I am so happy she is coming around again. Her "friends" can all smell that she is eating well. Some day others may get brave and want to try the food too.
Hopefully her daily pattern continues!
Hopefully her daily pattern continues!
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Need Advice From the Feral Colony Experts
- Thread starter orange&white
- Start Date
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- #83
The others will have to continue eating at the apartment complex and catching prey. I don't want to feed any that aren't spayed/neutered, and even if I did I couldn't afford the extra food.
But, yes, happy to see Kit Kit and there's plenty of budget to feed her.
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- #84
Kit Kit is getting more comfortable here, and she is eating enough calories that I think she may have abandoned eating whatever the apartment people are putting out. She ate quite a lot this morning, then I watched her go out to the grass, stalk, catch and eat what I presume to have been an insect of some sort "for dessert".
I also moved the folding camp chair to 3-4 feet from her food saucers and she came up on the patio and ate after a bit of coaxing. After dinner last night, she hung out of the patio a bit to bathe and then stretched out in recline. Normally, as soon as she eats she goes back off and disappears to "wherever she goes".
Unfortunately, her "friend", a little solid black feral with a fluffy tail, is getting more brave. I'm hoping my mere presence will be enough to deter him from wanting to eat here, too.
I'm very happy that Kit Kit seems to be very slowly "moving in" to my yard as her home...or at least, her favorite neighborhood restaurant.
I also moved the folding camp chair to 3-4 feet from her food saucers and she came up on the patio and ate after a bit of coaxing. After dinner last night, she hung out of the patio a bit to bathe and then stretched out in recline. Normally, as soon as she eats she goes back off and disappears to "wherever she goes".
Unfortunately, her "friend", a little solid black feral with a fluffy tail, is getting more brave. I'm hoping my mere presence will be enough to deter him from wanting to eat here, too.
I'm very happy that Kit Kit seems to be very slowly "moving in" to my yard as her home...or at least, her favorite neighborhood restaurant.
I had a flip phone until November of last year. I had it for well over two years before I realized it had a camera function. The pics were nothing to write home about, but it's possible you do have a camera on your phone & not even know it! The way I found out about it was I was rushing out of a room to answer a call & I tripped & hit something on the phone and it made a clicking sound of a camera. Later I found a blurry photo of the floor stored in it. I was able to email the photos to myself once I figured that out.
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- #86
Yes, my flip phone has a camera. They cut 3 minutes off my time card for every photo I email. When I emailed some photos of the little feral I trapped at work (and adopted) to my boss...I lost most of my $20 phone card that was supposed to last 3 months.
Yeah, I don't do (expensive) photos that come out really poor quality.- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #87
Kit Kit played with a string toy last night after dinner!!! And she played even though it took her about 10 seconds to realize that I was attached to the other end of the string. I had tied a small stuffed catnip "pillow" on about 8-9 feet of string. She stalked, pounced, hugged, rolled on her side and bunny thumped it several times before she decided that maybe I'm still a threat and ran off to her "safe distance".
But she played!
But she played!
Yea for Kit Kit!!! She knows you are the one who helped her! You just keep making great strides with her.
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- #89
Last night after Kit Kit ate, I put the back of my hand out toward her (with my fingers curled under) and she got about two inches from sniffing my hand. Then this morning she was waiting for me on the patio just before sunrise for breakfast. She ate and I slowly extended my hand again. She briefly made nose-to-hand contact. 
Then she backed up and swatted my hand once with her left paw, and twice with her right. She had her claws out and one of the swats barely broke my skin. The third time, I said "Owww, Kit. That hurts me", and she ran off to the middle of the yard.
She is willing to eat with me sitting only about one foot from her food saucers now.
Kit Kit's buddy, the black feral, started to come over the fence this morning while Kit Kit was eating. He realized I was sitting there before coming all the way over and retreated back to the front yard.
Then she backed up and swatted my hand once with her left paw, and twice with her right. She had her claws out and one of the swats barely broke my skin. The third time, I said "Owww, Kit. That hurts me", and she ran off to the middle of the yard.She is willing to eat with me sitting only about one foot from her food saucers now.
Kit Kit's buddy, the black feral, started to come over the fence this morning while Kit Kit was eating. He realized I was sitting there before coming all the way over and retreated back to the front yard.
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- #90
She just took a treat out of my hand. 
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- #92
Now I'm optimistically hoping for a head butt in the next week to two. I tossed 5 out of 6 treats toward her before she came to get the last one out of my hand. While I was tossing treats, she lied down and rubbed/head-butted the big ceramic water bowl I have out.
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- #94
I want Kit Kit to have a "birth date", even if it's a guess.
So, working backwards, she gave birth April 18th, which had her pregnancy start around February 10th. I've read that feral cats go into heat younger than domestic cats, so I'm putting her at 5 months on February 1st.
That would make her 1st birthday September 1st. That makes her still a kitten today (barely). She sure has been through the ringer her first year.
So, working backwards, she gave birth April 18th, which had her pregnancy start around February 10th. I've read that feral cats go into heat younger than domestic cats, so I'm putting her at 5 months on February 1st.
That would make her 1st birthday September 1st. That makes her still a kitten today (barely). She sure has been through the ringer her first year.
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- #95
...also she eats like a kitten. That tiny little cat can sure pack away some food!!!
I know what you mean. I have no idea of Luciano's birthdate, just that he was between 1-2 when he was first brought to the vet April 2016. I decided to make his birthday August 20, so he will be 3 next weekend. August 20 was my dad's birthday & I miss celebrating a birthday on that date, plus that makes him a Leo which is very appropriate.
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- #97
Last evening before feeding Kit Kit, I tried to get her to take a piece of food off my hand. She sniffed, but then rubbed the side of her face against my hand. 
It was brief, then she spooked, so I set her food down and backed up.
This morning, I held her food plate about 2 inches off the ground with one hand and offered her the back of my other hand. She rubbed against my hand and let me get two scratches under her chin.
After her belly was full, she wasn't interested in being touched. lol
I'm wondering if someone else in the neighborhood is working with her too; she is warming up pretty quickly since I got her to play with a string toy the other night.
Her two months kenneled at the shelter while she was nursing her kittens probably didn't hurt. Even though they deemed her too wild to be socialized or fostered, much less adopted, she was still being fed and having her litter changed at very close range every day for two months. The difference now is that she can run away if and when she gets scared.
Anyway, she is progressing rapidly. I no longer feel like just a convenient food dispenser.
It was brief, then she spooked, so I set her food down and backed up.This morning, I held her food plate about 2 inches off the ground with one hand and offered her the back of my other hand. She rubbed against my hand and let me get two scratches under her chin.
After her belly was full, she wasn't interested in being touched. lolI'm wondering if someone else in the neighborhood is working with her too; she is warming up pretty quickly since I got her to play with a string toy the other night.
Her two months kenneled at the shelter while she was nursing her kittens probably didn't hurt. Even though they deemed her too wild to be socialized or fostered, much less adopted, she was still being fed and having her litter changed at very close range every day for two months. The difference now is that she can run away if and when she gets scared.
Anyway, she is progressing rapidly. I no longer feel like just a convenient food dispenser.
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- #99
Late morning yesterday, Kit Kit was on the patio so I took her out a between-meals bite to eat. She rubbed her head up under my hand. I got irrationally exuberant about her show of affection and petted her on top of her head about 3 strokes. Her body language looked like she was enjoying it, but before the 4th stroke, she took one step back and swatted me hard with her claws out and drew blood. I didn't get any "normal" warning: no ears back, no hissing, no tail twitching. My fault for going over her head with my hand, even though she seemed to be happy with it at first.
Yesterday evening, I thought I'd see what she would do if I didn't put her food saucers down immediately for dinner. I just sat down quietly and held her food. She came up and wound herself in and out of my calves, rubbing her body up against my legs. I've never heard her purr. That'll be a milestone...if it ever happens.
Anyway, I learned to just let her rub on me if she feels like it and not take that as an invitation to pet her.
Yesterday evening, I thought I'd see what she would do if I didn't put her food saucers down immediately for dinner. I just sat down quietly and held her food. She came up and wound herself in and out of my calves, rubbing her body up against my legs.
I've never heard her purr. That'll be a milestone...if it ever happens.Anyway, I learned to just let her rub on me if she feels like it and not take that as an invitation to pet her.
