Need Advice From the Feral Colony Experts

[orange&white]

The last two days, Kit Kit has been coming up and letting out a tiny little "meow" or two. So sweet. I know she can be loud because right after sunset the second day I had her in the temporary catio for observation after her spay, she started meowing her head off...loudly...to get her freedom back. After that, until yesterday, I didn't hear a peep out of her. Now she's doing these quiet mews.

This morning she was very affectionate. She rubbed on me so much that I finally had to pet her. It went much better than Sunday. She didn't draw blood.

 

[surya]

Yay, no blood, that's improvement.

 

[shadowsrescue]

I just love it when they meow to you. It always just melts my heart. Kit Kit is very lucky to have you!

 

[orange&white]

Now Kit Kit is becoming overly affectionate and demanding! Never thought I'd say that in a million years.

I went out on the patio. She had already had some dinner before sunset. She was wrapping herself around my legs so much that I was having a hard time walking. I went back in and grabbed a bowl of food in case she was still hungry. She was rubbing, rubbing...and I heard her purring for the first time.

As I sat in my folding chair, she put her paws on the edge of the seat, standing and looking at me from only a few inches away, face-to-face. I was opening the top off the food tub as she rubbed her face on my knee, and then she nailed my arm with her paw, claws out...while purring! This time, she was wanting me to pet her and I was trying to take the lid off her food.

She was trying to pull my arm toward her to pet her, but one of her claws was embedded in the skin on my arm. She still had me impaled when I said, "Oww, Kit!" and she tried to back off, moving my arm with her.

She has also given me some little "love bites" the last two days. I'm worrying that she may hurt me before I can teach her that biting and clawing as a way to ask to be petted is painful to us thin-skinned humans.

I may end up looking like a well-played dart board.

 

[surya]

Do you say ouch real loud? I also back away and ignore them, so they know they don't get the attention they want if they do that. I've watched video's by Jackson Galaxy and he advices rewarding the positive and ignoring the bad behavior.

 

[orange&white]

No, I don't raise my voice with her, so not loud at all. More "whiney". Not sure "whiney" is the right word, but um, ok, "whiney"...like a cat meowing, but "me-owwwwoohhh!" Worked with the little feral I adopted in February, but she was only 4 months old when I started working with her.

I don't want her to think I'm angry at her as much as she hurt my feelings (and hurt me).

 

[surya]

Well you are making good progress, you will get there.

 

[ileen]

Are your vaccinations up to date? I get scratched and bitten by my own cat all the time, but he's an indoor cat & I know he's up to date on his shots. Kit Kit has unknown medical history if I'm not mistaken.

 

[orange&white]

Her only medical history is from me taking her to the shelter for TNR. Then she had 4 kittens four days later and they kept her for 2 months. They vaccinate the ferals. I was thought it was full shots, but more recently I read that they only give them a rabies vaccine. I don't think there are many diseases cats could pass on to humans (except ringworm or something else easily treatable).

 

[orange&white]

Something strange happened today. Kit Kit spent most of the day from late morning to mid-late afternoon snoozing under a table on my patio. That's not the strange thing; she's been doing that for several days, so her feeling more and more "at home" is starting to be normal.


The strange thing is that my patio door is French-paned, almost all glass. Ok, that's not strange either. Let me get to the point here...

I was looking through the door to see if Kit was still hanging out when I needed to let my dog out in the backyard for dinner and potty break, and in the exact spot where Kit Kit had been sleeping for hours was the solid black feral cat looking back at me. Kit Kit had disappeared and "her buddy" had taken her position. As soon as I opened the door, he (she/it) ran away out of the yard.

Not being familiar with colony behavior, I wondered if this other feral is trying to join Kit Kit on the free food train here, or if he's trying to oust her and replace her for the territory. Kit Kit did separate herself from the apartment colony clowder and was hanging out in my yard when none of the other cats were...most of her life. She's pretty independent and more of a loner, it seems.

Anyway, I thought it was weird to look out and see the black cat when I was expecting to see Kit Kit...and that she wasn't hanging out with him/her (sharing the space). Apparently he scared her off, or she voluntarily didn't want his company and left on her own. Wish I had witnessed the exchange between the two cats.

I got my dog out to eat and relieve himself, and Kit Kit came walking back to the patio minutes after I put Charlie back in the house.

 

[shadowsrescue]

The new black feral is definitely intrigued with Kit Kit's digs! Feral cats will often follow each other in search of food. When feral cats smell each other's rear end, they can tell that a cat is getting good food. It will often bring other cats around. Some choose to stay while others will move along quickly.

You very well may have another feral on your hands. This is the way it always works for me. The other colony may be getting too crowded or there is not enough food or there are unspayed/unneutered cats and there is fighting. This black kitty may be looking for a more quiet safe home.

I might be a passing thing too. Yet if not will you be able to help this black kitty too? I know that you feel full to the brim.

 

[orange&white]

I think this cat may be Kit Kit's brother and possibly (or) the father of her kittens as well, but I don't know that for sure. When she was old enough to be running around, I remember her and 3 other kittens scampering around the yard, looking like probable litter mates. That was last winter some time.

No, I don't have room in the budget to keep taking on food for more cats. In addition to food, I have to set aside some emergency money.

Plus, the county says I'm in the city jurisdiction and the city says I'm in the county jurisdiction, so technically I can't receive the free TNR services that my city or county offers. I got attached to Kit Kit when she started hanging around, and my boss said, "Just say you trapped her here at the office instead of on your property", so he was willing to back up the story, but he's not a big cat fan so I can't impose. I'm can't do that for the dozens and dozens of apartment ferals. They're endless.

The ferals around here are well-fed until they disappear and a new season starts. (Don't see many "old" ferals.) Black cat appears to be very healthy and fit...and intact. I'm not feeding him/her.

 

[orange&white]

Hmmm....he's probably hanging out here a lot more than I know. I just went out to sit with Kit Kit at dusk, right before dark. I was sitting fairly still, Kit Kit was lying on top of the table, and here he comes... Black kitty headed straight for the patio. I was so quiet that he didn't even notice me until he was 10-12 yards away. Acting like he owns the place. When he saw me, he detoured, but only went about 15 yards out and stretched out on the yard.

Some mornings, I go out and the patio smells strongly of cat spray. It's only occasional right now.

 

[surya]

There's a lot of different organizations that do it free where I live. But it took some digging to find out about them. Maybe there is one in your area, or another person who will vouch for this cat that it lives in a different part of town. After the boys get fixed, their pee does not smell bad.

 

[maggiedemi]

There is a mobile spay/neuter here, they only charge $50 for ferals. They do spay/neuter, vaccinations, flea treatment, and ear mites for $50. Maybe google mobile spay neuter clinic with the name of your state.

 

[orange&white]

There is a mobile spay/neuter here, they only charge $50 for ferals. They do spay/neuter, vaccinations, flea treatment, and ear mites for $50.

Haha. That's the grocery and gasoline budget for an entire week for me, two cats (now 3 with Kit Kit), and the dog. "Only money" is sort of relative to one's income.

Both the county and city offer free TNR, unless you're "lucky" like I am and live in a zip code which is in both. Then they draw imaginary lines of jurisdiction and point their political fingers at each other over who is responsible. Meanwhile, dozens of ferals around me get shafted out of services offered.

I'd be happy to trap, TNR, and pick all these cats and let them go back and eat at the apartments if I could get "authorized" free service, but it isn't worth lying about, not multiple times.

 

[surya]

That sucks that they are doing that. Your not close to Houston are you?

 

[orange&white]

No, I'm on the "edge" of Austin, but not in Travis county where free service would be no problem.

 

[surya]

I was going to look around on the internet and see if I saw any organizations that might help. I think your best bet might be asking somebody at one of these organizations who lives in the city limits to take the cats in for you. But you have to meet somebody nice who would be willing to do that. There is a group called Shadowcats. Have you spoken with anybody there? You have to be persistent and contact these groups a couple of times, because there are so many people asking them for help. At least that's how I was able to get help. I got brushed off the first time, and I kept trying.

http://shadowcats.net

 

[orange&white]

The guy in charge of ferals and the TNR program for the city, first said bring Kit Kit in "immediately" since she was pregnant. This was on email. I replied and asked him to please confirm that I could get an exception and get the free TNR service since I'm not in Travis County. He stopped replying to any of my requests...and he's the guy in charge.

No, I'm done.