- Joined
- Jan 14, 2022
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- 70
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Greetings kitty lovers and caretakers,
This is my first post and I’m happy to have found this site. I’ve already read through a bunch of threads and have found the advice and stories intriguing, insightful and often emotional-- both good and some not so good. In particular, the stories of rescuing community cats/ferals and giving them warm safe homes and socializing them are of particular interest to me at this time. I’m in a situation which could be life altering (both me and kitty/kitties) and I’m agonizing over the decision I need to make but one that needs to be made soon.
I have been feeding a group of community cats for a little over a year now. Included are a couple of sibling kitties. Their mom started bringing when they were only probably around 3 weeks old. Now they are around 8 months old. They are completely feral/wild. I have never been able to get closer than 20 or 30 feet away from any of them as they will bolt at any sign of me…or really of any movement in general (lol but actually sigh). I never really tried either since I always figured it was best to just let them come to eat when they felt it was safe. I have had plans to try to TNR going back to November before the weather got brutal but covid hit me and I was sick for over a month…then with the holidays and other things, it just wasn’t possible. Meanwhile, the weather got really bad. Lots of snow, freezing cold temps, lots of wind bringing windchill down close to 0 degrees. Even during this miserable weather, the kitties seemed to barely notice that I had set up my 10 x 10 shed in my backyard with multiple insulated storage bin shelters, some with lots of straw and some even with those K&H heated kitty beds. I had to assume they must just have other options they were somehow more comfortable with…even though I couldn’t imagine they would actually be more comfortable.
All of a sudden, I have a new and overarching issue. You see, while I had known for some time that the fields behind my home were potentially going to be developed, I hoped nothing would happen for a while, maybe a year or more. However, the weather started improving (sunny days with highs in the upper 30s and lows in the lower 20s) and the snow started to melt. While this brought me some relief that the kitties would be able to enjoy better weather conditions out there, it quickly led to a new source of dread and near panic (I experience a lot of anxiety for the well-being of these kitties…which I’m learning is a burden shared by many kitty caretakers).
This week, I began seeing heavy equipment moving in to the north and as a wave of panic came over me, I found that sure enough, they started clearing and leveling the ground on the north side of my neighborhood. This is the area where all along I suspected the kitties had been sheltering as that’s the direction from whence they would come and go for the most part and there were more natural hiding places along with some building materials and other “structures” that seemed to be the most likely spots that could be used as a sort of home base for cats. The last couple of days those makeshift “shelters” have been cleared out and the ground bulldozed, with trucks and heavy equipment going in and out all day. Thus, I believe I was correct and now the kitties have been displaced. Now I’m seeing a few of them wandering around more in the fields to the west and more like within a couple hundred yards from my house. The fields used to be pretty thick with tall weeds and natural hiding places, but the heavy snow flattened all the weeds to the point where there are not many places for a kitty to go and really feel unexposed from predators as well as the elements, not to mention the activities of us scary humans. As I’m typing this, hearing the heavy equipment to my north, I can see one of the sweetest, most precious of the group from my bedroom window trying to find a place to feel safe out in some weed patches just to the west of my home. She is alone and to my mind, seems unsure of what to do or where to go.
Meanwhile, last night, an unprecedented 3 of the other kitties used the shelters in my shed, at least for a little while. While I am glad to see that, it also seems to confirm that they are now seeking out different options for shelter especially at night. The one sweet kitty I mentioned is not one I’ve ever seen use a shelter and has not so much as poked her head in the shed for a long time as far as I’m aware. I have motion sensing cameras out there to try to monitor. I believe she is scared of some of the other kitties, especially one that is a male and has probably marked around and maybe in the shed. I believe she may have been attacked some time ago probably by an aggressive male and it left her with a severe looking eye injury. I watched and prayed over the course of a week or so to see if she would recover. Eventually her eye seemed to heal. It was a miracle. In fact, it was then that I gave her the name Mila (from Milagro which is Spanish for Miracle). Anyway, recently I’ve seen 4 of the other kitties interacting and having contact to some degree so at least maybe they have formed a group and can work together. That includes Mila (aka Milly)’s sibling, her mom, and two other cats…one of which I know is a male. Milly, however, will not associate with anyone besides her sibling (who I named Lipton aka Lippy because of a thin white line above his upper lip). If Lippy starts running more in this group then I fear Milly will be completely on her own.
I would have never considered it prior to this, but now that it seems their whole existence out in the fields is threatened, I’m thinking more drastic action may be necessary…so I started considering the idea of trying to bring one or more into my garage or even inside the house. Trying to find out if that’s even possible is what led me to this site. Initially I felt like I should try to bring in the two siblings. But Lippy seems to have integrated into this small group of 4 while Milly has not. So I wonder if I should just focus on Milly. I know I need to TNR all of them, and soon! (easier said than done of course) but if/when I do trap Milly and have her fixed/vaccinated, I am seriously wondering if I should bring her inside rather than release her back to the rapidly shrinking/vanishing fields. I can provide for her every physical need. Mental and emotional needs may be another story as I know it would be a grueling process to try to socialize her and I worry intensely that it may be the wrong decision for her. Milly is spooked by everything including her own shadow. I fear it would be a nightmare for her to be confined inside a relatively small space with a human. Reading about others who have tried and end up with months and months of kitty constantly being terrified and hiding at all costs, lashing out in panic, etc. has me in a huge emotional dilemma….especially considering I just don’t really know if I even have what it takes to succeed in those circumstances.
However, as I hear the loud scary noises of the heavy equipment just up the street, I think I need to do something knowing that soon all their fields will be swimming with bulldozers, dump trucks, earth movers and people who will surely not give a hoot about ruining these kitties’ safe haven and home. Perhaps the kitties can roam and find new habitat elsewhere, I’m not sure. As I consider where they might be able to go, no other location in the immediate area that won’t be impacted by construction seems to readily present itself as a good option as far as I can tell (but then again, I'm not a cat!). I know I simply can’t take in all of these cats. I think for the most part I will have to try to TNR as many as I can, continue to put food out and just hope they can adapt.
So, back to the thought of taking in Lippy and Milly….or just Milly since, by my estimation, she seems to be the one that is going to have the most difficult time and is the most vulnerable. That certainly was driven home in my mind last night when, as I watched Lippy go in another shelter I have under my porch by their feeding area. Meanwhile Milly waited and paced around the porch clearly not knowing what to do, eventually trying to join Lippy inside…but to my dismay, Lippy swatted at her and would not let her enter. This was repeated 3 times. Finally another kitty came into the yard and Milly bolted to parts unknown.
If I take in Milly or Lippy and Milly, I fear my indoor cat would not be fond of this new situation in the least. He is now a senior cat (13+ years old) and has been without another cat in the house for about 3 years. As he ages and health issues become inevitable, I worry a ton about adding a bunch of stress to his life. However, other than Puffy, I live alone in a 4 bedroom, 3 bath home so I could easily spare a room or whatever space is recommended for a feral kitty to first acclimate to being brought indoors. Would it be better or worse to try bringing both Milly and Lippy in together? They are currently about 8 months old. They do have a bond which I would hate to break…but as evidenced last night, I’m not sure Lippy is super invested in Milly’s well-being overall. That’s certainly only speculation on this human’s part…not understanding in the slightest all the mysterious and obscure relationships and behaviors of the kitty-kind. Any/all thoughts and advice would be extremely welcome. I would basically be alone in this endeavor with the only support probably coming from you kind and benevolent kitty lovers. I’ve always liked cats but I’m probably not what you might consider a traditional cat person. I only ended up with kitties when a girlfriend who was a cat person (and who I thought I would marry) talked me in to getting a cat…and then another. I got “stuck” with them…but had fallen completely in love with them and would not have dreamed of giving them up.
This is Milly
This is my first post and I’m happy to have found this site. I’ve already read through a bunch of threads and have found the advice and stories intriguing, insightful and often emotional-- both good and some not so good. In particular, the stories of rescuing community cats/ferals and giving them warm safe homes and socializing them are of particular interest to me at this time. I’m in a situation which could be life altering (both me and kitty/kitties) and I’m agonizing over the decision I need to make but one that needs to be made soon.
I have been feeding a group of community cats for a little over a year now. Included are a couple of sibling kitties. Their mom started bringing when they were only probably around 3 weeks old. Now they are around 8 months old. They are completely feral/wild. I have never been able to get closer than 20 or 30 feet away from any of them as they will bolt at any sign of me…or really of any movement in general (lol but actually sigh). I never really tried either since I always figured it was best to just let them come to eat when they felt it was safe. I have had plans to try to TNR going back to November before the weather got brutal but covid hit me and I was sick for over a month…then with the holidays and other things, it just wasn’t possible. Meanwhile, the weather got really bad. Lots of snow, freezing cold temps, lots of wind bringing windchill down close to 0 degrees. Even during this miserable weather, the kitties seemed to barely notice that I had set up my 10 x 10 shed in my backyard with multiple insulated storage bin shelters, some with lots of straw and some even with those K&H heated kitty beds. I had to assume they must just have other options they were somehow more comfortable with…even though I couldn’t imagine they would actually be more comfortable.
All of a sudden, I have a new and overarching issue. You see, while I had known for some time that the fields behind my home were potentially going to be developed, I hoped nothing would happen for a while, maybe a year or more. However, the weather started improving (sunny days with highs in the upper 30s and lows in the lower 20s) and the snow started to melt. While this brought me some relief that the kitties would be able to enjoy better weather conditions out there, it quickly led to a new source of dread and near panic (I experience a lot of anxiety for the well-being of these kitties…which I’m learning is a burden shared by many kitty caretakers).
This week, I began seeing heavy equipment moving in to the north and as a wave of panic came over me, I found that sure enough, they started clearing and leveling the ground on the north side of my neighborhood. This is the area where all along I suspected the kitties had been sheltering as that’s the direction from whence they would come and go for the most part and there were more natural hiding places along with some building materials and other “structures” that seemed to be the most likely spots that could be used as a sort of home base for cats. The last couple of days those makeshift “shelters” have been cleared out and the ground bulldozed, with trucks and heavy equipment going in and out all day. Thus, I believe I was correct and now the kitties have been displaced. Now I’m seeing a few of them wandering around more in the fields to the west and more like within a couple hundred yards from my house. The fields used to be pretty thick with tall weeds and natural hiding places, but the heavy snow flattened all the weeds to the point where there are not many places for a kitty to go and really feel unexposed from predators as well as the elements, not to mention the activities of us scary humans. As I’m typing this, hearing the heavy equipment to my north, I can see one of the sweetest, most precious of the group from my bedroom window trying to find a place to feel safe out in some weed patches just to the west of my home. She is alone and to my mind, seems unsure of what to do or where to go.
Meanwhile, last night, an unprecedented 3 of the other kitties used the shelters in my shed, at least for a little while. While I am glad to see that, it also seems to confirm that they are now seeking out different options for shelter especially at night. The one sweet kitty I mentioned is not one I’ve ever seen use a shelter and has not so much as poked her head in the shed for a long time as far as I’m aware. I have motion sensing cameras out there to try to monitor. I believe she is scared of some of the other kitties, especially one that is a male and has probably marked around and maybe in the shed. I believe she may have been attacked some time ago probably by an aggressive male and it left her with a severe looking eye injury. I watched and prayed over the course of a week or so to see if she would recover. Eventually her eye seemed to heal. It was a miracle. In fact, it was then that I gave her the name Mila (from Milagro which is Spanish for Miracle). Anyway, recently I’ve seen 4 of the other kitties interacting and having contact to some degree so at least maybe they have formed a group and can work together. That includes Mila (aka Milly)’s sibling, her mom, and two other cats…one of which I know is a male. Milly, however, will not associate with anyone besides her sibling (who I named Lipton aka Lippy because of a thin white line above his upper lip). If Lippy starts running more in this group then I fear Milly will be completely on her own.
I would have never considered it prior to this, but now that it seems their whole existence out in the fields is threatened, I’m thinking more drastic action may be necessary…so I started considering the idea of trying to bring one or more into my garage or even inside the house. Trying to find out if that’s even possible is what led me to this site. Initially I felt like I should try to bring in the two siblings. But Lippy seems to have integrated into this small group of 4 while Milly has not. So I wonder if I should just focus on Milly. I know I need to TNR all of them, and soon! (easier said than done of course) but if/when I do trap Milly and have her fixed/vaccinated, I am seriously wondering if I should bring her inside rather than release her back to the rapidly shrinking/vanishing fields. I can provide for her every physical need. Mental and emotional needs may be another story as I know it would be a grueling process to try to socialize her and I worry intensely that it may be the wrong decision for her. Milly is spooked by everything including her own shadow. I fear it would be a nightmare for her to be confined inside a relatively small space with a human. Reading about others who have tried and end up with months and months of kitty constantly being terrified and hiding at all costs, lashing out in panic, etc. has me in a huge emotional dilemma….especially considering I just don’t really know if I even have what it takes to succeed in those circumstances.
However, as I hear the loud scary noises of the heavy equipment just up the street, I think I need to do something knowing that soon all their fields will be swimming with bulldozers, dump trucks, earth movers and people who will surely not give a hoot about ruining these kitties’ safe haven and home. Perhaps the kitties can roam and find new habitat elsewhere, I’m not sure. As I consider where they might be able to go, no other location in the immediate area that won’t be impacted by construction seems to readily present itself as a good option as far as I can tell (but then again, I'm not a cat!). I know I simply can’t take in all of these cats. I think for the most part I will have to try to TNR as many as I can, continue to put food out and just hope they can adapt.
So, back to the thought of taking in Lippy and Milly….or just Milly since, by my estimation, she seems to be the one that is going to have the most difficult time and is the most vulnerable. That certainly was driven home in my mind last night when, as I watched Lippy go in another shelter I have under my porch by their feeding area. Meanwhile Milly waited and paced around the porch clearly not knowing what to do, eventually trying to join Lippy inside…but to my dismay, Lippy swatted at her and would not let her enter. This was repeated 3 times. Finally another kitty came into the yard and Milly bolted to parts unknown.
If I take in Milly or Lippy and Milly, I fear my indoor cat would not be fond of this new situation in the least. He is now a senior cat (13+ years old) and has been without another cat in the house for about 3 years. As he ages and health issues become inevitable, I worry a ton about adding a bunch of stress to his life. However, other than Puffy, I live alone in a 4 bedroom, 3 bath home so I could easily spare a room or whatever space is recommended for a feral kitty to first acclimate to being brought indoors. Would it be better or worse to try bringing both Milly and Lippy in together? They are currently about 8 months old. They do have a bond which I would hate to break…but as evidenced last night, I’m not sure Lippy is super invested in Milly’s well-being overall. That’s certainly only speculation on this human’s part…not understanding in the slightest all the mysterious and obscure relationships and behaviors of the kitty-kind. Any/all thoughts and advice would be extremely welcome. I would basically be alone in this endeavor with the only support probably coming from you kind and benevolent kitty lovers. I’ve always liked cats but I’m probably not what you might consider a traditional cat person. I only ended up with kitties when a girlfriend who was a cat person (and who I thought I would marry) talked me in to getting a cat…and then another. I got “stuck” with them…but had fallen completely in love with them and would not have dreamed of giving them up.
This is Milly