A feral kitten my wife and I have been feeding for 3 months hangs out on our porch all day waiting for her mate to return. She comes indoors every so often and looks for him, then appears to be sad and returns outdoors to lay on a blanket and wait. She is still 75% afraid of me, but she knows I bring the food 3 times a day. How can I entertain her when she is afraid to play with me?
So backstory with cat drama. 3 months ago I was not a Cat Person. Knew very little about them. Never wanted one. Two strays had been hanging out in our yard for a few weeks and one day my wife asked if I had seen the tawny cat - that she was the most beautiful cat she has ever seen and she worried about the kitten's safety and warmth. So I started feeding them. They used to hang out in the yard together all day.
We learned that the male, Midnight (our name), belonged to a family in the neighborhood, but they said "he's a roamer." Yes, and I feed him 3x a day. Pumpkin, the female, is 100% feral. Midnight is super smart, and feels comfortable in our house. Pumpkin enters only after he does and then tentatively. Gosh - sorry this is so long.
The last week of January she went into heat. I think it was her first time - she's only 9-10 months old. We assumed Midnight was neutered. He is not. These two cats have a strong bond, and it seemed like she only wanted to mate with him. She was terrified when other males entered the yard - Midnight would face off with them, and took a few battle scars. I helped when I could. One night he was so over it he came in and laid on my wife and went to sleep while we pet him.
Regardless of her wishes, we believe she did mate with other males because her body was telling her too. Since then, Midnight has not been interested in her. When he comes over, he eats, then wants to come indoors to visit my wife and I. She waits all day for him. She will only eat a little when he isn't here to protect her, then when he returns she shows him affection and he tries to get away. Is it possible that he is upset at her for mating with other males? They used to be so close and it is heartbreaking watching her scan the yard for him most of the day. She will now enter the house (if I keep the exterior door wide open) and mew for him while exploring the downstairs. Heart. Breaking.
So that brings me to my first question. She has toy mice that she plays with for a few minutes. But is there anything I can do to help relieve her boredom and sadness?
Yes - we realize she should be spayed. We intend to after her litter. She will hate us for trapping her but it is for her own good. We were sure about Midnight being neutered until we saw he wasn't. Yes, I know his family are irresponsible for allowing a non-neutered male to roam the neighborhood. We can't get involved in that. We intend to socialize her kittens and provide good homes for them. This is all brand spanking new to me but I love her and I'm committed to her safety and well being.
Thanks for reading.
So backstory with cat drama. 3 months ago I was not a Cat Person. Knew very little about them. Never wanted one. Two strays had been hanging out in our yard for a few weeks and one day my wife asked if I had seen the tawny cat - that she was the most beautiful cat she has ever seen and she worried about the kitten's safety and warmth. So I started feeding them. They used to hang out in the yard together all day.
We learned that the male, Midnight (our name), belonged to a family in the neighborhood, but they said "he's a roamer." Yes, and I feed him 3x a day. Pumpkin, the female, is 100% feral. Midnight is super smart, and feels comfortable in our house. Pumpkin enters only after he does and then tentatively. Gosh - sorry this is so long.
The last week of January she went into heat. I think it was her first time - she's only 9-10 months old. We assumed Midnight was neutered. He is not. These two cats have a strong bond, and it seemed like she only wanted to mate with him. She was terrified when other males entered the yard - Midnight would face off with them, and took a few battle scars. I helped when I could. One night he was so over it he came in and laid on my wife and went to sleep while we pet him.
Regardless of her wishes, we believe she did mate with other males because her body was telling her too. Since then, Midnight has not been interested in her. When he comes over, he eats, then wants to come indoors to visit my wife and I. She waits all day for him. She will only eat a little when he isn't here to protect her, then when he returns she shows him affection and he tries to get away. Is it possible that he is upset at her for mating with other males? They used to be so close and it is heartbreaking watching her scan the yard for him most of the day. She will now enter the house (if I keep the exterior door wide open) and mew for him while exploring the downstairs. Heart. Breaking.
So that brings me to my first question. She has toy mice that she plays with for a few minutes. But is there anything I can do to help relieve her boredom and sadness?
Yes - we realize she should be spayed. We intend to after her litter. She will hate us for trapping her but it is for her own good. We were sure about Midnight being neutered until we saw he wasn't. Yes, I know his family are irresponsible for allowing a non-neutered male to roam the neighborhood. We can't get involved in that. We intend to socialize her kittens and provide good homes for them. This is all brand spanking new to me but I love her and I'm committed to her safety and well being.
Thanks for reading.