Neighbor filed an animal abuse report on me

[moxiewild]

New Problem

So I had mentioned before that at some point he said something about wanting to adopt one of my colony cats, Wolfie.

He brought it up again and said that if we trap him, he’d love to take him.

Wolfie is mostly feral, so I don’t mind him being an outdoor cat along with his other kitties, since the plan was to release him anyway.

His cats are neutered and wear collars (and he would eventually tell me they are up to date on vaccines and chipped, as well), so he’s definitely still responsible and cares about his cats.

As we’re talking, I’m becoming super excited about this because it’s not often someone wants to adopt one of my ferals - and this is the first time someone has actually approached me about it first!

He has no experience with taming or socializing cats, so I told him that as long as I know Wolfie has a home to go to when I’m done, I would socialize Wolfie for him.

He said he would really appreciate that, because it’s extremely important to him that he be able to handle the cat for annual vaccinations and if there was ever an emergency - another great sign!!!

Then he drops a bomb on me -

Wolfie “would need to be declawed.”

Evidently, they are only mostly outdoor cats.

Okay, deep breath, I just need to educate him, right?

Nope. He appears to be well aware of the declaw issue.

He even said he had a hell of a time actually finding a vet willing to declaw his other two outdoor cats who were already 6+ years old by the time be adopted them off the street , and that even the vet who did it initially refused (apparently the vet relented when this guy pulled the whole, “look, either they get declawed, or they’re not going to have a home. What’s worse?” thing ).

His reasoning? His friends dog chewed up some walls once and cost his friend thousands of dollars.

Yep. His reasoning for justifying forcing his borderline senior outdoor cats to undergo a debilitating, elective, multi-amputation is because his friends large breed, untrained canine chewed up some walls.



I mentioned scratchers - he said most cats just don’t use them.

My boyfriend mentioned Soft Paws - he didn’t want to have to reapply them.

I told him I was a certified behavioral consultant and would work with Wolfie (free of charge) - he said he’s a huge animal lover but this is just one of his limits.

Ugh.

So now I’m stuck with an unusual dilemma.

I do not want this man getting ahold of Wolfie. (The first thing my boyfriend said when we got back in the car was “...we have to disappear Wolfie” )

All of my options have obstacles.

Option 1: TNR as planned

Not sure what excuse I would give for not delivering him to Neighbor Guy, but I’m sure I could think of something.

Problem - this guy at least occasionally feeds Wolfie, and his son is trying to interact with him more and more. If they keep this up, with enough time, they will be able handle Wolfie enough to declaw him.

Option 2: Relocate Wolfie to our house

Problem 1 - I’d again have to lie to Neighbor, and while we live on opposite sides of the neighborhood, he almost certainly drives by my house very frequently to get out of the neighborhood. He could see Wolfie some day, and then he will know I lied to him.

Problem 2 - I already have a colony here, and they already don’t like each other and fight a lot. I’m not sure how the heck I could safely integrate Wolfie.

Option 3: Socialize him and find him a different home

Problem 1 - While this seems like the best option, the problem is that we’re over capacity right now with several long term fosters, so it would have to wait a while. That not only means not neutering him as soon as I could otherwise, but it also still leaves the chance that he could lose his fear of Neighbor’s family, and they could take him to the vet for declaw...

Problem 2 - When it came time to adopt him out, I’m not sure how I would go about it since this guy is on the same local platforms I usually post fosters on :/

I am so bummed about this. If it weren’t for the declaw thing, I’d be so happy about Wolfie going to this family, especially since it means he’d be able to stay in his own territory and I could still see him (not going to lie, he’s one of my absolute favorites).

I just cannot wait for this stupid procedure to be banned in all 50 states.

 

[fionasmom]

Wow. Here I was all hopeful that this was going to work out. I don't have any other solutions except that Wolfie does need to disappear in whatever way you can make that happen. This guy had a strange sense of logic. Just as he came at you for helping cats originally, he also does not seem to be able to put 2+2 together about declawing an outdoor cat ( especially) even if you did not object to the procedure in the first place.

 

[Whenallhellbreakslose]

Oh, TG the man realized he made a mistake taking your supplies and threatening to have animal abuse charges pressed against. What a relief! Yes, his apology may not have been all out, but the fact that he apologized is what matters. There are plenty of people who never admit their wrongs, let alone apologize for them. I met people who couldn't even spit the words out "I am sorry." They are like the Fonz from Happy Days who tries, but ends up stumbling on the words. Lol Well, now that he has seen with his own eyes and heard others confirm who you are and how you help the cats, perhaps he will become a valuable ally. Funny, how things work out in the end. Glad that he returned your supplies and told you where your camera is. That is good news.

I hope you are able to successfully tend to the sick kitty. Putting eye drops in a ferals eyes in no easy task. You will have to do the towel wrap while someone quickly places the drops in the eyes. I hope the kitty makes a quick recovery. Thank you for all the work you do for the cats in your neck of the woods. You are a hero to these cats.

 

[Whenallhellbreakslose]

New Problem

So I had mentioned before that at some point he said something about wanting to adopt one of my colony cats, Wolfie.

He brought it up again and said that if we trap him, he’d love to take him.

Wolfie is mostly feral, so I don’t mind him being an outdoor cat along with his other kitties, since the plan was to release him anyway.

His cats are neutered and wear collars (and he would eventually tell me they are up to date on vaccines and chipped, as well), so he’s definitely still responsible and cares about his cats.

As we’re talking, I’m becoming super excited about this because it’s not often someone wants to adopt one of my ferals - and this is the first time someone has actually approached me about it first!

He has no experience with taming or socializing cats, so I told him that as long as I know Wolfie has a home to go to when I’m done, I would socialize Wolfie for him.

He said he would really appreciate that, because it’s extremely important to him that he be able to handle the cat for annual vaccinations and if there was ever an emergency - another great sign!!!

Then he drops a bomb on me -

Wolfie “would need to be declawed.”

Evidently, they are only mostly outdoor cats.

Okay, deep breath, I just need to educate him, right?

Nope. He appears to be well aware of the declaw issue.

He even said he had a hell of a time actually finding a vet willing to declaw his other two outdoor cats who were already 6+ years old by the time be adopted them off the street , and that even the vet who did it initially refused (apparently the vet relented when this guy pulled the whole, “look, either they get declawed, or they’re not going to have a home. What’s worse?” thing ).

His reasoning? His friends dog chewed up some walls once and cost his friend thousands of dollars.

Yep. His reasoning for justifying forcing his borderline senior outdoor cats to undergo a debilitating, elective, multi-amputation is because his friends large breed, untrained canine chewed up some walls.



I mentioned scratchers - he said most cats just don’t use them.

My boyfriend mentioned Soft Paws - he didn’t want to have to reapply them.

I told him I was a certified behavioral consultant and would work with Wolfie (free of charge) - he said he’s a huge animal lover but this is just one of his limits.

Ugh.

So now I’m stuck with an unusual dilemma.

I do not want this man getting ahold of Wolfie. (The first thing my boyfriend said when we got back in the car was “...we have to disappear Wolfie” )

All of my options have obstacles.

Option 1: TNR as planned

Not sure what excuse I would give for not delivering him to Neighbor Guy, but I’m sure I could think of something.

Problem - this guy at least occasionally feeds Wolfie, and his son is trying to interact with him more and more. If they keep this up, with enough time, they will be able handle Wolfie enough to declaw him.

Option 2: Relocate Wolfie to our house

Problem 1 - I’d again have to lie to Neighbor, and while we live on opposite sides of the neighborhood, he almost certainly drives by my house very frequently to get out of the neighborhood. He could see Wolfie some day, and then he will know I lied to him.

Problem 2 - I already have a colony here, and they already don’t like each other and fight a lot. I’m not sure how the heck I could safely integrate Wolfie.

Option 3: Socialize him and find him a different home

Problem 1 - While this seems like the best option, the problem is that we’re over capacity right now with several long term fosters, so it would have to wait a while. That not only means not neutering him as soon as I could otherwise, but it also still leaves the chance that he could lose his fear of Neighbor’s family, and they could take him to the vet for declaw...

Problem 2 - When it came time to adopt him out, I’m not sure how I would go about it since this guy is on the same local platforms I usually post fosters on :/

I am so bummed about this. If it weren’t for the declaw thing, I’d be so happy about Wolfie going to this family, especially since it means he’d be able to stay in his own territory and I could still see him (not going to lie, he’s one of my absolute favorites).

I just cannot wait for this stupid procedure to be banned in all 50 states.

Oh, what a conundrum!!! I am generally an "honesty is the best policy" kind of person, but this guy probably would be a very unhappy camper. Seriously, why does he think declawing is a good thing? He is a willfully ignorant person. Rescuers and animal shelters do not adopt out to anyone who sees this awful practice as okay. You should have the right to decline on that basis. Does your state look at you as the legal owner of your colony? If so, that gives you a say over who may adopt the kitty. It is very ironic that he was accusing you of animal abuse, and here he is declawing his cats--which is animal cruelty!!!

If you don't want to be upfront with this guy then I would go with Option 3 and adopt out as far away as you can, so he won't find out. Tell the fosters this is an emergency. Best of luck. You have the cat's best interest in mind. Don't adopt out to this guy, he just doesn't get it. Also, work with others to see that the awful practice of declawing is banned in your state for good.

 

[moxiewild]

I am so sorry about the sick kitty and hope she recovers. I take it that she did not appear to have been injured on purpose in any way?

Definitely not on purpose!

She actually already had severe eye drainage at the beginning of October, about a week or so after her spay -

(Best I could get at the time!)

I started bringing my carrier to feed them to get her used to that since it had been less than two weeks since she was trapped.

But after about 3 days, it suddenly improved significantly, and after another week was only a little watery and had seemed fine since. I assumed she got over it, and the the FVRCP kept symptoms mild.

(She let me pet her for the first time in that week it was improving too )

I assume this is the same thing because the same eye that had the drainage before is the eye that was ulcerated and most severe this time.

She’s really only had antibiotics so far, but it’s already greatly improved.

I’ve been working with her the past few days to rebuild trust to make the eye medication easier because it was not working well the first few times. She’s a pretty feisty and aggressive, extremely bitey and her nails are a complete nightmare lol.

So I opted to try a more gentle approach - literally just now finally coaxed her out of the carrier and back to her old affectionate-but-spontaneously-aggressive-self again -

Still some conjunctivitis and drainage. The tongue out and excessive drool is new though. Not sure if that’s from congested breathing or mouth pain, so we’ll have to call the vet tomorrow.

Going to give eye medication another shot tonight to see if we can clear her eyes up more though!

 

[moxiewild]

Wow. Here I was all hopeful that this was going to work out.

I know!!! It was going so well and I was feeling pretty good about everything, and then suddenly it just took this hard left turn.

I rarely meet people who declaw or want to declaw anymore, and it’s even more rare to find some who actually understands the procedure and potential consequences yet still insists.

But he said multiple vets lectured him, including the one who ultimately performed it. He mentioned finger joints, biting, and other things that indicated that he’d definitely been through the run down.

Gotta protect that precious furniture in the least inconvenient way possible to the human though, I guess

Oh, what a conundrum!!! I am generally an "honesty is the best policy" kind of person, but this guy probably would be a very unhappy camper. Seriously, why does he think declawing is a good thing? He is a willfully ignorant person. Rescuers and animal shelters do not adopt out to anyone who sees this awful practice as okay. You should have the right to decline on that basis. Does your state look at you as the legal owner of your colony? If so, that gives you a say over who may adopt the kitty. It is very ironic that he was accusing you of animal abuse, and here he is declawing his cats--which is animal cruelty!!!

Yeah, normally I would simply explain to someone interested in one of our cats that we don’t adopt out to those who intend to declaw, but in this case, I am trying to mend fences and build bridges. :/

He knows the neighbors there, where as I don’t. He’s taken kittens in before, so maybe they would be willing to foster?

And I am after two kittens in this area, but I’ve only seen them once, so I could use a more permanent set of eyes over there. (I have no idea where this Momma cat keeps her babies, and she weirdly doesn’t bring them to eat once they’re old enough. I never found two from her last litter either, and only ever saw them once, as well.)

He could really be an asset, so I’d rather avoid stepping on toes.

And yes, the cognitive dissonance is interesting. He’s so concerned about the emotional distress from his cats potentially being stuck in a humane trap for a couple hours in the dark, but will declaw full grown adults who live outdoors?

 

[Whenallhellbreakslose]

I know!!! It was going so well and I was feeling pretty good about everything, and then suddenly it just took this hard left turn.

I rarely meet people who declaw or want to declaw anymore, and it’s even more rare to find some who actually understands the procedure and potential consequences yet still insists.

But he said multiple vets lectured him, including the one who ultimately performed it. He mentioned finger joints, biting, and other things that indicated that he’d definitely been through the run down.

Gotta protect that precious furniture in the least inconvenient way possible to the human though, I guess


Yeah, normally I would simply explain to someone interested in one of our cats that we don’t adopt out to those who intend to declaw, but in this case, I am trying to mend fences and build bridges. :/

He knows the neighbors there, where as I don’t. He’s taken kittens in before, so maybe they would be willing to foster?

And I am after two kittens in this area, but I’ve only seen them once, so I could use a more permanent set of eyes over there. (I have no idea where this Momma cat keeps her babies, and she weirdly doesn’t bring them to eat once they’re old enough. I never found two from her last litter either, and only ever saw them once, as well.)

He could really be an asset, so I’d rather avoid stepping on toes.

And yes, the cognitive dissonance is interesting. He’s so concerned about the emotional distress from his cats potentially being stuck in a humane trap for a couple hours in the dark, but will declaw full grown adults who live outdoors?

Well, I hope it becomes clear how to handle this situation. This is a complicated one, and the Cognitive Dissonance coming from this guy is astounding. There is an option in place of declawing-- Cat Nail Caps that are placed over the nails. This is a humane solution opposed to declawing. It is a shame this guy is so stuck on the idea of declawing. SMH

I hope you find the kittens you are looking for and they are alright.
Keep us update. I like to know how things go. Good night.

 

[Jcatbird]

I hope the sick kitty is better!

Some possible options for Wolfe situation. Get Wolfie chipped and listed as Your cat! Get that guy to give his vet permission to talk to you and provide vet records ( all adoptions require a background check , ) Let that vet know Wolfe is registered to you. No declawing!

If possible, help Wolfe go elsewhere and tell him another socializer was willing to do the work AND adopt without declawing so...

Get him to sign an agreement with you that he WILL NOT declaw. He probably won’t read it and after, if he objects, just tell him that the cat is registered to someone else as a legal precaution to protect Wolfie After all, by this time he should realize you have knowledge of the processes available.
Tell him that you would totally be delighted for him to have Wolfe since he is such a loving cat advocate but as a rescuer, in good conscience, you cannot condone declawing and, in fact, are working with others who are working on getting it outlawed in the entire US. Certainly he can understand that laws are there to protect? He spent his life protecting and so do you.
You just have to be very firm that the cat is registered and cannot be declawed for any reason. Better a cat outside rather than being crippled for life and in pain his entire life.
Let this guy know you really think he could be a great cat advocate and you welcome him but no crippling of cats. It’s inhuman and being outlawed! Gently, if possible, tell him you know he would never be cruel to a cat but we are learning more every day about more severe consequences.
Last , have him post somewhere that advocates for cats that he is going to declaw. Or show him posts from others about their cats who have suffered from this.
Keep trying to educate him and recruit him to the right side of cat guardianship.
If all fails, do whatever you can to stop declawing!
Any chance you both use the same vet? If, like me, you bring them a lot of business, protest the declawing. They won’t risk losing you for a declawing.

 

[35 year catdad]

One problem with having cats

the ignorant people that do so much selfish harm to them.
My first cat Snooki was declawed by my ex's parents as a youngster. She was polydactyl (thumbs) and the love of my life.
Girlfriends were very jealous.
She was indoor always but after escaping out the bathroom window in an incredible way, the Houdini cat! she became outdoor only in back yard which was safe and enclosed. One day I saw her fighting a neighbor cat in her yard by laying on her back by using her back legs and claws. Wow go girl!
I trapped this cat that was harrasing her constantly and took it to the animal shelter. I feel terrible about that knowing later what must have happened to it. I tried to find its owner with no luck.
She lived a very happy long life till 18 even with fe. leuk. maybe from birth. So if it gives anyone hope after this cruel procedure has been done by others, your cat can still have a happy normal life. Snooki shredded the drapes even without front claws.
My roommate Diane was very allergic and didnt want to pick her up so she made a clicking sound with her fingernails and Snooki would launch herself into Diane's arms. One girlfriend and her 7 year old daughter really loved her and she made this Christmas

tree ornament that I hung on the ceiling sprinkler to watch over us here.

 

[moxiewild]

There is an option in place of declawing-- Cat Nail Caps that are placed over the nails. This is a humane solution opposed to declawing.

Yep, my boyfriend mentioned that as an alternative, and the guy objected to having to reapply them every few weeks.

So... he'd prefer the convenience to himself of amputating 10 digits on a cat that spends most of its time outdoors, rather than reapply nail caps every month

 

[Whenallhellbreakslose]

Just unreal!!! God forbid this guy be inconvenienced every few weeks putting nail caps on his his kitties, but- oh yeah, declawing is a great solution! It must take every fiber of your being not to lose it with this guy. My hats off to you. Being an advocate for the cats is not easy when you have to deal with this staggering level of ignorance. Hang in there.

 

[moxiewild]

I hope the sick kitty is better!

Some possible options for Wolfe situation. Get Wolfie chipped and listed as Your cat! Get that guy to give his vet permission to talk to you and provide vet records ( all adoptions require a background check , ) Let that vet know Wolfe is registered to you. No declawing!

If possible, help Wolfe go elsewhere and tell him another socializer was willing to do the work AND adopt without declawing so...

Get him to sign an agreement with you that he WILL NOT declaw. He probably won’t read it and after, if he objects, just tell him that the cat is registered to someone else as a legal precaution to protect Wolfie After all, by this time he should realize you have knowledge of the processes available.
Tell him that you would totally be delighted for him to have Wolfe since he is such a loving cat advocate but as a rescuer, in good conscience, you cannot condone declawing and, in fact, are working with others who are working on getting it outlawed in the entire US. Certainly he can understand that laws are there to protect? He spent his life protecting and so do you.
You just have to be very firm that the cat is registered and cannot be declawed for any reason. Better a cat outside rather than being crippled for life and in pain his entire life.
Let this guy know you really think he could be a great cat advocate and you welcome him but no crippling of cats. It’s inhuman and being outlawed! Gently, if possible, tell him you know he would never be cruel to a cat but we are learning more every day about more severe consequences.
Last , have him post somewhere that advocates for cats that he is going to declaw. Or show him posts from others about their cats who have suffered from this.
Keep trying to educate him and recruit him to the right side of cat guardianship.
If all fails, do whatever you can to stop declawing!
Any chance you both use the same vet? If, like me, you bring them a lot of business, protest the declawing. They won’t risk losing you for a declawing.

This is typically what I would do with any random adopter.

The problem with this guy is that my colony is right behind his house. We have an HOA, and I have three colonies in this neighborhood alone. TNR is also not explicitly approved of in local ordinance, either (hoping to change that someday).

Given his initial outburst and behavior at me, I am very weary of any potential vindictive response.

There are certain people who have declawed cats in the past who simply did so because they didn't know any better. They assumed - reasonably, I might add - that no vet would ever suggest, or accept, doing a procedure that was not in the best interest of the cat. And once these people are educated, they feel awful and join the anti-declaw side.

Then there are those when you try to educate them, they become defensive, because they take the anti-declaw argument to mean that you are calling them an abuser, telling them they hurt their cats, and other awful things. So they double down and make excuses - "my declawed cats are perfectly fine, no problems" "they would have ended up in a shelter if declawing was illegal because they were ruining my stuff!" "cats don't use scratchers!" "we've always declawed cats" etc. They take offense, deny how harmful it is/can be, and/or ultimately prioritize their "stuff" over the cat. And this is the category my neighbor is very clearly in (only worse, because he WAS educated before doing it!).

I mean, I'd honestly rather him make Wolfie an 100% outside cat (with adequate shelter - which is more than poor Wolfie has now, anyway!) rather than make him a 75%+ outside cat that's declawed if he's so worried about his precious furniture!

Sigh. Trying to further educate him is too much of a risk, no matter how I try to sugar coat it. If he didn't believe the multiple vets who told him (even against their own financial interest!), then he's not going to believe some random cat lady.

And trying to take "ownership" of any kind is also problematic for the same reason. How do you even own an outdoor cat that doesn't live near you?

Like I said - it is vitally important that I keep a good relationship with this guy. I have way too much (well, way too many cats) at stake if I don't.

I really can't see any other way than to make Wolfie disappear covertly. And just hope that none of the other cats from that colony make friends with him :/

 

[Whenallhellbreakslose]

You are walking a tightrope in this situation. I wish there was someone to foster Wolfie. No way would I allow that man to take him in. The fact that he is educated on the subject of declawing and still went ahead with it just disgusts me. Years ago, I was friends with someone who got her puppy's tail docked. If I knew she was going to do that, I would have done everything I could to talk her out of it. She kept telling me it is an acceptable practice that the American Kennel Club and many other organizations accept it and if it was so bad why do vets perform the procedure in the first place? Ugghhhh!

You may want to enlist some help from other tnr/rescuers in order to keep everything going smoothly with this guy. As mentioned it is a tightrope you are walking. If you have a bad day and he continues with this stupid talk you may just lose it. This us a complicated situation. Perhaps they can have better luck dealing with this guy.

Anyway, I wish you the best of luck. I just responded to a person on this forum who adopted a declawed kitty who won't use the litter. This is one if the problems that happens to declawed cats. I wonder if this guy's cats were doing their business all over his house how would feel then? SMH at the willful ignorance.

 

[moxiewild]

Update -

I'm freaking out a bit now.

For the past two weeks, Wolfie has only shown up to eat twice.

The neighbor has not texted us or anything, and I presume he would if Wolfie went missing. At the least, to ask us if we had trapped him or something. (I have not contacted the neighbor myself about it because... I don't know, I'm just trying to not raise any suspicion of our plan to catnap Wolfie, I guess lol).

So I am fairly confident that the neighbor is feeding him more, and that Wolfie is hanging out on their property a whole lot more. This is also in part because I had noticed in the weeks before this whole ordeal, that Wolfie was suddenly coming from their yard, when for months before he came from an entirely different direction. The neighbor said they had started feeding him a couple months ago on and off, so it probably only recently became more regular.

I thought I'd have a couple of months to put my plan into action, but I feel like now things are a lot more urgent. Wolfie is semi-feral. He won't come within 15 feet of me, but from the very beginning I could tell by his demeanor that he was not a true feral. I think there's a definite possibility that with the right effort, he could be tamed down enough to lure into a carrier even by someone who doesn't know what they're doing.

I still have a very full house with no end in sight. We trapped a new cat, and our clinic screwed up and so we had to hold onto him for a week before surgery. We prepped a place to hold him, opened the trap, and the friendliest cat I have seen in a lonnnnng time came out. Huh. I had a suspicion he wasn't fully feral, but he high tailed it anytime I even tried to approach the door, so never got a good assessment of temperament.

Anyway... now we have a cat living in the closet under the stairs until we can locate an owner or find an adopter.

So now we (somehow) have even LESS space than before. Can't even TNR with this little guy above in the last recovery space we had left!

I just have no idea what to do. I've posted to my local rescue network asking if someone would be willing to take him in or foster temporarily for 2-3 months (inside or outside) until I have space to work with Wolfie. Really hoping someone can pull through

Here's some photos of the handsome boy -

 

[Whenallhellbreakslose]

Ah, Wolfie is a handsome boy! I am sorry that that guy is already starting to lure him in. You are going to have to give Wolfie (and I know this is difficult when you have a colony) the most enticing food you can give him. I had a wanderer in my group and to keep him around I had to do this in addition to give him treats, play with him or even give him cat nip. He stopped wandering when I did that. In the meantime, you will have to find an emergency foster.

It is getting late and I will have to sign off. I hope another member has some ideas to share with you. I am winding down for the night. Well have a good one. I will be back on the site soon again.

 

[moxiewild]

Ah, Wolfie is a handsome boy! I am sorry that that guy is already starting to lure him in. You are going to have to give Wolfie (and I know this is difficult when you have a colony) the most enticing food you can give him. I had a wanderer in my group and to keep him around I had to do this in addition to give him treats, play with him or even give him cat nip. He stopped wandering when I did that. In the meantime, you will have to find an emergency foster.

It is getting late and I will have to sign off. I hope another member has some ideas to share with you. I am winding down for the night. Well have a good one. I will be back on the site soon again.

The problem is that I can only get to this colony once a day.

They don’t really hang out where I feed them, but I trained them to go there for food by leaving it out 24/7 at first. However, now I can only go once a day and only leave food for 30 minutes.

He knows what time I get there, so if he doesn’t show up, there’s not a whole lot I can do :/ I’ve tried bonito flakes, but maybe I’ll try an actual fish topper and just hope the other cats don’t eat it first.

I’m worried I won’t be able to trap him either because of this. Ugh.

 

[fionasmom]

Even if you have to feed him something unhealthy, or use that as a topper to keep him around, I would not quibble about the diet just now when things are so dire. I am really sorry to agree with you, but 25 years ago when I was just getting started with cats and had exactly one, I did lure a feral into a carrier and slam the door without much trouble. Of course, my point was to take her with me as I was moving, which I did.

You have tried very hard and I agree that this is a real tightrope that you are walking. I am sorry that I don't have any ideas that you and Whenallhellbreakslose haven't already come up with.

 

[Whenallhellbreakslose]

I wish I had more ideas. All I can think of is feeding him away from the group and get him to go under a camouflaged drop trap and see if you can trap him that way. If that works then that's half the problem solved. You may have to go outside your network and try to find a foster who has a decent reputation. Maybe you can find someone here who lives in your state and is involved in rescue. I know this can be a tough thing to do, but this maybe a good thing you can save Wolfie and make new connections in the cat rescue world. I feel your anxiety and I hope that everything works out. Hang in there.

 

[jefferd18]

No, he didn't need the name and number of your clinic, he needed the name and number of the nearest psychiatrist who would take him -immediately.
I mean- DAMN!- why do people get so nutty when it comes to cats.