my 2 feral tomcats are disappearing

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moreknow

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Hi! How is he now? Bless your heart for being there for him!
He seems fine, last night after posting this i dried him with some towels and he was rolling around purring and bumping his head in my legs and trying to bite me at times lol he's the most affectionate cat ive met. And i isolated him and gave him the wet food w/ lysine afterwards. He spent the night at my garage for the first time, he was with 5 other cats so i know he wasn't worried about being there. Only thing i noticed is that he's recently been a really dirty cat and I don't know the reason. He had some sort of discharge coming from the side of his mouth, and I try cleaning it but this morning it showed up again... other than that he looks normal, I'll have to look out for him more. Thank you guys for taking the time for replying, it truly means a lot :) please don't hesitate in talking about any cat problems y'all have as well 🧡
 
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moreknow

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He's eating ok? I hope the lysine helps - he might need his teeth/mouth/throat/nose looked at by a vet.
Yes he seems normal in everything. For his first time inside he was trying to join the other cats in playing around the hallways. and that's the thing, since I can't take any cats next month to get fixed and additional treatments in the TNR program, how could I do it if he gets sick? do you know if vets work with ferals?
 
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moreknow

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There are vets that do - Give your local clinics a call and ask, and if one says that they don't, ask if they can recommend a vet.
thank you for your feedback! I see you are forum helper, do you know if Im allowed to ask if anyone's from Houston area? so i can get more connections with cat lovers in my area
 

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It's not frowned upon as far as I know, it just depends on how many members see your post, and are ok with responding about that :)
Do you have a facebook account, or are on NextDoor . com? That might give you more direct local-to-you responses :heartshape:
 

Whenallhellbreakslose

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All I can think of is there may be some cat bullying going on and he was chased away. I see cat bullying everyday and all the cats on my block are tnred. I have these huge black cats bullying the younger males out of their food. I have to stand outside and play food bowl referee to make sure everyone eats enough. Sometimes a strange cat shows up on the block and start terrorizes everyone. I don't know where he comes from. Also, my backyard kitties who are territorial come to the front Of my house and chase cats away. Everyday I feel like I am juggling a lot of craziness. At times have to do extra feedings to make sure the younger males are not going hungry. This is going to get tougher now that winter is almost here. This is the ups and downs of cat feeding. It can get very complicated. Somedays I get so frustrated I want to throw my hands in the air and give up, but I would never really do that. I am too invested in the welfare of the cats. I really want the best for them.

Do continue giving this kitty food with Lysine to keep his immune system boosted. You may also want to make an emergency shelter just for him and place it strategically somewhere that he will use it and not have it taken from him by the other cats.

Being a cat caretaker is a labor of love. You do run into plenty of challenges, but you work past them. You are completely invested in the colony's welfare and you just can't give up, no matter how many bad days you face. Thank you for caring. We need more people like you out there. 😊
 

Willowy

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been a victim of my pool in the summer,
If your pool is killing animals, you really have to do something about it. There's no reason to tolerate a neighborhood safety hazard like that. They sell floaty escape things for under $20, but you could probably rig something up yourself with dollar store finds.
Asdomo Small Animal Escape Network Save Tool Swimming Pool Swimming Pool Critter Froglog Saving Escape Ramp Net - Walmart.com

Yeah, TNR is important for tomcats, too, for all the reasons already mentioned. If money is tight, of course it's necessary to get the females spayed first, to stop the multiplying, but it greatly increases quality of life for males too.
 

kittychick

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I'm late to this thread - but it's wonderful that you care so deeply about each of these guys!!! I won't try to address each issue at this point since you've been getting lots and lots of great advice. I'm so glad you're using the forum for support -- - there are lots of great people here, with lots of knowledge AND lots of compassion. :hugs:

So just a couple of quick things. Definitely know that you absolutely don't need to be able to actually pick any of them up to get them into anything to get them to a place to have them fixed (spayed or neutered). I take it from one of your last posts that you're in the Houston area - - there should be multiple places who can help you - not just with the spaying/neutering - but many organizations (especially clinics specializing in spaying and neutering) will even help you directly, by either sending someone out to help you trap, or at least by sitting with you and explaining trapping and helping you one on one. Approaching any clinics in your area could end up solving many of your problems - -and even more importantly, the problems that your fur babies are having that's likely largely caused by fighting over territory/food/etc. Spaying/neutering can fix SO many of those problems - - -making their lives - - and yours in turn because they're healthier, happier, and safer! And even clinics that don't do anything other then spay/neuter and basic shots can often point you to lower cost vets in your area.

A few places that look like they're at least in the Houston area (a good place to start is just googling "spay neuter clinics Houston" ) are (and I can't personally recommend - these just came up in a google search - some - like "Emancipet" looked like they have multiple locations):
Houston Humane Society Spay Neuter Vet Clinic
The Greater Good Low-Cost Spay & Neuter/Affordable vaccines
Emancipet - Nonprofit Vet Clinics

You can also check the website of Alley Cat Allies, a very reputable group that was begun to help make people aware of options for feral cats - in particular Trap/Neuter/Release. They've got all kinds of info, including a network that helps you reach out to people in your local area. The webpage that can get you started with that is:
Feral Friends Network

Of course - this site is the best (in my humble opinion) for getting advice and support from others who've been there and/or ARE there! But hopefully some of these other sites might help you link up with some "boots on the ground" to get you some hands-on help!!!

PLEASE keep us posted!
 
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moreknow

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All I can think of is there may be some cat bullying going on and he was chased away. I see cat bullying everyday and all the cats on my block are tnred. I have these huge black cats bullying the younger males out of their food. I have to stand outside and play food bowl referee to make sure everyone eats enough. Sometimes a strange cat shows up on the block and start terrorizes everyone. I don't know where he comes from. Also, my backyard kitties who are territorial come to the front Of my house and chase cats away. Everyday I feel like I am juggling a lot of craziness. At times have to do extra feedings to make sure the younger males are not going hungry. This is going to get tougher now that winter is almost here. This is the ups and downs of cat feeding. It can get very complicated. Somedays I get so frustrated I want to throw my hands in the air and give up, but I would never really do that. I am too invested in the welfare of the cats. I really want the best for them.

Do continue giving this kitty food with Lysine to keep his immune system boosted. You may also want to make an emergency shelter just for him and place it strategically somewhere that he will use it and not have it taken from him by the other cats.

Being a cat caretaker is a labor of love. You do run into plenty of challenges, but you work past them. You are completely invested in the colony's welfare and you just can't give up, no matter how many bad days you face. Thank you for caring. We need more people like you out there. 😊
I feel you on this. Every night i spend almost 2 hours trying to feed the 20 outdoor cats, while trying to secure my 3 semiferals and any other cats who are friendly enough to spend the night in my garage, all while trying not to disturb my parents.. then sometimes a male comes and sprays somewhere so i have to take care of that as well as other messes they make. Then by midnight i take a shower:dizzy:. I've been doing this type of thing since the summer after seeing one of my cats dead under an old truck nearby.. I told myself that I can't fail these cats anymore, so I must do everything i can to protect them. I know this can be a daunting task, but I am happy that im not the only one caring for cats, and I'll support you in any way I can. Thank you so much for your feedback :)
 
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moreknow

learning to help ferals :)
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I'm late to this thread - but it's wonderful that you care so deeply about each of these guys!!! I won't try to address each issue at this point since you've been getting lots and lots of great advice. I'm so glad you're using the forum for support -- - there are lots of great people here, with lots of knowledge AND lots of compassion. :hugs:

So just a couple of quick things. Definitely know that you absolutely don't need to be able to actually pick any of them up to get them into anything to get them to a place to have them fixed (spayed or neutered). I take it from one of your last posts that you're in the Houston area - - there should be multiple places who can help you - not just with the spaying/neutering - but many organizations (especially clinics specializing in spaying and neutering) will even help you directly, by either sending someone out to help you trap, or at least by sitting with you and explaining trapping and helping you one on one. Approaching any clinics in your area could end up solving many of your problems - -and even more importantly, the problems that your fur babies are having that's likely largely caused by fighting over territory/food/etc. Spaying/neutering can fix SO many of those problems - - -making their lives - - and yours in turn because they're healthier, happier, and safer! And even clinics that don't do anything other then spay/neuter and basic shots can often point you to lower cost vets in your area.

A few places that look like they're at least in the Houston area (a good place to start is just googling "spay neuter clinics Houston" ) are (and I can't personally recommend - these just came up in a google search - some - like "Emancipet" looked like they have multiple locations):
Houston Humane Society Spay Neuter Vet Clinic
The Greater Good Low-Cost Spay & Neuter/Affordable vaccines
Emancipet - Nonprofit Vet Clinics

You can also check the website of Alley Cat Allies, a very reputable group that was begun to help make people aware of options for feral cats - in particular Trap/Neuter/Release. They've got all kinds of info, including a network that helps you reach out to people in your local area. The webpage that can get you started with that is:
Feral Friends Network

Of course - this site is the best (in my humble opinion) for getting advice and support from others who've been there and/or ARE there! But hopefully some of these other sites might help you link up with some "boots on the ground" to get you some hands-on help!!!

PLEASE keep us posted!
wow this really really helped a lot. I didn't know Alley Cats could help me in that way, I'll be sure to contact Emancipet and other resources you sent :) thanks so so much
 

tatonka1233

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If your pool is killing animals, you really have to do something about it. There's no reason to tolerate a neighborhood safety hazard like that. They sell floaty escape things for under $20, but you could probably rig something up yourself with dollar store finds.
Asdomo Small Animal Escape Network Save Tool Swimming Pool Swimming Pool Critter Froglog Saving Escape Ramp Net - Walmart.com

Yeah, TNR is important for tomcats, too, for all the reasons already mentioned. If money is tight, of course it's necessary to get the females spayed first, to stop the multiplying, but it greatly increases quality of life for males too.
I have a pool cover that goes on every year around september. I live in the country and the closet neighbors I have are 5 miles away. I only have cats roam my property, with the occasional rabbit, opossum, raccoon, woodchuck and deer. I never had a problem with the cats and the pool until a few years ago when people would drop off a cat near my property and then they would leave. The cat was a female and pregnant, but she didn't trust me enough to bring her kittens up before they reached their breeding age. So a year goes by and now my cats have multiplied. The young kittens are the only ones who would venture near the pool and sit on the steps, they sometimes turned around and went back to the shed or they would go to the next step and sometimes slip and fall. I took many pro-cautions such as a tarp, because it was all I could afford at the time, to put on my pool to keep from having any more sudden deaths. This worked for a little bit, but it gets harder to make sure that the cover is on everytime the pool is open. The only option I have is to get rid of the pool.
 

Willowy

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The only option I have is to get rid of the pool.
I would have after the first dead kitten; I just don't have any stomach for that. But a few dollar store pool noodles tied to the side would probably be sufficient.

You can get a raccoon trap for about $25 if you keep an eye on farm store sales, and use that to catch feral cats for spay/neuter so you don't end up with hundreds.
 

kittychick

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moreknow moreknow Glad the info I wrote shone a little light on things! I know it can get pretty dark when you feel totally overwhelmed, especially when you just want to help. Just don't give up - there are definitely people out there willing to help - sometimes it just takes more digging then you expect!
 

tatonka1233

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I would have after the first dead kitten; I just don't have any stomach for that. But a few dollar store pool noodles tied to the side would probably be sufficient.

You can get a raccoon trap for about $25 if you keep an eye on farm store sales, and use that to catch feral cats for spay/neuter so you don't end up with hundreds.
Yes I realize this. I have had a shed built on the opposite site of the house for the cats to stay in and I have been trying to get all the females spayed. I haven't worried to much about the males mainly because they end up moving on and coming back when the females are in heat. Some of the pregnant females will bring the kittens up near the house but the kittens are usually too old for me to try and tame easier so I can get them taken to the vet.
 

kittychick

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moreknow moreknow dont want to hijack your thread.... :)

But just a quick note to tatonka1233 tatonka1233 - sounds like care very much about helping the cats & kittens around you, & you’re not just caring, you’re doing! You mention that the moms bring the kittens near you, but they’re often too old to socialize. I know that everyone’s situation as far as time/space/etc — but wanted to make sure you know that it is possible to socialize kittens that are beyond those that are very young (although some sources incorrectly this). It does get harder as they age, but you’ll find that many of us on this site have successfully socialized older kittens —even adults!

I won’t say it’s easy (altho every now & then it’s VERY easy?!?!). I speak from experience — I’ve had some that were older but amazingly easy (one feral girl we trapped at the age of 2 1/2....& she’s curled up on my lap right now!)....yet I’ve also had the opposite. One little litter of 3 we began socializing at right around 7-8 weeks....1 was running up to strangers & begging to be held after onl y a week. The other 2 took months, and despite intense socialization those 2 never got past being comfortable with just “their person”, but dove under the bed if the doorbell rang. (They were eventually adoption by an amazing women who loved th
were).

So that’s a long way to say that don’t immediately count out slightly older kittens bc of anything you might have read about them being “too old.” And if you DO end up wanting to try - I’m certainly willing to help you through it....as I’m sure many others on this wonderful site who’ll help as much as possible!!!!! And again - yeah for you —-& yeah for you too moreknow moreknow !! :cheerleader:
 

tatonka1233

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moreknow moreknow dont want to hijack your thread.... :)

But just a quick note to tatonka1233 tatonka1233 - sounds like care very much about helping the cats & kittens around you, & you’re not just caring, you’re doing! You mention that the moms bring the kittens near you, but they’re often too old to socialize. I know that everyone’s situation as far as time/space/etc — but wanted to make sure you know that it is possible to socialize kittens that are beyond those that are very young (although some sources incorrectly this). It does get harder as they age, but you’ll find that many of us on this site have successfully socialized older kittens —even adults!

I won’t say it’s easy (altho every now & then it’s VERY easy?!?!). I speak from experience — I’ve had some that were older but amazingly easy (one feral girl we trapped at the age of 2 1/2....& she’s curled up on my lap right now!)....yet I’ve also had the opposite. One little litter of 3 we began socializing at right around 7-8 weeks....1 was running up to strangers & begging to be held after onl y a week. The other 2 took months, and despite intense socialization those 2 never got past being comfortable with just “their person”, but dove under the bed if the doorbell rang. (They were eventually adoption by an amazing women who loved th
were).

So that’s a long way to say that don’t immediately count out slightly older kittens bc of anything you might have read about them being “too old.” And if you DO end up wanting to try - I’m certainly willing to help you through it....as I’m sure many others on this wonderful site who’ll help as much as possible!!!!! And again - yeah for you —-& yeah for you too moreknow moreknow !! :cheerleader:
Yes I know from experience how hard it is for people to socialize/tame the kittens once they reach a certain age. I know it will vary from cat to cat too. The ones I took in around September were complete opposites of each other. Cinnamon was always more social compared to Nutmeg. But Nutmeg had been hurt and that was one of the reasons for bringing him in, but he was not comfortable around me or anyone. After a week of caring for him, he became more friendly and he began sleeping closer to me once his legs started working more like they should. They have another sibling outside right now that is mean and very smart. The kitten will come to the door and meow and then I usually give him/her some food and he stay a good distance away until I have completely closed the door. I have tried many times to get him/her to trust me more by giving him warm food everyday and not making any sudden movements that he/she might see as a threat. Most of the adults will not come near me unless they smell food, I have not been able to successfully tame any of them down yet. The ones who I am able to pet, pick up and give medicine to, they were like Cinnamon, curious and a social butterfly(s). I will always continue to do my best to get most of the cats I have spay/neutered, and I will continue trying to tame them as much as I can.
 
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