! So, I am very happy to hear you got this kitty-cat inside your home as you did, given how much colder you are than I am! I am helping a neighbor take care of what we think are two abandoned young cats, and haven't been able to trap them. I am so glad our winters are much more mild than yours. I will think of you and your new friend when I am worrying about these two cats, and how much worse they could have it if they weren't down in here in 'balmy' weather.

 

[shadowsrescue]

Thank you for rescuing this sweet one. Once things settle down, he/she will need a visit to the vet. You want to assure spay/neuter as well as vaccines and testing for FIV and FELV.
How did you end up getting him into your home? Can you tell us how he is behaving and what your interactions are like with him.

 

[rubysmama]

Hello and welcome to TCS.
Thank you for rescuing this cat, and bringing him into your home.

I have no experience with socializing ferals, but enjoy following threads in this forum, and seeing the progress as wild, scared cats learn about the comforts of inside life.

Are there any other cats/pets in your home? If so, do ensure he is vet checked before letting them near him. And ensure you wash your hands after (if you can) handling him.

TCS has some articles on ferals that may have some tips for you.

A Feral Cat Or A Stray Cat? How To Tell The Difference
Handling Feral Cats
The Five Golden Rules To Bringing An Outdoor Cat Inside

Good luck with him. Keep us posted on his progress.

And when you can, do post a picture of him, as he sounds gorgeous.
How To Add A Picture To Your Forum Post

 

[Avery]

Welcome! I am a relatively new member on TCS. After feeding and sheltering a semi-feral cat outside for three years and a more recent stray cat for over one year (cold winters, not quite like yours!), I finally brought them into my house and they are living in a spare bedroom for now. I have gotten some excellent advice and, just as important, some excellent support from the people on this forum. So browse away and ask questions! Thanks for stepping up and rescuing this cat. And yes, pictures when you get a chance!

 

[kittychick]

CreamsiclePuff - first, let me say welcome! And same to Avery (although obviously you've been her a tad longer). I can say from personal experience this site has been a godsend for me many times over. I've been in animal rescue for over 30 years now (please don't do the math - - -it makes me realize how horribly old I'm getting!), but I've learned SO much from this community of people. You can almost always find someone who's had the problem and/or questions you're having/dealt with the issue you're working through/cried or cursed in frustration... you name it, you'll find someone (or many someones) on here who can either help offer solutions, direct you in the way of finding solutions if they don't know a solution, or at least lend an ear!

So thanks SO much for rescuing this kitty who obviously needed you! I know how cold it gets here in northwestern Ohio - - - so many kitties don't make it through the increasingly tough and snow-filled winters we've been having. Winter (thought ferals need help all of the time - - -especially not making NEW ferals! But so many people are misinformed that feral cats (and even semi-ferals and just plain dumped kitties that once had homes) can just make it on their own - - - and they can't. At least not for very long (the lifespan difference between an un-aided feral cat and an indoor pet is incredibly vast). And their lives are usually SO hard. So rescuing this fluff ball is wonderful. It takes a big heart to take on a feral kitty - - there will definitely be lots of time you'll need to spend on socialization, etc, (and as I've learned on this site - - it's not just me who usually experiences "two steps forward and three steps back" - - but it's incredibly rewarding. And - - it teaches patience. It's not always easy - -but remember we're all here, and most of us have been through it. Ask any questions you need. And definitely READ UP! shadowsrescue 's blog (it's noted in her post here) has alot of good info - - -and rubysmama gave you some great links too. I started long enough ago that there wasn't alot of info -- but the organization Alley Cat Allies is a great source (of course not as great as THIS forum! ) for suggestions and resources (it's a group begun not that long ago as a source for info on dealing with feral kitties and the very important concept of TNR). So you might poke around their site - - it's chock full o' info! The main site is: Home.

And do note that as shadowsrescue pointed out - - -neutering (or spaying if it's a girl) is critical. If he/she gets out it'll eliminate the possibility of more babies (and babies at this time of year rarely survive ), plus it prevents them (the adults) from developing many issues such as cancer, AND will make it easier to socialize her/him into a home without the constant need for him/her to mate. And testing is also critical -- -particularly if you have any other cats. Don't expose the new fluff ball until you've had the testing done.

Again - - congrats on being "chosen" by your feral! I have a feeling you've got a long friendship ahead!

 

[CreamsiclePuff]

I feel pretty lucky to have been chosen by this guy.. at least I think it's a guy. That's what I'm going with for now at least until I'm able to view the bits and pieces or lack thereof that will confirm. He has a broad, wide face and muscular build so it's either a very large boned girl the does not look preggo, or a tom cat. For now I'm just going to call him a 'him'. Feeby's Owner, thank you for the warm welcome, and good for you for wanting to help those kitties. Perseverance pays off and where there's a will there's a way. I tried several different things to trap this guy. I first knew about him when my cat was outside on the deck and I heard her meow in an extremely upset manner so I ran outside and saw this orange fluff ball right up there on the deck with my cat, a 9 year old 'baby' that still suckles on my finger (she was born feral and came to me as a 3 day old baby with a massive cyst on her neck that was the size of her head) The orange cat ran away when he saw me and I quickly scooped up my girl, poor thing she was so scared she had actually pooped herself right there on the deck. I also saw a pool of blood.. I was so terrified my girl had gotten badly hurt. But when I brought her in and looked her over, her white fur was perfect. Not a scratch on her. So apparently her feral instincts took over and she really let Mr. Orange have it. Poor guy. I was worried she had struck him in the eye. It was then that I started setting out food. I never saw him during the day, but every night the food was cleaned up. I tried to capture him in a kennel set outside with his food inside and a rope attached to the door so that I could shut it as soon as he went in. He out-waited me every time. He was just too smart to fall for that. But the temperature was dropping and I was getting concerned for him so I opened up the garage and slowly put his food closer and closer to the garage until it was inside. He didn't want to go inside the garage to get the food but on the third day of his food being just inside the garage, he finally went in to eat it, and then continued to go into the garage to eat each night. I kept moving the food a little further in the garage each night and would sit outside in the car with a rope on the garage door so that I could pull it shut when he went in. I spent so many hours waiting for him to go in.. but again he still out-waited me. Then by happenchance I came home late one night, shone the car lights into the garage door and caught sight of an orange blur run across the room inside the garage. So I flew out of the car and ran to the garage and shut the door. I had him! After 2 weeks of feeding him outside, now he was in my garage! He didn't eat at all that night, and he tore up my walls and insulation. He seemed to be desperate for a way out. When I went in there the place was silent. You'd never know there was a cat in there. But the second night in, he ate a very small amount, and a little more each subsequent night. After a week of this and me still never seeing the cat in the garage I thought enough is enough and I set out to trapping him inside a box. It was not easy but I rearranged the garage so that I found his hiding places, and blocked them off until he only had one place left to go, and then he went into my box on his own in order to hide. I had to literally throw myself on top of the box to hold him in it, he was thrashing around so much, but I held on tight and carried that box into the house and set it down in the bathroom. The wild eyed look on his face when he emerged from that box made me fairly certain that I had a wild animal on my hands and not just a terrified stray. I'd say he's about two years old, this isn't his first winter anyway, so he's smart, because the tips of his ears and his tail are still intact so he's smart enough and lucky enough to have found safe places to winter. He went nuts in the bathroom initially, but then found his way into the bathtub, put his head down and just stayed perfectly still. Wouldn't look at me, so I left him there to adjust, pushing in some food and water and a box with a small hole for him to crawl into and a blanket inside later on and that's it. The next day I went in and cleaned things up.. he made a pretty big mess, but didn't empty his bowels or eat. So I put in a litter box, put in some fresh chicken, and left him be. The next day I checked on him and the chicken was gone and he was in his box! Since then I've been going in a lot and talking to him and singing to him and giving him bits of raw chicken and raw hamburger and tuna paste, bits of liver, all things that cats Love. He waits until I leave to eat, but he does eat, and though he stays in his box all day, he seems to come out and play at night! Not with any toys I've given him, but with the box.. he seems to Love shredding cardboard to bits with his teeth. He hisses if I get too close, but today I made real progress when I sat in the bathroom talking on the phone so long that he laid on his side in the box and closed his eyes!! There has to be a bit of trust there! I also think he looks a bit excited when I come in to see what kind of new treat I'm giving him. He used to freeze and not move a muscle when I went in. But now he will move his head a bit and look at me. Seems to be studying me as much as I'm studying him. He's been in my bathroom for about a week now. I have to say Shadows Rescue, I have no intention of taking him to a vet right now. He's at his most vulnerable and honestly the last thing he needs right now is a traumatic experience like a visit to the vet. He has no broken bones or visible injuries. His eyes are clear and bright, his bathroom droppings look perfect and he's eating. No frothing at the mouth or black gunk in his ears or eyes. So unless I see some visible problem, I'm not going to be taking him to a vet anytime soon. I will wait until I've earned his trust. I don't see any reason to rush a vet visit right now. He has zero interest I'm sure in checking out the rest of my house and my other cat, I think the bathroom is quite enough for him to learn to adjust to for the time being. When he's ready, we'll do the vet thing. I won't be touching his poop with my hands or letting him lick my mouth or anything so whatever worms he has won't be spread. But after a while I'll get him some worm medication and much later on, we'll go to the vet when he's ready. I'm sure that's not what you want to read, but nevertheless, this is what we're doing, as I feel that's what's best for him at this stage, and frankly he's my first priority right now. My other cat is totally fine, she has no contact with him, so no worries. He's totally quarantined, but getting tons of positive attention.. I spend hours in there sitting with him.. his expressions tell me he's starting to warm up to me! Thanks so much for the welcome and the reading material rubysmama! I hope to take pics of him soon and post them! Thanks Avery, and good for you for taking in those kitties, so many turn a blind eye, and these cats tend to really suffer and have a hard life outdoors, especially the strays. Feral borns seem to have a better handle on what it takes to survive, but mother nature is extremely harsh on them too. Thank you kittychick for such a warm welcome. He will defo be neutered when the time is right, and have all of his medical needs met for sure, and I'm really so excited about spending time with him.. I've been spending a LOT of time with him over this week that I've had him in the bathroom.. he's just SO precious. Beautiful orange and white fur with a sweet little button face. I have to keep telling myself he's a wild creature, I can't scoop him up and cuddle him, as much as I want to. It's just so exciting to me that he actually laid down and slept while I was in there with him today! I spent hours in there with him though, I was on the phone for the whole time and made sure my voice was soft and soothing always and I guess it eventually just lulled him to sleep. I suppose he has a nocturnal lifestyle right now, so it makes sense that he's sleepy during the day, and I was in there for a good number of hours, so I guess he figured that if I hadn't hurt him by then, he was probably pretty safe! Anyway, we shall see what tomorrow brings! Thanks for all your advice and help and warm welcomes. I may not do things exactly how the rest of you are doing, but it will all get done in its own time, I assure you. I'm extremely careful and cautious to not spread anything from the quarantined feral to my sweet house cat. I'm taking all precautions. Will update with more information and pictures as new events develop. Thank you for being part of this journey with me, I truly appreciate it.

 

[kittyluv387]

I honestly think you're doing great with him. Just be careful about ground meat from the market. Has a lot of surface area for bacteria to grow on. He's better off with freshly cut chunks of meat.

 

[rubysmama]

I also think you're doing great with him.

Is he using the litter box ok? Have you named him yet?

While you're sitting in the bathroom keeping him company, here are some TCS threads you might like to read to him.

meet Buggy
First Time Trying To Tame A Feral/stray
My Feral And Rescued Cats

 

[CreamsiclePuff]

Thanks kittyluv and ruby's mama I was worried I'd get a lot of backlash about not taking him to the vet straight away. Whew! I know I was a bit iffy about giving him the ground beef too kittyluv, but it was really fresh, and I always put his bits of tasty treats into a bowl and push it up close to the opening in his box with a long stick and then I leave and lay down on the floor and peek under the door to see if he eats. haha It only takes him to about the count of four to stick his adorable face out of the hole and eat what I gave him. So it's not sitting there long to collect much bacteria and I figured his immune system can probably handle it right now anyway 'cause he's no doubt had to scavenge and eat some questionable things to survive out in the wild anyway. And besides, all that is just temporary until I get him switched onto a high quality cat food. It's just that he won't touch cat food from the store at all, so I'm gradually slipping bits in with his raw food so that he can slowly adjust to it. Better cuts of beef are just outrageously expensive, but if something better goes on sale I'll for sure get him that. He's mostly eating raw chicken anyway, so it'll be okay. His poops are quite normal and healthy looking. And yes ruby's mama, he's using regular old cat litter perfectly! He's not spraying at all, but the interesting thing is I don't detect that strong scent of tom cat urine. That's what makes me a little unsure that he's a 'he'. He could just be a very big girl! So, no name yet, except for 'baby' and 'sweetie' and 'creamsicle puff' I expect those will always be his nicknames, but until I figure out the gender I don't want to give a more permanent name. Thanks for the reading material!!

 

[CreamsiclePuff]

I carefully sent a few Temptations cat treats down a long christmas wrapping paper tube so that they ended up right in Puff's box and then proceeded to sit down near him and do a bit of online Christmas shopping and just ignore him. Well it's about an hour later and he just ate four of his treats! Right in front of me!!! I think eating in front of me is huge for him because he's never done this before. Exciting!!

 

[walli]

yay! you should put a couple toys in there for him!
i have a very feral cat in my house too, I have 2 cats that are still separated.
Walli use to like to play in the tub with a toy when she was in that part of the house. Puff might be confined but he's out of the cold!!

 

[rubysmama]

That's really great that Puff took to the litter box so quickly And that you're not smelling the strong tom cat urine scent. So either Puff's a girl. Or he's a neutered former housecat that someone dumped in your neighbourhood.

About getting him eating cat food, what was he eating when you were feeding him outside?

 

[Avery]

I know what you mean about wanting to grab them and cuddle with them and put them in your lap. I can finally pet and cuddle and brush Lucky, the stray cat, but Ruby... nope! She has been giving my fist more head-bumps when I hand her a treat and she does rub back and forth against my legs when I'm getting their food ready, but I can't reach out and touch her. I'm letting her set the pace, but it is hard!

I like Walli's idea about bringing in a few toys. I had a cat that loved to play with ping pong balls in the bathtub! Maybe try something with catnip. You never know what might entertain them! (And you!) As everyone has told me, time and patience are needed... lots of both! Keep up the good work with Puff!

 

[CreamsiclePuff]

Yeah ruby's mama, I'm so extremely curious about if he's a girl or a guy and what in the world his story was before he came to me. I sure wish they could talk. I would really Love to know what his life has been like up to this point. After the battle he got into with my little girl kitty out on the deck I started leaving out some of the meat we didn't eat at meal times. Cooked chicken, beef, gravy, stewing meat, that sort of thing. And the food was always, always cleaned up the next morning but I never actually saw that cat eating, and we didn't have snow yet at that time so I couldn't see footprints. And because the bowl was always cleaned up each night I kept putting out a little more and a little more food, and then when we went away for a weekend I set out lots and lots of table scraps.. with cooked vegetables, and rice, potatoes and when we came back from the weekend all of that food was gone! So I started to wonder if that cat was even the one that was eating all of that food. I thought maybe a stray dog was coming to eat? But after spending many many hours watching out the window I finally started to see who came to eat at the bowls.. it was the cat.. and later on after it snowed, there were only cat paw prints out there.. so I thought this cat must have worms to eat that much! And to eat anything and everything!!.. oh I forgot to mention.. I did put cat food from the store out there.. but he never touched it even back then when he was eating everything else in sight, even vegetables and potatoes!! I use the 'zoe' brand of cat food for my little girl kitty. She likes it fine. But I guess this wild orange boy has maybe never had cat kibble before?

Anyway, I want to say hello Walli! Very nice to meet you and your two feline friends! That is incredible that your one cat used to play in the bathtub like that. That would have been so precious to watch. I've given my orange puff a mouse and bird toy dipped in catnip and he wants nothing to do with them. I've tried dragging string across the floor. But he shows zero interest. I don't leave the string in with him to play with alone, but the cat and bird toy I do.. and they are never touched, never moved from the place where I put them. The only thing he seems to do to 'play' is rip his cardboard box to shreds with his teeth. Oh one amazing thing he's started to do is meow!! Teeny, tiny small little kitten meows when he hears me near his door.. I think he's calling me because he wants more treats!!! He still hisses at me though when I get too close. The first time I heard that meow I thought that puff was a girl and she just gave birth.. it was THAT teeny tiny of a meow. It's absolutely precious. I guess I talk to him sooOOOOooOooo incredibly often.. he's decided he will talk back! It's pretty cute.

Avery, yes, it's so so so hard to just give them the respect and space they need. I fantasize about scooping him up and showering him with Love like I do my white girl but I have to accept that he may never ever want that. I admit though, I do really hope he might enjoy to be touched. When he stops hissing at me I plan on duct taping a brush to a long stick and slowly getting that closer and closer to him until I can maybe pet him with that. I think if he feels how great a good brushing feels then he may want me to pet him! It's worth a shot anyway. Oh and he seems completely uninterested in catnip.. I guess it doesn't work on all cats. Oh and one last thing before I go... I saw him lick his front paw yesterday! He gave it three licks right in front of me! He must be relaxing to do that.

Talk to you all soon

 

[rubysmama]

That's cool that he/she has started to meow. I've read that ferals don't normally meow as that's not how cats communicate with each other. So meows are good, I think.

About the food you're feeding him/her. One thing I wanted to mention is that cats need taurine, which is in commercial cat food. Not sure how much is in meat, so that is something you might want to read up on, if he's not eating any cat food at all.

 

[CreamsiclePuff]

I just have an aversion to the synthetic amino acid taurine in commercial cat food. I know studies have shown that synthetic taurine and natural taurine both work the same in the felines body, but I just really prefer natural nutrition as opposed to synthetic. That's just me. But no worries, I always use the dark cuts of meat when I can, and I do feed him chicken hearts which is chalk full of natural taurine, and whenever I cook meat for the family I always scoop up that red juicy liquid goodness that looks so much like blood but actually has very little of it, but is absolutely teeming with taurine since taurine is so water soluble, and I pour that over both the kitties food. Honestly if I had more time I would be feeding both cats a pure raw, pure meat/ and organ diet. I only feed commercial cat food for convenience sake right now. No worries though, if anything puff may be getting a slight surplus of amino acids right now, including taurine, but I figure he could probably use a rich diet right now because who knows how he's been eating as of late.

Now that puff eats in front of me I edged myself up close to him as he was eating and managed to get a good look at his teeth. Teeth are a pretty good indicator of age as you know and I was surprised to see extremely pure white, and very sharp, teeth. Puff is therefore probably a year old, maybe less as there is zero signs of yellowing. So really he's still just a baby after all. Just a very, very big kitten! So that's why he's relaxing in front of me so quickly! Being so young he's adapting quite well to this lifestyle. I'm more determined than ever to get him to play now. There must be some toy he will play with.. I just need to keep trying different things.

 

[kittyluv387]

It's really mouse hearts that have ton of taurine and not other hearts. Liver has a lot too but you can't feed too much of that of course.

 

[CreamsiclePuff]

haha well taurine is present in abundant amounts in raw meat, especially raw meat next to the bone, (raw bones are also extremely beneficial to cats to chew on) as well as in the soupy liquid that oozes from raw meat so you can be sure he's getting more than adequate amounts of taurine. Mice hearts, although are healthy for a cat to eat as long as the mouse has been in good health, are defo not necessary. It's kitty food from the store that you need to be concerned with as far as the nutritional content. Heat all but destroys taurine as well as so many other vital minerals and vitamins so to make up for this, manufacturers will add synthetic counterparts that may be quite inferior to the original source, depending on the brand and the quality.

So guess what? Puff just started purring after eating his meal today!!! Still hides in his box all day every day.. but still, I think this is a big step in the right direction!!!

 

[rubysmama]

It sounds like you know a lot more about taurine than me, so that's good.

Any pics of Puff for us to see yet?