Sometimes I Feel Like Giving Up

[MoonstoneWolf]

When my cats came to me they were 5 plus years old. All born feral. All have tamed. Sopdet is the hardest, she'll lick my finger if cat food on there, and let me pet her only if Treasure is around but it took me 2 years to get this far. She's at least 7 years old now. I hear all these stories that you can't tame a feral if they are no longer kittens but I've learned with this bunch here that you can. Other caretakers in my area have also tamed their 5 plus year old feral cats.

 

[rubysmama]

Thanks for the update. And for all your patience socializing Puff Ball. Any new pics of her you can share?

 

[keeneland]

Thanks for the update. And for all your patience socializing Puff Ball. Any new pics of her you can share?

Actually I do not think I have any new pictures of her. She generally comes early in the morning or at night which makes getting pictures difficult. She is more relaxed getting petted in the dark than she is in daylight which I guess is just a cat thing. After she eats she leaves and spends her daylight time at the farm down the road where there are a lot barns. We wish she was here more but she is free to chose. She has not changed a bit as she will always be a kitten to us!

 

[rubysmama]

Ok, no worries. Just happy to hear she's happy and being well cared for. Thanks again for the update.

 

[coffee grinder]

Just a update on our Puff Ball. She is now just a bit over 5 years old and can now be petted pretty much ever day when being fed. She will come to us for feeding but never to be petted. Now way she would even think about letting us pick her up. If anyone had told me that it would take 5 years to make buddies with a cat I would have thought them crazy and I would have thought I would have gave up also and I would have been wrong on both counts LOL! I will say this if you are getting discouraged trying to make up with a feral cat keep this story in mind! Cats have their own timetable and if we have patience it can be a very rewarding feeling when they "Finally" learn to trust. It is Great!

Thank you for this update. It gives me encouragement! I took in an elderly, mostly deaf feral in April. Due to Covid related circumstances she could no longer stay in the office park where she lived under a shed. Rosie (the queen of Corona) lives in her own room where she seems content but she still hides when we're in the room with her. She will come out to eat with us sitting across the room but then goes back in her safe spot under a chair as soon as she finishes eating. I've taken in quite a few ferals & always had some progress toward socialization after several months. Your story gives me hope that she may still learn to trust us eventually. Thanks for sharing.

 

[vyger]

What is ironic is I am now having the opposite problem. Because of the virus shutdowns, including a number of spay and neuter clinics we now have a population explosion of cats. There is a feral mom that I somewhat tamed, depends on her mood how much she lets me handle her, who has had several litters now and brings them to me to feed. Her second litter I managed to get fixed but the first litter resulted in 4 pregnant girls who had 20 kittens and those are all now 3 to 4 months old. They just had a neuter clinic on the 30th and within 2 hours of being announced it was full, (you have to get an appointment) and none of those were mine. Somehow I need to get 25 cats fixed this fall or they are all going to be out having yet more. If I sit down outside I get all the attention I could want, everybody wants to sit in my lap get petted, get played with, it's amazing but it is also to much of a good thing. They won't let me give up.

To much of a good thing.

 

[rubysmama]

vyger : Your colony is a perfect example of how 1 or 2 cats can turn into 100's. Hopefully you can at least get the females spayed before they all get pregnant. Thanks for all you're doing with them. Good luck.

 

[moxiewild]

What is ironic is I am now having the opposite problem. Because of the virus shutdowns, including a number of spay and neuter clinics we now have a population explosion of cats. There is a feral mom that I somewhat tamed, depends on her mood how much she lets me handle her, who has had several litters now and brings them to me to feed. Her second litter I managed to get fixed but the first litter resulted in 4 pregnant girls who had 20 kittens and those are all now 3 to 4 months old. They just had a neuter clinic on the 30th and within 2 hours of being announced it was full, (you have to get an appointment) and none of those were mine. Somehow I need to get 25 cats fixed this fall or they are all going to be out having yet more. If I sit down outside I get all the attention I could want, everybody wants to sit in my lap get petted, get played with, it's amazing but it is also to much of a good thing. They won't let me give up.
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To much of a good thing.

I have over 20 across three separate colonies to TNR right now, and it is SO nerve wracking!

We don’t really have a winter here either, so kitten season is year round and just barely slows down in December/January.

I’m having trouble even figuring out which cats to prioritize trapping first.

One colony is also fed up with this trapping game and they are not having it anymore, so gotta give them a break for a bit. Luckily there is only one female left there. She was pregnant and on the priority list, but she suddenly went missing last week, which is very unlike her

 

[catsknowme]

moxiewild I am sending mega prayers and vibes that your pregnant mama kitty is alright and returns soon. I, too, am feeling overwhelmed right now - too many kittens being born while too many older cats are being abandoned, all of which means more $$ for spay/neuter/vaccines/dental care, etc. At least we have TCS to keep us propped up!

 

[vyger]

moxiewild I am sending mega prayers and vibes that your pregnant mama kitty is alright and returns soon. I, too, am feeling overwhelmed right now - too many kittens being born while too many older cats are being abandoned, all of which means more $$ for spay/neuter/vaccines/dental care, etc. At least we have TCS to keep us propped up!

You have also had the fun of everything being on fire just to make it more interesting!

 

[TooManyFelines]

Congrats, Puff Ball is gorgeous, what a sweet face!! We trapped a feral mama cat (approx. 2 years old) and her two kittens (about 6 months old) at a walmart garden center 19 years ago. Because when we asked about them the cashier told us that some of her male workers were discussing poisoning them.

We had them spayed and and were told they were too old to ever become "normal" house cats and would always be feral. It took 7 years for the mama to finally come sit on our laps and watch TV every night. She lived to 18, so we had years of lap sitting with her.

One of the kittens had a bad reaction to the anesthesia when spayed and it completely changed her personality. She hated all humans, so we could not even pet her. She only lived to about 8 because of chronic URI's that were difficult to treat because of her refusal to be handled. We still have the other kitten who is going to be 20 in March (knock wood) and is currently snoozing on the bed and loves to cuddle.

 

[moxiewild]

moxiewild I am sending mega prayers and vibes that your pregnant mama kitty is alright and returns soon. I, too, am feeling overwhelmed right now - too many kittens being born while too many older cats are being abandoned, all of which means more $$ for spay/neuter/vaccines/dental care, etc. At least we have TCS to keep us propped up!

Honestly, I’m really hoping that maybe she gave birth and a kind neighbor took pity on her and is caring for her now...

I’m fostering one of her older kittens who’s only 15 weeks old (she had an adorable little tortie and calico too, but only brought them to the feeding station once or twice, so never got to trap them ), so she must have gotten pregnant RIGHT after giving birth and this would be about the time she’s due :/

And I hear you! Been up to my neck in kittens and racing the clock to spay-abort Mommas, which kills me every time. We also just trapped a long sought after sick feral and found out he’s FIV+ too

I’m at the point where I’ve just accepted that I live and breathe rescuing animals and cats now, and this is probably the only place I feel comfortable enough to admit that. With everyone else I have to pretend like I have a life

You have also had the fun of everything being on fire just to make it more interesting!

Oh no no no no no, not me, I’m in Texas!!!

It’s funny because I was literally just talking to my boyfriend yesterday about how I would probably die from stress if I lived in a natural disaster area with all these colonies. I already worry enough about them when it drizzles

 

[vyger]

So it has been a little more than a month since the last comment here and sometimes I am amazed by what can happen in a month. It snowed on Saturday then dropped cold, about 15 degrees. Has yet to get back above freezing and according to forecasts we will get one day in the high 30's and then it gets colder for at least the next 10 days it wont get out of the 20's in the day. It's to early for this. In the meantime Colorado is on fire.

The feral mom who started this whole colony for me had another litter. I knew she did but hadn't seen them as she found somewhere more private this time. She was gone for several days when she had the kittens and then started showing up for food again. Then after a few weeks she went missing. I thought she had taken the kittens somewhere else, until I heard one screaming it's head off and found it under my shop trailer. Left behind maybe? So now I have to bottle feed an abandoned orphan. Two days later I found another one. I had searched the first time and found nothing. Then this one, a lot weaker showed up. At least it has a sibling to stay warm with but now it is apparent that something has happened to the mom. So it appears her course is finished. I did not find any other kittens so I have no idea what might have happened. And I am bottle feeding two screaming kittens. Never done this part before, this is an adventure. The box I tried using only lasted a week before they were out of it. I am now employing a gerbil cage for their home as it is the only thing that keeps them from getting stepped on. I have seen those pictures of people with a kitten on each shoe, yep it does happen just like that.

So the cats are all part of life, the kittens, the coming and goings the weather and all that, and then things get real. The husband of the lady who organizes the spay and neuter clinics here has died of Covid. Three families that I know closely have all had the virus and been really sick. All the hospitals in the major cities that can handle cases are full. The little hospital here can't handle cases so they are flown somewhere that can, except now all those places are full. Yeah, things have gotten real now. The outbreaks in the group of states around here have been traced back to Sturgis South Dakota and the motorcycle rally they had there. Estimates are that between 250,000 and 500,000 cases have resulted from that event. That was the "super spreader" that is now going like wildfire. Stay safe people, it's not the flu, it kills. Suddenly the cats really aren't as big a problem anymore

 

[Babypaws]

Bless you for caring for the kittens...sounds like your winter has already started. It’s very sad the direction the country is going in. too many people who aren’t taking things seriously and are making it worse for others.
Stay safe and good luck with the kitties.

 

[trudy1]

You can only do what you can. I used to go a little/lot crazy over feral cats and kittens. Trapped and neutered 15 one time! But since I had to surrender my precious little colony of 8 to be used as barn cats somewhere else reality gives you a kick. Yep, still cry when I think of them...hand fed from birth for 7 years and now as just cats in a barn, if they are even still alive now that it’s been two years....But you’re doing your best. Just remember the fun times, cry a little and the next kitten family will be provided! Keep the faith!

 

[Babypaws]

You can only do what you can. I used to go a little/lot crazy over feral cats and kittens. Trapped and neutered 15 one time! But since I had to surrender my precious little colony of 8 to be used as barn cats somewhere else reality gives you a kick. Yep, still cry when I think of them...hand fed from birth for 7 years and now as just cats in a barn, if they are even still alive now that it’s been two years....But you’re doing your best. Just remember the fun times, cry a little and the next kitten family will be provided! Keep the faith!

That is really sad.....after 7 years. I have 12 indoor cats (10 are rescues born in our yard) and 1 feral cat I care for. I don’t know how I could give any of them up if I had to. They become family. I worry when the feral spayed cat isn’t around for a day or so. I feed her 3 times a day to keep her near. If only there were more caring people in the world. Bless you all.

 

[trudy1]

I know exactly what you mean. I have 7. Three left over that I couldn’t place from the original 15, one who just “showed up”, my UPS cat (UPS delivering a package, opened his truck and there she was!), one from my original colony, and my Chick-fil-A cat I found starving on their lot as a 8oz kitten. I worry over them all. Three go outside daily ( worry) but I have 3 acres fenced with barbed wire on top.
This is Henry, the one who just showed up with Gracie the Chick-fil-A all grown up. Henry is one of those “foster moms” who loves kittens so he kinda raised Gracie. Really, he’s the only one who will tolerate her. Everybody else gets their back jumped on and ridden like a pony!

 

[Babypaws]

Wow, that must have been a very happy moment.....wonder how they got in the truck....God sent, I guess. So happy for you.
lol. I have a 6 month old male who I brought inside back in May and he is a riot... he likes to jump on the others and wrestles with them, I’ve seen him stay on their backs while they’re trying to walk away. Something about his personality that is different from my other cats. His name is Tiger but I call him my “little man”.....

 

[trudy1]

I talked to the UPS guy and he said it was not uncommon for a cat to get into their truck. So I got his last few delivery locations before that one but nobody had lost a kitten...ha! I bet they were going “yes!”
Molly is a joy. She’s never offered to want outside and just content to find a quiet place to sleep. Any small place suites her.