Meet Drexl

emelyssa

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I wanted to share my experience. I have been feeding two feral cats for the past month. One boy I usually only see during the day, but the other (Drexl) only came at night. I would talk to him every night as he hid in my bushes, and he would cry pitifully. On Thursday night, I trapped him and took him into the Texas Coalition for Animals in the morning. I found out he already was neutered and ear tipped in 2018 when he was about one year old. He was TNR'D and released 24 hours later, and had been living the past four years on his own. When I brought him home after his vaccines and SNAP test (he was negative for FIV and FLV) and set him up in his safe room, I was so filled with self doubt. I wondered if I did the right thing.

Later that same evening, he completely transformed from total feral to happy housecat. He is the most loving mama's boy, always purring and giving kisses. He is so ecstatic to be here. While some have speculated that perhaps he was once in a home, I really believe that is not true. Everything is completely new to him; the simplest human technology is strange and marvelous to this boy. I think that when the energy and environment is right, those domestic instincts kick in even for feral cats. Drexl is the third feral cat I've tamed. The other two I worked with outside and tamed completely before I brought in. It took months for Nite and almost a year for Fright Nite. But Drexl, brought inside before tame, six hours.

I am so thrilled that I took the advice of others in this forum and trapped him. My heart is so full. My next step is to trap the other boy. This other one is for sure NOT yet neutered. I am working on trapping him this week!
 

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tabbytom

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When I brought him home after his vaccines and SNAP test (he was negative for FIV and FLV) and set him up in his safe room, I was so filled with self doubt. I wondered if I did the right thing.

Later that same evening, he completely transformed from total feral to happy housecat. He is the most loving mama's boy, always purring and giving kisses. He is so ecstatic to be here.
Thank you for taking Drexl in and for giving him a warm and fur-ever loving home and a safe sanctuary to live out his life You sure did the right thing. :clapcat:

What a nice looking boy and he sure looks like he feels very much at home.
 
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emelyssa

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Update: Drexl is now adventuring throughout the entire house and has made best friends with my dog. He purrs and kneads the floor whenever she comes near him, and gives her kisses and head butts whenever he has the chance.

Brax is still very feral and attacked me a little yesterday for coming too close to his space with treats. I moved my location to further away from him when I visit with him and he seems to appreciate that. He watches me for a bit and then curls up to sleep. He does come out of his cubby in the bathroom to use litter pans, watch out window, and I think sometimes play, but never when I'm in here. He hisses at me a few times a week and often makes gremlin ears- though not always. I am not even halfway Week 3 with Brax so far, and Week 1 was his neuter recovery.
 

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Gremlin ears....that is so cute! You are doing a great job with these two. Brax is further along than you might think as some of his behavior suggests relaxation and comfort.
 
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emelyssa

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:woohoo: for these cats!
You think so? I am glad for Drexl but I can't help but doubt my decision to bring in Brax. I hope he can be happy living with us someday. Sometimes I think he'd be better off back outside, but:

-He is FIV+. That means he could get really sick out there.
-He had a severe ear infection when I got him brought on by allergies to the outdoors!!
-He was underweight, probably because of parasites.
-I am moving in two years and so there's no guarantee that anyone will feed him or look after him when I'm gone.
-100 degree + weather right now in the summer, freezing in the winter
-He really does seem to love his cat bed.
-He receives gourmet wet food every few hours here in my house and has a bowl of kibble + wet food at his disposal.



So for these reasons, he has to stay with me in my house.
 
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emelyssa

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Gremlin ears....that is so cute! You are doing a great job with these two. Brax is further along than you might think as some of his behavior suggests relaxation and comfort.
That is really comforting to hear!!! Drexl was so easy, and my other feral cats in the past were tamed outside- a very different experience.
 
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emelyssa

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Brax played with me for the first time tonight, on his third week anniversary of being here. That was only after he hissed at me several times and refused to let me enter my own bathroom!! But after I obeyed his wishes, he started hitting at the door and meowing (which he's never done before), so I played with him with some toys under the door and he played back!
 

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Brax played with me for the first time tonight, on his third week anniversary of being here. That was only after he hissed at me several times and refused to let me enter my own bathroom!! But after I obeyed his wishes, he started hitting at the door and meowing (which he's never done before), so I played with him with some toys under the door and he played back!
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emelyssa

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I posted this update on one of my other threads, but I thought to also post here for those folks that have been helping me out on this thread. TONIGHT Brax let me sit in the room with him when he was not in his
cave for the first time. I respected his space and talked to him; he gave me blinky eyes instead of gremlin ears, and then he cozied up on the bath mat and fell asleep even though he was in the open and just a few feet away from me!!!!! This feels like progress.

I am grateful for this forum- for such a knowledgeable and supportive network of cat lovers!
 
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